by Sofia Daniel
Fae Games
Royal Fae Academy Book Two
Sofia Daniel
Contents
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
From Sofia Daniel
Chapter 1
I stared down at the chamomile lawn. At the flowers that reflected silver moonlight. At the pyre stones arranged in a diamond that still glowed with power. Power that had condemned Helen to the deepest depths of Dubnos.
To the Dark Fae Prison.
“Get Helen out.” I raised my head, turning pleading eyes to King Oberon and Queen Titania on their diamond thrones. “Helen hasn’t done anything wrong.”
“What is the meaning of this?” Queen Titania rose, her silvery dress glittering like stars. The faerie’s pale eyes bulged with fury, and lightning crackled from her fingertips.
I sucked in a deep breath and turned left to Ladies Gala, Aster, Salix, and Gazania, whose smug expressions morphed into fear. The Fated huddled together, looking as though they hadn’t considered the consequences of disobeying orders to have me thrown into prison.
“What did you do?” Queen Titania screeched.
A sheet of lightning flashed in the sky. Behind us, something exploded, raining dust down on our heads. I twisted around. Back in the stone garden, the eight-foot-tall statue of the one-eyed ogre lost its head.
On my right, Mistress Ellyllon coughed but remained silent about the destruction of her campus. I couldn’t blame the headmistress. Queen Titania looked ready to fry someone, and I ached for her to turn the lightning on those sniveling wretches.
“Speak,” said King Oberon, his voice as heavy as stone.
Lady Gala stumbled forward. I guessed one of the observers, Prince Rory most probably, used their magic to make her move. The faerie’s horror-stricken face smoothed into regal neutrality, and she flipped back her platinum hair.
Curtsying low, she said, “Your Majesty…”
I clenched my teeth, holding back a snarl. Every instinct in my body wanted to claw out her eyes and bring her ugliness to the surface.
Lady Gala flared her platinum wings, which glowed white around the edges. “As you can see, I’m the fated mate of Prince Rory. Unity Quayle and Helen of Medietas were threatening the natural order of things, and I acted rashly if not justly.”
“Why did you send Helen to the Dark Fae Prison?” I clapped a hand on my chest. “You were supposed to send me! It’s because she told the truth about you.”
“Shut up,” Lady Aster snapped from behind her.
Fury powered my words, and I clenched my fists, ready for a fight. They could strike me down, but I wouldn’t stand back and let an innocent girl get punished.
“Everything Helen said was right,” I snarled. “You killed a unicorn, opened up a portal to Dubnos, then sacrificed Helen’s magic to scam the princes. That’s why you sent her away!”
Lady Gala folded her arms across her chest and snorted. “What would a halfling know?”
“You shouldn’t believe every lie you hear, Unity,” said Lady Aster. “That’s how you ended up naked, kneeling before the whole school, flapping your sloppy, wet nether wings!”
The intake of sharp breaths all round filled the air. The king and queen’s eyes bulged, their beautiful faces twisted in masks of horror.
Shame crawled against my skin like a million centipedes, and my insides shriveled with a mix of horror and humiliation. My lips parted, and a rush of adrenaline urged me to tell the king and queen that it hadn’t been like that. I hadn’t acted like a lurid porn star. It had been a trick, but the words stuck in my throat.
“Enough!” The king slammed his fist down on the armrest of his throne. “Everybody must focus on the matter at hand.”
Queen Titania sat and smoothed down her dress.
Everyone turned to the king and inclined their heads, and my body collapsed with relief.
King Oberon cleared his throat. “I summon the Dukes of Nevermore, Southane, Westerling, Easterly, and Medietas.”
In the blink of an eye, a group of male and female faeries appeared on the chamomile lawn. They were all well-dressed and composed, which made me wonder if the king usually made them pop in to see him.
“Your Majesty,” said the smooth voice of a male with the same shade of platinum hair as Lady Gala.
The delicate female at his side shared the pretty features of my nemesis. They had to be the Duke and Duchess of Nevermore.
Next to them stood two well-built faeries dressed in burgundy silk, who appeared to be related. The female had Lady Aster’s amber eyes and curvaceous figure, and from the male’s crimson hair, I guessed he was the Duke of Westerling.
I gave the other pair a cursory glance. The Duke of Easterly had the same green hair as Lady Salix, and his taller mate looked as willowy as her daughter. The Duke of Southane’s skin was nearly as pale as Prince Caulden’s with hair the color of flames, and her mother’s mahogany skin was a darker shade than Lady Gazania’s.
“Your Majesty.” The fifth duke wore the white uniform with a flat cap embroidered in gold. Gold piping decorated his uniform along with an array of medals on his lapel. He took off his cap and bowed low. “How may I be of service?”
My brows drew together. He was the only male without a mate. Helen had mentioned that her father was the leader of the king’s guard, but she hadn’t mentioned not having a mother.
“Arrest those girls for disobedience.” Queen Titania pointed at the Fated.
Each girl clasped their hand to their chests and turned pitiful gazes at their parents.
“Sire?” Helen’s father frowned at the king.
