Page 1 of Crown of Briars
Tremors wrackedmy body as the curse took hold, digging its claws deeper into my very soul. I groaned, the sound more like an animalistic growl, as my claws elongated and my barbed tail curled on the gravel where I lay. The skin along my back split open to make way for my wings, and I roared in agony. My claws slashed through the stone ground, adding to the grooves already there from years of the pain taking hold of me.
I clamped my teeth down hard enough for my lower fangs to dig into my top lip, drawing blood. My temples throbbed as the massive horns stretched, growing in height and casting an eerie shadow on the cave wall.
I was monstrous. And every full moon, the curse worsened, making my features even more horrifying. Making me become more of a savage beast.
Shuffling footsteps sounded nearby, and my predator senses homed in on the scent of a fae male coming my way. A growl built in my throat, until I recognized the smell. It was Clermont, my steward.
My claws dug deeper into the ground, a rumbling snarl escaping my lips.
Clermont panted when he reached the mouth of the cave. “My lord?”
“I thought I was clear I wasneverto be disturbed here,” I bit out.
“I understand, but… it’s the shadows. They’ve breached the lower towns.”
My head snapped up, my nostrils flaring as I scented that horribly familiar smell. The poisons had encroached on the city.
Another ripple of pain quivered up my body. I jerked, my form twitching as I released an echoing shout. My arms and legs stretched as if I could outrun the pain. I writhed on the ground, rocks digging into my bare skin. Mother of Shade, it was unbearable.
“Varius,” Clermont said, his voice laced with urgency. He rarely called me by my given name, which meant we were in far worse danger than I feared.
“I—I can’t—” I groaned. “The pain…” I broke off with a sharp gasp as my skin split further, and one wing curled outward. The toughened skin of the wing was a deep bloodred, just like the rest of me. Sharpened talons were at the tips of the wing, and I knew firsthand how deeply those could slice. “Clermont, I willslaughtermy people if I emerge like this.” It was taking all my effort not to lunge at him; I couldn’t fathom having to face a crowd of innocent fae.
The beast within me would destroy them all.
“I’m not saying you go to them,” Clermont said. “I’m saying it’s time to call on the Earthen Court.”
I stiffened, my arms shaking as I braced them on the ground. Bloodred rage coursed through me, and I was seized by the sudden need to tear skin and bone, to bury my claws into someone’s flesh. Violent nausea swelled within me, and I bit back a cry as I stifled the bloodlust, shoving it deep inside me.
But I knew it would resurface. It always did.
My shoulder-length black hair hung like a curtain in front of my face. But through the damp strands, I could make outClermont’s olive green skin and two sets of curled horns. His form was tall and lanky, with a small set of wings atop his shoulders.
“I am… in no condition… to visit the human royals,” I rasped, barely able to contain my rage. If Clermont didn’t leave the cave soon, I would rip him to shreds.
“Not you,” Clermont said. “Me.I can go in your place.”
“It isn’t proper to?—”
“To hell with propriety,” Clermont snapped. “Our people are under attack, and with the full moon, you cannot make the journey. We must do what is necessary, my lord.”
I let my head sink to the ground, succumbing to the chills trembling through my body. My wing curled around me, trying to provide warmth that would never come. Soon, the skin of my left shoulder blade would split wider, and my second wing would unfurl. This would continue well into the night.
“It’s… not good, is it?” I asked in a defeated voice.
Clermont had been here for far longer than I had. He had seen my father and grandfather die. Only he knew how severe my condition would become and how much longer I had left before the curse claimed me.
The kings from before had died from the curse. Some had succumbed to the injuries inflicted by the curse’s transformation. Others had become so wild and ferocious that they had to be killed before they slaughtered the entire kingdom.
I wondered which would be my fate.
“My time… is almost up,” I whispered. “Isn’t it?”
I heard Clermont swallow hard. His breathing turned ragged. After a moment, he said, “Yes. This was as far as your father got before the curse killed him.” His voice was solemn.
I closed my eyes, trying not to think of my father. Memories of him only reminded me of my shortcomings and the grievous ways I had failed my people, as Father had often told me.
And soon, I would be joining him in the After.
