The Unseelie Bargain (The Fae Kingdom Series Book 1), page 5
What she saw when she looked out across the ring looked innocent at first.
It was what looked like a cramped version of a cobblestone street village. There were small buildings all around and narrow paths leading through them, almost like a maze. She imagined there would be a market square in the middle of it all but couldn’t see from where she was at the moment.
A sign to Aurora’s left caught her eye, and she turned to read it.
This trial is simple, or so it may seem. All you must do is get to the middle of the village where the King will be waiting to crown you victor. Be careful though, you must make it there before the sun has set or you may not make it at all.
That was it. That was all the sign said. Aurora knew it would not be that simple. A nervous sweat broke out across her forehead as she darted her eyes across anything she could see.
Nothing moved, nothing looked out of place. It just looked like a sleepy town.
She then cast her eyes to the sky, the pinks and oranges of the sunset starting to darken and turn into purples and grays. She had to move now and move fast if she wanted to make it to the square before nightfall.
One step, and then another, and another. Aurora made her way down the cobblestone streets, trying to guess which direction to turn. There were no signs, nothing to direct her, just her own trial and error.
After a few minutes of walking, some buildings cast a shadow from themselves like a blanket trying to cover the streets.
Aurora walked along the edge of one of those building’s shadows and leapt back when she thought she saw a hand reaching out from it for her ankle. But no, it must have been a trick of the light, because she stopped and stared. If something had moved a moment ago, it did not move again.
Shaking off what she was sure was just delusional exhaustion from the day, Aurora kept walking. The disappearing sun beat down on her, causing her nervous sweat to just turn into the normal sweat meant to cool her skin as her body temperature rose.
After a little while longer, Aurora had to force herself to stop and take a breath, to step in the cool shade of an alleyway. As soon as she was in that shade, she could feel that she was no longer alone.
Eyes darting around, she searched for the other presence that she could feel. She saw nothing.
Until a shadow moved here, another one there, and then the shadows were drawing together like smoke. They converged until a body formed in front of her and a pair of yellow eyes peeked out from the mass of gray.
Aurora backed up, backed away from the shadow creature as it advanced on her. It was silent. It didn’t say a thing, but she knew it was not there to be friendly. She kept going, picking up her pace as the shadow reached for her, its arm lengthening and growing until it could grab her ankle and yank.
She toppled back onto the ground but didn’t stop moving, scrambling backwards with feet and elbows until she broke out of the alley and into the remaining light of the sun. The creature stopped at the edge of the shadowed alleyway, reached for her, but couldn’t seem to go further than where the shadows stopped.
This must be the challenge. Staying out of reach of the shadow creature. It would be easy if the sun was high in the sky. But the sun was setting, which meant the shadows around the little village were growing, the light fading away.
Aurora rushed to her feet, then took off running as fast as she could. She kept to the light, winding her way through the streets to reach the center before the sun was gone. Once it was, there would be nothing to stop the shadows from attacking her.
She could see them, too many of them, racing alongside her on their side of the darkness. They were keeping up with her, waiting for her to slip up. Or waiting for their shadows to stretch closer, and closer to where her feet pounded on the stone ground.
Her breathing labored the longer she ran. She felt as if she was heading in the right direction, but she still could see no hint of a square ahead.
Then she tripped over a rock she didn’t see in her way, tumbling into the ground and rolling into the outstretched shadows before she could stop herself.
All she could do before the shadow creatures lunged for her was pull out her personal dagger from its sheath, but it did nothing as she slashed it at the creatures. It went straight through them. They grabbed her arms and legs and pinned her to the ground as she screamed and struggled against their hold.
One bent towards her, and an unnatural cold settled over her as it caressed a hand down the side of her face. She continued to wriggle free, not wanting to know what the creature was going to do to her. As she did, the shadow that was above her flinched away when the blade of her dagger caught some sunlight and reflected on its form.
Aurora’s heart leapt with hope as she angled the dagger towards the sun again and the creature reared back. Before any of the other creatures could stop her, she began wriggling her wrist, angling the dagger for each of the creatures that held on to her. Every one of them reared back and let go as she flashed the sunlight in their direction.
Once they had all released her, she didn’t give them a chance to grab her again. She rolled back into the remaining sunlight, sprang to her feet and took off. It was a race. A race to beat the shadows, a race to beat time. The sides of the street that she could run on became thinner and thinner as she went.
Then she saw a wooden ladder still touched by the sun on the side of a building and didn’t hesitate before leaping up to grab hold of it and climb her way to the top of the building.
Up here, the shadows were fewer. If the sun was still up, the shadows would be on the streets, not the flat open roofs of the buildings. She just had to make it before darkness took over.
Her eyes searched the rooftops, looking for a break where they would form a square. Then she saw it. A perfect, large square cut out of the buildings. Aurora eyed the rooftops she would have to cross to get there. She could do it. She had leapt between trees in the second trial. She could leap between rooftops now despite the throb of her leg.
