Page 78 of Detonation
In the meeting, the newly escaped prisoners share what little they can about the castle layout and the inner workings of the castle and its hierarchy. Once they’ve said all they can, Grammie ushers them out of the room, giving Raven a stern gaze as she shuts the doors behind her.
Don’t fuck with Grammie.
A loud cough from behind startles me, drawing the attention of the other fae.
A short, lithe-looking man with purple hair speaks up, “Why are we doing this? Risking our lives for someone who’s failed us before, let our families be slaughtered and captured.” He walks to the front of the crowd, spewing his bullshit, “She isn’t worth the shirt off my fucking back.” When Leo growls, the man scoffs at him before moving on. “I’m not willing to risk my life for a spoiled brat that wants to play queen again.”
Murmurs begin as some nod along with his sentiments before Raven bursts into laughter, her amusement ringing out in the crowd. She draws the attention of them all as she strolls towards the fae man and gets directly in his face. “Really, Silas? You weren’t even worthy of dueling with her. She was so far out of your fucking league that you didn’t even have a chance. So, stop acting like a tough dude and go sit the fuck back down.”
Low laughter follows as Silas’s face turns a deep red before he raises his chin in defiance. “I don’t have to do what you say, Raven. No one here does.”
With that, he turns on his heel and walks out of the hall.
I see a few uneasy faces in the crowd, some looking like they want to follow his lead, and I swallow my fear of public speaking. Lana needs all the help that she can get.
Clearing my throat to get everyone’s attention, I go to the stand where they can all see me, treating the dining hall as my impromptu podium. My brothers look at me like I’ve lost my mind and maybe I have, but there’s nothing I won’t conquer for Lana.
Inhaling deeply, I blow out a deep breath before vomiting whatever comes to mind. “We understand your concerns. We understand your lack of faith in Oslana but your queen today is not Oslana. We’re not asking you to fight for Oslana. We’re asking you to rally forLana. You have no idea the beautifully strong person she’s become.”
Their faces contort in confusion and my palms grow sweaty at the weight of so many eyes on me.
Please don’t hate me for sharing this, Lana.
“Though she lived a life of luxury in her past life, in this life, she’s had anything but ease. As a baby, her birth parents were killed. She spent her years as a toddler in the home of a monster who assaulted her under the cover of the night, too much of a coward to take on someone his own size. Years passed before she was taken from that home and placed with the only maternal figure she remembers from this life, Beth, our foster mother.”
My eyes well up and I choke down a lump in my throat. “Beth raised us with love and kindness, teaching us of our strength when we thought we had none. The same night that we got a touch of our powers, we lost our mother to a tornado, powerless to do anything but watch her bleed out. Despite the pain, despite the grief, when Gaia appeared to Lana, giving her only snippets of a realm in turmoil that she had absolutely no recollection of, what did your queen do?”
Taking a moment, I glance into as many eyes as I can, trying to convey the depth and sincerity of my words.
“She picked up her bag and left the only world she’d known for a world she didn’t even remember. How many of us would step up to that task? How many of us would commit ourselves to saving a land we have no memory of? How many would take on the weight of the world on our shoulders to become the leader that the realms are yearning for? How many would forfeit their lives for a dungeon full of people they can’t even name?
“Do you think she sleeps easy at night, guilt free? Every day, she battles with her own mind, questioning why Gaia chose her. Why her? Why not me? Why not you? Though she doesn’t understand it, though she refuses to believe that she deserves to be your queen, she fights every day to be the best one she can be, to bring this world back from the brink of darkness.
“But between you and me? You’ll never find a more worthy queen. You wanted a queen and you got a phoenix. Even now as she takes on the dark fae kingdom alone, she will rise up from the pain tomorrow and start all over again. And that’s a promise that I will bet my life on.”
Raven discreetly wipes a tear away.
I finish, “She will never give up on you. All we ask is that you not give up on her either. Please.”
Noreen rises and walks forward, drawing the attention of the crowd as she approaches me. Goosebumps break out over my body as she bends to kneel on one knee. “She saved my life. I will never give up on her. You have my sword.”
Raven follows suit, kneeling and announcing her loyalty to Lana. Her brother and Sera quickly follow and they kneel, only four, in front of me for their queen.
For a moment, the room is quiet as the rest of the fae watch, weighing the odds of winning.
An elder fae stands from the crowd. Tucking her silver hair behind her ears, she drops to her knee where she stands “I choose to place my faith in the Goddess and her chosen.”
Slowly but surely, the fae in the room follow, dropping to a knee to show their allegiance. A heavy hand claps me on the back as Hale whispers in my ear. “Here I thought I was the leader but you just did a damn fine job leading our people.”
As Raven stands, the rest soon follow, and we get down to business, using the information that we’ve obtained to form a plan.
I grin as hope spreads through me.
We’re coming for you, Lana. And we’re not leaving without Ash.
Chapter Twenty-Six
Lana
