Everealm: Book One of the Everealm Series Read online

  ~*~

  Vallica had refused her husband’s offer to partake in welcoming his new mistress last night, which he had decided to call Red. After many days of being her husband’s main focus, she had grown tired and bored of him, rather pleased that he had finally found a pretty distraction.

  She was sitting at her vanity, brushing her long black hair, for the third time today, letting her hair fall onto her chest with each stroke of the brush. Looking at herself in the mirror across from her, she paused to run a hand down her new tight black corset with small red flowers stitched across the top, which barely covered her small pink nipples. This would be a nice surprise for her lover, later this evening. The matching blood red stockings, running up her long and slender legs, would serve as another. It had been five long days since she had been with him, and having to amuse her husband during that time had been excruciating and terribly bland. Though Silas had a flair for the dramatics when it came to intimacy, his tendencies were fairly predictable. This evening, however, was bound to be much more enjoyable.

  Finally satisfied that her hair was groomed to perfection, Vallica began to sweep the ends up into a pile on her head, reaching across the vanity to grab a ribbon to tie. Then she noticed a large purple bruise on the side of her neck and let her hair fall back down, covering the bruise from sight. Another mark left by the carelessness of her husband last night when she had foolishly suggested they forego the usual leather strapped collar. He had decided to choke her with his rough bare hands instead.

  In the beginning, Silas had been a grand victory of a husband, especially for a poor gypsy orphan, as herself. Marrying a nobleman would have been enough to secure a wealthy life for her, but Vallica did not believe in settling for second best. And so she had set her eyes on the main prize, King of Sire. She had snuck into his castle during the kingdom’s winter ball, and by using her wicked sexuality, had lured him into a dark corner. Once alone, she had used her nimble gifted hands to pleasure him under his robes while opening the top of her cloak to reveal her perfectly bare breasts, in which he had buried his face into. An incident that had only lasted moments was enough to convince Silas that he must have this vixen for the rest of his life.

  With his kingdom and riches, Vallica had been lavished in jewels and baubles from the moment they were wed. Silas, himself, had been a prize as well. His broad, toned body had caused quite a few feelings to stir in her, and their first few years of lovemaking had been remarkable. She wasn’t sure what had caused her husband to change so drastically over time, and the person he had become was much too cruel and outrageous for even a woman of her callousness to control. After so many years of marriage, Vallica had learned that to survive Silas, you must never cross him. Or at least, you must never be caught.

  ~*~

  When Vallica entered the throne room at dusk, her husband was all but jumping with joy at the news of his last scheme. When Silas spotted Vallica, he pulled her into the center of the room and spun her around the smooth stone floor. Vallica spotted Red, sitting on the floor by her husband’s throne barely clothed and looking at Vallica through stone cold eyes. Apparently her husband hadn’t shared his new excitement with his toy yet. When Silas stopped spinning her, Vallica leaned in and kissed him so feverously that her own head was spinning, then she left the floor to take her seat next to him.

  “I have grand news, my dear, just grand,” Silas said to Vallica, glancing over to make sure she was listening. “My bitch niece has gotten the surprise of her life when her daddy’s poor grave received a special visitor!” Silas snickered annoyingly, then relayed the tale of the capture, decapitation, and placing of the head at the tomb. Though Vallica seemed to be disinterested, he made sure to include every gory detail, much to the dismay of Red, who had made several gasping noises during his story.

  When he was finished gloating, he ordered a guard to fetch Simon, then leaned down to kiss Red and fondle her breasts for a moment. Vallica rolled her eyes at her husband’s blatantly crude behavior. When they were first married, Silas was much more discreet about his affairs and hadn’t paraded his playthings in front of her like this. Now, however, he had no reservations about his extracurricular activities. He even brought his mistress onto his lap once, to ride him, in a room filled with people during a holiday festivity, of all times! Of course, by that late hour of the night, most of the guests had already had their fill of wine and couldn’t care less about the king’s deeds. However, for Vallica, that was the night that she gave up on formalities and started looking outside her marriage to fulfill her own shameless needs. And after a while, she had even stopped apologizing for it.

