Page 23 of Redemption (Deliverance Duet #2)
Chapter Twenty-Two
Iris
H ead tilted back, I enjoy the warmth of the morning sun shining through the canopy of leaves, giving me a moment of peace before a difficult day.
Last night was amazing. Bonding with Ciaran and then having an intimate moment with both him and Nyx at the same time blew me away, but something about the way Nyx left is bothering me. He has a tremendous amount of pressure on him, his responsibility to the souls of the dead a heavy weight, but it was unlike him just to vanish like that.
He regretted it , my toxic thoughts interject in the back of my mind. No, I can’t think like that. Closing my eyes, I look inside myself and touch the bond I share with him. It didn’t feel like regret last night, but his connection with me is numb, so I assume he’s in his realm. I can feel him when he’s here, it’s only when he’s in other realms when I can’t fully sense him.
“Why isn’t Death here?” Blaise’s sharp voice breaks through my moment of peace. Sighing, I open my eyes and turn my attention to my friend. Blaise and Ciaran have been arguing about how to rescue Alaric ever since we left the inn early this morning.
We stand at the invisible boundary line between Seelie and Unseelie territory. As soon as we cross the line, they’ll know we are on their land, so whatever we decide to do, we will need to do it quickly.
Blaise’s pointed question just acts as a reminder that Nyx isn’t here. I have to believe that everything’s okay, otherwise I can’t focus. Alaric deserves all my attention, he needs all of my attention.
The soft movements of my horse breathing beneath me help ground me. She is peaceful and calm, exactly what I need right now compared to the chaotic energy Blaise is pouring out.
“He could just walk in and take him!” he continues, pacing along the border line, having dismounted from his horse to vent his frustrations. “He’s Death! Nothing could stop him, not even the king.”
I have already explained many times why Nyx can’t help us with this, and how he was already in trouble for saving me from the water wraith. I can hear the strain in his voice, though, and know how much he’s struggling with this, especially as we sit here and discuss what to do.
“He can’t show favour to the courts,” I explain, exhaustion weighing on me. “If he does, it will start an outright war.”
He scoffs and throws his hands up in the air. “We are already at war with the Unseelie, so I don’t see how it would make a difference.”
Ciaran has been silent for some time, allowing Blaise to rant and blow off steam before we head into dangerous territory. Blaise’s words seem to have triggered him, though, as he leans forward on his black stallion and clucks his tongue. “The Unseelie will soon be free, and then you will see the difference.”
There’s a heavy pause, and they both look to me. I’m supposed to be the one to break the curse over the Unseelie, but so far, nothing has changed. Ciaran and I have bonded, which I thought would be enough to break the curse, but apparently not. I’m supposed to rule by his side, thereby freeing the Unseelie, so I guess more is needed than just a mate bond.
To complicate matters, I have been learning that I’m also supposed to bring peace to the Seelie, but ultimately, I appear to be doing the opposite. All of these prophesies seem to work against each other, and I don’t know what the best course of action is.
Alaric’s strength is getting weaker and weaker, and that needs to be our top priority. We don’t have time to debate this.
“I think Blaise’s idea is right.” My voice cuts through the silence, and their expressions turn from expectant to questioning, clearly confused. “Not the part about Nyx, but the first bit. We just storm in,” I clarify, pushing on before they can jump in and cut me off. “They won’t be prepared for us, so we would have the advantage.”
I really want them to listen and think through what I’m saying. We are out of options here, but their expressions already tell me what they are going to say.
“That is a terrible idea,” Blaise says, instantly writing the idea off.
Frustration bubbles up inside me. “What other choice do we have?” I demand, anger making my voice sharp. “I have magic now. I can demand an audience with the king, show him there is more to the curse, and demand he give me my mate back.”
My anger and desperation are giving me confidence, I just have to hope that when I face the king, I’ll feel just as passionate. For Alaric, I will do whatever is needed.
The king must have some honour though. Alaric is his son, so doesn’t he want him to be happy? If I show him that I’m mated to both heirs of the fae courts and that I’ve not been corrupted, then surely he would return Alaric to me. The Fates have decreed that I am a woman of both courts. He should see that, and hopefully we can sort all of this out without having to resort to anything drastic.
Ciaran moves his horse over to my side, our legs brushing, but otherwise, he keeps his hands to himself. “I like your style, but it’s too dangerous.”
