The Fairy King

The Dragon Eye

The ex-captain of the guard led us through the maze of bodies. He kept me close to him. Gerry was nowhere to be seen; I took that as a good thing. Awen and Ariella reached the safety of a side chamber after severing the head of some large red – brown beast that was guarding it. Deriven shoved me sideways. I ducked the blade coming for my neck by slipping in the blood of the beast thing.
Bryant was hauling me up as I pressed the pipe hard against a guard’s face. I was dragged to safety behind a brown column of what appeared to be petrified wood. Scrambling to my feet, I saw Gerry holding a small side door open. We rushed past him into another chamber. Deriven slammed the door closed. He pressed his hand to it. There was a tiny explosion sound.
“We aren’t getting back out that way.” He called.
“They’re not getting in either.” Bryant pointed out. He held his hand out. “Let's see that map.” He ordered. We looked around. There was a short hall in front of us, a wooden door sat at the end. Other than that, we were in a solid walled off room. No wonder they allowed us to get in here. Bryant and Deriven bowed their heads of a brown scroll.
“We have effectively trapped ourselves!” I said. Bryant gave me a tightlipped glare. I glared back, after all it was his fault we were stuck.
“Can you find it in you to blast open the wall?” Gerry asked me. I shrugged.
“I have no idea how thick that wall is. Nor do I really know how to use whatever it is that allows me to do that.” I added before anyone else could comment. Bryant walked to the wall. He pressed his hand against it.
“It's not like you're going to figure it out.” Ariella said folding her arms across her chest.
“Can you?” he asked. “You have the skill of the moonflowers.” He pointed out. She lowered her arms.
“Do you honestly think the Seelies will grow moonflowers?” she asked. He gave a shrug. Before we could decide on anything else the door at the end of the hall opened. A male fairy with long red hair, pants that looked like deer skin and a shirt of green leaves so tight that it looked as if it would burst off of him if he breathed too deeply. He grinned at us.
“My dear sweet, captain!” he cooed. “How nice of you to return.” Bryant shoved off of the wall. The new fairies’ eyes blazed as he sauntered up to Bryant. He grabbed him by the head pulling him in for a very hot kiss. Bryant's hands fluttered at his side.
He neither reached for the male or for his weapons. Back stiff he stood still in the fairies embrace. Slowly the man pulled back. He bit his swollen lip gently.
“hmm.” He whispered wiping a thumb over his lips. “Have I fallen so far out of favor?” he asked. For one second Bryant's eyes flashed to me. The red-haired fairy saw it.
“Or have I been replaced.” With a seductive grin on his chiseled face he walked up to me. “Finch.” he bowed before me scooping up my hand as he stood. He pressed his lips to my knuckles. “at your service.” He winked at me. I laughed. His grin was catching.
“Raven.” I said. He lowered his head in a small bow.
“It is an honor.” He wiggled his eyebrows at me.
“Please. I cannot allow my ex lover to get captured, allow me to be your guide out of here.” He turned toward the door.
“Fin, we can't leave yet.” Bryant said. The fairy turned slowly to face him.
“The reasoning is?” he arched an eyebrow. Bryant looked at me. He sighed.
“Raven is the son of the Unseelie King. We are on a quest.” He paused as Finch turned to me, real interest sparkling in his emerald eyes.
“A prince. My my, the sweet captain has high ambitions.” He came back to stand before me. His eyes scanning my face.
“What do you seek, young highness?” he inquired. I glanced at Bryant.
“The Unseelie throne.” I stated. “To achieve this goal, I must outwit my siblings.” Those expressive eyebrows danced over inviting intense eyes.
“To do that you need something from the castle?” he asked. I nodded.
“From the vault actually.” He drew back at this.
“If it is the Lava Stone, it is no longer in the vault.” Everyone moved at once to get closer to him. His eyes never left mine.
“Our dear Queen has insisted on showing it off at the ball tonight. Do you know the other name for the stone?” he asked me. I shook my head. His thin lips curved up on one side.
“The Dragon's eye.” He watched for a reaction. I had none since I had no idea what that meant in Fairyland.
“It is side whomever can connect with the Dragon's eye, can call forth the dragons to assist them in whatever way they are needed.” He took half a step back placing a finger to my lips. He licked his own.
“Little Prince, the dragons have been asleep for over a thousand years.” His palm pressed against my heart. It seemed to beat faster as he leaned into me. “Do you think you may be the one they wait for?” he asked a cocky grin on his face. When I didn’t answer he pushed back with a laugh.
“Since the Queen has had it all this time, she has placed it on the neck of every Seelie born in the past thousand and so years. Nothing has awoken the dragons.” He tossed his lean arms in the air. “I say why not allow the Unseelie's a chance.” He bowed once more to snag my hand. His eyes locking with mine, a challenge or a promise hidden inside them.
“Come with me sweet Prince. I will take you on an adventure of a lifetime.” With that he was pulling me forward. He dragged me through the door, turning swiftly to the right he darted down a hill. We could hear footsteps coming from the left.
A twisting maze of corridors and I was thoroughly lost. Finch, however, knew exactly where he was going. His skin was darker than the other fairies I have seen. A light tan colored his bare arms. The one holding my hand had a sword tattooed on the lower arm, the upper arm had a fine-looking bow. I was starring at him when something bumped into me.