  Simon entered the throne room, dressed in his armor, and holding his helmet. His hair was matted to his head, which made Vallica assume he had just returned from riding. Silas was too busy playing with Red to notice Simon had entered. She had now lost the top half of her clothing and was moaning considerably at Silas’ hand between her legs (though Vallica was certain the sounds were fake). Vallica gave Simon a wink, then cleared her throat.

  “Silas, dear, your soldier is here.”

  Looking up, Silas smiled at Simon, then stood and left Red gaping after him. Vallica could feel Red’s eyes on her, but she just sat smiling, ignoring her. Silas gave Simon a strong pat on the shoulder when he greeted him.

  “I am very pleased with you, Simon,” Silas began. “Oh, how I wish I could have been there at that very moment, to see the looks on their faces, ah!”

  Simon, looking a bit distraught, wasn’t sure how to respond. It wasn’t often that his king had shown joy in his presence. Simon smiled, cautiously. Silas walked back to his throne, and when he reached behind it to grab a large steel sword, Red reached out for him. He swatted her hands away, causing Vallica to giggle. When Silas returned to Simon, he held out the sword, which Simon carefully accepted.

  “I am promoting you to my right-hand, Simon. The right-hand to the king. Your faithful service has been most satisfactory, beyond expectations,” Simon boasted.

  “Er, well, thank you, Your Highness,” Simon replied, “It is my pleasure to serve my king.”

  Silas, most pleased with himself, told Simon of his new position, which included new quarters in the main hall and a steep raise in salary.

  Still smiling, Silas added, “And I would be most honored to provide some company in your new quarters tonight, Simon. Any woman you wish!” Silas turned to speak with another guard and Simon stole a quick glance at Vallica, who was eyeing him closely, curious of his reply. Then Silas turned back to Simon.

  “Well, Simon, who will it be then? That little blonde girl, with the enormous chest, eh?” he said with a wink.

  “Uh, no Your Highness,” Simon said, “I thank you, greatly, for the offer. But after today’s events, I would prefer to retire to the tavern and rest with a pint or two of ale. If that would please Your Highness.”

  “Sure, sure, my friend. Whatever pleases you. Go along then,” Silas replied, then turned around and headed back to his throne and to Red.

  Simon gave Vallica a playful look and nodded toward the door to the right of the throne room that led to the kitchens. He bowed to Silas, then took his leave. A few moments later, Vallica asked to be excused to the courtyard for some fresh air, and Silas waved her away, still focused on his shiny new toy.

  ~*~

  When Vallica finally made her way around the courtyard and into the back entrance of the kitchens, Simon was nowhere to be found. It wasn’t until she was halfway down the hall, just about to turn toward the stairs to her chamber that an arm reached out and grabbed her, pulling her through a doorway.

  Startled, she yelped, but a huge, rough hand was suddenly over her mouth. Once he spoke to her, though, she relaxed and turned to face him. He was already mostly undressed, with just a long tunic left to cover him though it didn’t reach down far enough to hide his noticeable erection.

  “Hello, My Queen,” Simon said, grinning playfully. �
��Did you enjoy your fresh air?”

  Instead of giving him an answer, she simply leapt into his arms and smothered his mouth with hers. Simon grabbed the ties of her robes and ripped them apart. Her robes fell away, revealing her surprise corset and stockings. Simon paused to look at her, bit his lower lip for a moment, then went to work undressing his lover, one stocking at a time. Once her legs were bare, he spun her around and began to loosen her corset with his hands while kissing and nibbling on the back of her neck and ear. Satisfied that her corset was loose enough to remove, he turned her around once more, letting the last remaining fabric slide down her body and fall to the floor.

  Simon would have loved nothing more than to soak in the glorious sight of her, tall and slim, but plump in the areas that mattered. Her body was a masterpiece, underappreciated and would rival many women half her age. But seeing as Vallica’s husband was just yards away, he decided it best to admire her figure later and defile her now.

