Page 18 of Two Thousand Shadows (Kings of Chaos #4)

Chapter 17

Zhang Junjie

N o one spoke for a long time. There was only running. Rei took the lead behind his half sister as they darted between the trees and dove through the thicker undergrowth, trying to put more and more distance between themselves and Trin’s army.

Junjie hung to the back of their group, covering their retreat with the help of more pixies and other wingless figures that looked as if they were round boulders with crude facial features and stubby appendages. Yet, despite their small statures, they could move surprisingly fast through the forest.

Junjie spent most of his time watching for signs that they were being pursued and trying to dodge low tree limbs. The storm slacked off to a steady drizzle. Low rolls of thunder grew more distant as the rain moved farther north. Rain soaked every part of his body. His boots squelched with each step and water dripped into his eyes from his hair. A distracting chill clung to his flesh, threatening to sink into his soul. Gods, he would never be warm again.

Right now, the only thing he wanted was to return home. Dry clothes, hot tea, and the sight of Leo playing with Erik in the boy’s room. That would chase away this bone-deep cold.

But such a thing was a long way off.

He might not know where they were in the forest, but he felt fairly certain they were not moving in the correct direction to reach their SUV. Rei’s half sister was leading them somewhere, and Junjie prayed it wasn’t into more trouble. She might have saved them, but he didn’t trust her. They’d made the mistake of trusting Trin, believing that he’d be more sensible than King Ash and Queen Belladonna. They’d been wrong.

After running for what felt like a good hour, they slowed as they reached an enormous tree with bright-yellow leaves. As he drew closer, he blinked. It was a gingko tree. What was a gingko tree doing here?

His brain was still wrestling with that question when the thick bark on the trunk cracked and parted as if a door were opening within it. A round creature that stood about a meter tall with baggy clothes stuck his head out and looked left and right before gazing up at Rei.

“Young Master Olag,” Rei greeted with a bow of his head. “I figured you would be far from the human world by now. What are you doing with such a disreputable group?”

Junjie blinked and edged closer to where they’d gathered around the opening. It was odd to hear Rei talking like this. The elf was normally sassy and irreverent with a very informal way of speaking, but with this person, his intonation became more formal and even a touch respectful. Something he seemed to save for only Xiao Dan.

“We’ve moved far beyond the stage where we can ignore the mess in the human realm and still salvage our home,” the boulder with a bulbous nose and large brown eyes said. “Come. Come.” The one Rei called Olag waved for them to follow him inside the tree.

“Leave your fox outside,” Rei’s sister ordered, pointing at a bedraggled Huli with wilted ears and tails.

Huli snapped sharp teeth at her. “No! Absolutely not! Huli protects Xiao Dan.”

“No animals!”

So, naturally, Huli shifted into a slender youth with rich curls and enormous eyes. Somehow, he still appeared waterlogged and ragged. His hair clung to his skull and his dark T-shirt hung on his skinny frame. Regardless, Xiao Dan smiled at him and threaded their fingers together, pulling him in close.

The female elf groaned and threw up her hands. “Fine. Whatever. Just get in there. We’ve lost Trin and his army for now, but I’m sure he’s got trackers looking for us.”

Yichen led the way and the rest followed him down a set of winding, uneven stairs cut straight into the tree. The interior of the tree grew warmer, with the lingering scent of pipe smoke, old books, and damp earth hanging in the air. The murmur of conversation that had been bubbling below them stopped with their approaching footsteps.

When they reached the bottom of the stairs, Junjie blinked, his heart flipping over in his chest. It was as if the staircase had led them to a fantasy world. The room was far bigger than he’d expected, but it maintained an oddly cozy feel with cluttered bookshelves overflowing with dusty old tomes. There was an overstuffed chair covered in an ancient handmade quilt. A tea set sat ready for guests on a low circular table.

But beyond the furnishing, there were members of the fae, but not the ones he was used to seeing—namely elves. There were a few other rocklike creatures in baggy clothes, smoking long-stemmed pipes. Tiny, winged figures that were probably either pixies or fairies flitted here and there around the room before settling up in the highest, most hidden corners. There were more with red hats that were shaped like mushrooms. Mostly, they were all small in stature, measuring a meter or shorter.

Of course, if they were the height of the vampires and the elves, they would never have fit them all in the room.

“Your Highness,” several of the beings said with bows of their head as Rei approached.

