Twenty-Four

Even if Darby didn’t know what, she knew something was off in the Light Kingdom. She noticed Seth was unnerved by the energy also, even if he didn’t speak of it.

“Seth, what’s going on?” She finally asked him, “Something doesn’t feel right.”

“It’s a dark faerie,” his eyebrows knit together in concentration, “but it shouldn’t be able to come here, it shouldn’t want to be here.”

“Will it hurt the fey?” She questioned in concern.

“I don’t know why it’s here,” he walked briskly through the corridor down to the fields where the negative energy was.

Darby trailed behind him cautiously, unsure if this was really her place. When she caught up to him what she saw horrified her, “Scarlet!” She gasped, “what happened to you?!”

Scarlet spun around to face her. The left side of her face where her tattoo that once spiraled freely was badly burned and black veins grew with the scarlet tattoo as if it was alive. Underneath the grey haze in her brown eyes was a wild pain that made her want to scream when she inspected it closely. A malicious grin lit up her face, “I became me,” she said it simply enough, but her tone was violent; whether that was her intent or not.

“Who did this to you?” Seth demanded.

“My King,” she answered smoothly in the same menacing voice.

Seth wouldn’t do that to her.

Then it hit her.

Why would Kellen allow that to happen?

“Are you in pain?” She inquired, trying to not be caught in her eyes again.

Scarlet laughed; the sound sent chills down Darby’s spine, “Of course, the Dark Empire is pain, it consumes us. But I wouldn’t have it any other way.”

“He can’t do that!” Seth roared.

“I can do whatever I want,” A cold voice spoke up behind them.

Darby’s heart leaped and winced as she gazed to where the Dark King stood.

He looked harsher somehow, usually so in control of the darkness, but now it was starting to show it’s burden. He was callous, his eyes that once held hers in a tender way were savage and merciless. He was the Dark King, but not the one she remembered; the one that everyone knew him as: the cruel one. But he still drew everyone in with that intense seductiveness. 

Always beautiful.

“What makes you think that making her dark was okay?! There are rules for changing, Kellen! Both kings must agree!” Seth yelled, his anger taking hold. 

“It was what she wanted and I gave her my word,” Kellen told him calmly, “but I have more important business to discuss with you,” he scowled at the light faeries peering at him in fear, “in private,” he nearly growled the words.

Seth watched him a moment before nodding. He reached for Darby’s hand and he led them to the castle, Kellen silently following behind.

Once in a private room in the castle Kellen spared a glance at her. She wanted to hold his gaze but it was too agonizing.

“What do you want?” Seth snapped.

Darby watched him in surprise. She was aware that Seth had a temper, many of the light faeries did, but he rarely lost control; this was new.

“I’m declaring war on you,” Kellen announced, his voice as emotionless as his dead eyes.

Seth and Darby were to shocked to say a word.

“War?” Seth repeated the word as though he had never heard of it before.

“Why?” Darby cried out.

Why are you being like this?

Kellen shifted his eyes to her, “It had to be done.”

She wanted to scream, slap him, and kiss him but none of those reactions were logical. All she could do was gape at him.

In the meantime Seth had gotten his speech back, “You changed Scarlet because she suggested war, didn’t you?”

Kellen shrugged, “I don’t see why that matters, but yes. I wasn’t willing to succumb to her other request.”

At least he kept his promise. 

And that made everything a hint brighter.

“You could’ve just ignored her request,” Seth reminded him, “or at least told me.”

“There was no doubt in my mind that you’d find out sooner or later, and then I would have had to explain,” he shook his head, “I don’t have that kind of time. Besides, she wasn’t willing to wait, and she deserved a reward.”

“For wanting war? That’s always an option, but no one has been stupid enough to act on it,” he sent a pointed look at him, “until now, of course.”

Kellen ignored the insult and proceeded, “Turns out that I wanted my faeries to win something to replace it’s loss.”

