Page 10 of Wrath of the Fae

‘Orders?’ Wolf calls up to me. ‘We killing anyone or what, My Queen?’

Her confusion is apparent. The great General Wolf asking for orders? Who does he answer to?

Part of me wants to strike them both down. The fools led soldiers straight to us. But I know that’s not why bitterness flows through my veins.

It’s their marks. Their love and loyalty to one another.

Jealousy. How pathetic of me.

‘Well?’ Lucca encourages. ‘What do you want to do…My Queen?’ He teases the name and offers me a curtsey, lifting invisible skirts as he does.

‘Don’t you bloody start, Lucca,’ I warn, knowing he’s fully aware of how much I hate being called that. ‘We’ve got two more refugees to take to camp,’ I call down to Wolf, shoving that vile envy deep down. ‘And a couple of First Kingdom soldiers that will need a thorough interrogation,’ I add.

‘And it’s not even my birthday,’ Wolf chortles. I peer over the edge, and his eyes widen. ‘My Lady, you know you’re as naked as a new born babe?’

‘She knows,’ Lucca calls back. ‘She’s fine with it.’

‘Okay then,’ Wolf sighs in exasperation. I’m naked. A queen should not be naked, and he’s determined to make me the queen they all want me to be. ‘Let’s check the area. Make sure there are no other fuckers lurking out of sight. And avert your eyes when looking in her direction!’ Wolf orders. ‘You look at her arse, the next thing you’ll see is my hammer in your face!’

The soldiers turn their focus to the skies or the trees as they follow his orders and spread out to search the area.

My wings stretch out. Jakob looks at them, scanning them hard as he realises just how different they are.

‘Who…Whatare you?’ he whispers.

‘Death,’ I reply. ‘Now. Tell me everything you know about the Kingdoms. Weaknesses. Strengths. Tell me what you know of the King and the First Kingdom.’ I lean in close, almost nose to nose. My eyes shimmer as he swallows. ‘And tell me everything you know of the King’s son, Elias Reid. His friend, Cyrus. Tell me about their wives. El and Rhea. Lie once… you die.’

Pulling on Lucca’s long coat, I return to camp with him at my side. Behind us, Wolf and his men drag the surviving soldiers across the dirt by their ankles. Their arms trail behind them as we pass the others, and no care is taken or given to protect them from rocks or logs.

Fires are cooking stew or roasting meat. Canvas tents are held up with sticks and rope. Hundreds of lost souls, all gathered here in the dark lands between the Kingdoms. Dangerous lands. Ancient creatures own these forests, lakes, mountains and passes. The Fae may hold their thirteen territories, but the land is far from safe between them.

The trees groan as if speaking to one another. Untouched ground for hundreds if not thousands of years now play host to the fleeing Fae gathered here. I sometimes wonder if the trees are speaking to one another. If their groans and creaks are them discussing the strange creatures taking shelter in their dense woodlands.

No one dares chop down a tree or steal a branch for the fires that warm and light our camp. They only take what is given. Each day, we collect the fallen twigs and scoop up the discarded branches on the ground, thanking the ancient forests for their gifts every time. Lucca said that in the early days of his gathering outcasts, a man took an axe to the base of an old oak. The ground shook, and the canopy closed in as if preparing to attack. The ground stopped trembling and the canopy cleared only when the axe was lowered.

This land is wild and far from any roads that lead from Kingdom to Kingdom.

Men. Women. Children. Some winged. Some not. Some trained to fight. Some to grow crops. Some were trained to teach, and some were born to a life of privilege. All classes and ranks have been stolen from them. Stripped away or eradicated.

Or abandoned in the hope of freedom and safety from those who now rule over the Thirteen Kingdoms.

As I pass, they give a slight bow. I glance over my shoulder. Wolf is watching my back closely and nods as our eyes meet. His long hair is plaited loosely down his back. He has never cut his hair as he believes it bad luck. That goes for his beard, too, which is tucked into his belt. His pointed Fae ears are plated in silver, as are all his warriors. A tradition for those who trained on the floating Kingdom.

Wolf is far older than the others if not all of the Fae here. Except for the Elder woman, who looks ancient by any standard.

We all age slower than humans, so a girl that looks in her mid-twenties could easily be a few hundred years old. Wolf was old when he served my mother. He has a rugged handsomeness about him. But unlike his warriors, who sided with him and us when the King took power, he doesn’t have wings.

The King took them. Apparently, he has them above my mother’s throne, along with hundreds of other wings and a garland of Fae ears.

Wolf told me they were torn from his back in a grand spectacle outside the palace after he refused to order his warriors to bend the knee.

‘Want them in the cave?’ Wolf asks me, gesturing to the limp bodies trailing in the dirt behind him.

I nod and carry on to my tent as they divert left towards the caves at the far side of the camp. Lucca walks at my side every step of the way. We pass a group of three young men surrounding a bubbling pot. They hand two bowls of stew to Lucca as we pass. One, he places in my hand before warning me that it’s hot. Those we pass watch me intently as I walk, and I feel their stares long after I’ve left them behind.

From the depths of the camp, someone rushes forwards. She pushes anyone in her way aside and keeps her eyes firmly on me. She plants her feet down with a stomp, slams her hands on her hips and blocks our path.

‘What happened?’ Tessa demands, looking between Lucca, me and the distant figures of Wolf and his men heading towards the caves. ‘Are they First Kingdom soldiers? Have we been discovered?’

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