Page 60 of A Story of Sinners

Ryken

It took an hour to return to Faerie, a single second to sift to the river outside the wall, and a longer span of time to find a crack large enough for the five of us to slip through. Once we’d passed through the bubble, Fin grabbed ahold of Redmond and Gabriella and sifted them to my quarters, leaving me holding an unconscious Dahlia.

The small seer was nowhere to be found, and Redmond had searched every nook and cranny of the sanctum. She’d been stolen away, and I didn’t doubt by whom.

That monster had somehow discovered her and taken her. It was questionable how he would have even known of the seer’s whereabouts, but a large part of me surmised he might share a similar sight. If that were the case, then it was possible I was shielded from even his sight, considering he had made no move to halt Dahlia’s kidnapping.

A chill of foreboding clouded my mind as I muttered beneath my breath. Hopefully, that was the case. Hopefully, he had not known Dahlia would be stolen beneath the noses of everyone whilst they slept, because the other possibility—the possibility that there was a larger plan at play—filled me with dread.

I took in a deep breath, mentally preparing myself to face the wrath of the witches at the loss of their beloved seer, then sifted into the common room of my quarters.

My arrival was greeted by the sound of an argument. Eulalia screamed at the top of her lungs, “What do you mean you lost Matilda?” She shook her head in disbelief. “Wait, why are you saying youlosther? Did you take her? Did you hide her?”

Fin glanced over Eulalia’s shoulder, and I stilled, bracing myself to meet the unrestrained rage of the world’s most powerful witch. Eulalia shifted her head to see what had caught Fin’s attention, and her eyes met the woman slumped over my shoulder. “You surely must be jesting.”

The sitting room was packed to the brim as all eyes landed on me and my unconscious mate. Somehow, word of my return had gotten around, and not only were Eulalia, Isadora, Gabriella, Redmond, and Fin present, but also Kieran, Evander, and Lyra. I rolled my eyes at the fae female, whose mouth dropped open at the sight of my mate. Lyra knew of Dahlia and really shouldn’t have been surprised, but the female was on a mission to win me over.

“We had to hide the seer away,” I started, leading everyone to my bedroom, where I carefully laid Dahlia on the bed. “There was a possibility she would have figured out our plan.”

Eulalia’s voice shook with fury. “Amazing. So you stole away the Queen of Cambriel, lost the seer and the only chance we have at guaranteeing a brighter future,andyou kidnapped the key to it all. Impressive, Ryken. Very impressive.”

I ignored the angry witch, my eyes still lingering on Dahlia’s inert form, but she did not relent. “And you, Fin. You lied to me. Do you have any idea what you have done? The King of the Otherworld will be furious. You took away the only thing he asked for—Dahlia’s autonomy. He will destroy the continent and come for Faerie next. King Aiden will attack.” Her eyes cut to me. “You’ve condemned countless lives in your pursuit of something that doesn’t belong to you. Not anymore.”

I brushed a stray lock of hair behind Dahlia’s ear and spoke to the witch. “The seer was holding us back.”

“The seer was preventing you from destroying the world by acting on rash decisions!” Eulalia shouted, heaving breaths punctuating every word.

“No. I’ve devised a different plan, one not as limited. Now, we can take fate into our own hands. I will destroy the demon and win the war, with my mate at my side. No one else will be harmed.”

A wild laugh escaped Eulalia’s chest. “You are a complete and total idiot.” She turned to Fin, pointing a finger at him. “And you,” she growled, then turned her back and stormed away, Isadora hot on her heels.

I looked to Fin, his head hung low in regret, and grasped his shoulder. “That could have gone worse. She’ll forgive you.”

“She’s right, you know. You condemned the world for this,” Lyra’s voice sang, and I turned to find her circling the bed and my mate, like a starved sea creature.

A territorial growl spilled from my chest, but Evander stepped in. “Shut up, Lyra. Ryken did what he had to in order to protect his mate. We would all do the same in his position.”

Any fae male in his right mind would go to the ends of the world to save their mate. It was written in our blood, the urge to protect what had been gifted by the fates.

“Step away from her, Lyra,” I ordered, and her back bent to my command. She tried to fight off the overwhelming urge of my direction but failed as her back slammed against the wall, the order pressing down on her.

Redmond, who had stood silently against the wall, finally spoke, his wary eyes on Gabriella. “Taking Gabriella was a mistake.” She tensed at the comment, and Redmond sighed. “But it is too late to return her—the entire kingdom will be waking for the day. Soon, they will notice she’s gone, if they haven’t already. What’s done is done.”

A nearly-visible weight seemed to drop from Gabriella’s shoulders as she sighed in relief. Living in the castle with two of the most single-minded mortal men I’ve ever met, constantly obsessing over her every action, couldn’t have been easy.

I winced at the irony of the thought. “Evander, show Gabriella around and take her to the guest wing. Let her pick a room and ensure the closets are stocked with clothing.”

Before Evander could move, Kieran stepped forward and spoke in a low tone. “No. I will show her around.”

The fae in the room hushed at the strange interest the red eyed male had taken in the human queen. It was unusual for Kieran to speak, or do anything other than remain stoic and observe, but I could feel that cloud of fear that often shrouded him as he locked it tightly away to avoid scaring the girl. Kieran approached Gabriella and offered her his arm. Everyone held a collective breath, expecting her to tremble in fear, but she took his offering and placed her hand on the crook of his arm with a smile.

Strange.

Kieran ushered Gabriella from the room and led her out to the corridor, as everyone watched on in a state of total and utter confusion. Redmond, unaware of the magnitude of the circumstances, waited until they were gone to speak. “The moment King Aiden asks for her, you must return her. I am trying very hard to have your back, but the lists of mistakes you’ve made is a long one, and only growing longer.”

“Dahlia will need her. It’s only a temporary situation.” I shrugged and turned to the Lord of Summer. “Evander, send a letter to the King of Cambriel, stating that we are keeping his queen for safekeeping until the war is over. Let him know that we are willing to offer any resources he may need in light of the unfulfilled treaty. I will go to Cambriel and sign a new treaty once Dahlia is settled in.”

Evander disappeared with a flash of light, leaving Lyra, Fin, and a very irritated Redmond behind. I walked to Dahlia’s bedside and propped myself on the edge, pulling her arms up.

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