Rei crossed to the center of the room near the table with the tea set and held up his hands. “Enough. I’m sure the news has spread that I renounced the throne. I’m not the crown prince or would-be king of the fae. No more of that. I’m just Rei.”

“Sure, but if we have to choose between you and that psychopath half brother of ours, who do you think they’re going with?” a cold feminine voice drawled.

Junjie turned from his inspection of the books on the shelf to find the white-haired elf seated on the stairs. Her spine was hunched and shoulder slumped as if she were exhausted after their rescue. She shoved a hand through her stark white hair, pushing it from her face and revealing a spectacularly pointed ear with a silver cuff and chain.

Rei sighed. “Clan, this is Ellora, my half sister…” Rei paused as he squinted at the female elf and leaned toward her before finishing, “from my father’s side. I think.”

Ellora leveled a very irritated and unimpressed look at her sibling. “Yes, King Ash was my father, so technically I’m not related at all to Trin. Bless the goddess for that.”

Yichen sidled up to Rei and pitched his voice low. “I thought you said that your parents had killed off all your other siblings, and that Trin was the only one left.”

Rei brushed a quick kiss on his mate’s cheek. “I said most . My parents had killed off most of their bastards. Out of the survivors, Trin was one of the few who stuck somewhat close to the royal family. The rest of those who hadn’t been slaughtered stayed away. They lived longer that way.”

“Arrogant wastrel,” Ellora muttered.

“Tedious harpy,” Rei shot back.

“Thank you!” Xiao Dan blurted out in an exceedingly loud voice, cutting off the sibling bickering. “Thank you so much for coming to our aid earlier. We had gone out following a lead that some of Trin’s soldiers had been in the area searching for a place to conduct their ritual. We weren’t expecting to encounter Trin or that he would have support like that.”

Ellora grunted, and Rei gritted his teeth at her in a silent snarl.

Yichen rested his hand on his mate’s shoulder and squeezed. He turned his attention to the white-haired elf and asked, “What’s your stake in this?”

Ellora’s dark eyes shifted to Rei before she spoke, her gaze moving to Yichen. “You’re the vampire that was held prisoner for a century. I heard rumors you survived and escaped. Impressive.”

“Rei saved my life. He’s the reason I survived my imprisonment.”

The white-haired elf seemed to consider this. She nodded. “Trin’s plan will not only destroy the humans, but all fae and our realm.”

“He’s gone mad, like my parents,” Rei grumbled, crossing his arms over his chest.

“Is it madness or a family trait at this point?” Huli inquired, and Junjie had to bite his bottom lip to stop his grin. The fox spirit wasn’t wrong. Both of Rei’s parents had been obsessed with power and taking over the human realm. Now their son was following in their footsteps. This was feeling more like an “absolute power corrupts absolutely” thing.

“Huli, hush,” Xiao Dan chastised, but Rei was waving him off.

“He’s right. Blood has stained nearly every change of power for our people. We are drowning in twisted plots and schemes. It’s been thousands of years since our struggles have spilled across the human realm. We’ve been content to keep the humans out of our mess.”

“Until now,” Ellora cut in. She shoved to her feet and descended the last couple of stairs to step into the room. “To keep the door endlessly open and conduct the ritual spells to wipe out the humans, King Ash and Queen Belladonna have been draining the magic from the fae realm. Our home is dying. That’s where I was, watching the magic get sucked away. There was no point in coming to the human realm if it was going to make me a target for Queen Belladonna.”

“But she’s dead now. Trin killed her,” Junjie murmured.

“Yeah, and I celebrated her death for about two seconds. Then I heard Trin was planning to carry on their plans of destroying the humans. He doesn’t care that he’s killing off our world and our people.”

“So, we need to close the door between the worlds,” Rei stated.

Ellora closed her eyes and shook her head. “The royal family continues to be filled with racist assholes.”

“Hey!” Rei shouted, and Junjie and his companions echoed it.

“Don’t deny it!” she shouted at him. “You’re all the same. If the fae isn’t an elf, they aren’t worth considering. They have no use outside of being servants or cannon fodder in your wars.”

“I-I-I,” Rei stammered, his gaze darting around at the other members of the fae who were watching him with large, questioning eyes.

“In His Majesty’s defense, his manner and words were always more courteous than those of his parents,” Olag interjected.

