Mercury Mountain
Prologue: Wicked Games
Frozen breath twisted in the air as I grasped at the iceball. My thumb running in figure eights around the image of a sleeping young lady for the first time. She bared a grin as she slept, flames trickling out from her skin, yet burning nothing. Her teeth whiter than the mountains snow, and lips -- a deeper, and darker red then the sunset’s truest reds -- seemed to be mouthing words in her daze. Her hair clashed marvelously in the lightest of whites he’d ever thought possible. Staring into the mirage the truth was obvious and yet totally impossible.
“This is it? That’s her?” I whispered under my own breath and flicking my gaze across the small gathering. They stood along all sides of the glowing crystal ball, staring intently at an image as large as a melon. Slowly, however, their eyes trickled northward and landed on my own.
“Can you deal with this?” Byrion, the elfish lord, spoke hesitantly to Weston. His head cocked to the side, as his eyes flitted between the girl and merman.
“That’s why you left her,” I shrugged, a settle smirking growing on his face with the force of recognition. His eyes softened, and hung on the girl’s un-burnt body.
“I didn’t take the human queen for a whore,” Tarius, the Fae King, snorted, and his escorts barked out coarse laughs, “good thing y’ur takin’ her Weston, that girls a mutt by Fae standards,” he continued turning his laughter towards me.
Byrion snorted, “Tarius wouldn’t know a beautiful woman if she blew his wee thing in front of his whole damn ballroom,” only the elves dared to chuckle.
“I thought you left her because you’re inept,” I sneered turning on Tarius, the tension in the room because visibly heavier as he tried to match my stare, but I was stuck on the image of the burning girl.
“Just don’t fuck it up,” Tarius replied turning on his heel and storming off from the gathered group.
There was some more buzz around the circle. Whisper’s about the princess, about dragons, about giants, and about their human wives, but it was all lost in the sea of flames that leapt from her skin and yet burnt nothing.
Her bed sheets that shielded her small, but robust frame, canopy, and nightgown: it all sat in normality. And when her eyes flew open and landed on mine I watched as the ethereal purple blended back to the sharpest of greys.
“This is it? That’s her?” I whispered under my own breath and flicking my gaze across the small gathering. They stood along all sides of the glowing crystal ball, staring intently at an image as large as a melon. Slowly, however, their eyes trickled northward and landed on my own.
“Can you deal with this?” Byrion, the elfish lord, spoke hesitantly to Weston. His head cocked to the side, as his eyes flitted between the girl and merman.
“That’s why you left her,” I shrugged, a settle smirking growing on his face with the force of recognition. His eyes softened, and hung on the girl’s un-burnt body.
“I didn’t take the human queen for a whore,” Tarius, the Fae King, snorted, and his escorts barked out coarse laughs, “good thing y’ur takin’ her Weston, that girls a mutt by Fae standards,” he continued turning his laughter towards me.
Byrion snorted, “Tarius wouldn’t know a beautiful woman if she blew his wee thing in front of his whole damn ballroom,” only the elves dared to chuckle.
“I thought you left her because you’re inept,” I sneered turning on Tarius, the tension in the room because visibly heavier as he tried to match my stare, but I was stuck on the image of the burning girl.
“Just don’t fuck it up,” Tarius replied turning on his heel and storming off from the gathered group.
There was some more buzz around the circle. Whisper’s about the princess, about dragons, about giants, and about their human wives, but it was all lost in the sea of flames that leapt from her skin and yet burnt nothing.
Her bed sheets that shielded her small, but robust frame, canopy, and nightgown: it all sat in normality. And when her eyes flew open and landed on mine I watched as the ethereal purple blended back to the sharpest of greys.