Dark Throne, The (9 page)

And Calder never intended to suffer the horrible death
Mother Mearth would plan for him
.

He would bide his time, knowing that Fade could not and
would not return to Mearth and eventually, would take his rightful
place on the
Dark
Throne.

Calder would not make a move of dissension or disobedience
over the next year
, he would
behave, be the puppet the council obviously wanted him to be and
then, when his time came, that was it.

The council would certainly convene
. Forever.

***

"Why won't the doorknob work
now?"

Heather knew she was whining
. She could hear the annoying squeak in her voice and
grimaced over it, but dammit, they'd been unscrewing and
reattaching the doorknob to different doors all day. All in the
vain hope that it would take them back to this Mearth
place.

With every subsequent attempt, the belief in Mearth and a
mother and father who were waiting for her, seemed to
falter
.

Was she dreaming?

Was this real?

She kept pinching herself and would subsequently pinch Fade
to see if this was truly happening
. The first time she'd done it, he'd nearly jumped out of
his skin and had been on the brink of brandishing a dagger at her.
Only when she'd started to laugh, had he realized it wasn't a
direct attack. He'd demanded an explanation and his scowl hadn't
softened at her reasoning: he'd simply nodded and carried on with
his work.

Up until today, Heather hadn't realized how many doors she
actually had
. Doors to the
kitchen, as well as the cupboards lining the walls, doors to the
utility room and the bathroom. Then there were the bedrooms and the
closets. . . . Each door had to be checked, on either
side.

And Heather's newly found enjoyment in DIY was rapidly
disappearing
.

"I don't know
,” Fade
gritted out as he fiddled with the tiny screws.

He wasn't the most talkative of men
. Hell, he was the least talkative man Heather had
ever known and she usually had a knack of drawing people out of
themselves. She would speak and more often than not, he'd ignore
her. It was rather annoying, but she'd continued to talk throughout
the day, because she'd realized that he
would
answer, if
he had something to say.

That he'd chosen to reply to that particular question did
not bode well for her return to a mother who was awaiting her with
open arms
.

"Mearth be damned
.”
The words were growled out and Heather watched, as almost in slow
motion, Fade hefted the doorknob and threw it against the opposite
wall. The doorknob smashed. Into a million, trillion pieces. It
shattered in midair and like a light fall of rain sprinkled over
the hall carpet.

For a moment, Heather sat stunned and then she slowly
turned her head
. "Why. Did.
You. Do. That?"

Fade's head shot towards her and his glare almost quelled
her slowly rising fury
. "I did
it, because the damned piece of shite is just that. Shite. It
obviously doesn't work.”

"How do you know that
?
You haven't tried all of the doors.”

"It was a small hope
.
I know little of parallel universes. What I do know, is that the
traveler hardly ever returns. I'm stuck here. On this godforsaken
plane.”

"Don't be stupid, Fade
. My mother obviously knew all of this was going to happen.
The doorknobs must mean something and you've just broken the only
key we had.”

"We have been wasting time working on this
doorknob
. They rarely work
twice.”

Noticing a slight movement on his upper lip, one which told
her was biting it, she had to contain her anger, because he
obviously did not believe his words
. "Do not lie to me. That box was obviously ancient. There
were fitted out spaces for each knob. Why keep them if they don't
work again?"

"Sentimentality?"

On the brink of picking up the screwdriver Fade had been
using and drilling it into his head, Heather took the calmer
route
. She stepped backwards
and away from him. "I can't look at you right now. I'll be in the
kitchen, making us something to eat.”

As she stepped away, he called out, "I'm not
hungry
.”

"Tough
.”

When he didn't reply, she merely huffed to herself and
walked down the hallway and headed to the
kitchen
. On the table, there
was the box containing the doorknobs and on top of that, the sheet
of parchment upon which her mother's note had been
written.

Biting her lip, she picked up the parchment and knew that
she held it tenderly in her hands
. This was the sole point of contact she'd ever had with
her mother and she refused to believe it would be the last. Hope
had not been lost when Fade had destroyed that doorknob, she hadn't
felt distraught, merely pissed off. That had to mean something,
didn't it?

Instincts were usually correct, weren't
they
?

She could only hope so, because while her belief wavered
every now and then, she intrinsically knew that she would
eventually meet her mother
.
How or when, Heather didn't know and she fully admitted that. But
the longer Fade remained here, the longer she had to believe that
something freaky was going on in the world, something that the
majority of people were unaware of. She also felt certain that if
her mother had known Fade would arrive on that particular day, then
she could hazard a guess that her mother had also known he would
break the doorknob as well as commit countless other irritating
acts.

At least, Heather prayed that were so
.

She'd only come to the kitchen to cool
down
. It was strange how
annoying a mostly silent man could be, but she'd needed a moment to
herself and the kitchen had always been a pleasant haven. Her aunt
May had always been cooking or baking something and the kitchen had
been the first room to visit if she was in need of
comfort.