“No.” Rei released a heavy breath and hung his head. “I wasn’t much better than my parents. I respected you and others because of your perceived age and knowledge, but I’ll admit that I don’t give the other races much thought.” His head snapped up, and he glared hard at Ellora. “But I have never considered any of them cannon fodder!”

Ellora huffed and met his glare. “Well, Trin isn’t any better than Ash and Belladonna. He’s overlooked the other members of the fae, using them as scouts and grunt troops to be killed in his war against the humans and vampires. He’s commanded all the elves he can get his hands on to remain on this side of the door so they can fuel his spells and fight his battles.”

Yichen shrugged one shoulder. “Tell all the gnomes, brownies, pixies, and others to head to the fae realm and close the damn door. Leave us to kill off the elves. Less problems for them.”

Ellora pointed a finger at Yichen and opened her mouth, but she closed it again and turned her attention to Rei. “Your mate is adorably bloodthirsty, even for a vampire. I can see why you chose him.” She turned her attention back to Yichen. “The problem is that the fae realm needs the elves, regardless of whether the other races want them there. Without the elves, the fae realm will die.”

“I’m confused,” Xiao Dan murmured, and Junjie nodded. It felt as though he were missing some key part of fae lore to follow this conversation.

“Allow me to explain.” Olag waddled across the room and hefted himself into a large chair. He wiggled his butt to get settled. His hands resting on his round stomach, he directed his piercing gaze at Xiao Dan and Junjie. “The fae realm is a place of magic and nature. The magic feeds into nature, and in return, nature adds to the magic in the air. However, none of that is possible without elves.”

“But I thought all the fae were magical,” Junjie cut in.

“We are, but the elves have more depth and breadth to their magic. We gnomes are linked to the mountains and the rocks. Our magic is about endurance and strength. We know nothing of the beauty and fragility of flowers. That’s the realm of the pixies.” As he spoke, he motioned up toward the top of a nearby bookshelf where some pixies were watching the conversation. “But the elves and their magic, they can split the rocks and tell the trees to grow. They can control water and the air. There’s no element beyond their reach.”

“It’s for that reason that our people have become so snobbish,” Ellora said.

Rei nodded. “And how the elves have held control of the fae realm for so long.”

“So, we need to take out Trin and possibly some of his crazy followers, then convince most of the elves to go through the door,” Yichen stated.

“Basically.” Ellora shifted from her left foot to her right while both of her eyebrows lifted as she stared at Rei.

“Got it. Got it.” Rei held his hands in front of him as if to ward off more of her looks. “I’ll kill Trin for you. Possibly Aire Bira. I’ve got a dragon and a vampire mate who are itching to take out a few elves, so I might have to share with them.”

“Fine, but how are we supposed to keep yet another Trin from rising to take on the humans?” Ellora tossed up her hands and paced a short distance away, only to spin back and glare at her half brother. “This has been an endless cycle of blood and mayhem.”

“I think a dragon eating a large number of Trin’s fighters will be fairly convincing that this is a battle they cannot win,” Junjie offered. “Once you spread the word that Rei defeated Trin and the door is closing, the elves should race to the fae realm.”

“Because staying means death for them,” Xiao Dan finished.

Rei was going to be the one exception to that rule. He didn’t need the magical connection to his own realm any longer, thanks to the gift and spell he’d received from the witch Zelda. But they weren’t spreading that knowledge about, because Rei had no desire to see more of his fae brethren running loose in the human world after the door was closed.

Ellora tipped her chin toward her chest and chewed on her bottom lip in thought. “Okay. That will help. But what about after the door closes, in the fae realm? Who is going to lead the fae? Who will wrangle the elves into something coherent and less vicious?”

“I’m sorry, but that sounds very much like a you problem,” Rei said.

Ellora’s head popped up, her eyes wide. “What?”

“I’m staying here even if it means I die. My mate is here. My clan is here. I don’t want to leave.”

Some of the tension that had been gripping Junjie’s lungs in a near-choking embrace eased, allowing him to breathe. Every time this came up, there was some part of him that worried Yichen would choose to accompany Rei to the fae realm. He hated the idea of losing his didi yet again.

“But you’re the heir to the throne! You’re the only one who can lead our people!” While Ellora was adamant about Rei taking the reins of power and becoming the savior to the fae people, she also looked like she wanted to run Rei through with her sword.