My eyebrows shoot up. They don’t get it. Passing up on a plan because it’s too dangerous is a luxury we don’t have. I thought one of them would understand that we are out of options. Screwing my eyes shut, I force myself to take several deep breaths so I don’t scream in frustration.
“We have to save him.” I open my eyes and look between them, letting the weight of my words settle over them. “He’s part of the prophecy, I can feel it,” I continue and press my hands against my chest, my heart pounding so hard I’m sure they can hear it. They aren’t experiencing what I am, so they don’t have the same sense of urgency. “You will just have to believe me.”
There’s silence as they both stare at me. I say nothing else, just waiting for them to make their decision. Wasting more time and energy on useless words is pointless.
Ciaran makes a noise in the back of his throat and leans across his horse to cup my cheek. Meeting his gaze, I see his intense eyes burning with emotion. We hold each other’s gazes, the ghost of a smile gracing his lips.
“Okay.”
That one word makes my whole body still. He’s agreeing.
“Okay?” Blaise barks, storming towards us with his arms raised in ire. “You can’t agree with this!” He looks at us as though we’re crazy, and perhaps we are. Crazy might just be what we need to rescue Alaric.
“My mate thinks this is the best plan, so this is what we’ll do. Are you with us or not?” Ciaran finally drags his gaze from me and glares at the Seelie, daring him to argue back.
Blaise looks at me, searching my face for… something. He must find what he’s looking for because he sighs, his shoulders rounding as the air leaves his body in a rush. “Okay. Let’s storm the Seelie Court.”
The steady beat of the horses’ hooves pounding against the hard dirt beneath us becomes the soundtrack to our journey. Wind blows past us as we gallop through Seelie land, pulling fine strands of my hair from my braid. With the speed we travel, I shouldn’t be able to make out much around us, but I do note several small habitations. From what Blaise told me, most of the Seelie prefer to live in larger groups and tend to gravitate towards the main city or smaller settlements.
Whoever lives in these small, nomadic homes are either hiding or somewhere else in the forest, and we don’t see anyone. Honestly, I’m a little surprised. I know that when we get closer to the city there will be more activity, but to see no one at all is odd. Have they all been evacuated, warned of our arrival? No, they can’t have known, as we only just made the decision to come here. There has to be another reason.
“We’re being followed.”
I swing my head around to look at Ciaran, my heart fluttering with nerves. I shouldn’t be able to hear him over the sound of the horses and wind, yet his voice is crystal clear. His expression is carefully neutral, his steady gaze scanning the horizon.
I follow his line of sight, but my human eyesight is too poor. Turning in my seat, I reach for the saddlebags and rifle through them, using the action to disguise what I’m really doing—looking behind us and searching for our mystery followers. I can’t see anything other than empty landscape. Whoever is tracking us is at least trying to stay hidden.
“They won’t attack us,” Blaise says from my other side, his face tight. “At least, not yet. They are sentinels. They keep watch. They will be waiting for orders.”
I’m sure he says this to comfort me, but all it does is make me uneasy and restless. We’re being watched, and I can’t see them. I straighten in my saddle and watch Blaise from the corner of my eye. The farther we travel into Seelie territory, the more uncomfortable Blaise becomes, but he never falters, determined to save his friend.
“We’re almost there now,” Blaise calls out, his expression grim.
A shadow falls over me as we ride into another patch of trees, the thick canopy making everything appear darker, cutting off any reply I might have given. Suddenly everything seems… different, and even the atmosphere is heavy.
I notice shapes built up around the trees on either side of the dirt path we ride on. Squinting, I attempt to focus. What is that? Realisation hits me. They are houses. Calling them that makes them sound grander than they are, and as we get closer, I have to hold back my surprise at the living conditions.
From the way the houses are positioned, it’s clear this is a proper community, and I spot several fae surrounding a well. Their attention is pulled away from their laborious job of hauling up large buckets of water to watch us pass. They seem surprised by our presence but in a vaguely interested way rather than full shock or horror like I might have expected. We are bringing a lord of the Unseelie Court through their land after all.
“What is this place?” I ask quietly as I scan the community. The houses here are dilapidated and dark, the sunlight barely breaking through the dense leaves above. “Are we still in Seelie territory?”
