The Crystal in the Chasm

chapter 1

With her long bony green fingers, Maeve combed through my hair. Through our silence, the King of Fae could be heard as his voice thundered through the castle. I shivered once and received a scowl from her dark green face hovering over my shoulder in the mirror. She tightened the corset with a swift tug and I nearly flinched.

"She is to be wed to him! I will not tolerate this disobedience! Prince Vrogz nearly called off the engagement!" The voice of the king was like thunder crackling through the castle walls.

I rolled my eyes, flashing back to the morning prior.

Oswald Vrogz, Prince of Goblins, strolled into the castle with his finest suit on. His green eyes arose from the floor all the way up my casual dress. It was not long after that, that I had hiked my dress up and squatted to his level to give him a nice pat on the shoulder and a friendly smile before crushing his dreams. I had called off the engagement between us that had been orchestrated among our parents. It was not pleasant news for my father. I would not be marrying anyone, least alone Oswald Vrogz, one way or the other.

Malachi Ophelia, my father and King of Fae, was one of the three rulers of the largest empires in the magic lands. He was nearly a thousand years old and notoriously known for his dwindling capacity for mercy. Vesala Ophelia, my mother and Queen of Fae, was known for being even worse. Being Princess of Fae meant being much more skilled at swordplay than an 18 year old should have been. It meant being alone in a castle full of danger with nobody to protect you. My parents had never bothered to spare me a guard, likely because I was heir to their throne and they were just as immortal as I. That would also explain why they were trying to marry me off to some lesser court the second I turned 18; the Goblin Court. Over my dead body.

I glanced at my unmistakable Kingdom of Fae markings trailing over my body in a delicate tattooed vine and cursed under my breath. The permanent mark was both beautiful and a burden. When Maeve, my loyal servant, finally huffed under her breath and let herself out of my dwelling, I instantly untied the corset and heaved in a breath with a scoff. I would not be wearing that cursed restricting thing tonight. I needed to be more ready to move than that, while still appearing inconspicuous. My tamed, long loose curls fell in smooth ringlets around my shoulders. The red at the tips of my dark brown hair was unusually vibrant. My fingers worked quickly to tie it back into a tight braid and flicked it behind my shoulder. Sliding into a loose black dress with long flowing arms and some sturdy brown leather boots, I tied my black cloak around my body and tugged the hood up.

Thunder bellowed just outside the glass panes of my bedroom window. My father's voice matched it from down the hall. It had to be now.

I didn't let myself have the time to second-guess my decision before tucking my blades into the straps under my dress and pocketing a bag of royal jewels. Footsteps neared my bedroom door. My heart followed in pursuit. I had to go. I had to leave now!

Out the window I hurled myself, onto the roof of the castle. Rain poured down and drenched my skin from the mid-evening sky. My boots gripped the roofing steadily as I made my slick trek across the angled slopes. Hopping from roof to roof, I scaled the castle in the way I had done countless times before just to get a break from this place. This time was different. This time I was leaving for good. My cloak clung to me from the weight of the water, my curtain-bangs hanging in my view. I dropped to the final roof before I would reach the ground and tuned my fae hearing into the ground below.

Maverick, the guard who had once tried to have his way with me but ended with a swift punch to the face, his only punishment (executed by yours truly, of course), loitered below with a casual whistle. Silently thanking the rain for drowning out the noise of my sneak attack, I dropped in on him. My boots collided with his back first, sending him to the ground. Thunder cracked again in the distance as my sharply filed nails dug into the back of his uniform. I flung him upright by his hair and didn't bat an eye before dragging my blade across his throat. That was for trying to take my innocence. I had only been a child. He was never served justice. Now I was judge, jury, and executioner. Bastard.