“What are you talking about? Only one? That’s some bullshit right there.” Rei spun slowly in place, holding his hands out to the fae that were gathered in this room. “You’ve organized your own underground resistance force. You’re leading them into battle and trying to figure out what is best for your people. What the hell do you need me for?”

Ellora’s mouth bobbed open and closed several times. Her eyes grew impossibly wide, as if the idea of her taking the throne and becoming the next leader of the fae had never occurred to her.

“You have as much claim to the throne as Trin,” Yichen murmured. “The key difference is that you’re not willing to throw away all the lives of your people to kill off humans. Who the fuck cares about humans? They don’t even think the fae are real. The humans are more concerned with killing each other off.”

“Besides, I don’t see how you have much choice. You’re the one elf I’ve seen who gives a shit about whether the fae live or die.” Rei reached over and wrapped his arm around Yichen’s waist and rested his chin on his mate’s shoulder. “I’m content to die here.”

Ellora’s pale face flushed bright red. “Fuck you!” She whirled about and stormed up the stairs, leaving them and the rest of the gathered fae staring in shocked silence.

Olag coughed and wiggled out of his chair. “Allow me to put on a pot of tea to warm you. Rest here for a bit. That will give any trackers who might be in the area the chance to move on before you leave.”

“Thank you for your hospitality, Master Olag,” Xiao Dan stated with a bow of his head to the gnome.

“Shixiong…am I wrong?” Rei’s voice was small and soft when he spoke. He didn’t look over at Xiao Dan, but his fingers tightened in Yichen’s clothes as if he were expecting Xiao Dan to announce that Rei needed to return to his realm right this second.

“That’s a hard question. I don’t believe you would be a poor leader for your people. While you may be impulsive and a touch reckless, you’re also caring and compassionate. You might act as if you don’t worry about the fate of all the fae, but we know it is just a facade. That being said”—he paused and cleared his throat—“I don’t believe you are the only person who can lead your people. There are others who must have your strength, knowledge, and compassion. I think you could be correct about Ellora. Of course…I am biased. I would prefer if you and Yichen remained with our clan.”

“Shixiong, I think I’ll step outside to make sure the area is free of threats. Why don’t you ask for directions from Master Olag?” Junjie suggested.

“Thank you, Junjie,” Xiao Dan said.

His foot had just landed on the first step when Rei called out to him. “Be careful. Ellora appeared to be in a stabby mood.”

Junjie smirked at the elf. “You forget, I grew up with Xiang. He was always stabby.”

At the top of the stairs, he paused, straining to hear any sounds of movement or talking beyond the door, but there was nothing. Crickets chirped and the wind softly rustled the leaves of the trees. The thunder was done, and the rain had even stopped.

Moving quickly, Junjie darted outside and a short distance away from the tree, plunging into the deepest shadows he could see within the forest. He paused there, holding his breath and listening.

“There’s no one out here but us,” Ellora informed him in a dull, flat voice. “You should have stayed inside by the fire. You’re still soaked.”

Junjie silently stepped out from his hiding place and walked toward the tree. The brilliant yellow leaves made the tree appear as if it were a tiny sun bound to the earth. It took him a few seconds to locate Ellora up on one of the thick branches several meters up from the ground. She leaned against the trunk while using the point of her knife to pick dirt out from under her nails. “While I don’t enjoy the cold, it’s not a problem. It’s not as if I can catch a cold.”

“Huh. I’ve heard that not much can kill vampires.”

She threw the silver knife in her hands at him. Junjie didn’t even bother to sidestep it. He caught it easily between two fingers, spun, and flung the knife at her without hesitation. The blade embedded itself in the tree trunk barely a hand’s width from her head. The elf jerked upright, her eyes wide as she stared at the quivering blade.

“There are many things that can kill a vampire. It’s just that most of them aren’t easy to accomplish,” Junjie continued.

“I see…” Ellora pulled her knife out of the bark and leaned on the trunk again. She seemed to resume her work on her fingernails, but it felt like she was watching him a little more closely now.

Junjie moved to the other side of the gingko tree and jumped into one of the higher branches. He pulled himself up easily to about Ellora’s level while keeping the wide trunk between them.

“Why are you out here?” she demanded.

“I came out to make sure the area is clear before my clan mates leave for home.”

The elf gave another soft grunt, acknowledging his words. The silence had stretched for a full minute when the words exploded out of her.

