Chapter 6

SIX

Sulien

It's dark, but the dark isn't nearly as bad as the cold. The cold creeps into my bones, making me shiver uncontrollably as I push the boulder towards the pile of other boulders in a corner I can only find by touch. As the Summer Prince, I'm not accustomed to the cold, however, I've experienced it in the Winter Court, and it's nothing like this. This cold radiates from beneath the ground… it comes from a place surrounded by death and darkness… it's a kind of cold I never imagined I would experience.

I shift my direction a little, pushing up the sudden incline. Even though I can't see in the pitch-black darkness, I've learned where the pile I need to reach is, and that the footing is uneven here. Unfortunately, the movement pulls at my back, and I cry out in the darkness and fall to my knees. My teeth clench together as I fight the urge to scream again.

When the pain is manageable once more, I release a slow, shaky breath. The stinging lashes on my back seem to be taking forever to heal, and every time I move, they burst open again in a way that makes me feel vulnerable and weak.

And I hate feeling weak.

I bet the Keeper of Death used a whip of iron.

"Fuck you, House of Death," I whisper, but my words seem loud in the deathly still place. "And fuck this task."

I suspect all of this useless work was designed to break me down, and I hate that it's working. Many see us fae princes as fancy-pants spoiled pricks who have never known a day of hard work in our lives. But there's a reason all of us are miserable shits who grow up and pawn our responsibilities onto our children. In order to strengthen our bodies to fight the iron demons, we're put through hell. To have the mental fortitude and ability to strengthen the boundary with our mind, we're put through hell. We know, in a way no other fae or human alike could possibly know, pain and hard work. Not that the humans don't break their backs for us. But they don't know what it's like to have demons crawling inside their minds, feeling their anger and pain. Feeling every drop of death and destruction they're able to create until we can force them out of our kingdom with our minds.

I remember waking to find my tutors trying to pry my hands back from my face. I remember my tutors cleaning the gouges I carved in my own face. And I remember staring at myself in the mirror wondering how it was that the pain on the outside didn't resemble the pain I was experiencing on the inside.

All that's to say, I know pain. Despite what I let others think of me. I thought I could handle whatever games the Lady of Death wanted to play with me until I humiliated myself enough to satisfy her.

I was wrong .

Everything hurts. My eyes ache from the constant darkness, and all the energy I have left over after my repeated beatings and pointless tasks goes into keeping in place the magical barrier that protects our kingdom. But even that feels like it is slipping away from me.

What will we do when we can't keep the barrier up any longer?

As I stumble toward the pile, my thoughts turn to the people of my court. They depend on me, and yet, here I am, struggling under the weight of these boulders. Growing weaker with each step I take. Shame and guilt claw at my mind. What will happen to them now that I'm enslaved to the House of Death? What if the Keeper of Death doesn't stop this game in time?

All of us princes are struggling. I haven't seen the others recently, but I can sense them. We're not doing well, which isn't good for our people. If the four of us fall, so will the kingdom. Doing these menial tasks will only serve in destroying everything we've worked so hard to keep safe.

And why? Why is the Keeper of Death pushing us this far?

"Do you want a war with the Iron Demons?" I roar, my fury blazing like wildfire.

A terrible spot of light appears in the darkness, and I jerk back from it, lifting my hand to hide my eyes. It fucking burns so badly that it feels like staring into a thousand blazing suns… until my eyes adjust, and I find the Keeper of Death standing near me, a torch in hand. I don't know where she came from, since the walls around her still stand, showing no way in or out, but she looks like nothing more than a ghost. She wears a gray gown that sp reads over her like spiderwebs, and bones are woven into her long, black hair.

She cocks her head in that creepy way she does, and I feel an icy chill when she's inches away from me. "You're smarter than you look, Prince Sunshine."

Smarter than I look… what did I say?

"How so?" I ask in confusion. The darkness, my pain, my exhaustion, all of it makes my thoughts feel like they're swimming through butter.

"About what I want." Her words are low and filled with pleasure.

Then it hits me. "Wait, you want a war with the iron demons?"

That's not possible. No one would want that, especially a fae.

"Yes." The word hangs in the air. "Peace has woven a slow and colorful tapestry over the lands. Death no longer visits us as it should, and my house is nearly empty. We have been forgotten–our power ignored. I need people to fill my halls. I need death."

"No–"

"You have forgotten our place in this world. You don't respect our house anymore. None of you do." Her eyes lock onto mine as she speaks, each word a dagger aimed straight at me. "Now, you'll have to."

I almost laugh, but bite back the sound. "The House of Death has always been respected, and it always will be. If the courts have made the error of not reminding you of that respect, then we will correct ourselves at once. We will celebrate the day of the dead. Gifts will be sent. We will–"

She does laugh, but the sound is harsh and cruel. "It's too late for that. We have you four. When you're broken, the barrier will fall, and the House of Death will have to be respected once more."

Maybe it's the pain I'm in, or how unnerving it is to go from days, or hours, I'm not sure which, of complete darkness, to being in the light once more, but I almost can't comprehend what she's saying. Getting us to agree to the bargain with Cassia was never about humiliating us, or playing with us. It was… about destroying the kingdom?

