Succession

by Rachel Angel

  Smiling she looked around. “Not bad,” she said.

  “It’s nicer than our prison cell,” Oak said.

  The dirt floor was flat and brushed clean.

  Several shelves had been set into the stone wall to hold equipment and supplies. In the far corner, a cot was set up.

  Harley took a closer look at the content of the shelves. “Hey, guys,” she said. “There’s some canned soup here.”

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  “Cool,” Oak said as he reached for a can. He found an old can opener and quickly opened the can and drank the soup down.

  “I’ll have one of those,” Kingsley said.

  “Had I known they’d been starving you two, I would have brought something more substantial to eat.”

  “Don’t worry about it,” Kingsley said after finishing off the last drop out of the can. “This is great. This is fantastic.”

  Harley laughed. “The citizens of your respective kingdoms would surely find it curious to see you both eating out of a can.”

  “At this stage, I don’t really care,” Oak said as he quickly opened a second can.”

  After they’d each downed three cans of soup, they were finally full.

  “This is perfect,” Kingsley said as he came to her and pulled her into his arms. “After all we’ve been through these past days, this is positively perfect. It’s warm, there’s just enough light, some food…” He looked lovingly into her eyes. “And you.”

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  Succession (Fallen Fae Academy #6) He pulled her to him, kissing her with all the passion that had been pent up for days. His love for her filled him and he knew that he never wanted to let her go.

  Filled with growing love and immense admiration, Kingsley pulled back and smiled down at her.

  “What are you looking at me like that for?”

  she said as she gazed lovingly into his eyes.

  “I’m just amazed by how much you’ve grown since I first met you,” Kingsley said. “I never would have thought you’d turn out to be so…”

  “Strong?” she said with a playful grin.

  “In every way,” he agreed with a nod. “You know, I knew you were special right from the start, but I never expected this.”

  Oak came to them and embraced them both.

  “I love you guys,” he gushed.

  Laughing, Harley reached up to kiss him while her hand reached around to grab Kingsley’s backside.

  While he’d hoped to have her to himself, Kingsley couldn’t deny Oak the chance to get close 169

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  to her as well. He knew Oak loved her just as much as he did.

  “Did you really just happen upon this mineshaft?” Oak said. “Or are you responsible for this?”

  Harley smiled. “A bit of both. I noticed the mineshaft, but… let’s just say that I enhanced it a bit.”

  Oak chuckled. “I knew you were unlike anyone I’d ever known before, but every time I see you, you prove to me just how unique you really are.

  I can’t help but wonder… are you holding back many more of your special talents?”

  Harley grinned at him. “Maybe,” she said as her eyes narrowed into two lustful slits.

  She kissed him, then leaned back to kiss Kingsley. He was already on fire, wanting her.

  With little time to waste, he shunned the tattered rags that clung to his ravaged body while Oak did the same. Naked and erect, they looked expectantly at Harley.

  Her kisses was hot and urgent as she pulled Kingsley to her, quickly directing his hardness into 170

  Succession (Fallen Fae Academy #6) her warmth. He closed his eyes, and for a moment, all of the hardships, the hunger, the cold, the fatigue fell away and all that mattered was his skin against her.

  Satisfaction came quick and while he recuperated, Oak feasted on Harley. Kingsley found it curious how he had no sense of jealousy.

  He welcomed Oak’s amorous moves on Harley and took pleasure in knowing that Harley was well-loved, and would forever be loved.

  When Oak found his satisfaction, the threesome lay back on the small cot, holding and petting one another.

  “I’ve miss you both so terribly,” Harley said as she dropped a kiss on each of their foreheads. “I spent many nights awake, wondering if I would ever experience the feel of your arms around me, the scent of your breath. And now, here I am, entangled in your limbs on this tiny little cot. How wonderful life is.”

  “Shhh,” Kingsley said suddenly as he heard movement above ground.

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  The threesome froze, barely breathing as they listened to the heavy army boots that scraped the rocky ground. Looking up into the shaft, they saw a beam of light, searching. They heard the muffled words of the guards, then… silence.

  “They’re gone,” Kingsley whispered.

  They sighed with relief and looked hopefully at one another.

  “Dusk should be upon us by now,” Harley said softly. “Let’s give them time to move on, then we’ll get out of here.”

  Moment’s later, Kingsley climbed to the top of the shaft and looked out of the mine’s entrance.