“Your daughter made a serious accusation.” King Oberon stood. The faerie had a similar broad six-foot-four frame as his sons, with a well-muscled physique under a tailored burgundy jacket and tight breeches.
Despite the severity of the situation, my eyes lingered on the thick organ bulging through the thin fabric.
The king walked around the crowd of newcomers to where the Fated huddled together like cornered rats.
The Duke of Medietas glanced around, presumably for signs of Helen, but quickly turned his gaze back to the king. “What did she say?”
“Did you know Helenium lost her powers the day before fate marked these girls as my sons’ mates?” asked the king.
I sucked in a shaky breath. This was all very well, the investigation against how the girls stole Helen’s magic, but my friend was a light faerie with no power in an institution filled with monsters deemed too dangerous and wicked to occupy even the deepest level of the mound. They could have ripped her apart by now.
A burst of panic urged me to speak. “Those four threw Helen into the Dark Fae Prison. She’s innocent, vulnerable, and needs to get out.”
“Silence,” hissed Queen Titania as forks of lightning filled the sky.
Fear rippled through my gut, turning my blood cold. I wrapped both hands around my quivering torso and said, “Please. I know I’m speaking out of turn, but we have to rescue Helen.”
“She’s right.” Prince Caulden stepped forward from my right, where he and his brothers had remained silent since the Fated had banished Helen instead of me. “Helenium was our friend. We can’t leave her to suffer in Dubnos.”
Prince Rory nodded. I was guessing whatever
his mother had done to silence him was still in effect.
“We didn’t want to condemn poor Helenium,” said Prince Bradwell.
No. I clenched my teeth. He and Prince August had wanted to banish me. Swallowing back the bitter taste forming on my tongue, I straightened my posture, ready to argue my case. Right now, I would agree with anyone if it meant setting Helen free.
King Oberon turned to the Duke of Medietas. “Is there anything we can do to retrieve your daughter?”
The Duke’s shoulders slumped. “Not until the next new moon. It’s the only time the magic of the pyre stones becomes strong enough to raise a pathway to Dubnos.
“What about the bargaining circle in Hope Woods?” I asked. “Weren’t there dark faeries operating from it? They could have been inmates of the prison—”
“Is that where you sacrificed Helen’s magic to make your wings glow?” Lady Gala placed her hands on her hips. “You know more about dark magic than the average cast-off.”
“I wouldn’t jest about your crimes,” growled the King. “What you’re accused of amounts to treason, and the moment Helenium returns to offer her statement—”
A scream filled the air. I whirled around to find the Duchess of Nevermore flailing face-down on the chamomile lawn.
“What is it?” The queen rose out of her throne.
The parents gathered around the fallen woman, staring down at her as though she usually fell prey to public tantrums. But there was something in her screams, a guttural, stomach-wrenching desperation that made my skin crawl. This was no ordinary diversion. She was in genuine pain.
The Duke of Nevermore threw his arms in the air. “Send for a healer.”
“Mother!” Lady Gala rushed forward, but the Duke of Medietas grabbed her around the waist. The girl struggled in his arms, trying to get free. “Let go of me. I have to help my mother!”
My throat dried, and I swallowed hard. What the hell was happening now?
Mistress Ellyllon strode to where the duchess floundered. Her pale, blue hair flowed over her shoulders in sharp contrast to her indigo skin. Her white robes trailed over the chamomile flowers.
Raising both hands to the stars, she turned the screaming woman onto her back with an invisible power. What appeared to be a meteorite burned in the duchess’s chest.
“This is dark magic!” Mistress Ellyllon leaped back. She turned in the direction of the stone garden. “All students, return to your dormitories, now.”
The faeries scattered. Some on foot, others through the air. The Duke of Medietas released Lady Gala to guide the king and queen behind their thrones and erected a sphere of protection around them.
Only the princes, the Fated, and I remained. The dukes and duchesses were long gone, making me wonder if the girls were bitches because their parents were such self-centered bastards.
I turned to Prince Caulden. “What’s happening?”
“This is the darkest of magics,” replied the blue-haired prince. “A faerie’s magical core resides within their heart and determines their alignment with nature. It doesn’t matter if a faerie has winter, autumn, summer, or spring magic. If someone removes their core, it leaves a void that burns them from the inside-out.”
My gaze flickered back to the duchess who thrashed on the ground, her insides burning like embers. Molten liquid pooled from her chest, which had to be blood, but it took the appearance of lava.
I placed both hands over my mouth, trying not to gag. “Does this happen a lot?”
“In the days of Queen Maeve, these assassinations were commonplace.”
“Your grandmother?”
Prince Caulden raised his shoulders. “She was banished to the Otherworld long before we were born, but they didn’t call her the Queen of Curses for nothing.”
“Mother!” Lady Gala collapsed on the lawn, crawling toward her dying parent. She placed both hands over an invisible barrier and sobbed.
“Is this what they did to Helen?” I whispered.
“That’s what’s the most peculiar about her accusation,” said Prince Caulden.
I turned to the heir of the Winter Court and frowned. “What do you mean?”