Taking a steadying breath, Aurora sprinted, not allowing herself to stop as she pushed off one roof and landed on another, rolling to protect her knees. Her injured leg groaned in protest, but she ignored it. The rush of it was dizzying, but she didn’t stop. She got up and kept running at full speed, leaping from rooftop to rooftop.
Aurora could see it getting closer. One last roof to jump and she could descend to the square. Her lungs were burning, her clothes dripping with the sweat of exertion, but she took off one more time.
This time, as she leapt, her feet dipped into the shadow between the last two buildings. That was all the creatures needed. They plucked her from the air, pulling her down to a crash landing on the cobblestones.
Her body jarred with the force of the impact, the breath rushed out of her, and she couldn’t breathe, couldn’t move for a moment. She couldn’t let it stop her. There was the tiniest sliver of sunlight still left on the side of the street.
Forcing her body to move, she rolled away from the reaching hands until she was tight against a building in the last bit of light. It was fading quick, and she wasn’t sure she could get herself up. So she dragged herself.
She pulled and pulled her body across the still sunlit stones until her nails broke and bled, until she made it past the buildings and into the square. Aurora kept going until she came to a pair of polished black shoes. She rolled onto her back, her body aching, bruised, and a bit broken from the fall.
The face of the Unseelie King peered down at her from above as the last bit of sunlight vanished.
“I believe we have a winner,” he smiled.
CHAPTER 6
“What are the terms of this deal? I want to know fully before I agree,” Aurora demanded. They stood behind the stage, her and the King, getting ready to announce her victory.
“You will have one year to work for me in my court. For however long you work for me, you will receive a payment of 10,000 coins a month. I will only allow you to leave to visit the mortal lands if I decide I am willing to permit it. After you have done the work I require of you, whether that year is up or not, you may choose freely to stay in my court or return here. If you do not complete the work that I require of you within a year, then you will also get the choice to stay or return home.” The king’s tone suggested he had repeated these words a thousand times before. Aurora nodded slowly.
“I have one request.”
“What makes you think you can make requests? I could choose someone else,” he responded. He wouldn’t choose anyone else. It would be too much trouble.
“I want you to ensure that my earnings are sent to my family each month, just like the last victor you took from this town.” At her request, the King gave her a small nod.
“That is our bargain, then,” he agreed, holding out his hand. Aurora hesitated, the warnings of not making bargains with the fae swimming in her head. But she had thought this over for days and she saw no other way to provide for her family at this point. She raised her hand to shake his. As soon as her hand was in his, she felt a tingling sensation wash over her, the magic of the bargain settling in.
“Let us get this over with.” The King grabbed hold of her elbow to lead her up onto the stage as the words left his mouth.
Aurora forced herself to not pull away from his grip as she stood next to him, and he announced her victory. She stood unfeeling and numb as the crowd cheered for her.
She had won.
All she could focus on were the sobs coming from her friends and her sister as they stood off to the side of the crowd, looking at her like she would be dead the moment she left their sight.
Abruptly, she turned to the King. She couldn’t bear to see their hurt, their disappointment, anymore.
“Are we done yet?” she hissed under her breath.
He raised a brow up at her, the corner of his mouth twitching just slightly, but didn’t respond. Instead, he closed out the brief ceremony and dismissed the crowd. The townspeople dispersed, but not them, not her people. Instead, the three of them came running up to her, Rielle flinging her arms around her sister in a desperate embrace.
“Aurora don’t do this! Don’t go,” Rielle pleaded this between her sobs.
“It is already done, Rielle. I am going,” Aurora wrapped her arms tight around her younger sister.
“You shouldn’t have done this,” Alice piped up, stepping up to throw herself into the hug as well.
“Your comments can’t change anything. I have already made the bargain.”
The two girls forced themselves to pull away, sobs breaking further from their lips, as Griffin stepped forward.
He cupped her face in his hands, tears running down his cheeks.
“Why?” he asked softly.
“You already know why.”
He said nothing else, just brought his lips to hers. She could taste the salt of both of their tears as he kissed her like it was the last time he would ever get the chance.
When he pulled away, she was breathless, the tears coming faster now.
“I will write. I will come back,” she promised.
“Yes, yes, it is all very sad, but we need to get going now. I’ve already had my men sent to gather your things and take them for you.” The Unseelie King then stepped in. He gently pulled Aurora out of Griffin’s grip and Griffin’s face hardened towards him.
“I expect to see her returned,” he growled at the Unseelie King. The King only laughed at him.
“We’ll see,” he stated, before pulling Aurora against himself.
Aurora couldn’t even wave goodbye or push herself out of the King’s grasp before the world dropped and vanished from around her and blackness closed in.
She felt as if her body was being pulled apart in several directions. Just as she opened her mouth to scream, it was over. The King had let her go, and they now stood in a black marbled foyer. Aurora swayed on her feet.
The Unseelie King took hold of her elbow to steady her as she breathed deeply. “Please tell me I do not have to do that again,” she said, out of breath as she yanked her elbow out of the King’s grasp. The King chuckled.