“You know I’m right, right? Rei has to return to the fae realm and take over as king. It’s his birthright. Our people will listen to him. I don’t understand why he’s being so stubborn about this. He’s already planning to take care of Trin. Why not just be king?”

Junjie smiled. She made it sound like the most natural thing in the world, and maybe it was for someone who was born into that life.

“I don’t know all of Rei’s history, but I know he suffered for years at the hands of his parents and the court. Even if he’d not found Yichen and fallen in love, I’m not sure he’d choose to be king. That path represents only pain and misery for him. He doesn’t see it ever leading to a place of hope and life.” He stopped and licked his lips, preparing to tread out onto a limb far skinnier than the one he was on. “But if the fae are to have a true fresh start, to break away from the darkness and bloodshed that has plagued your people, I think their best chance is with someone who didn’t grow up in the court. Someone who is fighting for the survival of all your peoples.”

“You’re wrong about me and Rei.”

“I don’t know. I’ve been around for a long time, and I have gotten quite good at reading people.”

Ellora snorted. “A long time. What? A couple of centuries?”

“Over two millennia, actually.”

“Oh,” she mumbled.

“I’ve witnessed the rise and fall of many kingdoms and dynasties. I’ve known the men and women who would claim seats of great power. They’ve spoken words of justice and compassion, but that’s not what was in their hearts.” Junjie closed his eyes and sighed. “I care greatly for Rei and believe he and Yichen have many years of happiness in front of them. But more importantly, living with my clan means Rei has a good chance of finding the healing he so desperately needs.”

“What do you mean? He seems fine to me.”

Resting his head on the tree, Junjie rocked it slightly to the right so that it would carry more clearly to Ellora without needing to speak louder. “Have you spent much time with Rei?”

“No. This might be the third or fourth time I’ve seen him in my lifetime, but he’s still as sarcastic and sharp-tongued as the first time I saw him.”

“True, but now those snarky comments hide a wounded soul. While Yichen was a prisoner, Rei had to watch the man who held his heart as he was tortured endlessly by his parents and the court. Would you come out unchanged from that experience?”

Neither Rei nor Yichen spoke much about their time together in the fae realm. Just a few words here and there, but it was more than enough to paint a picture of agonizing existence.

“No one would,” Ellora whispered.

“Rei is a good man at heart. That hasn’t changed about him. He is an easy choice when it comes to selecting a new leader. But he carries a new darkness in his soul, and I fear he would take that new darkness out on his people.”

Ellora said nothing for several minutes, leaving Junjie to listen to the creatures of the night moving about around them. An owl hooted and frogs croaked, though there were fewer of them now that the weather was turning cooler with the approach of autumn. Wind stirred the surrounding leaves, sending down random drops of rainwater, but his clothes and hair were still soaked. What did a little rain matter now?

“What are we supposed to do?” All the heat had evaporated from Ellora’s voice, and she sounded much more fragile than the tough warrior they’d first met. “Rei…he was the crown prince. He’s the obvious choice.”

“If you don’t mind an outsider’s opinion,” Junjie hedged, earning a harsh bark of laughter from his companion.

“It hasn’t stopped you so far.”

“The next leader of the fae is a moot point if you can’t get your people back to the fae realm. If you leave Trin and his army to my clan to deal with, you can focus your energy on saving as many of the elves and other races as you can. When the door is closed and your people are safe, you can worry about who will lead your people into a brighter, more hope-filled future.”

Ellora fell silent, allowing the song of the night creatures to swell. A temporary peace had fallen over the world. It was hard to believe they’d been running for their lives less than an hour ago. Or that members of the fae could be lurking close by now.

“It’s something to think about,” Ellora said. “After so many miserable years with King Ash and Queen Belladonna, only to have Trin follow in their footsteps.” Her sigh was heavy, sounding as if it had crawled up from the darkest places of her soul. “You can’t help but want to avoid the next nightmare.”

“Understandable, but you can’t plan beyond the obstacle that lies in your path right now.”

Junjie knew that all too well from personal experience. As much as the members of his clan wanted to explore and understand the changing world around them, there was nothing they could do, no plans they could make, until they were free of Jiang Chong.

Sadly, after so many millennia, their clan found themselves right back within the long-reaching shadow of their demented creator. This time would be different. There was no escape for him. They could finally end his life and secure their freedom.