Another reason for her impromptu visit to the kitchen was
an idea that had popped into her head as the glass knob had
shattered into hundreds of millions of tiny
pieces
.

If her mother could write on the
parchment and she could see the note, then why couldn't it work the
other way around?

It would be like a magical instant
messenger
. . . . or so Heather
hoped.

Sucking in a breath, one that was filled with a desperate
hope for her attempt to work, she picked up a pen and pressed the
nib to the sheet
.

She jolted when the ink immediately disappeared and then
returned and blossomed into flowing, flowery
letters
.

Daughter?

Heather dropped the pen and almost jerked away from the
table
. When the ink didn't
disappear, when her mother added another question mark as though
repeating her question, she settled down in her seat and sucked in
a breath.

Mother
? Setta? Is
that you?
Heather quickly
wrote. Her hand actually trembled as she formed the words and
watched them disappear.

Yes
. It is I. Is
something wrong?

Heather couldn't help but laugh
. "This is actually working. Oh, my God.”

I can't believe this is working
. I'm actually talking, well, writing with my mother.
How long can we do this for?

As long as you need, Heather
. Dearling, it is wonderful to hear from you. But I think
you are having problems with Fade, am I correct?

Yes, you're right, mother
. He just broke the doorknob he used to enter my world.
Does it matter?

Well, it is a slight setback
. It means that he will not return to his realm in the
exact point of entry. From the recent gossip, I believe he
disappeared after entering a hoonan stronghold.. so the fact he
will not be returning there is not too horrific. However, you must
tell him to be careful with the remaining keys. They are
irreplaceable and I can't get anymore to you. The other knobs will
take you to different parts of Mearth. Some are safe and others
dangerous, if he destroys anymore it reduces, drastically, your
chance of returning home and I do so want to see you again. The
prospect of once again being with you has kept your father and I
strong during these horrid times.

I want to know you too, mother
. And father. Will there be a time
difference?

I
. . . . I cannot
say, daughter. Had he used the same knob, then no. He would have
returned at the same moment. Only you would have been with him. Now
that he has destroyed that particular key, there very likely could
be a time delay. Inform him of this and also tell him that Calder
has been placed on the throne- he is only acting in Fade's stead.
There are rumors of the council gifting Fade with a year to return.
. . . if he does not, then Calder will take the throne.
Permanently. Again, this would not have been an issue had he not
broken the doorknob, but there is no point in weeping over this. He
will have your kingdom once you are bonded together.

How do we bond together,
mother?

Through a union of the body, of course,
dearling
.

I was hoping that you'd say it was
easier
. I've only known the
man a day. When am I expected to have sex with him? Can it wait
until I reach home?

Unfortunately not, dearling
. You must bond before you return, as if you don't, you
might not be allowed to enter Mearth. Only Elven can enter Mearth
and the suppressants you've been fed over your lifetime have taken
your Elven nature away. Bonding with Fade will return
it.

Okay
. I'll think
about it. It seems I have some time, because we just tried the
doorknob Fade broke on every door in the house. None of them
worked. I realized I possess a ton of junk, but there was little
other success.

I can't think why that would be- unless May did something
to the knobs.

This might not matter, but I've lived my whole life in New
York
. . . . a few months ago,
however, I moved away. Does that matter?

Ah
. Yes. That does
matter and it makes more sense why the doorknob didn't function
correctly. Now, the fact that Fade broke the doorknob, matters not
either way. The magic used to bring him over to your world will
have burnt out the doorknob, so it won't work. You should find that
you will have more luck with another of the set. However, it will
only work on one door. It
won't
be the one
through which he originally entered.

Right
. Okay, thanks,
mother. I'll tell Fade. That should cheer him up.

Yes, dearling, but don't forget you will have to bind
yourself to one another before you can enter
Mearth
. I'm sorry. I know
it's fast- too fast for you to be comfortable. After all he is but
a stranger to you, but I promise to you that he is made for you. He
is blood of your blood, that is how the bind works.

He is very
uncommunicative.

Give him a chance, daughter
. He is in another world. Most Elven, even the royals, are
unaware that other dimensions exist. He is in another world, he is
bound to a woman not of his ken and his fate is no longer his own.
Just as you are, he is under pressure.

I suppose
. I never
thought of it that way. After all, I'm the one discovering their
entire life is basically a lie. I guess that was rather selfish of
me. I'll try to be a little more patent with him.

Good
. If you have any
further questions, then you know to contact me this way. I have
been carrying around this sheet of parchment ever since you were
transported to Earth. It is always with me and always will
be.

I hope to see you soon, mother
.

No more than I you, my dearling
. Until then.

"What did she say?"

Chapter
Five

The voice jolted Heather from the emotions coursing through
her
. It seemed incredible to
believe that her mother had just been writing to her and from a
completely different world to the one Heather had always thought to
be the sole universe. On top of that, was the knowledge that she
was no longer alone. She had a family. Yes, they were on another
realm, but they were waiting for her. And they wanted
her.

Couple that with the information that this man was made for
her, she need never be alone ever again
.