Daughter of the Red Dawn (The Lost Kingdom of Fallada) (22 page)

“But it cannot be!” she exclaimed. “The princesses of Fallada were lost! Everyone k
nows that the Brothers Grimm
were
sent
on a fool’s errand.”

“This is real,” Titus
said,
his mouth tight. “
The scribes have succeeded in finding the first
of the
lost daughter
s
of Fallada.”

Selena glanced over at him and smiled, realizing that just a few days
ago,
the female Centaur’s words had been the same as his. He had no more believed that the retrieval of seven lo
st girls would be a success than
she had. Perhaps time would change both their minds.

Tinutai glared at her venomously.
“Dargha!
You dare to question the daughter of King Eldalwen? We have seen the proof. Where is your respect?”

Dargha promptly fell into a bowing position, her cheeks red with embarrassment. “Forgive me, Your Majesty.”

Selena felt all eyes on her and grew uncomfortable as she realized that everyone was actually waiting for her
to
forgive Dargha or condemn her to
…
death?
Torture?
Banishment?
She cleared her throat and shifted uncomfortably.

“It’s all r
ight,” she said. “No harm done.”

“We will, of course,
escort you to Damu immediately. King Eldalwen will be more than joyous at your return.”

The massive Centaur bent all four legs beneath
himself
and motioned Selena toward him. “Come, it will be much faster if your party rides rather than try to keep up with us.”

Selena wanted nothing more than to challenge the creature to a race. Tinutai could be the second four-legged beast to be beaten by her,
but Selena knew that now as not the time. Besides, she could hardly expect Titus and the
Fae
warriors to keep up. If the Centaurs were as fast as Jake and Wil had led her to believe, they would be within the walls of Damu in no time.

A low rumbling growl sounded the moment her hand was in Tinutai’s and Selena shot an annoyed glance at Titus, who had stepped forward to bare his teeth menacingly.

“Seriously?”

Titus at least had the decency to look embarrassed. “Sorry.
Animal instinct.”

Selena smiled. “He’s not
that
good looking.”

Titus raised an eyebrow and returned her smile, crossing to the beautiful, red-skinned Dargha, who had offered her back to Titus.

That is so not cool!
Selena whined inwardly as they both mounted their Centaur escorts.
She’s freaking gorgeous!

That may be
,
but I am not interested in half-wolf, half-horse babies,
Titus responded with a visible shudder.
Besides, as far as I’m concerned, you are the most beautiful woman in all of
Fallada
.

Selena raised her eyebrows at him as the rest of their party mounted up—even Rothatin, though he did so a bit reluctantly.

What about in the human world?

I wasn’t there long, but I did see plenty of photos of the one named Megan Fox. Not bad, not bad at all.

Careful.
We’re in my territory now, Wolf Boy. I could have you deserted right here.

You wouldn’t do such a thing.

What makes you so
sure?

Simple.
Because you love me.

Selena was jolted physically as Tinutai started off at a run with the other Centaurs falling in behind him. She was jolted emotionally as well by Titu
s
’s bold accusation. She closed her mind off to him, refusing to respond to what she’d already realized the night before while curled up against him in sleep.

~*~

The city of Damu surrounded Selena and her party in a stimulating haze of sights, smells, and sounds. Once within the high, clay walls, the wind and sand were mostly blocked out, enabling her to lower her veil and hood and take it all in. The red clay buildings were high and close together, creating a maze of roads leading toward the very center, where the palace loomed highest of all with its towers and domed tops. Centaurs mixed with people on the street, moving in and out, as much a part of Damu as everyone else. No one spared them a glance, as if it were an everyday occurrence for the half-human creatures to be walking around in broad daylight. Among them also were a few
Elves
, Satyrs
,
and
Fae
ries. Every eye turned toward their party in curiosity, yet Tinutai and his guards remained stone-faced, clearing a path for her and her traveling companions as they wound their way through the village. Selena wondered what they thought of her, if they had any inkling
who
she was
and what her arrival could mean for them. She tried not to focus on that, and went back to taking in her surroundings.

The smell of spices grew stronger, further enhanced by the heat
, as they reached what Selena assumed was a marketplace. Beneath beautifully woven tents, open to the view of everyone walking past, women baked and stirred spicy-smelling concoctions in large kettles. Fires roared as the scent of roasting nuts and meats mingled with the fragrance of coconuts, saffron, nutmeg, cinnamon, and something spicy that reminded Selena of chili powder. Her mouth practically watered at all the different smells and the sight of a whole boar being roasted over an open flame. She’d never tasted boar, of course, but if it was anything like barbequed pulled pork, she was down for trying it.

Just like any other place in Fallada, the colors were beyond Selena’s imagination or anything she’d ever seen in her world. The deep, rich colors of Damu swirled around her in shades of crimson, plum, golden yellow, and royal blue.

And then there was the music.

It seemed to call to her in a mixture of floating flute notes, pounding drums, and tinkling chimes. The rhythm was intoxicating, as was the choreography of the dancers gathered near the palace. Their skin was bathed in sunlight, much of it showing through their nearly sheer harem-style pants and wispy tops. Banners and flags were clutched in their hands and painted the air around them in beautiful streaks of color as they dipped, swayed
,
and turned in time to the music. Selena had to be nudged by Titus, not realizing she had stopped dead in her tracks and stood, motionless and open mouthed, watching the dancers.

