Six (17 page)

“Lily,” I say her name quietly. “Do you ever wish you could go back to your circle?” I know she will answer truthfully because I see how she looks at this place. She looks at it like I look at it.

She turns her face to the sun and closes her eyes. “That is an impossibility, miss,” Lily responds. She comes to sit next to me.

“What if it were possible? What if you challenged him for your freedom? What if you could feel?” I ask leaning in to mask my words. She raises her eyebrows.

“You feel. Look at you. Why would I want that?”

I frown. Lily looks worried she has spoken these words. I smile to reassure her. “Having joy is the most wonderful feeling in the world. Better than this.” I wave my hand to gesture to the gardens. I raise my face toward the heatless sun and then look at Lily. “Of course when you are sad,” I pause as a small wave of pain flows through my chest and ripples up my throat. “You are so low that you can barely function.” A few tears trickle down my face and I briskly wipe them away. I look down to the apple that sits in my lap. Another tear slides down my cheek and lands on the shiny surface and balls there.

“Do you know how dangerous the abandoned city is, miss?”

I look at her and cannot help a small sniffle. She will tell me what is outside of the palace walls. I wait, enthralled by the possibility of learning something new.

“It is an expansive soot covered city—so large that you can be lost in one neighborhood for days…no, weeks. None of the palaces claim the territory, so it remains as it did when the old world fell. It is as the ancient humans left it. There are palaces with other challenging monarchies on every other side of it. It is directly in the middle. Without a spell, that only a dark witch can cast, there is no way back to the circles. The savages in the forests are nothing compared to the species that reside in the abandoned city. They are brutal and cannot be killed quickly,” Lily says. Her eyes glass over. She is remembering something horrible.

“Remember the darkling that escaped the abandoned city? She was obviously tough, but the witches ended up destroying her because her mind was so rapt with fear. They could not take it away. That girl spoke of horned monsters and other winged creatures that breathed fury with their fire. She escaped into the palace by the use of a sorceress who makes these creatures her pets.”

I swallow hard. If I could feel fear I know I would feel it hearing Lily’s story. Glad I am not fearful because I need to know more, I question her further. “There is only one sorceress? Where is she located?” I urge my voice lower still. The breeze that blows will only serve to uncover secrets I do not want anyone else to know. Lily swivels her head to look directly at me.

“You are going to try. Are you not?”

I do not answer. I turn my face to the distance—toward the abandoned city.

“This will be your death, miss,” Lily hisses. “The sorceress is also said to be a mystic. She can predict futures with certain accuracy. The darkling was raving mad when she came here. I cannot even say for sure her words were truth.”

They have to be,
I think.

“What will you do if you happen to survive and make it back to your circle? You think the prince will let you go free after you have run? After everything he has given to you? You are royalty—too important. You will be put to death,” Lily says.

I smile widely. “He cannot kill me until I give him an heir, remember? It would go against his word. He promised his people. He will not go back on that. I plan to challenge him,” I say, though I know it will be much more difficult than that. I will need much help.

Lily looks around us warily before she turns back to me. “Miss, I think he wants
you
more than he wants an heir. He never promised the citizens that your heir would rule. He will not accept any challenge that has the propensity to lose you. I am sure of it.”

I know Lily is right, I can tell Liam’s words are only half-truths, but I am shocked she has told me this. I know of one challenge he will accept. The only challenge they
always
accept—though no one is brave enough to offer. “What if I feel all six?” I say.

Lily shakes her head as soon as I speak. “Everyone knows that is impossible. Even if you feel five, love is all but gone the second you lose it as a child. It is why humans are put to death when their darklings are fully raised. They feel love. Their love is the death of them.”

My chest tightens as I think of my mother. It is because of her love that I feel. My eyes glow white to mask my sorrow. It becomes too unbearable. “What if I could?” I ask again, more disheartened this time.

She breathes out a long sigh. “He would probably let you go free,” she says so low I barely hear her. Lily shakes her head in frustration. “Though someone would pay the price for his loss.”

