A Kingdom of Lies (Realm of Fey #2)

CHAPTER 36

The human king and queen of Durmain sat rigid in twin thrones as they looked warily upon the grand room before them. At first, I’d believed they were made from stone, regal statues of wealth and power. Not a single muscle moved, even turning their heads seemed impossible. Their lips didn’t even twitch as the chamber I was seated within filled with Hunters. The black wave of leather came at once, making the air sticky with body heat and the noise unbearable.

I noticed something flickering in the king’s and queen’s eyes – it was panic –unblinking and frantic as they darted around the room; it was almost as if they screamed through them, trapped inside a body they couldn’t control. They were imprisoned to their flesh, bones now iron bars keeping them within a cage, a feeling I shared.

“Silence – watch – comply.”

Aldrick’s command had echoed through my mind from the moment the Twins had come to collect me from the chamber I was left tied down in. At first his words were nothing but empty commands, until I discovered my body refused to follow my rebellious thoughts. I knew he was controlling me in some manner.

I couldn’t put up a fight as the Twins dragged me here. Imposing and dark, the room was overwhelming, arched ceilings so high that the top was shrouded in shadows. The walls were old, each worn brick filled with stories of this castle’s history; some stones were so large that it must’ve taken giants to carry them.

They sat me upon a lavishly decorated podium alongside the human royals. It was carved from polished slabs of marble; dark veins cut through the white stone as though they wished to devour the light. I soon learned that the podium, once a place to hold royals at a higher esteem than those who came to see them, now felt like a stage. We were the puppets; Aldrick was the hidden figure at the end of the strings.

I was aware of the bodies who walked ominously behind us. Was it Aldrick? I suspected not. I was helpless, like a butterfly pinned to paper and kept from flying.

Aldrick’s control meant I no longer required physical bonds to keep me still. I sat rigid in the chair, every bone in my spine pressed uncomfortably against the velvet cushion that was stitched into the chair’s back. His control, however, didn’t stop my mind from wreaking havoc; nor did it keep the anxiety from burning beneath my skin, making it feel as though it would melt away if I sat here a moment longer.

It was soon clear that we weren’t the only ones enthralled by the Hand’s immense power. As the Hunters who filled the room distracted each other with chaos and excited shouts, no one cared to witness Elinor Oakstorm being escorted towards a seat beside me. She walked, chin held high, and arms pinned to her sides. As she took her seat, silver chain connecting her collar to the personal guard who had brought her, she paid me no mind. But her eyes mirrored those of the king and queen. If I could’ve seen my reflection, I too would’ve looked as deranged as she did.

Aldrick, although nowhere to be seen, kept all of us complicit. Controlled. Puppets on a string of iron, moving only when he desired.

It was evident that his power didn’t need to control the crowd. They were rampant and wild, shouting and chattering over one another as they filled every inch of possible space on the cobbled floor beneath the podium, like fish rotting and stuffed into barrels. They flooded into the room until not a speck of floor could be seen. They wanted to be here. Their excitement soured the air. It entrapped me with horror and all I could do was watch, my neck frozen so I could only face the crowd and no one else.

Something was happening tonight, and my skin shivered with unwanted anticipation, dreading whatever was coming. The Resurgence, as Kayne had called it. But what that entailed was still a mystery.

At the far end of the room were two doors opened up to a courtyard full of bodies. More Hunters. Their grumbling displeasure mixed with the excited chatter, irritated that there wasn’t enough room to accommodate them all inside.

I focused on the Hunters, trying to remember details to stifle my panic. Many looked upon me with the disgust I’d grown accustomed to. Imagine if you knew whom it was you followed blindly. If I could’ve smiled, I would have, but the echoing voice that bounced across my mind kept me from doing anything but watching silently.

“Silence – watch – comply.”

There was a part of me – a hopeful yet foolish part of me – that scoured through the crowd in search of Duncan. Although I knew he wouldn’t have been among them, I still yearned to see him. Aldrick was many things, but I hoped he kept promises for Duncan’s sake.

It took a while, observing the many faces, before I spotted Kayne. He’d been looking at me the entire time, expression stoic and unreadable. Unlike those who pressed in around him, laughing and shouting, talking and stamping with excitement, Kayne was as still as me, but not for the same reason.

The entire room silenced within a moment. From terrible noise, to dead quiet, I watched almost every pair of eyes shift to the left side of the room. I strained my own vision to see what it was that kept them quiet, but the movement was just out of sight.

Then the chanting began.

“Duwar, Duwar, Duwar.”

It was low at first, then the stomping began, and the room seemed to shift and shake as though the stone beneath us all would crack.

I could see Elinor from the corner of my eye as I strained to witness what caused the commotion. Although statuesque, there was something calm about her posture, as though she physically sat in the same room, but her consciousness was elsewhere.