I feel sick. A fae bargain is never what it seems.

"Keeper of Death, we will do anything to right the slight to your house–"

"You need not do more than you've already done. You've given me the lives of all your privileged, delicate, weak fae on a silver platter. People who aren't warriors like you and your men, with exception to the House of War. People who will be well-fed pigs being led to the slaughter."

I shake my head, my hands clenching into fists. "You're not old enough to remember the days of war and darkness. If you were, I'm sure you wouldn't want that life."

"I've read enough, sweet honeyed prince, to know that those were the best days for the House of Death. I will bring about a golden age for my people once more."

I want to shout, I want to attack her, but I have to believe there's something I can still say to shake this woman from her foolish ideas. Fae are known for being tricked by promises, trinkets, and sweet words. Not anger. Not threats.

Something must work to change her mind, but what?

She smiles, drawing closer, her scent of decay washing over me. "And all because you were so sure about your bride. But you were wrong, weren't you? She was far too smart, too powerful for you. She didn't want the four of you, even with your wealth and power." And the Keeper of Death sounds… oddly proud as she tears my heart into pieces.

Cassia. Just her name makes me feel like a knife is twisting in my heart.

Were we fools to think Cassia would want to marry us after we saved her? Maybe not. But we were fools to put ourselves in a position that now endangers our entire kingdom. Regardless of how we feel about her, we have a responsibility to our people. We might have never thought the House of Death would be capable of this, but we should never have taken this kind of risk.

Everyone's suffering rests on my shoulders, my brotherly princes, my people, and my Cassia. I'm to blame. I made a deal with Cassia. I had the potion made. I had her come to the ball. I didn't tell the others the truth. My actions got her kidnapped, and led us to this deal. It's all my fault.

Me and that damn potion.

This is my burden to bear until the bitter end. An end that seems to be creeping nearer and nearer.

"You should hear the way the other princes scream in pain. The way they shout into the darkness." Each word is spoken with complete and utter glee.

Cruel bitch. "There have to be people you care about enough not to want to unleash the iron demons on," I say, taking a chance, and hoping it pays off.

"No. I've never been fond of the living. Well…" She pauses, a far-away look momentarily appearing in her dark eyes. "Maybe once upon a time, but not anymore."

Damn it. Desperation builds inside of me. No doubt she'll be leaving me alone in this darkened room again soon. I have to take this opportunity to get her to see reason.

"Keeper of Death, I beg you not to do this. I, your Summer Prince, beg you to reconsider. There is so much more I can do for you now that I know your house wants more. You don't have to destroy the kingdom to gain all that you want."

For a second, I think I might have appealed to her. If not her soul, then her greed. But the brief look fades like a trick of the lights. "I shall enjoy your people serving me in my halls until far past the point when they're nothing but bones."

I lunge toward her, ready to rip her to shreds. But before I even take a step, she throws her hands in the air, and a protective force appears around her like a dark, glowing cloud. I crash into it at full speed, only to be repelled and sent flying backwards. Before I can even process what's happened, I hit the ground, and the air is knocked out of my lungs.

She cackles at me, her eyes swirling with darkness, and slowly raises her hands. As they move higher, the ground rumbles and dirt falls from the walls. Around us, tombs open and dead bodies rise. Some are nothing but bones. Others have flesh and tatters of clothes hang off of them.

And the smell… it's horrifying.

"I think this fae prince needs a lesson on how powerful the dead can be," she says in a sickly sweet voice.

My eyes widen and my heart stops as the dead turn their empty eye sockets toward me. Within seconds, they begin to move, crawling toward me .

I try to back away, but the force of her magic keeps me in place. I fight against it with all my might, but still, I'm held in place. I need to preserve my magic to protect the barrier, but if these creatures hurt me, I might be useless anyway. I decide to allow some of my power to surface, and it crackles along my skin, humming with warning. I pull slowly away from the woman, but the dead are faster.

And even if I could get away, where would I go?

She laughs again as she and the bodies draw closer, and her fingers begin to glow with an ominous light. I'm surrounded by the dead. Some are just bones while others have skin and bits of hair hanging off of them. Faces with half jawbones and mangled teeth focus on me. One with decayed eyes cocks its head to the side and stares at me.

I try to crawl backwards, but the dead move closer. They form a circle around me, and I feel my heart beating so hard it rattles my whole chest. From here, I can see the hunger in the hollows of their eyes. My instincts tell me to run, but I know there's no way out. I can't even use my magic to fight them off. Not that my magic can stand up against the living dead.

At least, not if I'm going to keep the barrier around the kingdom in place.

There's no way out. I'm just going to have to endure this too. It's hard to breathe. Hard to accept what's about to happen.

My eyes sting. Cassia's life was worth this, all of this, even if she won't or can't love me. Those people hurt her, and they would have kept hurting her if she'd stayed. Maybe even worse.

I look at the crowd approaching me, and my thoughts don't waver. I may lose absolutely everything, but I don't regret saving her. Even if I can't bring myself to think about what will happen to my kingdom when I fall.

Bones dig into my ankles, and I close my eyes, thinking of Cassia. Please don't scream. Don't scream.