Dark Promise by Talia Jager (free novel 24 txt) 📖

Chapter Eleven

The faeries came to an abrupt stop.

“Honey, we’re home,” one sneered, pushing me forward so that I fell to my knees.

My palms hit the ground hard, sticks and leaves digging into my skin, and pain shot up my legs. I breathed through the pain, my teeth gritted. I snapped my head to the right and left, but all I saw was forest, a pile of stones, and a bushy-tailed red fox disappearing into the underbrush. There wasn’t another person or habitable structure in sight. What were they talking about?

The taller one stepped forward and started moving around the pile of rocks. The stones were huge and must have weighed a ton, but he tossed them around like they were baseballs. A large wooden door was revealed piece by piece—heavy, dark mahogany with black iron studs and an old-fashioned handle. The dark faery wrapped the hem of his black T-shirt around one hand and gave the black handle a good yank. The door creaked open.

The faery grabbed me by the arm and jerked me to my feet. “Down the stairs.”

A creepy stone staircase wound into the bowels of the earth, twisting into darkness. The steps were worn and dirty, the rock walls smooth but covered in cobwebs. Fear coursed through my veins as the faeries forced me to go first.

The air became cooler the deeper we walked, and it smelled musty and old. We passed intermittent torches, lit but not brightly, giving the narrow chamber an eerie glow. Each step felt like I was descending to my death.

At the end of the stairs was a long, confining hallway: a sort of underground tunnel of abrupt turns and dizzying twists. The walls pressed down on me. I wasn’t a fan of small spaces, and the fact that the faery thugs kept jerking me around didn’t help me any. We walked for so long that my feet began to ache, and I silently pleaded for the path to end.

A huge, intricately carved wooden door waited at the end of the tunnel—there was nowhere to run. I tried to put on a brave face, but I knew it was hopeless. All I wanted to do was crawl into the corner and cry. The entire situation was so absurd and unfair. What did I do to deserve this?

The door opened into a large, brilliantly lit room. Sunlight poured in from a ceiling made of glass, and living, green vines ran up the stone walls as if reaching towards the light. Somehow, even though we went down the stairs and through underground tunnels, we were aboveground again.

As we walked further into the room, a tall, rail-thin figure stepped out of the shadows. His hair was jet-black, and his eyes a deep, dark brown. His wings stood tall and proud behind him, inky and sparkling with edges that appeared frayed. He peered down at me with narrowed eyes from a craggy, unattractive face.

“She’s an Aurorian faery?” he boomed.

“She does bear the birthmark,” the shorter faery answered, his voice cracking slightly as if he were intimidated by the new man.

“I wonder at her ability.” He tapped his finger to his lip as he walked in a circle around me. One of his wings brushed gently across my arm, and I shivered—it was the first time I’d felt another faery’s wings. It was weird.

He leaned in so close that I could feel his breath on my skin. Strong fingers pinched my cheeks, and he turned my head to the left. With his other hand, he ran his long, skinny fingers over my birthmark. Then he poked at it like it was a button and something was going to turn on. “You bear the mark. What is your name?”

I didn’t answer.

He grabbed me by the hair, and I let out a shriek. The man asked again, his words slow and enunciated. “What is your name?”

“Rylie.” My voice came out a squeak, and I flushed from head to toe. I wanted to appear strong and brave, not as if I were ready to melt into a puddle at his feet.

“That’s a human name.” He frowned. “What is your faery name?”

I squinted at him, wishing I could say something angry, and muttered, “Oleander.”

His eyes widened, but he didn’t remark on it. “Who are your parents? Your real parents?”

“I only know Azura. She said my father left.”

He let go of me and turned towards the two goons that had brought me here. “Let Varwik know immediately.”

They both bowed, and then scurried off.

Looking me over once more, he said, “She hid you well.”

I didn’t answer. My heart was racing, and my palms were sweaty. Obviously, I wasn’t hidden well enough, or I wouldn’t have been standing in a strange place with people out to kill me.

His gaze was contemplative. Mine was probably furious.