“Duwar, Duwar, Duwar.”

The human king and queen didn’t look towards the chaos, instead their eyes strained to look at one another. I could almost sense their desire to reach out and touch – but Aldrick’s control was stopping them. Fear spilled out from their gazes, framed by exhaustion and shadowed skin.

“Look at them all.” My eyes snapped forward and looked to the crowd, but not out of choice. Aldrick filled my mind again, voice loud and demanding attention. “ All this time they have longed to see me. Unlike you kings and queens, they follow my dictation all without the need for heavy metals atop my head and a title that is given to you but never earned.”

Aldrick spoke to every single one of us upon the podium. I sensed it as though his voice was stretched across us, growing louder and quieter as he spoke, as if he walked from either side of the podium.

“All these Hunters have come for me. See how they hunger for what I can promise them. Possibilities beyond anything you can provide them.”

There was no denying that the Hand was in control here, the human royals no more than his playthings. It explained everything. How the law had turned its back on the brutality that filled the lands in the name of the Hand and Duwar. How the faith of the Creator had dwindled, like a candle beneath a storm, on the edge of being extinguished, snuffed out in the name of Duwar.

The chanting ceased, stomping feet fading until silence bathed the room once again. And everyone watched as the limping cloaked figure of the Hand entered and paced slowly across the podium as though it was his birthright.

“My ferocious, dedicated Hunters, welcome.” Aldrick spoke from beneath the shadows of his hooded cloak. His voice was strained with age. It cracked as he shouted, breaking with the great effort it took for his frail body to pretend it was strong. “My, how many there are of you! It warms my soul to see that you have all received my invite for this evening’s festivities. Unfortunately, not all those who have been invited have come, but what more can we expect from the cowards lingering across the Wychwood border?”

Aldrick turned his crooked posture towards Elinor and me. From beneath his hood, I caught a glint of those glazed, narrowed green eyes.

“But alas, the show must go on. That is what you are all here for, is it not?”

The crowd released a shout of agreement in unison.

Aldrick turned his back on the sea of his adoring followers, looked towards the human royals and bowed. It was strained. Anyone with vision could see it caused him discomfort. It was all part of his act. Aldrick’s head tipped slightly, but enough to notice the respectful gesture. “As always, we thank you for your warm hospitality. Duwar will favour you both for turning your back on the old god of lies.”

Both of their eyes flew wider, yet not a sound came from them. He commanded such, I was certain, filling their heads with his overwhelming presence so that they reacted just the way he wanted.

“I can sense your hunger.” Aldrick’s voice rose, speaking back to the hundreds of Hunters who’d come to see him. They were enthralled by his presence, waiting with bated breath for his every word and movement. They looked towards the cloaked man as though he was a god himself, keeping silent for fear they’d miss a word he said.

“All of you have travelled from near and far for the Resurgence,” Aldrick continued with the sweep of his age-spotted hand. “A spectacle I have not shared with you until now. Do you wish to see why your bounties have been so important to Duwar’s cause? To see what it is I do to aid its promised release? Tell me, Hunters. Let Duwar hear your enthusiasm from the realm it’s trapped within. Do you wish to see?”

The noise nearly knocked me back out of my chair. It filled the room, likely spreading across the entire realm for all to hear. I could only imagine how terrifying it would have been for those living within Lockinge who knew little of what occurred this night.

Aldrick spoke to someone out of view, my eyes could not see who it was no matter how hard I strained. “Bring in my chosen one.”

There was a thud of heavy dragging feet. The clattering of chains sent a shiver up my spine. Then I saw him, and my mind screamed a name which caused Aldrick’s pleased chuckle to fill my head.

Duncan .

His chest was bare, scars both new and old on display for all to see. A glistening sheen coated his head and caused the strands of dark hair to link in damp chains down his neck. Duncan scowled, paying no mind to the crowd who sneered at him. Among the broken chatter, I could hear slurs being hurled towards him.

Not once did he flinch.

At least until he looked at me.

My heart panged for him. I wished nothing more than to clutch my chest, hoping a hand over my heart would stop it shattering through my ribs. But Aldrick’s control didn’t allow such a thing. I was forced to watch from my seat, unable to do anything but allow my horror to burn from my eyes, windows to the turmoil that devoured me internally.

Duncan’s dark brows furrowed, pale lips pulling into a tight, harsh line which tugged at the prominent scar that I’d memorised so perfectly. I wondered if Aldrick filled his mind. It would seem so because Duncan walked freely and without refusal. There was something utterly rehearsed about his movements.

“Some of you may recognise General Duncan Rackley as he stands before you,” Aldrick spoke. “A Hunter held in high esteem, who, like you all, had pledged his life to better the world in Duwar’s name. He has personally delivered countless fey into my hands. Because of him, and you all, we are even closer to seeing through Duwar’s greatest request. General Rackley is the perfect candidate for the Resurgence. To show you all what I have been doing with your bounty and how your belief will alter the unfair balance that we all recognise in the world.”

