Something Wicked This Way Comes

Chapter 34

Claire discovered that she loved flying. A lot. Probably too much.

It was exhilarating, the wind in her hair, the rush of soaring through the sky on the back of a magnificent beast. Talfryn was strong, and clearly loved to show off that fact. He loved to go fast, too.

Claire laughed with the wind, glancing over her shoulder. She caught Antigone's wide grin. "As good as you remember?"

Antigone laughed. "Even better!"

Selenia let out a laugh behind them, petting Feron's neck. "We shall make riders of them yet!"

Feron nickered his agreement. He sped past the two younger pegasi and dove. Liliwen and Talfryn followed him closely. Claire and Antigone let out whoops of excitement. Selenia glanced at them over her shoulder, grinning like a proud mom.

Soon, treetops passed under them, and through the fog she could see the tallest turrets of a very big castle. As they got closer, Claire saw that the castle was overlooking a large cliff that dropped directly into the sea. The surrounding jungle looked as if it had melded into the stone itself, vines and roots had taken residence in the cracks and crannies of the ancient fortress. They flew straight over a patch of fallen wall and past a large garden, straight into the courtyard of the castle.

Feron led them down into the courtyard, landing delicately on the stone. The other two pegasi followed close, nickering happily, shaking their manes. Selenia slipped off her horse's back gracefully, already heading for the gates. Antigone and Claire scrambled to follow.

Selenia led them through one gate, then another. After the second gate, she took a left into a small, almost unnoticeable doorway. The door led into a short hallway, and that let them out into a room stacked with wall-to-wall weapons.

"Carter would love this," Claire murmured.

"Cariad?" A voice asked.

Selenia turned to the voice, smiling brightly. "Kyledyr, fy nghariad!"

A very tall male fae had been sitting in the corner of the room, sharpening a dagger when they'd walked in. He eyed the two girls warily, rising from his wood stool to greet Selenia. "Annwyl, pwy ydyn nhw?"

Selenia smiled. "Guests. They're here to speak with the king."

"Sorry," Claire piped in. "Who's your friend?"

"Kyledyr," Selenia explained. "My husband."

"Selenia," Kyledyr said softly. "This may not be the best time for this."

"It's the only time for this," she said. "They're here to help us, Kyl."

Her husband sighed, glancing one more time at the humans. "The king is in a mood today, love."

"He's always in a mood," Selenia said, crossing her arms. "Kyledyr, they're here because of the prophecy."

Kyledyr blinked. "The prophecy?"

Selenia nodded. "Yes."

"Then where is the Divine King?" He asked.

"Lost somewhere on the island," Claire explained. "Which is why we need to talk to your king. We can all help each other."

Kyledyr pursed his lips, deep in thought.

Selenia gently grabbed her husband's forearm. "Please, my love. This is the only way to help our people."

Sighing, he nodded. "Alright. Follow me."

***

Darkness. All around him. It was like the shadows were trying to drown out the light. And they were succeeding. The coolness of the rain did little to soothe him—not with those big teeth so close to his face. But so far, the Rex had done little more than stare him down.