Everything about this place is different from what I saw in the Seelie city, including the residents themselves. Perhaps we’ve wandered into another territory, like human land. No, fae wouldn’t be living on human land, they wouldn’t last ten minutes, which means that we must still be in Seelie territory. The fae here look like they are Seelie despite the varied shapes, sizes, and colours. Many of the fae are very thin and spindly, with delicate, iridescent wings that extend from their backs. Why didn’t I see any of these creatures when I was last in the city, and why are so many of them here, especially when we are so close to the other city itself?
“Yes, it’s still our land,” Blaise comments, his voice lowered as we slow our horses to a trot. “This is where the king sends anyone who doesn’t fit the Seelie image he promotes.” He sees my confusion and continues, his discomfort telling me he doesn’t agree. “They are not beautiful, nor do they possess a skill the king needs.”
This is a makeshift city outside of the main city for those not beautiful or powerful enough.
This is… disgusting. I feel sick to my stomach at the very thought. The fae here are all shapes and sizes, and although they don’t look stunningly handsome like Blaise or Ciaran, they all have their own beauty. I remember when we first travelled through the city, and I marvelled at how beautiful everything was. Seeing this now, I realise that was all a mask to portray an image the king wants to promote. Hiding those who don’t fit is not only disgusting, but shameful. These fae have done nothing but exist, and they are forced to live on the edges of society, surviving on the scraps thrown to them by the city.
I feel a sudden kinship with them, remembering what it was like to live right on the edge of the village. Even then, Brine was the furthest settlement from the human capital where we barely functioned.
“I can’t…” My indignation at the whole situation lights a fire within me. This is wrong . Shaking my head, I look at my friend in shock. “How can you live in the city while knowing these fae are out here struggling?”
Blaise raises his eyebrows at my anger, and he sits upright in his saddle. “I never agreed with it, but there’s very little I can do about it.” Each word is pointed. I clearly hit a nerve. “I do what I can for my people—all of my people—but my life is pledged to Alaric, and we worked as emissaries to the humans. That’s how we met you, remember?”
Ciaran’s hand lands on my knee, and I turn to look at him, interested to hear his take on this. “Mate, we can’t fix everything in one day.” He smiles slightly, showing me kindness despite the anger in his eyes. “We’re about to steal their prince, but we’ll tackle changing their societal structure next time.”
Blinking, I sit back in the saddle so I can look at him better, which is easier said than done on a moving horse. “You think this is okay?”
His expression darkens at the implication, his anger flaring, but I don’t particularly think it’s aimed at me. “Not in the slightest. You’ve not seen much of the Unseelie Court, but it is nothing like this, I can promise you that.”
His bond wraps around me, silently reassuring me. My frustration slowly ebbs, and I nod my head in thanks, coming to realise it wasn’t actually aimed at him, but he took it because he sensed I needed it.
Turning my attention back to the road ahead, I focus on the sunlight that is growing with each step we take. We remain silent for the rest of the journey, our horses staying close together as if they know we’re heading into a potentially dangerous situation. The light before us is almost blinding now, and we burst through the trees, only for our mounts to come to a halt as the land seems to simply end.
My breath catches in my throat, my heart pounding. I’m not great with heights, and this feels like we are on top of the world. I have to take several deep breaths before what I’m seeing clicks in my mind. We are on the edge of a cliff, and the palace is below us.
The city is built in a valley, the land gently sloping down until it reaches the palace at the basin, built into the cliff of the mountain. Approaching from the east as we are, we’re actually above most of the city and have a perfect view. The stunning beauty of it makes me frown and glance over my shoulder at the settlement we just travelled through.
With a feeling of abhorrence, I look back at the spectacle before me. There may not be a wall separating these fae from the rest of the Seelie, but having them so close and able to see the full glory of the city while not living in it is just cruel.
A narrow path has been carved into the rock, winding down the mountainside and into the main part of the city, which is where Blaise is now leading us. Two sentries stand guard at the entrance, but as soon as they see Blaise, they step aside without a word and let us through.
I have to put my loathing of what I saw to the back of my mind so I can focus on the task at hand. I make a silent promise to myself, though, and the marginalised fae that I will be back and do something about this.
Our journey down the winding path to the city is something I hope I never have to do again. One glance down has me shaking in my saddle. Thankfully my faithful mount’s steps are true, and we reach the bottom quickly. The horses seem to know the way, and I don’t need to direct Estrella towards the palace. It looked so small from above, but down here, I remember just how big it really is.
