Page 16 of Wrath of the Fae Queen
“Come see the land’s corruption that your reign of ignorance causes!”
“It is you who kills our babies. You who makes us suffer from the agonizing rot.”
“Show yourself! Show your face.”
“Come see. Open your eyes. All of you, open your eyes before we all fall.”
“The end is nigh! Death looms over us!”
Those voices and their words continue, overlapping and haunting. I press my hands over my ears, but still they pierce me to my soul. My guards become restless, scanning in all directions for an attack, but neither the nymphs nor their trees assault us. It is the oddest sight, considering my cage stands in the heart of the battle, with clashes all around us.
They know that I am Aldrin’s mate and queen.
Florian resolves out of the chaos. His blood-red eyes flash and his features twist when he sees the ring of soldiers around me. Titania’s general cuts an imposing figure, taller and broader than the other hardened warriors, practically vibrating with barely restrained violence.
He stalks straight for us, bloody sword pointed at Jasper. “You should be fighting for your High Chancellor, not protecting this pathetic human girl.”
“Keira is a highly valuableguestof the Spring Court,” Jasper snaps back.
“Avaluable guest?” Florian pushes Jasper against the bars of the cage with a hand around his throat, making the entire litter rattle.
The man is rotten through. I could burn him alive with my fire. Stab him with hundreds of spikes of air. Or lean forward and touch him, corroding his very life force to nothing but decay with my Autumn earth magic. I bet I would save this realm a lot of heartache if I did. Perhaps I could make it look like it was Jasper’s doing. But if the two men are touching, I cannot guarantee my wields will not hurt them both.
Florian leans in close to Jasper’s ear, but I can still hear him over the top of the nymphs’ wails. “Is your allegiance faltering, Jasper? Decided you prefer Aldrin as king and will suck up to his woman to get back into his favor?”
Jasper shoves Florian hard enough that he staggers backward. “I have done enough for our High Chancellor to be irredeemable in Aldrin’s eyes. Never,never, question my loyalty when we both know heads would roll if we lost this prize to Aldrin’s followers—or worse, to the exiled king himself.”
Florian throws his head back and laughs. The sound raises bile in my throat, because there is no mirth in it. “Do you think this is an attack by Aldrin to get his little mate back? He cannot break the bargain, and besides, he would be swarmed by assassins the moment he entered this realm. No, this is personal. These nymphs want Titania’s blood.”
Jasper pokes a finger in his chest. “What’s wrong, Florian? Are you afraid of a few forest nymphs? I thought you were a brave warrior, highly decorated from the Winter Wars. Or do you prefer your victims to be helpless and unable to fight back? Untrained women and children, perhaps?”
Jasper pushes him again, hard, right into the path of a swinging tree root. The woody appendage wraps around Florian’s middle, ripping him backward through the air. Iwitness a moment of panic on the fae general’s face before he disappears completely into the gloom of the forest.
Almost as quickly as they came on, the nymphs disappear into the night. Their shrieking falls silent, along with the howling wind, and the trees become still. An eerie peace descends on the site, where even the high fae are too shocked at the sudden change to move.
I find myself shaking from built-up adrenaline, with no one to fight.
Jasper gives me a quick nod, then he and his people dissolve into the fray, helping the injured scattered across the mossy ground and those who stagger back from the inky depths of the woods, still bleeding.
The soldiers make quick work of packing up the camp, including Titania’s pavilion. I watch as she races frantically from the structure, straight to her litter, pulling the curtains tightly around herself and hiding once more. A ring of guards surrounds it, swords drawn and eyes scanning for signs of a second attack.
Torin alone represents his family, barking aggressive orders at the soldiers and yelling in their faces. He strides up to his mother’s litter and parts the curtains slightly, speaking to her. I strain my ears to listen, but their murmurs are only an echo to me. Biting my lip, I create a subtle air wield to collect those words and bring them back to me.
“Asha is dead, and we have a few soldiers too injured to travel without being healed first, which is currently happening,” Torin says. “But our damage from this attack is surprisingly low. I believe they were sending a message, but weren’t trying to kill us.”
“I don’t care what their intentions were, Torin!” Titania’s shrill voice hits me and I cringe. “An attack on their High Chancellor is still treason! Punishable by death!”
Torin looks around nervously. “Perhaps we can discuss that after we leave their territory and set up camp somewhere else?” He pauses. “Both Florian and Rainier are unaccounted for. Shall I send out guards to search for them?”
“Leave them. They are replaceable,” she snaps, and my heart sinks. “Get me out of this grove immediately.”
Torin flinches, but he merely nods and closes the curtains. As he looks away, his gaze meets mine, narrowing with suspicion once more. I hold his eye. I will not cower or back down to the likes of him.
A crash at the treeline is the only thing that tears our eyes apart.
Rainier appears, supporting Florian, who staggers and almost loses his footing. He has a head wound dripping blood and seems somewhat dazed. I’m surprised Rainier didn’t leave such a man to his fate in the forest, but I truly don’t know a thing about Drake’s son. I am finding it harder and harder to work out which side he is on, or if he has motivations of his own.
Potent relief cascades over Torin’s face as he races to both men, calling over healers to help them. One thing I have learned about the fae of the Spring Court is that they all have healing abilities to one degree or another, but there are some like Klara who truly excel at it.