I cleared my throat, uncomfortable beneath his observation. “What do you want from me?”

“I’m not sure yet.” He turned and yelled, “Lena!”

A lady appeared in the doorway as if she had been waiting just outside. I’d know that white-blonde hair anywhere. She was the faery I had seen at the mall.

It all made sense now. She had seen me, seen my birthmark, and told the dark faeries. I could feel the blood draining from my face. This wasn’t good. Her aura and wings were definitely lighter than the others, indicating she wasn’t a dark faery. So that brought up the question…why would a light faery be here?

“Yes?” Her purple and white wings fluttered ever so slightly. Her beauty reminded me of that of an angel—pale skin, pale eyes, ethereal and slight.

“Take her to her room. She needs to get cleaned up before we bring her to Varwik.”

Lena’s blue eyes met mine. She nodded to the man, a movement that was almost a bow, and then grabbed my arm.

“Where are you taking me?” I asked her as she dragged me through the door and down a long hallway. Panic had begun to set in again. The ceilings soared high and the walls were made of huge blocks of stone, impenetrable like a fortress.

“Shut up,” the light faery snapped, shaking my arm.

“No!” I barked, digging my heels into the ground and forcing her to stop. I was fed up with being pushed around; my arm was going to be nothing but bruises by the time the day ended. “I will not shut up. You people grab me from my home and drag me wherever it is we are, and I’m not supposed to ask questions? Now, where am I?”

“Varwik’s castle,” Lena answered, her eyes wide, and just a little impressed, I think.

Varwik. I recognized the name from Azura’s story about the dark faery that made the deal with my father. What was with these people and their strange names? “So, who is Varwik?”

“Why, he is only the most powerful dark faery, of course,” she said, like I was supposed to know who he was.

“Who did I just meet?”

The girl rolled her eyes. “That was Kyro. He’s one of Varwik’s advisors.”

Lena began pulling me along again, her nails digging deep into my skin. Instead of fighting, and probably making myself bleed, I let her.

We came to a stop in front of a doorway. Smiling, she said, “Welcome to your new home. Take a bath and change. There are clothes in the closet. I will come for you later.” Then she pushed me in and slammed the door. I heard the bolt slide into position.

I was locked in.

“Hey! Let me out!” I yelled at the top of my lungs, as I banged on the door. “Do you hear me? My father will track you down. He’s a detective, you know!”

I don’t know how long I pounded on the door and yelled. Eventually, my voice grew hoarse and my hands ached. I fell against the door and slid down the wood until I collapsed into a heap on the floor. Pulling my knees up to my chest, I cried.

When I had no more tears to shed, I stood and found my legs were a little wobbly from all the walking and injuries. I steadied myself with the door. The room was large, but the furniture sparse. A tiny twin bed was in the back left corner with a tan blanket and pillow. I was so tired that it looked inviting.

The walls were bare, and there wasn’t a window in sight. The gray stone made the room look more like a prison than a bedroom. I tentatively walked over to the door in the back of the room. I expected it to be locked, but it swung open when I turned the brass knob. I cautiously peeked inside. It was a bathroom. I was surprised to see a large sunken tub and pretty pink towels hanging on the racks. It was a stark contrast to the bedroom.

The woman did say I needed to clean up. I looked at myself in the mirror and cringed at how grimy I looked from the trek. Dried blood covered my hands, legs, and shoulders. I walked over to the tub, kneeled on the plush, gray carpet in front of it, and turned on the faucet.

Once the tub was full, I tossed off my dirty clothes and slowly lowered myself into the hot water. It felt wonderful on my aching muscles. I sank beneath until all that emerged was my face, and laid my head back. Closing my eyes, I let images of my parents and friends flood my mind. I thought of my family and how panicked they must be. Sierra must have been concerned when I wasn’t there for her to pick up, and then when I never showed up for school.

I thought of Adam, and my heart felt like it was breaking. What if I never saw him again? I touched the bracelet on my wrist. I hadn’t taken it off since he gave it to me.

The bathroom door flung open. I screamed, shrill and loud, and covered myself with