Page 13 of Hunting for his Fairy Queen
I had not been provided with a map or a compass. Clearly, the command of hunting the Deadlands for answers was enough of a directive for me to make do. Even for a male of my skills, I still required basic directions.
I wasn'tthatcapable.
Luckily for me, I'll have an expert in the terrain accompanying me. She just didn’t know it yet.
Elwood stares daggers, baring his sharp teeth as I approach. His green armor is the same as it was yesterday. The morning light makes the scale glitter. My gaze quickly shifts away from him towards the Queen. I ignore his soft snarl.
She is lovelier than she was yesterday.
Green eyes blink up at me atop her sparkling freckles. The gentle, floral-soaked breeze tosses her curls. Sharp teeth press into her lower lip, and I wonder what they would feel like against my tongue, on my skin, along my c?—
I shake myself and don't allow my gaze to travel any further than her face. Her gown is as it was before. A whisper of silk that hugs her small frame and allows swaths of naked flesh to be exposed in the morning light. Gossamer, pink wings flap gently at her back, making her feet hover an inch above the glowing grass.
Queen Arden wears no crown, but her power is evident. I feel the brush of it against my skin, kindling the gnawing hunger deep within me.
My two captors release me at the forest's edge. Elwood eyes me warily. He is right not to trust me, but that doesn't mean I like the proprietary step he takes towards the Queen.
"Miss me, Queenie?"
Elwood bares his sharp teeth, but the Queen merely inclines her head.
"I trust you slept well."
"Very. My dreams did not do you justice. You are more bewitching than I remember."
"Watch yourself," snaps Elwood. "You do not speak?—"
"Calm, Elwood. Finn is risking his life for us. We owe himourrespect."
Any further tease halts on my tongue. The openness of her expression warms my heart.
Respect is not something I often come by in my line of work. It is kill or be killed, the haves and the have-nots. I've been known to lie, cheat, and steal to make ends meet. I've done things I'm not proud of.
I'm planning on doing another very soon.
Arden has never been forced into such a role. Her soul is as clear as her emerald eyes. I can see it—scent it. I will do everything in my power to not allow her to become tainted like me. There has to be goodness in this world, and she is it.
"What am I meant to be doing again?" I ask.
The Queen's eyes return to mine. I watch her face settle with authority. If the situation were different, I'd gladly take orders from her for the rest of my days. The gnawing inside my gut reminds me why that isn’t an option.
The thrill of another adventure, even one that seems perilous, hums in my veins.
"Meadowmist is slowly being infected by an entity not from this world. As I said, we call it the Void as it consumes everything in its path and leaves behind only death. Its power comes from hulking, obsidian towers that ripple with dark power. From them sproutdeadtrees. Their thick branches and oily leaves block out the sun's power and allow the rot to spread and fester."
"How did it come here?" I ask. "The Void?"
Queen Arden shakes her head.
"We do not know. Our scholars surmise it is aworld-eater. A being that travels through realms, consuming them for power."
"And you don't have any idea how to kill it?"
"If we knew how to destroy it, why would we be entrusting you with such a task?" Elwood growls.
I shrug.
"Maybe it's been an issue of male competency?"