  Vallica had already started stepping closer when he grabbed her waist and pulled her to him. After several moments of heated kissing, Vallica realized where they were and broke away from him with a disgusted look on her face.

  “Why the hell are we in her chambers?” she demanded.

  Simon had a devilish smirk on his face as he stepped toward her. “Because I thought you might like a chance to dirty up her pillows… My Queen.”

  Smiling back at him, Vallica stepped into his arms, once again. “Yes,” she said, “let’s give our new guest the welcome she so desperately deserves.”

  Chapter Four

  After the council meeting, Rowan decided it was best to stay with his father, in the castle, though he was careful to avoid any areas where he might cross paths with Bree. This way, he could restock his gear in the armory and ready his horse, Dragon, for the journey. It had been several months since he had taken Dragon along on an assignment and he missed his company.

  Rowan had trained with Dragon before leaving on his first assignment, and much more since. Horses, in general, were very intelligent animals, but Dragon was quite the challenge. It took over a year for him to learn Rowan’s signals, and even then, he would choose to ignore them most of the time. Dragon was pitch black from head to tail, making him nearly invisible at night, which provided a great advantage.

  During his training, Rowan was told that the horse had been abandoned as a colt, and due to his mistrust of humans, would never be fit for this job. But Rowan saw something in this horse that none of the others had. He had a fight in him and a will to survive. Rowan knew that if they were to ever be caught by the enemy, this horse would fight to live through it.

  While Rowan was happy to see Dragon, his noble steed did not share the same sediments. Dragon began sulking in the corner of his stall at the first sight of Rowan. Even after being offered a basket full of carrots, apples, and oats, he refused to acknowledge Rowan’s presence. However, once Rowan pulled out a handful of sugar cubes, in which Dragon nearly knocked him over to reach, the two were back to being friends again.

  Finding Dagan had been much easier than Rowan expected. Per Elric’s suggestions, Rowan had started his search in the town of Elmber, just northeast of Taten. It had taken Rowan four days to get there on horseback. The trip could have been shortened, by at least a day, but he had the good sense to travel around the valley of Anestas, known home to the fae, rather than to go through it. Anestas was once a reputable stop for travelers on the way to Vale. But after years of crooks and thieves abusing the fairies and attempting to drain them of their magic in order to bottle and sell it, the fae had refused to host travelers any longer, even laying traps around the valley to catch trespassers.

  Fairies had once been very kind creatures, with great magical powers to heal and restore life. After the Shadow War, in which their homes were nearly destroyed, the fae had joined with the Elder Mage to restore Everealm’s vast lands and heal the diseased people, plants, and animals.

  Fairies had two forms: sprite and human, in which a fairy could change from one to the other at any time. A fairy in her sprite form was quite powerful, however in this form, a fairy would be no larger than a pint of ale. In human form, a fairy would appear the same as any woman, though if one believed the tales told, a fairy in human form was of such great beauty, that no man could refuse their advances. However, fairies by nature were also vindictive creatures, who loved nothing more than to lay a curse on a person who tried to wrong them. Their tricks were mostly reserved for men who mistreated them in their human forms.

  Rowan had only met a fairy once, about three years ago, when he was assigned to spy on a group of well-known thieves, whom King Frederick had suspected were responsible for a trail of robberies taking place between Junacave and Taten.

  Rowan tracked the thieves to a gorge, where they had stopped to rest. One of the men had a small bird cage with him, hanging on the side of his saddle. Once the men set up camp and lit a fire, the cage owner took out a key and opened the lock. At once, a fairy emerged in human form, wearing a thin cotton underdress, barefoot, and looking quite displeased to see her company.

  Rowan could not believe his eyes, even rubbing them to make sure he wasn’t hallucinating. No one had ever been able to capture and keep a fairy though many men had tried. However, this fairy was wearing a metal collar of some sort, which Rowan assumed must have been made of iron. It was only known to few that iron could weaken the fae, hindering and sometimes even blocking their ability to use magic.