Resurgence, a word that had been used enough times to grip sharp talons into my consciousness.

“It will soon make sense,” Aldrick’s voice echoed across my skull, as if reading my mind.

That thought alone had me trying to clear my head. His reverberating laugh only proved that my fears were correct.

The crowd were tense and silent, as though they stood on the precipice of a sky-piercing cliff, waiting for the clouds to part to see what lurked below. I understood what was going to happen. Unlike the crowd before me, they clearly did not know what occurred with the fey blood. How it changed humans and gave them access to power that did not – should not – belong to them.

“You have seen my failed creation. This one will be different – I hope.”

The vision of the thin, weak-looking human who had infiltrated the Cedarfall Court filled my mind, conjured by Aldrick’s will as though to tease me.

“This will be different because I have the missing piece to my puzzle. Many of my chosen have lived long enough to spread a message, but not to thrive as Duwar so wished. This – Duncan – will succeed.”

As his horrific voice filled my head, Aldrick retrieved something from the folds of his cloak. A dagger. Duncan didn’t seem to notice, nor did the crowd as they were transfixed on Aldrick as he carried on speaking about Duwar’s promise and what the entity wished to gift its followers.

But I noticed. And couldn’t do anything to warn Duncan. I studied the blade as though my life depended on it, noticing the swollen handle made of glass that sloshed with dark liquid. Aldrick held the flat side of the blade to Duncan’s back. Surely Duncan sensed it? Yet he didn’t react.

“… how unfair it is that some are born with power and others not. It was why the Creator failed. Unlike the fey’s god Altar, the Creator was selfish with his power, keeping it for himself when he moulded you in his image. It was his greatest downfall. Duwar sees this and forgives you for following a god who never truly cared for you. Not like Duwar will. Duwar sees us all as those before it in equal measures of deserving – no matter whom we are created in the image of. Duwar adopts us all. And in thanks for following Duwar’s promise, I have been instructed to carry out their wishes as you all know. In Duwar’s name I will give you all a chance to become warriors in its making. Our campaign will soon spread like wildfire. When those who still cling to their old Gods see what Duwar can promise, they will run to us with open hearts just for a taste of what Duwar can provide. Witness. See for yourselves. And then decide… are you willing to meet your end to better your future?”

Aldrick hoisted the dagger high into the air. The action snatched the breath from the crowd collectively. I managed my own shuddering inhale through tight lips.

Duncan stood stock still. He didn’t move as the dagger arced downwards, sharp tip aimed for his chest. Then the blade met its mark with a sickening thud. It passed through his flesh with ease, stopping only when the hilt slammed skin-deep. Time slowed to a horrifying stop. Aldrick held Duncan to him with a vice-like grip, keeping him from falling to his knees. All the while the dagger was left impaled through his ribs, reaching all the way into his heart.

I pinched my eyes closed. If I couldn’t see what was happening, it wasn’t real. Someone shouted Duncan’s name from the crowd. Kayne. I recognised his voice. Then his struggling grunts as he fought his way towards the podium.

“Open your eyes and watch the Resurgence, Robin. Do not be afraid.”

I fought to ignore Aldrick’s command but failed. My eyes flew up in time to watch Duncan stagger back. He was far taller than Aldrick, who was beginning to struggle holding him up.

“Blood is the key. It always has been. I can take power from the undeserving and give it to those who would do better with it in their possession. As there is a cost of everything in life, so is there for the Resurgence. But those with burning, strong faith will make it through. Watch! All of you witness what your belief can do. See what you can become.”

Duncan did nothing but look forward, the dagger in this chest changing with every passing moment. Blood. That was what had splashed within the glass handle. Now it drained slowly, down through an unseen hollow compartment in the dagger and into the heart that the blade had pierced.

Only when the vial-like handle was empty did Aldrick tear it free and discard it across the podium where it skipped to a stop at my feet. My entire world shattered as Duncan finally made a sound. He cried out, suddenly breaking out of the prison of silence Aldrick had locked him in.

“General Rackley’s faith will see him through the change.” Aldrick stood back, still a hooded and crooked figure, as he gestured towards the staggering man. “The stronger your faith, the more blessed you shall become.” Aldrick was frantic, shouting, throwing his arms around as though he battered an unseen swarm of monsters that flew around him.

No matter how he delivered his desperate speech, not a single set of eyes was taken off of Duncan, not as he struggled against death itself.

“Ro–Robin!” Duncan screamed, voice trembling. He swallowed back his shout then shattered the world with my name – as clear as day – as it tore out of his throat for a second time. “Robin!”