We break from our hushed conversation when we hear scuffling in the distance. I stand and squint my eyes in the direction of the noise. Lily shields her eyes from the sun to survey the outskirts of the garden as well.

At least a dozen female and male witches are surrounding a flailing woman. She is thrashing, battering, swinging out in all-inclusive protest. Their eyes glow as they keep one arm locked on their hostage, their faces void of any emotion. When they walk closer, Lily smiles.

“A new darkling,” she says. I see the jet-black hair shorn to her chin and ripped, unwashed clothing. When she turns her head and her silver eyes pin mine, I smirk. I should have known the second I saw her thrashing about. This is not just any darkling.

“That is my new factotum,” I say, letting happiness lace my robotic voice. When the guards get closer, I hear her screaming profanities. They carry on the wind like a vulgar yet very welcome gift.

“I said get your mothafuckin’ hands off me. I swear to the savages I will kill you, your mothers, and your babies while you sleep!” Lana screeches. She punches out when her hand gets free.

Though I am laughing, I am irritated because I do not want her injured by the guards.

“Emma,” Lana wails when she catches sight of me. “Call these damn creepers off me!” She kicks out a booted foot and it connects with a male witch’s stomach. The twelve guards glare at me, obviously stunned I have chosen the violent darkling as my factotum. They look at me as if they have made a mistake and collected a feral beast instead. I raise my hand up and they release her.

“She is in your care now, princess,” the lead guard intones.

Lana yanks her shirt down, dusts off her pants, and blows her bangs out of her face. “That’s right, you assholes. I don’t forget, either. Especially you, Mr. blind-me-when-my-back-is-turned. I got your number, buddy!” she screams, spittle flying from her mouth.

The witches walk away without a backward glance. Lana raises both middle fingers and moves them wildly up and down in the air. Complementing her crudeness, she mouths the words ‘fuck you’ to their retreating backs. Then she turns to me, the witches all but forgotten, and smiles a huge Lana smile.

“You freakish little witch princess.” She puts her hands on her hips while she eyes me up and down. I try to laugh, but with my dark magic humming it sounds like a high-pitched musical note. “You seriously drag me to this horrible, awful place,” she glances at the lush gardens and continues talking when her eyes land on the sun, “and you’re already a dark fucking witch. How fair is that, mutant?”

Lily touches my arm. “Good luck, miss,” she says. I think she means good luck taming my factotum, but one glance at her brown eyes tells me more. She is wishing me luck with Liam tonight and with the challenge I must make with him. She is certain I will fail. Good luck also means good-bye. I smile. Lily leaves. I glance up at Liam’s window to find it empty before I approach Lana.

I ball my fists at my side and the quivering magic that hums through my body dissipates. My eyes eventually turn blue and the tears come instantaneously. It is the first time happiness tempers my sadness. Lana notices.

“What did they do to you?” Lana asks, voice jeering. Her familiar silver eyes hold concern. She clutches my hands in hers.

“You are not mad I sent for you?” I ask, ignoring her question. She scrunches her forehead, knitting her eyebrows together.

She knocks on the side of my head lightly. “Duh, I was coming here after you anyways. When your guard showed up it just proved easy transportation to this horrible place.” Lana’s gaze dances over the gardens. She turns her face into the breeze. “How do you stand it here? It’s utterly tragic.”

She laughs. I laugh. She pulls me into a hug. It is so comforting that I weep. She pulls away when my jagged crying makes my body heave. She unfolds her sleeve and wipes underneath my eyes. My stomach turns. I know what she will want to know.

“Which goddamned fucker made you feel sadness?” Lana asks. I want to tell her everything, but I do not trust the wind.

“I made myself feel it,” I say. “We should go into the palace now.” I grab her hand and start for the wide doors in the distance.