“There has to be some other way,” Darby interrupted.

Kellen didn’t bother acknowledging her as he asked Seth, “Could you tell your pet to leave? There’s things we have to talk over.”

Darby stepped back, hurt present in her features.

Pet?!

“Darby isn’t a pet,” Seth snarled, “it’s just as much her kingdom as it is mine.”

Kellen shrugged and continued, “I was informed by Sorus that I had to lay down the rules with you, apparently he wants this to be done fairly. So, now that you know, be on your guard,” he grinned ferociously, “you wouldn’t want a dark faerie to slip into the castle do you?”

Seth whitened but the fierce look in eyes never wavered.

In that moment Darby had had enough. She didn’t care that she loved Kellen, he had no right to waltz into her kingdom and torture Seth this way. “We’ll be ready,” she promised, “but just be prepared. You don’t want to wound your giant ego when your a*s gets kicked by our empire.”

He turned toward her, genuinely surprised at her interjection, “Love, the loser of the war will be dead, wounded ego or not.”

No. They can’t really be fighting to the death this time. I’m going to lose one of them, maybe both of them. And they’re taking their deaths so calmly, like it doesn’t matter.

“Stop upsetting her!” Seth hissed.

“When would you have told her? I’d have to answer to her when she saw your lifeless body.”

She quivered and Seth wrapped an arm around her, “You made your announcement, now get out!” He demanded roughly.

Kellen glanced one last time at her and for a brief second she thought she saw remorse in his black eyes. But she blinked and it was gone; he nodded and left the room. Slamming the door behind him.

Darby hid her face in Seth’s chest and tears rolled off her cheeks.

“I’m sorry,” he told her, kissing the top of her head.

His apology doesn’t matter. It doesn’t heal the words that Kellen said, it won’t change the war, it can’t save either one of them from the outcome of the war. Sorry isn’t going to fix a damn thing!

She took his face in her hands and kissed him, now that forever was a distant dream she needed to cherish the one that loved her.

There was no argument as he pulled her closer, keeping her safe in his embrace.

“I love you,” she told him, a soft smile playing on her lips as the warmth flooded through her.

Someone I love will be sentenced to death and I’m smiling.

But she couldn’t help it.

“I love you, too,” he said, not missing a beat.

“The war won’t take you away from me,” she swore, not believing the words until they were out in the open. With him, she could trust in anything.

“Nothing will take you away from me,” he replied, confidence radiating off of him.

Even if she wasn’t sure if either one of them truly believed those words, the comfort they gave them made it all okay.

Darby left Seth so he could inform his fey of what they would have to endure. She learned to love her other light faeries and she didn’t want to think about losing any of them in the war. 

She wandered the castle halls, without Seth’s presence beside her she felt alone. The only thing that she wanted to do was find a corner, curl up in a ball, and cry. 

A pathetic way to deal with it.

She sat down against the wall and brought her knees up to her chest. 

“Hiding isn’t going to change anything.”

She spun around, startled by the voice. It was a light faerie, but that wasn’t Darby’s first impression of her.

She was short and had an athletic build. Her curly brown hair fell loosely around her shoulders and her glassy green eyes glinted with excitement against her skin dotted with freckles. Her olive green wings were jagged and singed, and her tattoo had an under color of dark grey steel that was coated by the green. She was a light faerie, but not naturally.

“Who are you?” She questioned, she felt unsafe without Seth and his warning about not all light faeries were good echoed in her head.

“Montana,” the faerie answered, and then smiled, “hey, I’m not going to hurt you or anything.”

She took a step closer but didn’t let her guard down.

Montana sighed, “I know, I’m a changed faerie. But I’m all light, promise.”

Darby inspected her, “Why did you change?”

“When I first transformed I was dark. I was so surprised, I mean, I wouldn’t have though darkness was me. And it wasn’t, I don’t know if Sorus just made a mistake or what, but I had to do something to change. So, I talked to the Dark King and after he spoke with Seth they let me change empires,” she explained easily, giving her a grin.

