His Human Queen

The things we don’t see

Maeve:

I wasn’t sure how long this trip through the Eupines would take, but I knew without question I may not make it.

“The gate to Arthos is close now,” Caspian said, seeming as eager as I was to arrive, though I admit, my mind had played the ways over and over that this place, this realm would destroy me.

“What is… What is Arthos like?” I asked softly, trying to hide the fear creeping up my spine.

“I think the better question would be what is Gramorr like.” I quirked an eyebrow, not bothering now to hide the question in my expression.

“Arthos is made up of several kingdoms. Gramorr, where we are going, is a kingdom of wolves.” I admit, he caught my attention with that. Some small part of me wanted to know more, I wanted him to pour into me the knowledge of this world until I knew everything there was to know, but that was just the scared part, the part too fearful of what was to come for me, the part that feared that my own dying would lead to the death of my family.

“I see your thoughts churning, Maeve. What are you thinking?”

“Hm?” I asked absently, wondering if I could trust this man with my questions, with my fears.

“What are you thinking?” He repeated.

“How many kingdoms are there?” That was the first of many questions I had at the moment.

“Six.” He said, his jaw ticking shut as if saying there was more than just his kingdom irritated him.

“Each kingdom is ruled by a race. Wolves, dragons, demons, witches, and vampires.” He stopped, looking westward at the setting sun that had creeped up on us.

“And the sixth?” I asked softly, trying not to interrupt whatever decision he was trying to make for the night.

“The sixth is complicated.”

“How so?” I couldn’t help the curiosity lacing my tone, oozing from my pores with every bit of information he was feeding me.

“Firdilean is the home of the gods and monsters, the place where creatures who don’t fit into the other kingdoms go. Occasionally you will find that one of those beings have crossed the borders into one of the other five kingdoms, but for the most part, we all stay where we belong.” That one word rang a bell of clarity inside of me… belong…

“And where does a human like me fit into these kingdoms?”

“You don’t, you are the first human in nearly eight centuries that will cross the Eupine mountain into Arthos, and the last human, he lasted only long enough for the vampires to bleed him dry.

I shivered at that.

“I’m… the only one?” It wasn’t like I hadn’t heard nor understood Caspian, I had. It was the shock of knowing not only was no one coming to my rescue, but there was no one else in this realm I could relate to.

Suddenly, briefly, a heavy feeling of loneliness settled beneath my skin just like the frigid wind howling among the branches of the birches surrounding us.

“Let’s keep moving,” he grumbled, still

fixated on whatever westward thing had captivated him so much.

We walked in silence for a time, long enough for me to talk myself into a panicked frenzy over the hundreds if not thousands of ‘what ifs’ that were burning through my mind.

Then he spoke again…

“You must never leave my kingdom. I have to make that abundantly clear to you Maeve. You are too fragile for the beings that exist outside the gates of my kingdom.” I felt claustrophobic.

How could he expect it would be okay to heard me behind some gate and never let me cross it again.

“Caspian, I am just twenty-four. Humans can live long lives, maybe not as long as your immortal existence, but I will live plenty long enough not to want to spend the rest of my life behind some, metal gate, treated as a slave. I am supposed to be your gamma, not a piece of furniture to shuffle about out of boredom,” My hands had clenched into fists without me realizing it.

The still small voice in the back of my mind whispered as softly as the breeze, as calmly as the expression Caspian seemed to keep etched into his marvelously angelic features, ‘run, Maeve’. But I knew better, knew what outcome would await my impulsive thoughts.

“Get down,” he growled, tucking me away behind some hollowed oak before shifting.

I don’t know what he sensed, but I knew without a shadow of a doubt, I would not let this go, not even as the world dissolved into a blur of motion and sound.

One moment, I was pressed against the rough, damp bark of the hollow oak, the next, Caspian was gone. In his place stood a beast of nightmare and legend, a wolf so large it blocked out the dying light of the sun. His fur was the color of a thundercloud, a swirling storm of grey and black, and his eyes… they burned with the same molten amber I’d seen in his human face, but now they were wild, primal, and utterly terrifying.

A snarl ripped from his throat, a sound that vibrated through the soles of my feet and shook the very leaves on the trees.

Then I heard it. A sound that wasn't a shriek, but a discordant, melodic hum, like a choir singing in a language that made my teeth ache.

My head snapped up, and my breath caught in my throat. Swooping down through the canopy was something that defied every law of nature I had ever known.

It was shaped like a beautiful woman, her skin pale as moonlight and her hair a flowing cascade of silver. But from her back sprouted not wings, but four gossamer-thin, insect-like limbs, each tipped with a single, obsidian claw.

Her face was serene, her lips parted as if in song, but her eyes… they were hollow, black voids that promised an endless, hungry oblivion.

