Page 76 of Wrath of the Fae Queen
“Well, he did!” Titania replies. “He—whatever his name is—he gave me a different list of names to approve. I want Senators Ivy and Flint back, and whoever the hell else those demons swallowed into their darkness.”
There is a long pause before Florian speaks again. “I will have Senator Rowan executed for this little mess he clearly designed as a power grab for himself. Forget Ivy and Flint. They are already dead. Those Nightmares ripped them to pieces as their shadows consumed them.”
I shudder at the violence in his voice. Rowan was a man Drake only suffered to live after his arrival at the palace to use in a ploy like this. Anyone who fought alongside Florian in that war committed so many horrendous crimes that they earned immediate execution. Aldrin put a bounty on his head decades ago.
“There is no point in arguing over the details tonight. Tomorrow, we will do damage control,” Florian growls, his usual cloud of furious energy penetrating his voice. “High Chancellor, allow me to personally escort you to your chambers. We do not know if all of the Nightmares have been removed from the palace.”
“I do not need you. I have an entire guard outside that door waiting for me.”
“Then one more warrior cannot hurt,” Florian pushes.Drake knows I am in here, and is trying to clear the space for me.
Footsteps ring out over floorboards, decreasing in volume as they move away, then the hinges of the door squeal as it opens,but doesn’t close. Heartbeats pass and not another sound is made.
I frown, desperately trying to understand what is going on.
“Are you coming, Torin?” Florian calls out.
“Clearly he’d prefer to stand there and stare at a wall,” Titania laughs.
My heart skips a beat as my blood freezes.
“Does this wall not look like it has been disturbed to you?” Torin says, so incredibly close to me. He is examining my entry point into the vault. Maybe the Wisteria of Mythanar didn’t have enough time to repair it completely. “There is mortar dust on the ground.”
“Well, have a word with the fucking maid if you are so concerned with the cleanliness of my study, Torin, but I frankly don’t care,” Titania spits. “The vault is impenetrable, as are the door and walls around it, so no, it has not been disturbed in any way that matters.”
Fast footfalls move across the room and Torin’s grumbling voice recedes.
“Get some sleep, Torin. You’ve clearly been hit in the head too many times tonight,” Florian rumbles at him, before slamming the study door shut.
I let out a shuddering breath and wait while the lock clicks into place. I remain within the vault for a long time to ensure they are all gone before I creep out with my prize. When the wall closes up behind me, I make sure I remove the dust left behind with a gust of air magic.
I only need to make it back through half the palace without the map or journal being discovered on my person. Through corridors that might be teeming with guards.
One by one, the Assassins of Belladonna transport the members of Titania’s innermost circle into the large, empty warehouse. I watch from my hidden position as their number grows. As more Nightmares lurk in the shadows all around them, converging on them like the predators they are. The lords, ladies and senators are splattered with cattle blood and cower together instead of trying to fight. Powerful jaws snap at them and clawed feet click on the ground as they are encircled.
“Charge!” I bellow, lifting my sword as a cue to my warriors.
We race out of the dark corridor, roaring battle cries. Magic swirls around us in a display that distorts the air in ripples as we form wields that toss beasts aside. Within a matter of heartbeats, our swords clash with those of the assassins and Nightmares alike, metal grinding against metal, blows pulled to ensure the other party isn’t truly hurt.
The condemned senators stare at my Spring force as though we are their saviors. They don’t know this entire assault has been staged so I can capture them. I need them to believe Titania wishes them dead.
I shoot a blast of air into Ada’s leathery black chest as she descends on a senator cowering on the floor. She whips out her wings to catch herself before slamming into a wall. An assassin with blades at the ends of each of his six arms races at me, and I am forced to pull a second sword from my back in a show to block the overhead attacks. We clash over the top of a senator frozen on the ground.
“Run, Flint. Get out of here,” I grunt at Titania’s man.
“Aldrin? You are alive?” He shakes his head violently. “Where would I go? She will find me anywhere and kill me. That is clearly her intent.”
“Like she apparently killed me?” I growl, kicking the Nightmare in the chest. My assault throws him off balance. I restrain him in the thick bands of vines hanging from the ceiling that the workers of this warehouse infuse with earth magic to create a system of pulleys for moving bulky items. The assassin stays in his cocoon, despite the fact that we both know he could easily break free.
“Pledge your loyalty to me, and I will protect you. Titania cannot touch me.” I stand over Flint, holding out a hand. He takes it, scurrying to his feet.
I pull him behind my back as Nico’s damned dread hound of spiked obsidian snaps at Flint’s neck, drool dripping from its massive fangs and its eyes glowing with violet light. I never trust that these dark beasts will stick to their training without the intelligence of the low fae Nightmares like Ada and Dante. I slam the flat of my sword into the side of its head, breaking one of its many black glass spikes, before sending down more vines to encapsulate it.
In that exact moment, Nico materializes through thick shadows with another of our targets in his grasp. His head whips to Fluffy in time to witness the tiny piece of obsidian fall fromhim. The lights that glow within Nico’s empty sockets flare with rage and he points a single long claw at me accusingly.
Fuck. I’ve pissed him off again.
Flint is crying and begging at my back, scratching uselessly at the panels of my armor. By the gods—this man is powerful in earth magic; he just never bothered to train in it. I have never expected all my people to be battle-trained, even the lords, but they need to give back to this realm in one way or another. A soft man like Flint should do it by replenishing the magic of the land and low fae, not keeping it all for himself.
