Page 90 of Amidst the Insidious Courts
“Kaia Alstone.”
A ghostly figure of a banshee female staggers to life beside me. She’s wearing armour from another time, and her head is shaved bald. A hundred piercings decorate her brows and ears, the glints matching the giant greataxe trailing along the ground behind her. The arena, which was silent before, erupts with whispers as they see my magic in action for the first time.
Well, the secret is out now. No going back.
Aiyana looks like she’s been struck, but she can’t look away. Tears stream freely from the corners of her eyes, and Neila’s answering grimace tells me everything I need to know.
The spring queen chose to torment my Guard emotionally. Now Danu is simply returning the favour.
Kaia offers me a bow.
“Ky—” Aiyana catches herself; the fae dislike for saying the names of the dead catching her tongue. “No. You…”
“What is your will, Nicnevin?” the ghost rasps.
My will? I want to make Aiyana fight this ghost, to force her to battle her fears and trauma in the same way she forced Jaro to battle his. To let her die at the hands of her mate, as she should have so many centuries ago. But that will create a mess we can’t afford right now.
Danu’s rage softens, just the barest fraction. My logic is finally breaking through to her.
“Compromise,” Titania whispers. “Re-breaking a bone to heal it is more painful than the original wound.”
Danu’s approval radiates through me at the suggestion. “Tell your mate why you tried to kill her.”
The banshee’s expression turns thunderous, but I control her. She has no choice but to comply, and even in death, fae cannot lie.
The banshee turns to face the queen, eyes softening. “When I was young, I gave my name away to the queen of summer in exchange for her permission to create my minor court. Queen Lark never used it against me… until her spies discovered I was your mate.”
Aiyana’s eyes widen, tears falling free. “She made you do it.”
“She was furious that you hadn’t backed her objection to supporting Nicnevin Maeve during the third war. It was her hope that, if I killed you, your replacement would be too busy cementing their reign to support the northern courts when the Fomorians returned. If I failed, it didn’t matter, as I was bound by her orders never to divulge anything.”
And such a command could only be broken by death.
“The Fomorians never returned,” Neila murmurs hesitantly. “Until recently, when Aiyana refused to send aid to Elfhame.”
Kaia’s shoulders slump. “Then Queen Lark was successful, in her own way. I am sorry, Nicnevin. My mate’s actions shame her court.”
The banshee may as well have slapped the spring queen in the face, and Danu’s satisfaction washes over me. Perhaps to some, it might seem that Aiyana has tortured two of our mates and been rewarded with a final visit from her lost love. They’d be wrong.
Aiyana ordered the execution of the only mate Danu will ever give her. She’ll have to carry the guilt of that for the rest of her days and live with the knowledge that she will never have a chance at that perfect bond again.
It’s a battle to release my power and allow Kaia’s image to fade, channelling the excess to my Guard. Following the steps Titania taught me was easy before, but with Danu still actively invested in the outcome of this encounter, it feels almost impossible.
“No, I—” Aiyana cuts off as the vision of her lost mate wavers and then fades. “I… didn’t have a chance to say goodbye. To seek forgiveness…”
“You ordered her death. You have to live with that.” I turn away. “Ambassador Neila, don’t you have a city to retake in my name?”
The selkie’s reply is stiff but swift. “As you wish, my Nicnevin.” A pause. “With Queen Aiyana’s permission, I’ll take the Hellebore Knights who weren’t exiled with me. And together we’ll await the full force of the Spring Court for the counteroffensive.”
“Good. Now get out of my sight before the Goddess changes her mind.” At the mention of her title, Danu prods at my consciousness one last time. “Oh, ambassador?”
Neila stiffens. “Yes, Nicnevin?”
“We admire your loyalty, but perhaps it would be better directed toward your own mate in Illidwen?”
Aiyana flinches like she’s been struck, and Neila offers a stunned little bow. What happens next is up to them, but Danu and I are in agreement. The selkie is far too good for the petty queen.
Twenty-Seven