A Siren, but not of the sea. This was a creature of the air, a being I was certain was from Firdilean that lured its prey not with promises of love, but with the sound of pure, soul-shattering despair.

The siren’s hum intensified, a physical pressure that built behind my eyes and made my bones vibrate.

I wanted to cover my ears, to scream, to do anything to make it stop, but my limbs were frozen, locked in place by the haunting melody.

She wasn’t diving for Caspian; she was coming for me. Her void-like eyes were fixed on my own, and I could feel a pull, a cold, draining sensation as if she were already siphoning the very thoughts from my mind.

Caspian lunged, a blur of fur and fury, but the siren was impossibly fast. She twisted in the air, one of her insectoid limbs lashing out.

The obsidian claw caught him across the flank, a deep, gouging wound that would have felled a mortal beast.

He hit the ground with a heavy thud, a pained yelp escaping his throat, but he was up again in an instant, his eyes burning with a rage so pure it was terrifying.

He couldn't get close enough to bite; her song was a weapon, her claws a shield.

He knew it.

I saw the shift in his tactics. Instead of charging, he circled, his paws silent on the forest floor. The siren hovered, her song growing louder, more insistent.

The pain in my skull was blinding.

Caspian suddenly braced himself, his powerful hind legs coiling like springs. He didn't leap at her. He leaped at the ancient, granite boulder jutting from the earth a dozen feet away. He hit the stone with a thunderous impact, using it as a springboard to launch himself upward, high into the air, above the siren.

She looked up, her song faltering for a fraction of a second in surprise. It was all the time he needed. He came down on her like a comet, his full weight crashing into her. They tumbled from the sky in a chaotic whirl of fur, pale flesh, and silver hair.

They hit the ground hard, but Caspian was on top in an instant. Before she could resume her soul-stealing hum, his jaws clamped down on her throat.

There was no crunch of bone, only a sickening, wet tearing sound. The beautiful music died instantly, replaced by a ghastly gurgle.

Her hollow eyes went wide, then vacant, and her body went limp beneath him.

Silence descended, heavy and absolute, broken only by my own ragged breathing.

Caspian stood over the kill, his chest heaving, his muzzle stained with her blood. He turned his massive head, those golden eyes finding me in the shadows of the oak.

For a moment, I saw only the beast, the killer who had just torn a monster apart without hesitation.

Then, slowly, the terrifying form began to recede. Bones cracked and reshaped, fur melted away into skin, and within seconds, Caspian was kneeling before me, naked and covered in gore, his human form returned.

He reached a trembling hand toward me, his voice a raw, ragged whisper. “Are you hurt?”

I couldn't answer. My throat was locked, my body still trembling from the phantom echo of the siren's song. I stared at his outstretched hand, smudged with dirt and the creature's dark blood, then let my gaze travel up his arm, over the powerful lines of his chest, rising to meet his eyes.

The raw, primal fury of the wolf was gone, replaced by a deep, gut-wrenching concern that was somehow more unsettling. I gave a sharp, jerky shake of my head, unable to form the words.

A breath I didn't realize he'd been holding escaped him in a ragged gust. He closed the distance between us, his fingers gently gripping my chin, forcing me to look at him. His thumb brushed a stray tear from my cheek I hadn't even known was there. "Good," he murmured, his voice still rough. "That's good."

Then he winced, a sharp hiss of pain escaping his lips, and I remembered the claw. My eyes dropped to his side, where four deep, parallel gashes marred his skin, still welling with blood that looked shockingly red against his pale flesh. The sight of it, the proof of his vulnerability, snapped me out of my stupor.

"You're hurt," I said, my voice a hoarse whisper. I finally found the strength to move, shrugging off his touch and shrugging out of my worn jacket before I could think better of it. I pressed the thick fabric against the worst of the wounds.

"We have to stop the bleeding."

He let me, his golden eyes watching my every move with an intensity that made my skin prickle. "It's nothing. It will heal."

"You're not healing now," I shot back, my fear giving way to a surge of defiance. I pressed harder, and he grunted. "Don't lie to me. Not after that."

After a long moment, he gave a curt nod, a silent concession. He took the jacket from me, holding it firmly to his side himself. "We need to move. The scent of her blood will attract other things. Things that aren't as pretty."

He was right. The forest, which had felt silent and safe moments before, now felt alive with unseen eyes. He pushed himself to his feet, a flicker of pain crossing his features before being stamped out by sheer will. He extended his hand again, not in question, but in command. "Come."

I took it, his grip strong and warm, and let him pull me from the hollowed-out sanctuary of the oak. He didn't let go as we began to walk, his long strides forcing me into a near-jog to keep up.