Dark Throne, The (7 page)

"I thought I didn't know you either, but again, this note
tells me otherwise
.”

"What note?"

He held up the parchment again and she frowned at a certain
tear, which she recognized from the paper that had been tucked into
the box of doorknobs
. "There
is no note on there. It's blank.”

"Yes, it was blank
.
Until Elven magik touches it and then,
Firfesh
appears.”

"Firfesh
? What the
hell are you talking about? I've never even heard of such a
language.” As her dazed brain further absorbed his retort, she sank
back down to her heels and felt her gaze drift into a blur.
"Elven?" she whispered, her eyes suddenly focusing with a sharpness
that made them ache. She took in the grim line of his jaw, then
took in that peculiar ear. That, more than anything contributed to
her next action. In a louder voice, something that Heather would
later admit to being a screech, she hissed, "Elven? Oh my God, I
was right all along. You
are
crazy. Get the
hell out of my house. How did you even get in anyway? I'm calling
911.” She jumped upright and then shook her head. "Why the fuck
didn't I do that straight away? I need my head seeing to- although,
you need it more, by the sounds of it.”

Any amusement on his face had drifted away at her reaction
to his words, he looked grimmer than ever
. That solid as a rock jaw had grown impossibly harder
and his mouth had white striations about it. "I am not insane. You
are, according to this note from your mother, my betrothed.” He
sniffed, when she gasped. "It is as large a shock to me as I'm sure
it is to you.”

"How
. . . . Why?" She
shook her head as though cobwebs had suddenly taken root in her
brain and needed a good swat to shake them free. "Betrothed? That
can't be possible. You're insane. Not only are you a housebreaker,
you're pretending to be an elf. Is Bilbo Baggins about to pop out
of a trunk somewhere? I mean, Christ.”

"I am as unhappy about this as I know you to
be
. Unfortunately, there is
little that can be done if what this note states is the
truth.”

"How do I know you're not lying about
the note's contents?"

"You don't, but I have no reason to lie
. A throne awaits me either way. Be it as your
consort and warrior King, or as the King to the Dark Throne.” He
shrugged and for a moment, Heather saw a look of weariness on his
face. She frowned and he glared at her- obviously mistaking her
slight show of silent concern as disapproval or anger. "What is
wrong with you now, harridan?. If you don't believe me then, fine.
And you do know
Firfesh,
so do not lie
to me. You can read this and see its contents for
yourself.”

"Of course, I don't know
Firfesh.”

"In what language are we speaking
then, wench?"

Heather's eyes grew round, she actually felt them widen and
winced at the sudden brightness of the kitchen
. Her hand clapped over her mouth and she shook
her head, denying his words.

He nodded
. Slowly.
That angry glare still filled his eyes and he crossed his arms over
his chest, obviously waiting for his obstinacy to overpower her
own.

It did not take long
.
Her hand slowly retreated and she whispered, "We're not talking in
English?"

"No
. I do not know of
this English. Here,” he muttered. "I must hold on to the note
otherwise the lettering won't appear. But read, read of this freely
and know that I do not lie.”

Licking lips that felt parched and cracked from a sudden
seizure of nervousness, Heather reached forwards and studied the
note
.

It remained blank
.

Fade frowned at the sheet of parchment and then
sighed
. "Place your hand upon
it. I have read my message, it would seem you have a new one of you
own.”

"How is that possible
?
Two notes on one blank piece of parchment?"

Rolling his eyes, Fade grunted, "You have much to
learn
. I simply did not
realize that the magik of Mearth would transport so well. I did not
expect a dual note. Here, read this.”

Heather reached out and gently brushed her fingers against
the parchment Fade held in his own grip
. She gasped as letters suddenly appeared out of
nowhere. Curling and swirling all about the page like a computer
animation- only, this was a piece of seemingly ancient paper, not
an ebook or tablet. Letters formed and almost while they were
unusually shaped, she realized that if she studied them, truly
studied them and took her time to attempt to understand each and
every letter, then she could read the note.

It took her an age, as it was a slow process but Fade said
nothing, apparently understanding her predicament for not even with
a sigh or a grimace or a grunt of annoyance did he react to her
methodical reading
.

Dearest
daughter,

The saddest day of my life was the day you were taken from
me
. Your father and I have
never been the same since the loss of our daughter. We have mourned
your loss as though you had been taken from us by the Heathers.
Only knowing of your safety and that you were free from the danger
of this realm did we retain some composure, some grain of
sanity.

You are learning about the new side of
yourself
. A side you never
believed existed and while I would love to help you acclimatize
yourself to this new world, I can only do so if you take Fade's
hand and allow him to return you to Mearth, where your father and I
await you with open arms.

This might seem ridiculous, crazy even, but I assure you,
it is very real
. You are the
heiress to the throne of Jender and our politics are complicated-
squirreling you away on another Universe was the only way we could
protect you so that one day, you could fulfill your
destiny.

This man, Fade s, is a good man
. His father is evil, his nature abhorrent and while
Fade sprung from his loins, he also came from my dearest and long
departed friend. His father, the King, detests Fade and I'm certain
that Fade will admit this. He detests him simply because of who he
is. The first Elf in a thousand years to have wings on his
back.

Yes, you read that correctly, daughter
. Wings.

