The tall man has my sword strapped to his back, and I imagine taking it and fighting them all, but I'm still too weak. I have no idea where I am and how to get back to Fen. So I let them lead me until I can think of a better plan that might work. Maybe I can still draw the mark? I rub the ring Fen gave me as a talisman to give me luck and strength. I'm going to need both before this is over.
We walk through winding underground paths, then up stairs until we reach a giant cavern. Blue stalagmites hang from the ceiling, lighting the area. And before me stands a castle. More majestic than anything I've ever seen. It is made of crystal and marble with the most graceful and elegant design throughout. Tall spires rise high above, blending with the cavern's walls. The large gate is decorated with two white stags. It opens on its own.
I'm led inside, to a large hall with a wooden table in the center. It is covered with food and drink and at the head a man sits eating a piece of meat. He looks up and smiles when he sees me, then stands, arms out. "Princess Arianna, here at last. It is such a pleasure to finally meet you."
I know his face, but it's impossible. He can't be who I think he is.
"I know, it is quite a shock. I should be dead after all, but alas, as you can see, I'm very much alive."
"King Lucian? But, how?"
"I'm afraid that bit of trickery was necessary in order to find you and bring you here, in order to change things on our world for the better. My sons didn't understand when I tried to explain."
"I don't believe you. This is madness." I tremble. Confused. None of this makes sense.
"I can understand why you might not trust me just yet. But perhaps there is another whose word you might trust more?"
A man walks out from the shadows. A man I have come to know over the last few weeks. A man I thought I could trust.
"Hello, Arianna."
"Hello... Asher."
EPILOGUE
Fenris Vane –––––––– "They have unleashed the Prince of War."
—Arianna Spero
I wake with a start, my heart hammering in my chest. "Arianna!" I scream her name into the dark cave. It is cold, too cold for a human. The fire has been dead for hours, and though I can still smell Ari's scent lingering in the air, she is gone.
And she is in trouble.
Her blood pumps through me. It healed me faster than anything should have. And now, I understand why my father chose her above all others.
I need to see Asher. His answers to my questions will determine whether he keeps his head or not.
Baron whines at the entrance, and we both tear through the snow and run as fast as our legs will carry us. Her scent fades now that we are in the open. New snowfall has covered her tracks, and it doesn't take us long to lose any hope of finding her. I scream into the woods, and Baron matches my grief with his own howl.
We run back to the castle. This time I don't slow for Baron. I use all my demon strength, pushing through the pain still in me.
Once there, I immediately send scouts to search the woods, and another to bring Asher to me posthaste.
Everyone avoids me as I tear through the castle looking for any clue as to what happened to Arianna, though in my heart, I know. And it means war. More than war. It means annihilation.
When Asher arrives, he smiles at first, ready with a cocky quip. I erase that smile with my fist.
He rubs his jaw, looking confused. "That's an odd sort of greeting for your favorite brother. What troubles you, Fen?"
I step up close to him. "Tell me you didn't know."
"Didn't know what, brother?"
"That Arianna is of royal Fae blood. That you planned to marry the true heir off to one of us, thus securing our reign forever."
His eyes widen, and I know in that instant the truth. I punch him again, this time sending him flying back.
His normally jovial face turns hard. "I'll give you those, but no more, Fen. How did you find out?"
"Her blood," I say.
"You broke the oath?"
I shake my head. "Not consciously. I was poisoned by raider's blood. They mixed it with something. I nearly died. She made me feed off her while I was unconscious."
Asher frowns. "How did her blood not make you worse?"
I shrug. "I do not know. I thought you might. Perhaps it is the mix of human and Fae. Maybe it negated the poison."
"What about the other effects?" he asks.
"Those were not negated. It is still a drug. An elixir. I healed far too fast. I feel too strong."
Asher rubs his chin again. "You certainly do at that."
"Why did you not tell me who I was guarding?"
"Father said, for this to work, it had to remain secret. He said he only told me, and that I was to tell no one."
I squeeze a fist. Even in death, my father favors my brother.
Asher looks around. "Where is the princess now?"
"She's gone," I growl. "They took her while I was unconscious. I felt it. It's what woke me from the stupor."
"She is the key to everything," he says. "We must find her. Now, before we lose her forever."
My eyes fall to the ground. "Don't you see? We have already lost her. They will tell her the truth of who she is, and she will think we betrayed her. That I betrayed her. And we will be at war. With her as their leader."
Asher lays a hand on my arm. "You love her."
It's not a question, so I don't bother answering.