“I cannot promise that,” he replied, slipping his hands into his pockets and crossing his ankles to lean against one of the marbled walls and observe her. She shot daggers at him with her eyes as her breathing calmed.
There was a moment of silence before the King spoke again. “Someone will come in a moment to escort you to your quarters. You have the rest of the day to get some rest and then you will meet me tonight for dinner.”
Aurora didn’t want to meet him for dinner, she didn’t want to be here. But at the moment she felt exhausted and had no energy to say any of that.
“Flora, at your service. I will take you to your quarters,” a stunningly beautiful fae female then said as she floated into the room. She had dark green eyes, the same as the King’s Aurora noticed, and flowing red hair that fell in waves to the base of her spine. She gave Aurora a comforting smile and turned to lead the way. Without another glance or word to the King, Aurora followed the female to her quarters.
As she laid in the ridiculously enormous bed in her quarters, Aurora let her eyes scan over the room to take it all in. She had fallen asleep as soon as she had laid her head down on the annoyingly soft and plush pillows. Now she was awake again and able to observe her surroundings.
The room was very spacious, with the same black marble floors as the foyer and walls painted a deep burgundy color. Her bed was a four-poster bed with silk burgundy sheets that matched the walls. All the other furniture around the room consisted of a small wooden desk, two tall, dark wooden wardrobes, and a dark wooden trunk at the end of the bed. There was also a black marble fireplace that was unlit.
On the left side of the room from where Aurora laid on the bed, there was an open entryway into the bathing chamber. The marble floor flowed into it, as did the burgundy walls. From her vantage point on the bed, Aurora could only make out a standing golden tub.
On the wall in front of her, there was a set of double doors that led out onto a balcony that had a gold railing. Aurora could make out the fact that the balcony faced some sort of garden below.
As she continued to take in her surroundings, a knock sounded on her door.
“Go away.” Aurora did not want to see or talk to anyone. The door opened and Flora popped her head in.
“Just me, sorry to interrupt. I just thought I should let you know the king is requesting your presence for dinner in about half an hour.”
“Tell him I will have dinner in my room,” Aurora replied.
“He says you will either eat with him or not at all.” Flora’s tone sounded apologetic. Aurora was about to state that she wasn’t even hungry when her stomach let out a loud and embarrassing grumble. She nodded as she sighed.
“Fine. Tell him I will be down shortly,” she mumbled as she slid off the bed and headed into the washroom.
As Aurora approached the dining room, following a female servant who was helping her navigate there, she heard whispers coming from inside.
“I don’t agree with you keeping this from her. She has a right to know now,” Flora was saying.
“Well, that is not your call. Every other one we have told in the past has not responded well to the information, so for now we wait. I suggest you drop it, Flora,” the Unseelie King’s voice responded, giving no room for argument. Aurora's curiosity peaked, undoubtedly, they were talking about her, but what could he be keeping so secret from her? The servant knocked on the door, then let Aurora in once given permission to do so. Aurora thanked her and stepped into the dining room.
The warm glow from a fireplace washed over the room. A long black table sat in the center of the room with chairs surrounding it and way too much food laid out across it. The Unseelie King sat at the head of the table, in front of the fireplace. In the time it took for Aurora to enter the room, Flora had disappeared. A servant pulled out a chair for Aurora at the opposite end. She crossed the room and sat in it.
At first, Aurora kept her eyes trained on her plate as the servants piled it high. Then she continued to ignore the King as she ate, not in the mood for conversation. As the food touched her tongue, she had to hold back a gasp of pleasure. She would never let the King know it, but this food was better than anything she had tasted in her entire life.
It was all familiar dishes she had heard of or even cooked herself, but never had she beheld such flavor in them. So, she focused on and enjoyed that rather than acknowledging the king or thinking about what he might have her do to work for him. She wanted to ask but didn’t want to be the first to break the silence, so she continued to eat.
The King spoke first. “I will require many things from you while you are here.”
Aurora flicked her eyes up from her plate to look at him.
“Anything specific I should expect?” she questioned.
He lifted one shoulder in a shrug.
“I will tell you as you need to know.”
“And when will I need to know?” she countered.
The King took a slow sip of his wine and gave her a taunting smile before answering, “Not right now.”
Boiling with impatience, Aurora clenched her fist together around her silverware.
“Why so secretive? We made a bargain, didn’t we? Which means no matter what it is, I have to do it for you. So why keep it from me unless it is something so horrible you fear I might break our bargain out of sheer determination not to do it?” she challenged him.
He seemed unbothered by her rising anger and took another sip of wine, not taking his eyes off her as he did. She watched as he then set down the wine, raised a spoon of gravy to his lips and took the slowest spoonful into his mouth that Aurora had ever witnessed, never straying his eyes from hers.
For some infuriating, unknown reason, heat rose to Aurora’s cheeks in response, and she felt as if her entire body were shaking to reign in her rage.
The King’s body seemed to shake too, but only from silent laughter that he refused to let fly from his lips.
