The Dark Prince by Sean Fletcher

Author:Sean Fletcher [Fletcher, Sean]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Epic Worlds Publishing

Chapter Fifteen

It took Radell the better part of fifteen minutes to finish saying hello to Dragon. Or rather, for Dragon to stop aggressively slobbering on him. Even Radell’s ancient, otherworldly calming presence seemed to have no effect on the beast’s puppy-like ADD.

“My you have grown so!” Radell chuckled, patting Dragon’s scaly side. “I see you are not so shiny as you once were. I suppose that is as it should be. All of us lose our luster as we grow older.”

I took the time Radell was distracted to take him in. Though he’d been nothing but kind and understanding when we’d seen him last during our search for the Cursed One, he was still a Fae, though he didn’t look it. For one, he didn’t cast glamour, and appeared about as ancient as he probably was, with wrinkles deep enough for rivers to flow through—and he’d probably seen his share of those formed. The rest of him looked like a skinny Santa Claus if the guy in red had shaved his beard: pearl white hair brushed back atop his head, tufts of it sprouting from his ears. A ring of jewelry hung around his neck, tinkling every time he moved.

Despite my anxiety, despite my fear that as one of the Fae Radell would have reason this time to despise us, as Radell gave Dragon a final pat of greeting I couldn’t help feeling a sense of calm fall over me. I wasn’t sure if it was his magic or the fact that he just looked so darn sweet-grandpa-like, but I wasn’t scared being with him.

“Now that those pleasantries are out of the way,” Radell said, turning to us. “Let us get comfortable.”

He led us through the castle, past foyers with patchy walls of still-standing stone, across a courtyard that had seen better days probably three thousand years before, its pond dried and cracked. Everything seemed totally abandoned until we reached the part of the castle where Radell clearly lived, lit with torchlight, warm, and smelling of honey.

The twenty-foot long fire was already lit behind the grate in the sitting room. After standing awkwardly for a moment, each of us took one of the offered armchairs. I immediately felt myself sink into it, my exhaustion finally catching up to me. The comfort, combined with warmth and the gentle sounds of the fire, pretty much guaranteed that I would fall asleep if I stayed there for too long.

“You are probably famished,” Radell said. He briefly put his hand behind his back before revealing it again, this time holding a golden tray of fruits and drinks. He set the tray down between us and, after only a little hesitation, we each dug in. I knew from last time that Radell hadn’t charmed the food to keep us trapped in the Fae realm. If this even was the Fae realm. Set deep in the center of the Black Forest, the line between the mortal realm and the Fae was more blurred here than anywhere else I could think of.

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