“Do you feel better now?” She asked curiously.

I’ve been very conscious of changed faeries feelings today.

“Yep.”

“I’m Darby,” she introduced herself, feeling bad for interrogating her.

Montana nodded, “Why are you trying to hide? That’s not going to help anything.”

She blushed, “I wasn’t hiding, I just need some time to think.”

“Sometimes it’s easier to talk to someone.”

Darby kept her gaze, “You’d think I was crazy.”

“Try me.”

And the story began to pour out of her. Darby didn’t mean to tell it all but being able to talk to someone disconnected from what was going on made it easy. She told Montana about her life before, Kellen, Seth, and the war.

Montana’s eyes widened, clearly not expecting that big of a conflict. But it only took her five seconds to bounce back with a question that Darby was trying to hide from.

“Do you still love the Dark King? Even though he’s willingly destroying everything you’ve been making for yourself?”

Darby knew her answer was going to sound bad, especially to the ears of a light faerie whose empire had just been sent into war.

“Yes, I do.”

Montana didn’t seem surprised by this at all and went on to ask, “Did he ever talk to you about changing empires? You wouldn’t have to worry about the love problem and you could still be together.”

“He never mentioned it. In all honesty, I wasn’t even aware that you could do that,” Darby paused before questioning in a small voice, “Did the change hurt?”

“Not for me; I was becoming light, so what they injected in me didn’t cause any pain whatsoever. Becoming light is always easier for everyone involved. I have no pain, the Dark King gets dark energy back, and Seth gains another faerie. Of course, there is a bit more going on for Seth. He has to give up some light, so he’s a little weak after the transfusion, but nothing too substantial. The only time it would hurt to turn light is if you were truly meant to belong in the Dark Empire, your body wouldn’t accept the light and that could cause agonizing pain- maybe even death.

“Turning Dark is quite different, I hear. When you aren’t used to the darkness it’s torture until your body begins accepting it. But you have to be strong enough to endure the torture and some faeries don’t make it through; most times they’re to far gone to change back. You have to be a hundred percent sure that that’s what you want to do,” Montana explained.

Was that why Kellen didn’t offer changing as an option? Did he know that I wouldn’t be able to take it?

Outside the castle wall the two faeries could hear the roar of cheering from the fey, making Darby wince.

“Guess no one’s to upset about the war,” she said.

“I don’t think many are. We’re tired of the way the Dark Empire treats us and are willing to fight. We’ve fought them before, but this is different. We’re going to the death this time. Something we’re all passionate about.”

“Which means a lot of deaths, doesn’t it?” Darby closed her eyes, bracing herself for the answer.

“Most likely, at the least there will be one death.”

A death of a monarch.

“Why would he do this?” Darby asked in a horrified whisper, more to herself than anyone else.

Montana shrugged, “His way of revenge.”

“Revenge for what?”

“Seth has you, and if that’s not enough, he can love and care for you more than Kellen is emotionally able to. The only way the Kellen can cope with losing you is killing Seth. It’s not the right way to deal with it, but it’s the only way he knows how to.”

“He didn’t seem to miss me when he called me a pet,” Darby grumbled.

Montana has to be wrong. That can’t be why Kellen’s doing this. He’s strong, he can’t love, why would he grieve over me?

“It’s the way he handles it.”

Darby didn’t believe it but she couldn’t find it in herself to argue the point.

“Darby, he misses you. I know you don’t see it or think so, but he does,” Montana continued.

“Thanks for talking to me, Montana, I liked talking to you. It helped, and I’d like to see you again.” Besides the fact she was purposely trying to leave she wasn’t lying. Talking to someone did help, more than she thought it could.

And Montana seemed to sense that, “Anytime.”

Darby turned around and went to find Seth.

I can’t think. I’d screw everything up more if I think.