The Faerie Slayer
Chapter 39

Kade’s Pov

We must have been less then a kilometre away but the festivities have been audible for the past half an hour. Over and over I kept wondering if they had crowned and married Aubrette off yet, and if so, could that compromise our planned exit. On my back was a sack of the dapperling mushrooms and in my left grasp was the dagger that the Kelpie had used to kill the gnome. We were within sight of the castle now. It was dark out but the castle seemed to light the night. Chandeliers and bright luminous decoration brought tonight to life. Amongst the murk it seemingly glowed.

Elie halted and began to pick the mushrooms from the sack.

“I have enough to spike at least a few of the punch bowls and wine bottles. We just need a few faeries to start passing out so that the guards are distracted long enough for you to grab Aubrette and go.”

“Where will we meet you?”

“The tip of Kelpie River, where the bridge was. The queen will think that we went to the closer river by the castle so she’ll send the guards there once she notices Aubrette is gone. I’ll open a portal for you once I get there.”

I thought of the faerie that had killed my mother. The plan was to retrieve him first from the prison but we had run out of time and Aubrette was more important.

I nodded,” alright, how will I know where she is when I get inside? The place is packed. There must be a thousand faeries.”

“After I spike the drinks, it will take a few minutes for them to work. I’ll scan the place for Aubrette. Stay here, and wait for my signal.”

The little miracle pixie picked out a few more mushrooms before flying away. I waited and observed the dozen eight-foot ogres that guarded the entrance of every door. Minutes suddenly felt like hours. My heart began to beat at a faster rhythm when I finally caught sight of Elie. She flew back and landed on a nearby branch, breathing heavily.

“Did you do it?” I enquired,” did you find Aubrette?”

“She’s out on the balcony alone, the door closest to the bar. I spiked the drinks but it should be a couple more minutes before-”

She did not get a chance to finish her words because chaos had sprung and the ogres were hurrying inside.

“Let’s go!” I called.

“I have to get my brother,” she insisted,” once they know what I’ve done, the Seelie Court will punish him as well. I’ll meet you both by Kelpie River,” she did not spare another moment before blasting off. I didn’t either as I made my way towards the abandoned castle entrance, one hand on my sword and another grasping a hand full of faerie poison.

No one seemed to have noticed that I slipped inside. Dozens of unconscious faeries littered the checkered floors. The faeries that were standing were fleeing in a gust of anarchic panic. The ogres seemed to be doing a poor job of calming everybody down. I stepped over the body of a silver haired man and through a mob of bodies and searched for the doors by the bar. I caught sight of them, and Aubrette as she peeked inside to take a look at the chaos. I could have frozen in place or searched for my heart that seemed to fleet l if I did not force myself to move. I stumbled through more and more faeries, careful to remain blended with the crowd. When I reached the doors, Aubrette was standing right behind.

Abby’s Pov

“The wine is poisoned!”

It was this sudden screech that brought me back from my reminiscing. Sudden chaos struck and a state of panic fell over everyone inside. I hurried to the entrance and peeked to reveal that some of the faeries had dropped unconscious and were lying still on the floor.

The wine is poisoned, I thought, could that mean that Kade and Elie are still alive?

Before the queen could catch sight of me to bring me somewhere where I can be concealed, I rushed to hide behind the doors.

How can I hide from the queen but make myself visible to Kade at the same time?

I did not have to dwell for long because marching through the doors looking like the hero of my dreams, Kade came in running. For a second, I forgot how to breath. I recollected my mush of a brain to somehow form words.

“You’re alive,” I whispered.

Had it not been for the bodies that littered the floors, I would have surely believed that this was one of the queens sick plots to further ruin me.

“We don’t have time,” Kade grabbed my hands and dragged me further down the balcony,” we have to go, now!”

I grabbed at the waist of the dress and lifted it off of the ground, briskly running as fast as I could with the wicked heels on. Further down the balcony ran a set of the same white stone stairs leading to the grass clearing that led to the woods. We marched down with panicked hurry, the beat of my heart was now in sync with the banging in my eardrums.

I wanted to ask where we were going and what was the plan here but somehow, I trusted wherever he would take me. At a point in a time like this, I could not care if he took me to drown us. As long as I was with him, I was far better then being back there amongst the them. My dress rubbed against the soil and I flimsily flung the heels off and continued bare food.

I heard the sudden sounds of someone calling behind us. The noise grew closer and louder and suddenly we were faced with half a dozen ogres awaiting us at the edge of the forest right where bits of rocks were leading to the beginning of a river. Kade halted with me at his feet. We turned to face the queen, Edmund and half a dozen more ogres. Behind us, rocks crumbled and hit the water down below. I could see Elie floating around in the air, hidden from sight behind the branch of a nearby tree, another spirit by her side.

“Did you really think you were going to steal my granddaughter?” The queen spat at a furious looking Kade. He drew me closer and pulled a wooden dagger from his side.

