Page 59 of Wrath of the Fae Queen
The journey through shadows takes far too long.
Every inch of my being is desperate to reach our destination.
We land in the heart of the Spring Court with a loud thud as dozens of boots strike worn floorboards and send up a plume of dust. The shadows recede swiftly around us, but not completely, hugging the corners of the already dim space. We are in the center of an abandoned tavern. It has become the baseof operations for my most loyal people since they arrived in the City of Vertical Gardens.
Cyprien stands alone at the far end of the room, peering through cracks in a boarded-up window, but swings around violently at our intrusion. The beads in his many war braids clink as they fly out behind him, despite being tied high in a leather strap. The shaved sides of his head have new runes tattooed onto them. He almost drops the tall, narrow glass of rakisi in his hand. Some of the cloudy white spirit slops over the side as he takes in the horde before him, eyes widening.
The Assassins of Belladonna are an unsettling sight, especially for those of us who have had the misfortune of fighting them. All wear deep indigo robes that billow around them on a phantom breeze, exposing metal greaves and bracers beneath. Many have their hoods drawn up and fabric masks covering the bottom halves of their faces. Niko’s set of huge, branching antlers is on full display, along with his clawed hands, and Ada’s leathery wings bracket her body.
I have witnessed Cyprien charge at the front line of an enemy army, roaring and swinging his sword, during battles where the odds were against us, but right now he is frozen in place and barely seems to breathe. His glass drops to the ground and shatters. Then he draws the sword from his back in a swift motion, his lips peeling back from his teeth in an animalistic snarl.
I push my way through the crowd and throw my arms out wide. “Did you forget I was coming, brother?”
His eyes narrow on me. “I did not forget.” He sheathes his sword, then he is upon me, holding me by the shoulders at arm’s length, inspecting every inch of me for grievous wounds.
“It’s okay,” I half whisper as his wild eyes meet mine. “I am okay.”
“You spent weeks with the realm’s most deadly killers who were hired to destroy you.” His fingers dig deeper into my shoulders, failing to hide the way they shake. “You endured trial after trial while they attempted to kill you.”
I squeeze his arm.“And now they work with us.”
All of a sudden, Cyprien pulls me into an embrace so tight I swear my ribs creak. “Fuck, Aldrin. You’re going to put me in an early grave with your antics. I wanted to be at your side when you faced the trials.”
I slap his back. “I needed you here, watching over Keira and preparing the city for us.”
He pulls away and wipes tears from the corners of his eyes. “It took far too long to get Drake on the inside, and he only revealed himself to her a few days ago.”
“I know.” It is how I have been communicating with Cyprien, through Keira and Drake. “You did your best. Now, let’s introduce you to our new allies and replace that drink of yours.” I slap him on the back hard enough to make him stagger.
Cyprien straightens immediately, as though he forgot about our guests.
“Allow me to introduce you to Belladonna and Valentine, the Mistress and Master of the Assassins of Belladonna,” I say as both leaders of the guild tip their heads toward him. They cast an extremely unfriendly image, shadows still billowing around them. “This is Cyprien, the Commander of my Armed Forces.”
Cyprien stares at them with simmering accusation. “Mm-hmm.”
“Commander of your Armed Forces?” Valentine repeats, his gaze stony. “And what exactly happened to those troops? Because as far as I was aware, Aldrin, you came to us because you don’t have an army.”
“He doesn’t have control of the armyyet,” Cyprien snaps. “Give me time, and I will muster our soldiers for him. He won’t even have to die for it.”
I cringe. How did he discover that little detail?
“And how much time will that take, exactly?” Belladonna raises a coy eyebrow.
“We can get into the specifics of it later,” I grumble, scowling at all three. “Right now we have an army of assassins to house, and I need to set foot into my city to see my enemy’s handiwork for myself.”
Assassins mill around us, waiting and murmuring. Bodies stumble as they are pushed out of the way, then Dante materializes from the crowd. He walks straight up to my oldest friend with a huge grin on his face, which is at complete contrast with the curling horns and the indigo runes inked all over his skin, and holds out an arm for him to shake.
“Cyprien, right?” Dante says. “Any friend of Aldrin’s is a friend of mine.”
Cyprien looks at his hand, then his face, eyes narrowing further. “Aren’t you the one who poisoned him regularly and set up trials designed to kill him?”
I am going to kill Drake. He has clearly been using his abilities to spy on me. It was Keira’s idea to keep my people in the dark about my harshest treatments until I returned to them.
“That would be me. It is our way.” Dante shrugs. “I am also the man who trained him and made sure he had the skills and knowledge to survive each battle. Would you like to know what Aldrin looks like fighting imaginary Cú Sídhe while high on hallucinogens? I can tell you all sorts of stories from when he was drugged out of his mind.” Dante forcibly takes Cyprien’s hand and shakes it.
My brother-in-law’s expression softens and he presses his lips together to hide a smirk, eyes sliding to me. “I think I will take him up on that offer.”
“Great. Bond over mocking me.” My tone drips with sarcasm.
