Captive of the Shadows (The Fairy Code Book #1) by Kaitlyn Weiss

Chapter Nine

I FELL FOR what felt like a split second. The green flame dissipated, and I found myself in a light purplish fog. I heard Zephyr's voice in my head.

"I am not s-sh-showing you the s-s-scenery. Jus-s-st in ca-s-se.."

For sure - what if he messed up and I were to go bonkers? What a shame to go through all this.

"Ex-x-xactly."

And I realized that somehow Zephyr could read my thoughts. Perhaps he'd been reading them all along.

Before me, the fog cleared, revealing Doran. I was startled to see him, but then I could tell that he didn't see me. If only because I was looking at the past. An archive. A memory.

And so I looked at him more closely.

This Doran looked just as imperious and stern, but more exhausted. I felt my heart ache a bit when I saw the King's chiseled cheekbones and the deep shadows under his eyes. There was also a deep vertical line etched between his eyebrows, and his fists were clenched. Doran seemed to be quarreling desperately, and now he was listening to the response. But I wasn't able to hear what they were saying. And then, suddenly, it was just like someone cranked up the volume, and I could hear the King speaking. His voice was ragged, exhausted but still unconquered.

"I'm willing to enter into a pact with you. But should it fail, only I shall suffer the consequences. I am the ruler, and it is incumbent on me, alone, to fulfill the terms and conditions. The rest of my subjects shall escape punishment."

The voice that now issued a response chilled me to my bones — and then some. It resonated in every cell of my body. And the feelings it provoked were very strange. It wasn't fear, it wasn't curiosity...no, I couldn't put my finger on it. It's kind of like when you were a kid and still believed in Santa Clause, so you decide to wait up for him by the fireplace. But then, you hear something coming down the chimney and it spooks you. So you try to run, but you can't.

"The faery doesn't understand what he's getting into."

"The faery understands," Doran said, his teeth clenched, still motionless. Or maybe he couldn't move?

"You cannot withstand the initiation, Faery. The Shadows will meld into you, becoming part of your essence. Even if you do withstand it, you shall always have the terms of the pact hanging over you. All sorts of emotions, be they obscure, be they dark, be they bright, from your Court. The Shadows shall possess the ability to feed off them without harming the fairies. They shall penetrate their dreams, thoughts, and feelings. To my Shadows, your subjects shall reveal all. But you, yourself, shall reveal the most. And if you fail to fulfill the terms of this pact, then you shall fall into my embrace, where you will suffer for centuries under the hands of those who preceded you in serving me."

"If this is what I must do to ensure the integrity of my Court and see it flourish, then I agree to the terms."

"Are you sure, Faery? The curse of the near-immortal is boredom, ennui. I know your people. You choose to end your lives when you tire of existence. You tire of gaiety, you tire of scholarship, you tire of the company of others. Mortals are short-lived, but their emotions are always vibrant and tasty. What a pity that their world is out of our reach."

There was a brief silence, and then the bone-chilling voice continued, "I can make you the head of the Wild Hunt. This will be easy, once you are armed with your new power. With this power, and the help of the Shadows, you can open a portal to the world of humans, if only for a short while. In exchange for this, you'll allow them to enjoy the sensations of human emotions."