We pass many sets of sentries, but no one stops us until we reach the bridge that leads to the entrance. A group of ten fully armoured fae step out, blocking our way.
My gut clenches. This is it. Reaching for my bonds, I wrap them around me to give me strength as we continue across the bridge.
One of the guards steps forward and slams the end of his staff against the ground. “Halt, by order of the king.”
The effect is very intimidating, which is exactly what they want, but I can’t allow my fear to stop me, not when my mate’s life is on the line. Blaise and Ciaran bring their horses to a stop, but I allow mine to continue forward a few steps so I am at the front of our group. Clearing my throat, I pray I sound confident. “I demand an audience with the king.”
One of the guards scoffs with derision. “Who are you to demand anything of the king?”
The way he speaks rankles my temper, awakening that part of me that slumbers deep within. How dare they speak to me like that? All nerves are suddenly gone, replaced with anger.
“I am the one chosen by the Fates to bring peace to your kind, and I am your prince’s mate.” Each of my words is pointed. They will take me seriously. “My other mate, Lord Ciaran of the Unseelie Court, is here to petition the king to release Prince Alaric.” Gesturing to my mate at my side, I ignore the low hisses of fear and anger.
Blaise coughs and comments, “As you can see, they ride the fated mounts, which were prophesied to reappear when peace could be reached. Fate is at work here. You don’t want to deny them.”
I glance over at him and see he’s leaning back in his saddle, smirking. Gone is the serious, determined male, and in his place is the mask of the palace rogue. The lead guard blanches, glancing to Ciaran who is sitting in his saddle and examining his nails as though this is an everyday occurrence.
“Inform the king,” the guard in charge tells one of the others at the back of the group. That fae runs into the palace, and I watch as a flurry of activity happens in the entrance.
“Dismount, we shall take your horses for you,” the guard orders, his voice cutting across the silence that fell over us.
Honestly, this sounds suspicious to me, especially as the king hasn’t even agreed to see us yet. Handing over our one means of a quick exit in case this goes badly seems like a terrible idea, but we aren’t going to ride our horses into the palace, so we would have to hand them over at some point. Ciaran and Blaise are already climbing down from their horses, so I suppose I should trust their instincts and do the same.
Shifting my weight in the saddle, I throw my leg over, ready to drop down, when a pair of hands rests on my waist—Ciaran. A smile automatically pulls at my lips as he helps me down and spins me around.
In any other situation, I would lean forward and kiss him, but our every move is being watched, and I’m sure it will be reported back to the king. Instead, I take his hand and turn to face the guards. A stable hand is allowed through the barrier of bodies and sprints towards us, taking the reins and quickly leading our horses away.
“The king will see them.” The declaration comes from the guard who must have returned while I was watching the stable hand.
Annoyance flashes in the lead guard’s eyes. Clearly, this was not the answer he was hoping for. Gritting his teeth together, he remains still for a heartbeat, staring at me as if contemplating how much trouble he would get in for disobeying orders.
“Follow me,” he finally barks, spinning on his heels and storming through the guards towards the palace entrance.
Ciaran is wearing a smug expression, and to anyone who doesn’t know him, they would assume he’s being a typical arrogant Unseelie, but I can see the tension around his eyes and feel the strain through our bond. The Unseelie curse is working hard on him. While he is strong enough to resist the curse for a short amount of time, that’s at night and without travelling too far from the forest. It is midday, and we are deep in Seelie territory. Being bonded to me and in close proximity is the only thing allowing him to be here.
Blaise walks on my other side. He moves with the confidence of someone who has strolled these corridors thousands of times, which he has thanks to the time he’s served here. He’s trying to hide the fact that he’s uncomfortable, but he won’t meet anyone’s gaze, keeping his eyes ahead.
We are brought into the large office where I last saw the king, finding him already waiting for us. Staring up at the male who holds my mate captive, I marvel at how much he looks like Alaric, yet also so different. There is one major difference between them—his eyes. Alaric’s hold a kindness rarely seen in royalty, and his father… there is no kindness there, only a cold, shrewd look.
“Well, well,” he comments, leaning back against his desk and crossing his arms over his chest, scanning the three of us. “The human, the enemy, and the traitor all delivered right to my door.” He chuckles like it’s the funniest thing he’s ever heard. “It’s very kind of you to come here,” he continues, his smile predatory. “It saves me the trouble of tracking you down and killing you.”