“Don’t come any closer!” he roared at an ogre that stumbled a step forward,” I’m warning you! This dagger is coated with dapperling mushrooms, I’ll kill you with one strike!”

“Give me the girl,“Edmund demanded,” now!”

“Over my dead body.”

The scene that was unravelling was worse then anything I could have envisioned. Somehow, Kade had survived the queens fury the first time and now, he came to ensure himself dead, again, all for me.

“Edmund, no need to shout,” the queen began again,” Aubrette, didn’t I tell you I had a present for you?”

I did not respond. I was busy thinking of ways to save Kade.

I could offer to give myself up, under the condition that they send him home.

I peered up at Elie who looked as if everything had gone the way she feared.

The world suddenly shattered around me as a hidden figure was revealed from behind one of the hovering ogres. My knees grew week and I would have dropped had it not been for Kade’s grasp. At the sight of the black ripped skinny jeans and dirty band t-shirt, I gasped at the smiling figure that was Ben.

“Miss me?”

It was really him, in his screechy voice that sounded as if he was still halfway through puberty. I struggled against Kade’s grip but he was lenient on not letting me go.

“Stop Kade!” I demanded,” let me go!”

“It’s not him,” he hissed,” trust me, it’s not Ben.”

“Let me go, now!”

“Dude, come on. Let her go,” said Ben. I slashed my arms against his until he finally released me. I ran towards my best friend and wrapped my arms around his neck.

“How did you get here,” I cried into his neck,” I missed you so much.”

He held me and I felt at home again. In the arms of my best friend, it’s all I ever wanted was to feel again what I had taken for granted.

“I missed you too,” he said. Everything about him was the same, even his scent,” you have so much explaining to do.”

I peered into his dark eyes and turned around to meet the rest of the gazes.

“Let him go and I’ll stay here,” I said out loud and Kade stepped forward roaring out with a ,” No!”

The queen was nodding,” seems like a fair plan.”

The ogres pushed Kade towards the edgebut he was resisting. He pulled the dagger to strike it into one of the guards but he missed and instead, earned himself a kick that send him stumbling nearby the branch where Elie was. His feet were on the edge of the cliff, half a step more and he’d be doomed to the endless waters.

“On second thought, I don’t think he deserves to get off this easy,” said Edmund and pointed towards his ogres,” get him.”

“Elie, now!” I screamed out and she nodded in acknowledgment, beginning to summon a miniature typhoon in the water below. Before the portal was fully formed, the queen clicked her fingers and sent flames towards the spirit. She screamed out and burst into a flame, and eventually a glistening puff of dust. I screamed out at the horror of watching my spirit murdered. I felt arms grasp hold of me as I fell to my knees.

“No!” I cried out at the hurt that thrashed my chest,” how could you!”

I felt ogres now dragging me back towards the castle, Ben however was free to roam without the help of any guards. I caught sight of a blue tail that had escaped from his pants.

I suddenly remembered what Edmund had said.

‘I’ll arrange for a shapeshifting pixie to take your form and forge the scene of your death somewhere’

Kade had been right, this wasn’t Ben. It was a faerie that was forged to look like him. I turned my head to watch as two ogres were fumbling with chains to use on Kade. I closed my eyes and thought of the spell that Gior had used to burn that bird.

It would be my very first time attempting to summon the half of me that was folk.

“Ardeat,” I whispered.

The ogre holding on to me burst into flames just like Elie and the bird. I ran like lightening and stroke another flame at any ogre that dared near me. I pointed my gaze at the ogres that held Kade and whispered again,” Ardeat.”

Again, the creatures turned into ashes of faerie dust. Kade stood up soaking wet with reddish water and we grabbed onto each other. The queen, Edmund and the faerie forged as Ben were all that was left of the crowd. They watched us from a distance but did not come closer.

“If you come any closer, I will burn you!” I screamed out. They would not dare kill me and so they remained put. Kade steered me away from the water an we disappeared into the woods, hiding amogest the trees.

Without Elie, there would be no way for us to summon a portal unless I were to magically teach myself. Still, we ran and ran.

Eventually, we grew tired and slumped against a tree. We both knew that they would be coming after us soon, we had no time and no plan.

I sat against his chest and listened to his heart beat. I shut my eyes and pretended that we were somewhere else.

“I’m sorry,” Kade suddenly whispered,” I failed you.”

“I’m sorry you met me,” I breathed.

“I’m so sorry about Ellie, she saved my life on multiple occasions.”

I held in my tears and grabbed at the leather of his chest. It stung to hear her name.

He turned my face to his. It was almost pitch black but I could see the outline of his perfect jaw and the sweat that was glistening like magic off of his skin. He struck my lips against his. I prayed that if my fate was to die, then I would die just like this. I wrapped my arms around his wet neck and clung on to his hair. I kissed the love of my life like I would never get the chance to ever again. He tasted like salt, but it was the sweetest thing that I had ever tasted. When neither of us could hold our breath any longer, we pressed our foreheads together instead.

“I love you.”

“I love you.”

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