The Lonely Ones

Chapter Fifty-Two: An Old Friend Resurfaces

Artemis wakes up overcome by a pounding headache. His blurry vision attempts to take in the surroundings to no avail. Every limb aches as if he has been ruthlessly tossed around, which very well may be the truth. Memories of earlier come flooding in; speaking to Maggie while Dust tended to his plants. A powerful quake, then came the thorns that ripped through the greenhouse. He fought against their grip, but there were too many. One wrapped around his ankle. He saw Maggie's panicked expression. She took up the sword he dropped and slashed and slashed as the thorns dragged him away. Then everything went black.

"Finally awake, are you?" A deep voice asks.

Groaning, Artemis faces where he believes the sound originated. A silhouette sits atop a throne in a dark room. Blinking away the fog, Artemis realizes he's surrounded by thorns and laying a mere few feet away from a man who makes every instinct in his body scream to run. The man wears a wicked grin, green eyes brimming with sinister interest. When he rises, Artemis pushes away on instinct. That makes the stranger chuckle.

"Smart enough to know who to fear, that's unexpected from a lover of Wren's," he says, taking slow steps forward.

Artemis swallows hard. All he has is an iron dagger hidden in his boot. He knows that will do nothing against the man standing before him. No doubt this is the High King, Wren's father. Everything about him screams power from the way he holds himself to the way he speaks.

"State your name," the High King demands, eyes cold and telling. If Artemis doesn't answer, the High King will make him.

"Artemis," he replies.

"Artemis." The High King flicks his fingers. Artemis rises from the floor, gulping as he hovers without anything touching him. The High King grips his chin, forcing his face side to side. He smirks when ripping off Artemis' eyepatch.

"Intriguing," he states, uncaring of Artemis' pained scream when he digs his nails into Artemis' eye socket. "This is one of her spells."

The High King retracts his bloody fingers. Artemis drops to the floor, holding his hand against his throbbing eye socket.

What did he mean by her? Artemis wonders.

For some reason, the High King continues to poke at Artemis like a new found toy. He grabs his arms and pushes him around, chuckling when he sways. What is Artemis to do against an ancient entity that could snap his neck like a twig? If only he had kept hold of the sword, maybe he'd at least be able to escape and find Wren.

Wren... Artemis shivers. Did he succeed in killing Ignit? Could the High King have planned this so he could capture Artemis for some reason? Would Wren come running to save him and get himself killed in the process?

"Why are you doing this?" Artemis finally asks after the High King circled him for the fifth time. He raises his glare to meet the High King's chilled stare. "If you're going to kill me, just get it over with."

"You should know enough about fae that we don't show mercy, especially not to things we find so intriguing." The High King surprises Artemis by leaning down to balance on the balls of his feet. He grasps Artemis' chin again, a madness lingering in his deep emerald gaze. "I knew of Wren's spell, but to think it's you--a human. Though, I suppose, it shouldn't be surprising considering his lineage."

Artemis' confusion must have shown on his face because the High King asks, "Ah, haven't you figured out what you did to wake Wren? To break the spell, someone had to steal Wren's heart."

Showing the High King fear is the last thing anyone wants to do, but Artemis can't stop himself at that moment. The fear that he may die here finally learning Wren truly loves him and that when he learns of what happened, he will fall to the High King in a desperate attempt of revenge. And Artemis would never have the chance to tell Wren that he stole Artemis' heart a long time ago too.

The High King's smile reaches to his crescent eyes that drink every ounce of Artemis' fear. He brushes the hair from Artemis' face as if he were a doting father, but there's sheer reverie for Artemis' pain in his eyes.

"I had wondered who awakened Wren, but never suspected a human. Another fae was such a boring thought, but then my Aurelia spoke of the fear Wren showed upon hearing the truth of his own curse after killing Ignit--"

So they succeeded? Wren's okay? Artemis wonders.

"And I realized he has always been an odd one so desperate for love and attention. Of course it'd be a human. There hasn't been anything to keep my attention like this in so long. I've forgotten... I've truly forgotten what it's like to look forward to anything," he whispers, then takes firm hold of Artemis' head. He bites back a whimper when the High King's claws rip into his scalp. The trembling hold signals the intense desire to tear Artemis to shreds, that the High King's using every ounce of his will power not to do exactly that this instance.

"Don't worry," he adds. "We'll wait to have our fun until Wren arrives. I want to see his face when I tear you apart."

"If you're this bored, have you ever considered picking up a hobby that didn't involve the brutal torture and death of others in a sad attempt to hide your loneliness?" Artemis bites because, if he's going to die, he may as well die being a smart ass.

The High King laughs. "I hope you continue being feisty, otherwise I'll get bored very fast. Go on--" he yanks Artemis' head to the side so fast his neck cracks. "Say more. Try to argue your way out of death, I want to see what kind of human caught that pathetic boy's attention."

"Wren isn't pathetic," Artemis spits. "He's better than you could ever be."

"Because you love him?" The High King relishes in Artemis' hesitation for he already knows the truth and it likely adds to his enjoyment. "I'm starting to wonder if it'd be more fun to kill Wren first and make you watch."

Artemis holds his breath. He fears a tear will fall from his eye. The High King notices this. He reaches with his other hand to press his thumb beneath Artemis' good eye.

"I will take my time with him," he says, watching Artemis' reaction. "Fae, especially those of my blood, take more time to kill. It will be very slow. He'll scream. So will you. And beg. How do you think I should do it? Burn him? Skin him? Ah, perhaps we should hold a revel. He can be the main event. We'll see what everyone can come up with and how long he lasts. What do you--"

Artemis grabs the dagger from his boot. The High King snaps his wrist. He screams. The iron dagger drops, as does he. He grasps his throbbing wrist that's angled like a crooked branch. The High King kicks the iron dagger to the otherside of the Throne room where roots drag the blade into darkness.

"That was not a very good plan," the High King says when grabbing Artemis by his broken wrist. He kicks at the bastard, who snaps his wrist back into place. He screams more, but then warmth runs through his veins. He hears the broken bones popping into place, then the pain's gone.

"I don't want you leaving too soon," the High King says.

He looks ready to break Artemis' wrist again purely for fun, but then his eyes narrow. He throws Artemis aside. The roots of the throne room twist around his limbs, dragging him against the wall to hover a few feet from the ground. The High King faces the long, dark hall where footsteps echo.

"Wren?" Artemis calls, hopeful and fearful.

"I'm afraid not," a voice says, sounding oddly familiar, like an old memory.

"I never expected to see you again," the High King huffs as a woman steps out of the darkness.

Artemis' eyes widen as he gazes upon an old friend.

"Ima?" He whispers.

☾ ⋆*･ﾟ:⋆*･ﾟ:✧*⋆.*:･ﾟ✧.: ⋆*･ﾟ: .⋆ ☾

Shabam! Artemis is being tortured by the High King, who is threatening both his and Wren's life. But now Ima, an old friend, has shown up! Will Artemis survive this encounter? Why and how did Ima show up?