  But this collar had somehow allowed the fairy to change from her sprite form in the cage to her human form that now stood before them. The firelight making it quite easy to see through the thin garment, Rowan could certainly believe the tales of fairy women being extremely beautiful. This fairy was magnificent, with a flawlessly curved body, skin that all but glistened, and wavy golden blonde hair that hung down past that perfectly plumped...

  Whoa! This is not the time to get distracted by a woman! Rowan thought to himself but continued to watch as the men showed no remorse for the fairy, grabbing at her body, kissing and biting her, pulling her hair. The man with the cage beckoned the fairy over to him and sat her on his lap. The remaining men settled around the fire, drinking themselves senseless, engrossed in gossip, and boasting of their latest thievery. Rowan’s stomach churned as the man sat there on a stump, manhandling the fairy without even looking at her once. He was completely oblivious to the pain and shame mortared across her face.

  In his many years of eavesdropping on ruthless scum, Rowan had witnessed rape and molestation, among other things. He had had no choice but to look away during those times, as difficult as it had been because interfering would have risked revealing himself. The number one rule of a good spy was to never reveal yourself, stay hidden unless your life was in jeopardy. And if you were to ever be found, you mustn't leave any witnesses still breathing, for a breathing witness was a talking witness.

  Which was exactly what Rowan was forced to do then, stay hidden and unseen. Once the men were ready to turn in for the night, Rowan hoped the fairy would be put back into her cage. But unfortunately, the man just led her to his tent, cage and all. It didn’t take Rowan long to figure out what was happening inside the tent. After only a few moments alone with the man, the fairy had begun to cry out, sobbing loudly, while the man grunted nasty noises and obscenities.

  It had been too much for Rowan to witness. After the men had fallen asleep, Rowan snuck down to their camp and took a peek inside the tent. The man, covered only by a short blanket, was in a deep sleep. His loud snoring easily covered any noises that Rowan made as he slowly pulled the key and the cage out of the tent. He tiptoed out of the camp and back to where Dragon was resting. Deciding that saving the fairy was more important than watching a few thieves sleeping, he tucked the cage and key into one of the saddlebags, mounted his horse and took off into the forest.

  Once he was sure he had found a spot far enough away from the men’s camp, he s
topped and unlocked the cage. The fairy appeared before him, naked except for the collar, shivering and terrified. She tried to hide behind Dragon, who snorted and stepped away from her.

  Rowan stepped toward the fairy, who flinched, trying to cover her face and body the best she could. Rowan simply reached into a bag, hanging from Dragon’s saddle and pulled out a tunic. Holding it up to her so she could see what it was, he tossed it to her. She turned around and dressed herself in the shirt, quickly, then turned back to Rowan. He asked her for her name, but she refused to answer, staying silent and still. He took out a map and told her to point to anywhere she wanted to go and he would take her there. She pointed to Anestas like he had guessed she would. He nodded his head and mounted Dragon. The fairy just stood there at first, looking unsure if she should trust him. He held out a hand and she took it, swinging onto the saddle behind him. He took off and rode throughout the rest of the night to get to the valley.

  They were almost to Anestas when the fairy pulled on Rowan’s sleeve and pointed to a large boulder near the path ahead of them. Once they were stopped, the fairy jumped down off of Dragon. She started to take the tunic off, but Rowan told her to keep it, for warmth. She reached up and squeezed his hand which was still resting on the reins, and gave him a small smile. Then she turned and headed down the path and into the valley. Rowan decided that if the fairy wanted to go on without him, it was probably for the best. How would he explain where he found her or what that collar was around her neck? Instead, he pulled Dragon’s reins to the side, turned, and left the fairy behind.

  Though it was true that Dagan had a knack for loving and leaving women behind, none of the ladies that Rowan had encountered today could pass for fairies. The first woman had been the wife of a farmer. She was pretty, but rather plain in Rowan’s eyes. The second, third, and fourth women were sisters.

  Holy hell, Rowan thought to himself. What kind of man is this Dagan fellow?