  The sun was down and while a faint glow still clung to the distant horizon, it was dark enough to allow them movement.

  “Come on,” he called down to Oak and Harley. “All is clear.”

  Once out of the mine, they hurried to the field just beyond the prison grounds.

  “Let’s take the corn field,” Harley said. “We can pick a row and run down its entire length.”

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  Succession (Fallen Fae Academy #6) Kingsley followed behind her, mesmerized by the brilliant rainbow of shiny hair that followed her. She was electrifying… electrified… as if some magical power was carrying her onward.

  Quicker than he’d anticipated, they reached the neutral grounds that separated the Dark Fae Realm from the light Faery Realm.

  Harley suddenly stopped to look at them.

  “You should be safe from here on in.”

  Kingsley gazed at her face, lit by the moonlight.

  “Make your way to the Faery Realm as quickly as you can,” she went on. “I need you to do all that you can to bring Spring, Fall, Sea and Wood together.”

  “Why?” Oak said.

  “We’re going to need the combined powers of all the kingdoms if we’re going to succeed… if we’re going to win.”

  “It shouldn’t take long,” Oak said.

  “Kingsley’s army has already joined mine and they’ve been working together and maintaining a protective shield since we’ve been gone. All we 173

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  have to do is get Fall, which should be easy with Red and Zed, then Spring… which might prove a bit more complicated if your brother has any say.”

  “Don’t worry,” Harley said. “I’ll deal with him. You guys hurry and get to your encampment.

  Prepare your troops. Get them ready for the fight of their lives.”

  “What about you?” Kingsley said. “Aren’t you coming with us?”

  “Not yet.” She looked pointedly at them, her face suddenly so mature and filled with wisdom. “I really need you guys to round up everyone… as many soldiers as you can… as many warriors. I need every abled bodied person to do their part.”

  Kingsley nodded. Though he had dozens of questions he would have wanted to ask her, he knew it wasn’t the time. He simply had to trust her and do as she’d asked.

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  Succession (Fallen Fae Academy #6) Chapter 12

  Kingsley

  The chill of the oncoming winter had begun to make the nights cold and uncomfortable, especially for Kingsley and Oak who were not adequately dressed to face the elements.

  To help stave off the cold, they stayed on the move, hoping to keep their bodies warm through exertion. But as the night wore on and fatigue took over, they found themselves dragging their feet more and more.

  “I’m beat,�
�� Oak finally said.

  “I don’t think I can take another step,”

  Kingsley admitted. “I already feel as if I’m sleepwalking as it is. Being imprisoned in a Dark Fae prison for so long zapped the energy and fae magic from us. We need to get some rest and regain our strength.”

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  “I agree. There’s no point arriving at the encampment too tired to even think straight,” Oak added.

  “Over there,” Kingsley said. “We’ll take refuge under that tall pine and sleep an hour or two.

  Four hours later, Kingsley awoke, looked at his partner and shook him.

  “We’ve got to get on the move,” Kingsley said. “We still have a few hours to go before reaching our encampment.”

  Oak nodded. He got to his feet and dusted himself off. “Let’s go then.”

  As they closed in on their encampment, the sounds of chaos and trouble reached their ears.

  Kingsley’s heart fell as he wondered if they might be too late. Harnessing what remained of his energy, he looked to Oak. “Hurry,” he said. “It sounds bad.”

  He took off running with Oak right beside him. They quickly reached the ridge of the chain of mountains that protected the kingdom below.

  “Our protective shield,” Oak said in disbelief as he stared at the scene in the valley. “It was so 176

  Succession (Fallen Fae Academy #6) solid. We have a combined army of almost a thousand soldiers, and yet…”

  “And yet, the dark fae have succeeded in breaching that protective shield,” Kingsley finished for Oak. “This is even worse than I thought.”

  Kingsley looked at the large number of dark fae stumbling around like rabid creatures destroying everyone and anything in their path, in what had been a safe and well defended encampment.

  He took to the path that led to a lower ledge, giving them a better view of what was going on.

  “I’ve never seen so many dark fae,” Oak said almost to himself. “They’re like mindless zombies, and they’re everywhere.”

  Kingsley nodded. “Stephen has been hard at work recruiting everyone he can… and this is the result. I wonder if Harley knows just how many there really are.”

  On a mound near the entrance to the general’s tent, a huge and monstrous dark fae called for everyone’s attention.