He gestured at the convulsing duchess. “If someone stole Helenium’s magic, the result would look something like that. Her wings only turned white, and she survived to join the remedial class.”
Prince Rory strode forward, placed a hand on Lady Gala’s shoulders, and helped her up. He tried to wrap his arms around her, but she slapped him hard across the face. Shards of ice splintered from where her palm met his flesh, indicating that she had powered the blow with magic.
“Ouch.” Prince Caulden winced. “But I suppose she’s not too pleased with him right now.”
“Yeah.” My shoulders sagged. Prince Rory hadn’t made a secret of being dissatisfied with his supposed fated mate.
“You bastard.” Lady Gala pounded on his chest, screaming all manner of obscenities, but Prince Rory merely held her wrists and gazed down at her with sad eyes.
“I’d better help.” Prince August walked toward them and wrapped his arm around Lady Gala’s waist. “Come on. You shouldn’t have to see this.”
Lady Gala sobbed on his chest while he cradled her in his arms.
A lump formed in my throat. This was horrific, and it reminded me so much of Mom. She had died slowly, her life draining away with each passing day.
According to the healing hags, there was no cure for her wasting sickness, and the bargain-brokers had told us that the magic that would allow Mom to live would mean one of our deaths. Watching her linger on the precipice of life and death had been excruciating. Brutal. But it was nothing compared to the duchess’s torment.
“Can’t anyone stop this?” I asked.
It was Prince Bradwell who answered. “Once dark magic has removed a faerie’s core, it can never be replaced.”
“What’s going to happen to her?” My voice broke.
Prince Caulden placed an arm around my shoulders and pulled me into his side. “The duchess will remain like this forever until either the thief has used the core, or someone puts her out of her misery.”
I sucked in a breath. Was that why all the parents had disappeared? I stared into the bubble of magic, where Lady Gala’s mother continued to scream. The hole in her chest smoldered and spewed lava.
Mistress Ellyllon turned to the king. “Your Majesty, we can do nothing to save the duchess. It is time to exercise mercy.”
“No!” Lady Gala shot out of Prince August’s embrace, a sword of ice forming in her hand.
Prince Rory caught her around the middle and carried her into the stone garden with Prince August at his heels.
Bile rose to the back of my throat. Fuck. All this time, I thought the high faeries lived in unbridled luxury while we human grunts subsisted on handouts. At least we were anonymous. If a human kept their head down and stayed indoors the moment the sun started to dip toward the horizon, they could survive until old age.
“Don’t look.” Prince Caulden turned me around and held the back of my head.
I inhaled his pine scent and relaxed in his embrace. The crackle of his magic engulfed my body, giving me the safety I needed among the chaos.
My eyes fluttered closed. It no longer mattered that he had blown me off-course and landed me in a pond infested with knuckers or that he had imprisoned me in a sphere of ice. Right now, with Helen gone and suffering untold torment, Prince Caulden was my only means of support.
A pop of magic filled my ears, and the duchess’s screams became louder.
King Oberon said something, a ritual perhaps. I couldn’t hear it over the cries of the dying faerie. Then there was a swish of wind, and the duchess screamed no more.
Prince Caulden released my head. I drew back and stared into his steel eyes. “What happened?”
“His Majesty decapitated Gala’s mother,” he murmured.
“Did Lady Gala see it?”
He shook his head. “My brothers pla
ced her behind the statues.” He brushed a lock of golden hair off my face and gave me a tight smile. “Allow me to escort you back to the remedial dormitory. With everything that’s happened, I won’t sleep until I know you’re safe.”
Chapter 2
The stars glowed in the cloudless sky, illuminating the statues, and casting their silvery light on Prince Caulden’s powder-blue hair. We strolled in silence through the stone gardens, our hands brushing with each swing of our arms. Grief swept over my senses like a breeze, shrouding my heart with cold.
“What are you thinking?” he asked.
“The next new moon is a month away,” I murmured. “Helen might not be able to survive that long.”
A muscle in his square jaw flexed, and his full lips tightened. His Adam’s apple bobbed up and down, but he remained silent.
I placed a hand on his bicep. “What are you thinking?”
“Your estimate is off.” Wrapping a hand around my wrist, he pulled me from a statue of a male slumbering on a rock. The figure’s stone beard spilled down his lap and curled around his feet, making me think of the human legend of Rip Van Winkle. Maybe this was the faerie equivalent.
Prince Caulden’s hand slid into mine, and our fingers intertwined. It would have been a magical moment. Me with a handsome faerie prince in the middle of a garden that was practically an outdoor museum, but worry gnawed at my gut. It twisted my insides into a series of knots that wound around my lungs and windpipe.
Anything could be happening to Helen, and there wasn’t a thing I could do to help her. And if Sicily had been dragged into the Dark Fae Prison, she was likely already dead.
I gulped. “You said my estimate was off. What do you mean?”
Prince Caulden sighed. “Poor Helen might not last the night. I’m not sure how much you know about Court history, but my grandfather died, and my father and his allies nearly lost their lives banishing Queen Maeve and her Dark Court to the Otherworld.”