Pulling my attention back to reality I saw Bryant at my side. He wasn’t looking at me, his mouth was in a tight line. I saw a muscle jerk in his cheek. With a wicked grin I shifted my hand in Finch's, lacing our fingers together.
The red-haired fairy glanced back at me, a grin on his face a twinkle in his eye. I smiled back. Bryant’s fists clenched tighter around the hilt of his sword.  I snickered. This could be fun. I thought.
The corridor we were in ended abruptly. Finch drew his hand away from mine. He pulled a sharpened twig out of his pants. Fire lit up his right hand. It burnt the tip of the twig. He drew a door on the stone. Muttering under his breath the door clicked open. Holding me back he made Bryant enter first. The silver haired fairy refused to look at us.
Finch had his arm across my chest. His hand gripping my side. He blew me a kiss as Gerry went in through the door with a snicker. The others followed. Finch looked down at me. “I do not care if you just want a fling to piss off the impressive, and I mean that in every way, captain.” His eyes darkened and danced in the light of the hall. “You should know that Bryant is not like other fairies. He loves one person at a time. Possibly it is that touch of elf blood in him.” His smile was beautiful. His words sent a chill over me.
“Finch!” Bryant hissed from the other side of the door.
“Think about it, Prince.” He winked then pushed me through the door before him. I stumbled over a rug, tumbling into Bryant's arms. He scoffed as he righted me. Letting go as quickly as he could. With that I got the truth of how he really felt for me. I was nothing but a burden. At most a way for him to improve his standing if he played nice until I became King. For him this was just court politics.
I walked away from him to look around the room. We were in a setting room. A vanity table made of deep red wood sat against one wall. Mirrors littered the place. A free-standing mirror was in one corner. Mirrors dotted the walls at various heights; the vanity had a mirror on it. It was unsettling to see yourself everywhere. The Queen certainly liked to look at herself.
Finch walked past, flexing his face in each mirror he passed. “Are all Seelies so vain?” I asked. He flashed me another seductive smile. This time adding a pose to go with it. I chuckled.
“This doesn’t just happen, dear, I work hard to look this good.” He blew a kiss into a mirror.
“Well they say you have to love yourself.” I snickered he laughed.
“I like this they.” He winked.
“We are here to get the stone!” Bryant ground out.
“Sure, sure dear.” Finch walked by him. He went to the wall. Cutting his hand and saying something in another language. As he pressed his wounded hand to the wall it opened a small hole. He reached his hand in. When he pulled it out a fine golden chain dangled from his thin fingers. At the end of it was a stone about the size of a fifty-cent piece but much thicker. A black slit, like a cat’s eye cut through the center. It felt like it was watching me. A tightness clenched my chest. For a moment I couldn’t breathe. I didn’t see the room I was in any longer.
Instead I saw a dark cave. It was just large enough for me to curl my body into. The cold had yet to reach the fire in my chest. I was strong, powerful, I could feel the strength still humming through my limbs. Hunger rumbled in my vast belly, it had been a long time. My eye cracked open. The moon winked at me from a star lit sky, that sparkled over water.
“Raven!” I felt myself being shaken. A roar sounded in my ears. It had been too long since the land had feared my voice.  I stretched my neck out, the stiffness crackling long my spine. My wings itched to be unfurled. I blinked. Gerry was before me. He shook my shoulders.
“Well, well, look at that. The dragon stirs.” Finch whispered. Bryant looked at him. Those moon bright orbs flashed back to me for the briefest of glimpses. He dismissed me for the red-haired fairy.
“You know you have to come with us now.” He told the fairy.
“Why? You missing me now?” he taunted. Bryant glared.
“No, you fool.” He slammed the wall door closed. “I am sure only her highness and her highnesses fashion disaster are the only two that can open that safe.” Finch looked from the wall, to Bryant, to me then came to rest on the jewel in his hands. Bryant closed his hands around the other fairies.
“It's too dangerous for you here any longer.” He locked his eyes with the emerald ones. “You know what she will do to you.” He added. Finch coiled the chain into his fist.
“This isn’t hers. It never was. So, I will follow him.” He pointed a finger at me. They both turned to look at me. “I will do what you command me, your highness.”
“Damn it, Finch!” Bryant cried. He spun to snarl at me. “Command him to come with us.” I drew in a breath. I felt an intense anger flash in my chest. A more whelp ordering an ancient around. I shook myself internally, that’s when I heard a scraping noise on the other side of the wall where I was standing. It sounded like many, many sets of feet fast approching.
“Get us out of here, and come with us Finch. They have found us, I think.” I told them of the scraping sounds. Finch clutched my hand, pressing the stone into it. I felt a slight burn as the stone touched my flesh. It cooled just as quickly. I smiled, I was not alone any longer. My wings flashed out. It was time to call the others awake.
Finch held tight as he pulled me into he Queen's bedchamber. We want through another door which led to a steep set of stairs that faded into darkness.
“Never a good sign.” Gerry griped. The power in me snorted. Darkness was nothing to a creature such as I. With a surely chuckle, I followed the wee leprechaun. We descended into the cold darkness.