“The sole purpose of me being in Evigt was because my brother asked me to,” I pressed, tired of the back and forth he seemed to enjoy. I knew he was thousands of years old and felt the need to elongate everything and draw time in his favour, but I stood a mortal, who used social media and had an internet connection, so I wanted all my information within seconds.
“I did wonder how you’d come to be there, mere months after him,” Rhylan admitted and my world stopped.
“Erik was in Evigt? Did you meet him?”
I could not take it anymore, bile rose in my throat from the anticipation and I had to sit down again, letting my body fall onto the cushions I had abandoned as soon as he finished talking about the gods.
“Anwen,” he made a move to approach me but I raised my hand and flattened my palm on his chest. Instinctively, I found the collar of his shirt and gripped it hard, forcing Rhylan to shake into position by my side.
“Tell me!” I yelled, expelling tiny drips of my spit on his designer clothing.
“Yes, I met Erik. I was the one to tell him about Evigt and the other burial places,” he admitted and it felt like my chest turned into a lake and Rhylan had just thrown the biggest stone onto the flat surface.
“How?” my lips trembled, eyes dripping uncontrollably. Yet another lie, another secret he had kept hidden from me all this time.
“I sensed your brother in Mexico, a while back and approached him, posing as a regular human. I found out more about him and we became friends. Over time, I trusted him with the information about the fae, but he did not believe me. He travelled with a group of other men, friends of his and as I finished telling him who I was and what I wanted, he retreated to them, blaming my actions on too much alcohol, as though I indeed was a frail human,” Rhylan cursed under his breath.
“A while later, when I accepted the mission to investigate Evigt and prepare for the arrival of the young prince, I met your brother again. I confessed surprise at his new appearance, he looked tired and spent, even so, he threatened me,” the faerie said with a dash of pride.
My brother’s actions made Rhylanproud.
“What did he threaten you with?” I asked, admiring my brother’s courage.
“Revealing my identity. Amongst other things.”
“Rhylan,” I struggled to say, tapping my palm repeatedly over my right knee and trying to keep my nerves as calm as I could, even though tears continued to flow freely on my cheeks.
“I do not know as much as you want me to, Anwen. I am sorry. I found him in Evigt and he knew about the goddesses. I do not know what he did inthe forest, I couldn’t find out because he made me disappear. Forced me to,” Rhylan tried to explain.
“How can you kill a prince but be scared of a mortal?” I demanded, ready to sink my fist into his face yet again.
“I did not kill a prince, I already told you. And your brother knew things. Things I did not want to admit to myself even. He asked me to go and I did. I never knew what happened to him until the mermaids summoned me with payment for their favour.”
“What happened to him?” I asked.
“He was murdered. By the sirens,” Rhylan sighed heavily.
Chapter Six
It was Marreth who appeared through the door just as the females finished drying me off, finding me struggling to ignore remnants of shyness at two unknown beings of the opposite sex touching every part of my body. The commander wiggled his brows suggestively at the sight of me.
“Looks like the queen wants a new toy.” Then he started directing the two servants as to which parts of my body needed applying the ointment he had brought in. The smell resonated unpleasant to all our noses, especially after the nice-smelling bubble bath, but at the immediate contact with my skin, the ointment made the pain disappear. Even the festering cuts on my back found much-needed relief and when they also applied it underneath the chain marks on my wrists, I remembered a feeling long since forgotten. The lack of pain.
“Better?” Marreth asked proudly, expecting praise.
“Thank you, commander,” I said, making him relax into a chair to watch the next process of my preparation. Grooming and dressing.While the females brushed my hair and selected black garments, similar to the ones the royal family wore, to dress me in, the first commander poured himself a glass of the servant’s wine and sat comfortably in a wooden chair by the door.
He observed me for a while, moving his head into different angles to study my body and the wounds that had been so joyously inflicted by the other two commanders. Marreth hadn’t been one to enjoy causing me pain for most of the time, he took the first position in the interrogation for a few days — or weeks, I didn't really quite know — then passed it onto the other two. I did not know if he’d done it out of spite or because he genuinely did not want to participate in what came next.
Amongst the three commanders, Marreth had been the one to show me kindness, from time to time. Sometimes he brought me food and drink, and a bucket of water on the odd occasion to clean my wounds. Today he had brought the ointment that gave me sweet relief.
“Tonight is a test, prince, don’t confuse it with generosity or compassion,” the first commander announced from his seat, making sure that I turned in his direction. His golden eyes scanned me attentively, ensuring the message was conveyed correctly.
“Why are you telling me this?” I asked in my newfound tone.
“The hourglass is running against you, and tonight may very well be the end of the road. Know how to play your hand prince, it can be your last.”
With this, he rose and signalled the time to the females, making them move quicker, as he exited the bathing rooms.