Blood filled my mouth as I bit down on my tongue. I’d never wished so hard for anything other than to speak. To tell him I was here. To make him understand that he wasn’t alone. Duncan faced his death like any other would, fearful like a child looking into the dark unknown, crying out with harsh, sharp breaths. Then it all stopped. Not because Aldrick commanded so, but because there was no more pain to scream about.

I watched everything unfold, my heartbeat thundering like the hooves of a stampeding horde in my ears.

Duncan uncurled, panting heavily. He stood tall, chin raised as he faced the crowd. The room let out a collective gasp at something I couldn’t see. From beneath the shadows of Aldrick’s hood he released a bubbling, manic laugh that itched at my soul. The air seemed to shift, thickening as it crackled with a wave of unseen energy. I looked down to the tickle across my arms, watching the hairs standing on end.

“It has worked!” Aldrick cried, voice almost muffled by the dense and crackling air. “See how the balance can shift. And in Duwar’s name we will cleanse the land and prepare it for the arrival of a better future. Together.”

Duncan turned slowly to look at me. A glow of stark blue light emanated from him. His eyes were overcome by the bright radiance that also spread across his arms and hands, which he held before him as though he feared their proximity, lines of sharp, splitting light which fizzed and popped. Lightning . As though he was a goliath, reaching into thunder clouds and tearing the power from the sky himself. Duncan’s skin was covered in jagged, snaking lines that moved with such speed they didn’t stay in one place for long. His chest showed no sign of a wound, only the blood that dried before my eyes.

I longed to speak. To say something to Duncan as I recognised the fear that creased his handsome, glowing face. He looked from me, to his hands, and back again as though he could not make sense of the power that radiated from him.

A single tear dripped down my cheek. I felt my skin shiver, my body shaking with the tension that built within me. Still, Aldrick didn’t release me from my imprisonment.

The crowd’s awe held them in silence. I could’ve heard a pin drop upon the floor with ease. All I could do was focus on the heavy breathing of Duncan as he stood there bathed in power that should never have belonged to him.

Then Duncan turned away from me, face hardening, eyes narrowing, as he focused all his attention on Aldrick. My heart leapt in my chest, stomach jolting as though I rode upon the back of Gyah in her Eldrae form.

“Settle down, General Rackley,” Aldrick spoke sternly. “The rush of power will pass. Give your body, soul and mind a moment to adjust–”

Duncan faltered, expression pinching as though he fought something internally. Then he continued, taking a shaking step forward. Aldrick backed away, cloak shuffling around his awkward feet. The crowd began to shout, and all I could do was think my encouragement.

Kill him, Duncan. Do it. I hoped that Aldrick was still in my head, listening to my dark thoughts as I willed Duncan to act.

“Guards,” Aldrick cried, and the clink of metal replied, as armoured men and women ran towards Aldrick. I could see they held an iron cuff identical to the one strangling my throat.

They hesitated as they drew closer to Duncan. His crackling power intensified and spread, singeing the ground where it touched; smoke hissed like reaching snakes around his feet.

“Tell me their names,” Duncan growled as he closed in on the Hand.

“Stand down.”

“Give me their fucking names!”

Despite Duncan’s request being somewhat vague, I knew he asked after his parents’ murderers, and I wondered if Aldrick’s hesitation was a sign that he knew that too.

The crowd was riled up, some pushing past the lines of Kingsmen as they tried to clamber onto the stage and provide aid to the Hand.

The air split with a thundering clap, blending with Duncan’s demanding shout. “Tell me!”

I began to feel movement in my limbs, a prickling of needles as the feeling returned from my feet upwards, spreading out across my spine into every part of me. Aldrick’s presence retreated slowly from my mind as he fought to get Duncan under his control. Elinor gasped at my side, sucking in a breath as though she had held it this entire time. She too was released.

Then the human king cried, voice croaky as though it hadn’t been used for years. “Sei–seize him!”

It was hard to tell if he spoke of Duncan, but the shaking finger he attempted to raise pointed straight towards Aldrick. But the king was ignored in the chaos, his voice no longer important to those who filled the room. Not that he had any power here anymore. The Hunters were here for the Hand and the promise of Duwar, not the king and queen who were merely brought before them for show.

Everything happened so quickly. It was almost a shock when I heard the distant, scratching scream from beyond the chamber room. I put it down to someone fighting in the chamber below the podium until I heard it again.

“Duncan…” I whispered, my voice finally my own again.

“What is that?” Elinor spoke over me, leaning forward with a grimace as she looked to the dark sky beyond the open doors and stained-glass windows. “Do you see it? There – outside – in the sky…”

I tore my eyes from Duncan and Aldrick as another screech reached me, this time louder than before. Beyond the chamber room and filling the sky were large, winged beasts.

Gryvern .

The skies were filled with Doran Oakstorm’s gryvern.

Well, this is going to get interesting.