“Good, this garden is hideous. It makes me want to kill something,” Lana smarts. I pull the apple from my pocket and hand it to her. She rolls it around in her hand contemplating, then throws it into the air and punts it into the distance.

When it shatters a palace window, I know I have to tame Lana. Especially if we are to make it out of the palace alive.

The absence of her bow and quiver actually relieves me.

Chapter Twenty-Two

July 26th, Night

“The food is always available,” I tell her. Knowing Lana will not serve me in my room like a factotum is expected, I take her to the dining hall. I glance around warily as anyone who passes by watches Lana annihilate the buffet table. She shows the food no mercy. I press my lips together to stifle a giggle when I see her eyes light up when she takes a bite of a sweet cake.

“Emma, you’re kidding right? I’m not leaving this place until the food is gone,” she says. She has not noticed that food is mystically replaced as she soon as takes it. She has been unaffected by most of the magical qualities of the enchanted palace. She thinks the holograms are ‘trippy’ and is more amazed than scared by the flowing streams of magic that course though the hallways and corridors. When multiple dark witches gather to watch her like she is the entertainment, I jerk her from her seat and lead her to my room.

“Do not give these witches any reason not to trust you,” I say as we walk. Lana gets distracted by the large, ornate dresses worn by all. I keep my dark side at the surface to prevent dizziness. Unfortunately and fortunately, Lana does not have that same luxury.

“I was just eating.” She pauses, deep in thought. “You should’ve taken some for the road,” she says. A burst of gray, warm magic rages between our heads, leaving sparkling particles in the air. I shiver, then push Lana into my room and slam the door.

I take a few ragged breaths to quell my dark magic. “They will kill us if they hear such comments,” I say.

Lana observes everything in my room. She picks up my lone book and turns to me and smiles. She holds it up and shakes it. “He had to kill a ton of savages for this, you know?”

I close my eyes and bring my hand up to my throat. Finn’s heart is no longer there. I buried it deep in my backpack, unable to leave it alone on Liam’s floor. “I do not wish to talk about Finn,” I tell her. Sadness eats me like a disease when I think of him.

Lana walks over to the large sheet covering my window and rips it down. She sucks in a large, audible breath. “Well, blow me over, captain. They really do believe in torture, don’t they?” Lana sniggers.

I walk over and glance out the window. Like always, Finn’s house is empty.

“What a bunch of assholes,” Lana says wrapping her arm around my shoulder. I force a grin. “Finn wouldn’t be in his house anyway,” she says. Her answering smile is conspiring.

“Why not?” I ask.

“Did you really think overprotective-Emma-is-mine Finn was going to let you sit in this gilded cage for long?”

I exhale a pent up breath. My ugly truth surfaces. “He will not want me when he finds me. I am damaged. I am Liam’s princess. He will never get past that. Do you know what I had to do?” I ask, barely able to stave off the tears.

Lana nods, understanding everything without requesting details. I tell her of the dark witches’ inability to refuse a challenge. She seems impressed I have been able to gather so many details about this twisted, false place. I tell her of my plan to challenge Liam to let me feel all six emotions to garner my freedom and of Lily’s story about the darkling.

Lana goes into my closet, and then exits wearing one of the gowns. It is a deep purple. Her silver eyes capture my attention. She looks stunning.

“Okay, fine. You’re a dirty hooker,” she laughs. “But remember I’m here now, too. Finn would never leave us here without at least trying
something
to break us free.”

“He will get himself killed. He knows not what he toys with. Because the witches are completely unfeeling, they have no reserves about executing for slight offenses.” A wave of rage whips through me at the thought of Finn harmed.

“Never underestimate an irate man. Finn has taken care of himself for a long time.” Lana sits on my bed and opens my book. Her gaze dances over the words. I cannot remember the first time I read the same words myself. I let her ignore me completely for a few minutes. I remember what I have to do with Liam tonight and it saddens me. I may not be fearful when he undresses me and takes me, but now I think I might just snivel through the whole thing. I am not sure which is worse.