Our swords clashed together, the clangs echoing around the courtyard. My armour trapped in the heat. Sweat ran down my face and soaked the back of my shirt. Even Nicodemus' breathing was laboured and his movements had started to become slow and sluggish. The Darkworld was ridiculously humid and for a place with no sun, it was too hot. I sheathed my sword and flopped down on a bench, ignoring Nicodemus' cries of protest. I waved my hand and my armour disappeared in a shower of purple sparks. A glass of water appeared next to me. I drank the whole thing in a few gulps as Nicodemus sat next to me.
One of the doors into the castle crashed open, banging against the wall. A pageboy burst through and doubled over, hands braced on his knees. I rushed to him but he waved me off. "King... Evaris... Needs you," he panted. "War room... Urgently..." Nicodemus and I exchanged glances. What was so urgent? Lasthbur was marching on Arcana in a couple of weeks. We had everything planned out. I conjured up a drink for the poor boy before Nicodemus teleported us to the war room.
Evaris, Minuvae, Jassin and various other demons and fae surrounded the large table in the centre of the room. It was covered in maps, rolls of parchment and figurines. They all looked up when we appeared in the room. Evaris scrunched up his nose when he saw us. "Where were you?"
"Sparring." We hadn't really spoken since the night in the alley, and there had been tension between him and Nicodemus since then, too.
"Ah. That explains the sweat." Nicodemus glared at him.
"Look, it's no big secret that you three haven't been getting along very well," a large demon butted in, "And I understand. I wouldn't be too happy if my wife ran off with someone else. But can you quit with the fae dominance and get to the part where you tell us about why we're here?" I flushed red under his stare.
"We're just friends!" Nicodemus and I exclaimed simultaneously. The demon and Evaris looked unconvinced. The others in the room just looked away awkwardly.
"Moving on..." Evaris shuffled some parchment around. "You're here because Arcana has gotten wind that Lasthbur has started their march early. As in, today. They should reach Arcana's capital in the next three days." Everyone in the room looked worried at this.
"Is Arcana prepared for it? Are we prepared for it?"
Evaris shrugged. "We're always ready. But as for Arcana, we have yet to find out. Edrisa will be here soon. That means Iowyn will have to go somewhere else, so Edrisa doesn't catch her." He looked over at me and handed me a ring. "Put this on. You'll be able to see everything I see and hear what I hear," he explained as he held up his hand, where a matching ring shone on a finger. "A maid will come collect you." I looked down at my ring, where a black gem surrounded by bone was set in the gold. I tucked it into my pocket.
A knock sounded on the door and a maid stepped into the room. She gave a deep curtsey. "Your Majesty," she addressed Evaris, "Queen Edrisa has arrived. She's in the-"
"I'm right here," a beautiful fae female announced as she swept past the maid and into the room, a translucent pale pink dress flowing behind her. Nicodemus subtly stepped in front of me to block me from the queen's sight. "Evaris, darling," she purred as she folded him into her arms and pressed a kiss to his lips. My gut twisted sharply and I started to step around Nicodemus, but he gripped my hand tightly in warning. The room was so silent you could hear a pin drop. The demons exchanged glances and I saw one smile as coins were passed to him. The fae in the room gave each other wary looks and they rest their hands on the hilts of their swords. One of them caught my eye and he nodded towards the door.
I started to inch closer to it so I could slip out while she was preoccupied with Evaris, but she turned around and her gaze fell directly on me. "Who's this?" She demanded.
"Er..." Evaris started, his eyes widening.
"My mate," Nicodemus declared boldly, stepping closer and tucking me into his side. He gave my shoulder a squeeze. Evaris and I nodded vigorously in unison. "That's right," Evaris agreed tightly. "His mate."
The queen ignored him. "Nicodemus! I haven't seen you in years! How have you been? And your mate, what's her name?" She folded her hands together in front of her, an expectant expression on her face. Strands of her soft brown hair hung down and framed her face nicely. "Nalia," Nicodemus lied smoothly.
"Nalia Valora..." The queen mused, tapping a finger against her chin. "Has a nice sound to it... But why, exactly, are you two such a mess? What have you been doing?"
"Sparring," Nicodemus said. "For the war."
"You're letting her fight?" Shock crossed the queen's face.
"Of course." Nicodemus bowed his head in a nod. "She wanted to. I refused at first, naturally, but I can't control her. I'm not her keeper. She can make her own decisions." He shot a look at Evaris, who ignored it.
"Why is she here?" The queen raised an eyebrow. Good grief, this woman was full of questions. I dug my nails into Nicodemus' shirt in frustration. "Begone," she waved a hand, dismissing me. Nicodemus opened his mouth to speak. "No, I don't want to hear it. You're lucky you've got an actual job here. If you didn't, you'd be going with her." Nicodemus gave me an apologetic look as I let go of his waist. He kissed my forehead as I turned to leave. I nodded at the rest of the room and let the door fall shut behind me.
YOU ARE READING
Untold
Fantasy'They pulled the chair across from me out and sat in it. The tavern carried on when the figure made themselves comfortable. My grip tightened on the hilt of the dagger. They pulled the hood of their cloak off and unclasped it. Their movements were r...