Let me reiterate, Fade is a good man
. His mother was the kindest, most sincere woman
I have ever known and to this day, I miss her terribly. She was a
beloved friend and always shall be. This side of his nature has
forged Fade into the man he is, a warrior, true, but a fair and
just one.

As a child, we betrothed you to one
another
. I know of some of
the Earthling customs and betrothal here on Mearth is unlike that
of your current plane. You are now joined by blood. Through that
blood you are bound, as a shared magik flows through your veins. To
deny one another will merely cause you great pain. We have
inhibited your Elven traits through herbs and spices, my dearly
departed sister had to gather on Mearth using the doorknobs to
travel between the two worlds. Without her and the tea preparations
she gave you, you will soon show signs of your true heritage. But,
for a while longer, you will be safe after years of the herbal
doses. They will safeguard you for the moment. However, Fade will
soon start to feel the denial. His blood and yours are the same,
like a magnet, his and yours pull together. Only through
consummation of your bond will he cease to suffer. For him, it will
not be long. I cannot tell you what this means, but it is a grave
thing, daughter. His life depends on your own.

Jender is in need of both of you
. We need your combined powers to save our
kingdom.

But more than that, my darling, come home to your papa and
I
.

We love you, dearly
.

Yours, forever,

Your mama, Setta of Jender
.

Only as the words came to an end did Heather spy the drops
of water that had splashed against the old and dry
parchment
.

Confusion, horror, shock
. . . . she felt them all.

But at the same time, there was an elation humming in the
background
. Her mind seemed
unable to focus on anything outside of the aspect that her parents
were alive. They loved her, missed her and wanted to see
her.

It seemed incredible, impossible
. Hell, it was more than
seemed.
It
was
implausible, inconceivable and yet. . . . she wanted to
believe it. God help her.

She bit her lip and slowly moved her hand away from the
parchment
. "Did you read that
too?" The huskiness of her voice had her grimacing a little, but he
seemed to understand, because from the corner of her eye, she saw
him nod.

"Do you really have wings?" she asked
, uncertain as to why that was the part of the
parchment she'd placed her first query.

"Yes
. I have
wings.”

There was a stiltedness to his voice, one that didn't speak
of annoyance, but of wariness
.
Almost as though he rarely discussed these extra limbs he
possessed.

"Can you use them to fly?" She bit her lip at the awe in
her voice
. Hell, she sounded
like a kid about to take her first trip on a roller coaster, but
dammit, she was curious.

"Yes
.”

"Do you use them often?"

"No
.”

"The one word answers are getting a little tiring,
buddy
. According to this
parchment, we're stuck together. So, let's start to share something
about one another. Hell, I never imagined I'd be involved in some
kind of arranged marriage.”

"All Royal marriages are arranged
. Even if they develop into love matches. There are
always politics at play- behind the scenes, where the ordinary folk
can't see it. It is the way of the world.” He grimaced. "But, I
digress. I do not use them often, because to my people, they are
repulsive. If I were to flaunt them in anyway, it would induce a
riot.”

Heather's brow puckered
. "You can't be serious?"

"Oh, I am
. Deadly.
Your mother is correct. My father is evil and he hates me, because
of my wings. Because I'm not the perfect boy child, not the perfect
heir to the Dark Throne, countless royal princesses have lost their
lives.”

"What do you mean?"

"He marries a princess, attempts to beget an
heir that can take my stead and when
she fails to produce, he beheads her. He is nearing the dozenth
time and each and every time, our kingdom goes to war. The
princess' family declare blood debt on our land and thousands of
men have lost their lives fighting a pointless battle. As such, the
population is embittered against the family. My wings are the
personification of why so many have needlessly died. To fly would
merely incite the public.”

Heather absorbed each and every one of his words and then
slowly shook her head
. "Oh my
God, you can't be serious? He's killed a dozen women? Simply
because you're not his idea of a perfect heir.”

Fade nodded slowly
.
There was a tightness about his eyes that Heather knew stemmed from
upset.

"I'm so sorry, Fade
.”

"It is I, who is the sorry one
. You should not be tied to me.”

"Don't be ridiculous
.
It isn't your fault your father's a maniac.”

He lifted his head and focused those peculiarly shaded eyes
upon her
. "Why are you being
kind to me? You find yourself tied to a stranger for life, have
learned that you are an Elf. . . . why aren't you screaming and
shouting?"

Heather's smile was wry
. "This is the calm before the storm. I'd take advantage of
the peace before I fall into hysteria.”

He eyed her carefully
.
"You will wreak havoc?"

She shrugged
. "I don't
know. I don't feel very disturbed, but at the same time, you're
right. I've just learned that black is white and that two plus two
equals five. I'm a very calm person, actually. I guess if we're
going to spend a lot of time together, then you'll get to know me
better and will see that. I try to never get stressed or even angry
and just roll with the punches. Life's a lot nicer that
way.”

"Yes, you do seem to be coping with all of these
revelations rather well
. I
commend you,” he congratulated, a slight smile twitching about his
lips.

She grinned in return and using the strength in her thighs,
powered upright and on to her feet
. Almost as soon as her head acclimatized to the new
position, her grin faded and urgency flooded her veins. For a
moment, Heather stood in a stasis and then, she literally vibrated
with action as she rushed from Fade's side, headed to the sink and
managed to clear the dirty bowl and spoon she'd used for her
breakfast that morning from the bowl, before promptly
vomiting.