Their dancing makes me want to join,
she confided in Titus.

I’m sure they’ll be here later. I’m even more certain that there will be some sort of celebration in your honor and those dancers are likely to be a part of it.

I don’t dance in public,
Selena scoffed
.
That Faerie ball was a onetime occurrence
.
I was just saying that their dancing makes me feel like dancing
…
alone
…
when no one’s watching.

Titus laughed out loud.
I think that you will find over the days to come, that you are going to do a lot of things you’ve never done. You might surprise yourself
,
Selena.

You’re right,
she countered with an inward laugh of her own.
After all, last week I’d never have been able to say that I’d kissed a
Werewolf
.

Titus raised his eyebrows.
Nice to know I won’t have to go hunting down any of my own kind.

Jealous much?

No more jealous than you were watching
me
climb on the back of that Dargha.

Hm
ph.
I was not jealous.

Right, Selena. Don’t worry, if you had a horse’s
ass, I’d happily jump on for a
ride.

That sounded so dirty.

I meant it to.

Selena punched him in the arm and they both fell into a fit of laughter, earning them a confused glance from Rothatin and a smirk from Dargha.

“You are the
Werewolf
’s mate,” she said, leaning toward Selena as they neared the palace.

Selena’s eyes widened. “No. What made you think that?”

Dargha shrugged. “You communicate silently, did you not?”

Selena sighed. “Yes, but we’re not actually
…
I mean we
…
it’s complicated.”

Dargha’s smirk turned in
to a smile that transformed a face that had been hard and stony before. Selena found her to be absolutely beautiful when she did.

“It always is,” she said with a nod.

Selena did not have time to reply before they were on the front steps of the royal palace. Her heart leap
t
into her throat and
her
pulse raced. Everything within her tensed and strained, knowing that she was now setting foot within the place where she’d been born. Titus
’
fingers threaded through hers and she felt instantly at ease.

The front doors were flanked by golden pillars carved with figures of men and Centaurs marching off to battle. The double doors matched the pillars and stretched high over their heads by several feet. They were pushed open by two men wearing open vests with nothing underneath and loose fitting pants. Selena’s cheeks turned red at the sight of rippling chests and abs on display. She supposed she ought to get used to it; when the air was as hot and dry as it was in Damu, a guy couldn’t exactly walk around wearing layers—or a girl, she soon realized as they passed servant girls in attire just as skimpy
,
but in fabrics even richer than those she’d seen on the streets.
Her e
yes widened and jaw fell open as they entered the main hall. Tinutai brought their party to a halt there.

“You must wait here,” he said. “The king and queen will have to be informed of your presence. As you can see, nearly everyone here recognizes you as their daughter.”

Selena returned some of the awed gazes, with confusion. “Yeah, what’s up with that?”

Dargha pointed at the wall across from them. “You are the very image of your mother, Princess.”

Confusion melted into something else as Selena laid eyes on the floor to ceiling portraits
that
hung on the wall Dargha had pointed to. The gilded frames held paintings depicting t
w
o faces Selena had been longing to lay eyes on her entire life. Emotion welled up in her chest and lodged in her throat, thick and smothering. Sadness, anxiety, elation; all three of them washed over her suddenly and without warning until tears were filling her eyes.

The woman in the photograph
did
look a lot like her, only more stunning. Her tanned skin and vibrant red hair
were
a match for Selena’s and so were her deep, brown eyes and mahogany eyelashes. Her mouth was tilted into the barest hint of a smile, but her eyes, even in portrait, were tinged with sadness. Selena knew that years of mourning two lost daughters
had done that to her.

Her father was everything she had imagined. His face was broad and chiseled, with a jagged scar running across it from forehead to jaw. His lips were firm and hard, as was the gleam in his green eyes. Blond hair hung down to beefy shoulders. Everything about this man screamed ‘fighter’, causing Selen
a to shiver just by looking at
him. She felt her heart sink as she realized that this was the man whose spirit everyone assumed
she possessed. This was the man whose disposition she was supposed to have. Everyone would be watching to see if she measured up. She knew immediately that she never would.

Just then, the sound of a gasp filled the hall and Selena turned to find a young man standing at the bottom of a winding staircase. He was tall and just as beefy as the man in the photo, with the same bright red hair as Selena and the same piercing green eyes as her father. Her heart told her the truth before anyone else had a chance to.
This man
was her brother.

He wore a loose-fitting, long-sleeved tunic embroidered in gold that dipped down over a tanned chest. The same loose fitting trousers as the servants covered his legs and fell down over sandaled feet. Tattoos much like those of the Centaurs showed through the
V
in his shirt. There were more on his hands. Selena recognized the lettering on his left hand as the word ‘Prince’. Her conclusion was further confirmed.

No one in the room moved or spoke as the prince walked forward, his eyes locked on hers, his chest heaving with the quickness of his breathing.

“Eladria?”
His voice was deep
,
but unsettled and wavering, thick with the same emotion that choked Selena. “It can’t be!”