Page 76 of Queen of Thorns
“In some ways, yes. In others, no. I believe in the Shadow Court, and I fully intend to show the ruling courts how powerful we can be. But I don’t intend to use violence to do it.”
“You are no Shadowspell.” Luscious spits at my boots. “Your ancestor, were he here, would shun you. Punish you.”
A few people in the crowd chuckle. “I’d pay to see that,” someone says under their breath.
I narrow my eyes as I turn to face the male at my feet. He said ‘ancestor.’ Singular. And they did mention wraiths before. “Which ancestor?” I ask calmly. “Is that the wraith you spoke of?”
Luscious curls a lip. “The wraith is Darren Shadowspell, your last great ancestor. And he would have been disgusted to see you as his heir.”
A soft sort of joy swells in my chest, but also rabid amusement.
I snort at first, but it rises into a true laugh, full and throaty. “You knew him,” I finally get out. “You knew Darren in wraith form?”
Luscious frowns. It makes sense. I knew Darren was working with the Whisperwood Queen before the trials. And he would so be the type to participate in rebellion.
I remember his words when he first approached me in the human world to convince me to enter the trials.There are those in our court who consider you a hero.
I peer down at the pathetic male at my feet. Darren was terrible in some ways too. He would doom the whole world to save his court, but in the end, he found affection and empathy. Perhaps these fae could too.
“We really should have had this conversation over drinks, Luscious. It would have been so much more enjoyable.”
“What are you talking about?”
I rock back on my heels casually. “You must not have seen your wraith for weeks, now, huh? At least three.”
The female frowns. “Do you know what became of him?”
“Didn’t he help the Crystal Court sacking?” someone asks from the back of the room.
My eyebrows rise. “No. But that explains a few things. Darren had nothing to do with the wraith attack on the Crystal Court. Your wraith friend was gone by then, and he will not be back.”
The female frowns. “He is dead?”
“No, but he is gone from this world all the same.”
No one speaks for a long beat.
“What are you talking about?” Luscious asks, finally rising to his feet and dusting the dirt from his slacks.
“Darren guided me through the Schorchedlands, all the while attempting to convince me to turn back and abandon the spell book and Rev. But we grew close in those final days, and he finally agreed to be a true ally to me. He saved Rev, the fae you spoke of killing, even though he believed it would end his legacy for good. He found his redemption in the end when he chose love over his revenge, over the power in his beloved court.”
Luscious and the female exchange glances, but I don’t particularly care what they’re trying to communicate.
“I will follow his legacy as I understand it, not as you do. I loved him. And believe me, I would give anything to have him guiding me through this too. I fully intend to fulfill his legacy—not by punishing the ruling courts but by killing the beings that put us in this situation to begin with. I am not happy with how our court has been treated over the years. There are certainly some in the ruling courts that are guilty of wrong doings, but so long as those courts are willing to reverse course and stop oppressing us, I don’t need revenge. Not on other fae.”
“On who then?” the female asks, eyes narrowed, considering.
“The being that trapped me as an adolescent and tried to trick me into slavery. I would have been his true puppet if I had followed his plans. If I had been foolish enough to trust him. When I killed Reahgan, it was not out of anger against the High Courts. It was to save myself from that fate.”
“The Night Bringer,” the female standing says in a whisper.
I nod. “And I have spent every moment since,” I speak now through clenched teeth, “trying to get free from that monster. That is what I work toward now. I’m going to kill the Night Bringer.”
