"To the human realm," they repeated back.
At once, the orb began to glow and spin. The floor beneath our feet trembled and swayed as the castle reacted to the Lanuaet’s power. I stood my ground as the world grew fuzzy, my vision blurring into obscurity. Sweat beads slid down my back until the droplets became rivers, soaking through my shirt, making the fabric cling to my skin. My muscles strained and my hearing disappeared completely as my magic was sucked from my every pore.
Pain rocketed up my spine, daggers in my temples. None of it mattered.
None of it but her.
Chapter Four
Cress
I heard the footsteps before the keys in the lock. My head jerked up from its resting place upon my knees as the door to my prison swung open. Unfamiliar guards strode inside. I glanced behind them, but there was no Tyr. On shaky legs, I tried to stand. My heart thumped in my chest.
"What's going on?" I demanded. "Why are you here?"
"Turn around," one of them commanded.
"No!" I took a wary step back and glared at them. "Not a chance."
One of them removed a sword and brandished it at me. "We were told to bring you before his Royal Highness. King Felix has commanded that you be presented. He did not say you had to be unharmed. Come with us willingly or else."
I hesitated. "W-why do you want me to turn around?"
"You must be restrained," the second one said, producing a pair of thick metal cuffs.
I swallowed nervously. "Is that silver?"
He nodded. "Of course."
Shit. Shit. Shit. My mind whirled with thoughts. What to do? My eyes darted to the half open door. There was no way I'd be able to make it past them and out the door before they caught me, was there? And even if I did, what could I do? Never in my life had I been inside the King of Amnestia's palace. I didn't know where I was. There were no escape routes in my mind. Only this ever increasing need to flee.
My throat burned as I slowly turned and presented the guards with my back. The sound of scuffed boots thudding against the ground as they approached ratcheted up my fear. For a split second, a thought crossed my mind.
If only Roan or Orion were here. Dear Coreliath, I'd take even Sorrell's grumpy self. A single tear escaped and slid down my cheek as I felt my hands being pulled behind my back and locked into the restraints. Before turning back around, I sniffed hard and turned my face against my shoulder, wiping the evidence of it away. This was not the time for crying.
The guards led me out of the cell I'd been locked in for the last few days. To the right, there was a long, steep staircase. One went ahead and the other lingered at my back. I kept my head facing forward, but took the opportunity to examine my surroundings. Every several feet there was a slit window barely wide enough to fit an arm through, and certainly not a body. They would offer no escape, but they did at least give me a glimpse of the outside world.
Dark gray storm clouds hovered above us. The scent of ash and smoke was on the wind. What was happening out there? I wondered. I wasn't given the chance to think about it too long because as we reached the bottom of the stairs, I was pushed towards the right and down an even longer but straight corridor.
My bare feet scraped against the cold ground and I shivered as a chill stole over me. We stopped before twin arching doors made of a deep red wood. I tilted my head at the front of it. Unlike doors I'd seen in both the Court of Crimson and Court of Frost, these had been horribly burned. Yet, it looked like it had been … purposeful? Because within the burn marks, I could see a scene taking place before me. Like a tapestry or painting but in wood.
A great human King with a sword in one hand and the head of a Fae in the other. The image made me gasp and step back. A heavy hand fell on my shoulder and pushed me forward as the doors were opened and I stumbled under the urging until I fell onto my knees, wincing as the stone beneath cut a gash across one.
The scent of blood lifted to my nostrils and I lifted my head a moment later, meeting the cool, calculating gaze of my kidnapper. Tyr stood to the side with a smirk on his face and his arms crossed. He leaned against the side of the King's throne while the King himself glared down at me as if I were nothing more than a bug who'd made its unfortunate way into his food.
"So," he began. "This is one of the Fae responsible for the chaos in my Kingdom."
I blinked, but before I could respond, Tyr answered. "She is, Your Majesty," he said politely before throwing a wink my way.
Narrowing my gaze on him, I wanted nothing more than to throw him my middle finger or perhaps introduce his balls to my kneecap. Bloodied or not, I bet it would hurt. I turned my face to the King.
"That man is a Fae, too," I stated, nodding towards Tyr. "I'm not bad. I've never hurt anyone. You have no reason to keep me captive."
There was a moment of silence before the King lifted one large bushy eyebrow. "You claim that a member of my Court is a Fae?" he inquired, his voice a low rumble.
I straightened my back, not turning my gaze away. "I do."
He scowled. "How dare you, you vile piece of trash," he snarled.
"It's the truth!" I snapped. "He brought me here through a portal he created!"
"This man is one of my most trusted advisors. He has been with me for years. I would know if he were a despicable Fae," the King snapped.
"Well, that's obviously not true," I deadpanned. "I mean, he is a Fae and yet, you don't believe it. Why would I lie about that?"
"To try and save your own skin of course," he replied.
"What? My own skin? What have I done?" I yelled. "Nothing! I haven't done anything!"
"You are guilty of treason."
I shook my head violently. "You're making a mistake. Sure, okay, yeah, maybe I'm Fae—technically, I'm a Changeling. I was raised with humans—"
"In a convent, yes?" he interrupted me.
My head tipped back as I eyed him with confusion. "Yes," I said. "How did you—"
The King waved his meaty fist and an unfamiliar man clad in armor—like the guards had been—stepped forward, handing him a scroll. "The orphan Cressida," he stated, opening the scroll and reading from its contents. "Over a month ago, I received reports that the village that protected the convent in the hills of my Kingdom had been attacked by a female Fae and she had been chased away, but not after stealing a human child."
Nellie wasn't really a child. Then again, I didn't believe arguing that point would do me any good, but still, I shook my head. "I was raised there!" I insisted. "I didn't even know I was a Fae until the castle appeared!"
"You masqueraded as a human, deceived the people of my Kingdom, and will be sentenced to death." The King's cold eyes lifted and met mine as he snapped the scroll shut. My lips parted in shock.
Death? No. Nononono. Death was not in the plans. "You're making a mistake," I insisted. "I'm not a bad Fae, I'm good—"
"Bah!" He handed the scroll back to his soldier. "There is no such thing as a good Fae."
I frowned. "That's not true!" My hands tightened into fists within my cuffs. My skin grew heated. My breath came in ragged pants as panic began to set in. I strained against them and felt an unfamiliar burning sensation. A fog swirled in my mind and my energy suddenly left me in a rush. So quickly that had it not been for one of the guards reaching forward and clasping my shoulder, I would've fallen over. Turning my cheek, I glanced over my shoulder.