I was in so much pain that my lungs stopped and air refused to enter my body. I drowned in my own screams, the sensation so unbearable that every muscle shrieked with torment. As my nervous system struggled to keep the pain afloat, my vision became blurry, dark spots slithering inside my pupils, darkening my eyesight.
“Release her!” a different voice materialized from nowhere and a tall man appeared in front of me, blocking me from view, trying to protect it from the drive of pain that was still striking from the darkness of the tree. It was all I saw until it stopped.
The pressure in my ankles softened, and I finally took a breath before falling to the ground.
Chapter Four
“Why was I assigned to an island and you get to live in paradise?” my brother protested when we reached the other side of the portal that transported us between realms. A dense forest presented itself to us, with vivid emerald green leaves that sparkled in the sunlight. I admired it and smiled with pride. A whiff of wind fluttered my hair, bringing a hot gust along. The warmth caressed my bare arms and cheeks and I inhaled deeply, filling my lungs with the new atmosphere.
“I love it when it’s hot like this,” I exclaimed cheerfully. “Let's go find the burrow.”
As we walked, a deep carpet of leaves sang under the soles of our boots, to create a welcoming marching band. The tall trees embedded amongst newly growing firs and from the smooth barks, vines brimming with vibrant flowers sprouted in all directions like a waterfall of aromas.
Mellow sunshine beams passed through the foliage, piercing the leaves and casting an unearthly green-gold luminescence across the ground. Tiny creatures emerged from their homes and leapt about in joy and nonchalance, showing no sign of fear.
“I think this is it,” I stopped and checked the map I had stored in my satchel to confirm the exact location of my new home.
“After you,” Vikram sat on a sizable rock next to the cave and made himself comfortable, like he was expecting to sit there for a while.
“Et missus est ad auxilium crescere, me domus vestra in nos animo et una vivunt,” I exclaimed, my echo sending penetrating pulsations into the stone.
The cave mirrored my voice and started crumbling, tiny pieces falling apart as the glue that held them together melted. The strands of rock craved to escape the scrimmage and revealed an entry sized opening.
“You did it on your first try...” Vikram muttered. “How impressive,” he skirted at me. “Took me about two hours to remember that damned incantation.”
“That is because your pronunciation was always off,” I mocked him.
“Get inside already, can’t you see your commander is tired?” my brother ordered.
I entered the cave and almost cried with joy when I saw the inside of my new residence. It displayed an embodiment of my living chambers back at the palace, the bed exactly how I left it and my full library, desk, reading chair, writing materials and bathing pool, just as they were back home. Vikram dropped the two satchels he had been carrying and threw himself on the bed, yawning. “I’m hungry. And please tell me you have wine, I am drying out in this heat,” he gestured dramatically, waving a hand in the air. Commander indeed.
Vikram chose the guard path, preferring to renounce a family and dedicate his life to the kingdom. The males who did not find a mate had to swear their fealty to the Human Territory or the Earth Kingdom and become part of one of the guards, assigned to either walk the earth amongst the humans, keeping the peace or protect our kingdom and become realm defence. Even though Damaris mated and chose Takara as his future queen, he was also appointed Commander of the Royal Guard, according to his firstborn duty. Vikram joined the Realm Defence and from the first day he became commander, he started behaving like the world belonged to him.
I returned with an assortment of dried meats and cheeses, a goblet of wine and waited on my brother who made himself very comfortable on my bed and appeared lost in thought. I knew what memories this day stirred in him, and I appreciated him even more for joining me.
He had confessed that during his time in his keeper district he enjoyed the many pleasures of human women and felt so enchanted that he became unwilling to give up their company. The males who entered Realm Defence travelled and lived in the Human Territory, but since it was forbidden to copulate with humans and waste the healing energy flowing through our veins, they had to sterilise themselves by drinking nigrum cassia essence. Once a year, during a ceremony, the males gathered and shared the potion, much to the discontent of the females. However, the fae race had to remain pure to insure continual revival. Everything there was, everything that grew on the planet, lived through our shared energy and an offspring with a human would be considered a waste of such power.
As I chewed on a piece of cheese, I contemplated my options. I was not excited about either, but in the past few years, after Vikram became commander and Damaris’ attempts at offspring were met with defeat, the Queen monitored me more than usual. Sometimes, when I trained, one of the female helpers suddenly appeared to bring an unrequested refreshment or visited my bathing chambers to offer help. When I pointed this out to Vikram, he confirmed his suspicion. Since the middle prince became sterile and the first born possibly found himself unwillingly in the same situation, I would be the primary source of heirs for the family.
“Did Damaris have the talk with you?” my brother awoke from thought, and with it, dragged me back to the present.
“He wasn’t very helpful,” I groaned.
“What did he suggest?” Vikram asked.
“You just feel the connection,” I imitated my older brother’s voice as I mimicked him.
“But what is it exactly that you feel?” Vikram insisted, showing as much curiosity as I had.
“He said it’s impossible to explain, it’s like you discover an unknown part of yourself that you did not know you had before.”
Vikram huffed. “That is the same speech he gave to me when I left to the island. Look how good that did,” he laughed, more to his own benefit.
“It’s an unknown part of myself that I didn’t know I had,” I mumbled unhappily. “So is a tumour.”
My brother choked on his wine, laughing.
“I can’t believe you managed to abstain. Not with Mother’s constant meddling,” he took another sip of his wine.