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  “Give yourselves a hand,” the dark fae called out. “We’ve easily breached what these light fae consider a protective shield.”

  The crowd cheered.

  “So, you can see how weak they really are,”

  the dark fae went on. “You can see how worthless they are. They don’t deserve the kingdoms that have been theirs for centuries.”

  Again, the crowd yelled and pumped their fists.

  As Kingsley concentrated on the goings-on in the encampment, he noticed a movement nearby.

  “Did you see that?” he said to Oak.

  “Someone’s coming,” Oak said with a nod.

  Kingsley looked intently at the bushes in front of him, listening to the sound of approaching footsteps as they got closer and closer.

  “Well, damn,” he let out as he saw Cici and Ashley come into view.

  “See,” Ashley told Cici. “I told you I saw them up here. A couple of ninnies hiding out in the bushes, letting their countrymen die by the hundreds.”

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  Succession (Fallen Fae Academy #6) Cici glared at Ashley. “They broke out of our prison, you idiot. That should be your main concern.”

  Ashley shrugged as Cici turned her angry eyes to Kingsley and Oak.

  “What the hell are you two doing out here?

  How did you break out of my heavily guarded prison?”

  “Good will always conquer evil, Cici,” Oak said with a grin. “Don’t you know that by now?”

  She burst out laughing as she glanced over her shoulder at the carnage below. “Yeah, right.”

  She brought her demonic gaze back to him. “Well, I do believe that little winning streak has come to an end, my dear friend. Today is when things finally turn around. Today is the day that we win, and we take over everything.”

  “Really?” Kingsley said with a bit more confidence than he actually felt. “So, you think you guys can just turn a few innocent students from Fallen Fae Academy into dark fae and they’re going to get the job done? How absurdly naïve of you.

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  doing. They’re running around aimlessly. They’re as dead inside as a zombie.”

  “Stephen is a little more ingenious than you give him credit for,” Cici said. “He developed a way of turning and then training these dark fae that render them virtually indestructible. You know, Fallen Fae Academy has turned into a real successful recruitment center for all the dark fae that we could ever need. And more are being turned and trained as we speak. We have an endless stream of soldiers ready to fight, ready to die for this cause.”

  “What cause, Cici?” Oak spat at her. “You idiots don’t even know what you want, what you’re fighting for. You’re just blindly following Stephen.

  Do you really believe that you two will have a place in the world he will create? You’re prepared to stupidly follow the orders of a man who is determined to destroy everything. Don’t you see that? Are you really too stupid to see that?”

  “Nice try, Oak,” Cici said. “But Stephen has plans… big plans. He’s found a way to open a portal between the Faery Realm and the human 180

  Succession (Fallen Fae Academy #6) realm.” She snapped her fingers in his face. “Dark fae can come and go just like that.”

  “And that’s not all,” Ashley interjected. “Not only will we destroy the walls that protect Sea and Wood, but we’ll soon have all the ancient walls of all the kingdoms destroyed. All the kings and queens who’ve reigned over this land for so long, who thought they were protected… Well, your kingdoms will be surrounded by piles of dust by the time we’re through… and there’s nothing you can do about it.”

  “Well, good,” Kingsley said. “So, your plan is to leave the entire realm in rubble… then what?

  Then what will you do? Then what will you have?

  You will have nothing. You’ll inherit a pile of dirt, you fools.”

  Looking at one another, Cici and Ashley laughed.

  Kingsley shot a concerned glance at Oak which only made the girls laugh even harder.

  “Oh,” Cici cooed. “Don’t look so disheartened, dear. I think you’ve always known 181

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  that we weren’t what we purported to be. Who says we like everything nice and tidy?”

  With that, Cici grabbed Ashley and said,

  “Luckily for you boys, Ashley and I must go and lead the Dark Fae army. We trained them you know right at Fallen Fae Academy. You thought we were just the queens at Fallen Fae Academy, but we were really Stephen’s right hand assistants. He trusted us to recruit the new Dark Fae and now we’re leading them to victory.”

  “Shouldn’t we take them hostage? Chain them up or something?” Ashley asked.

  “No time for that,” Cici said. “The first wave of Dark Fae recruits broke through the barrier, so now it’s time for us to lead them and the rest going through the barrier.” Cici and Ashley didn’t even look back as they made their way down the slope to join the Dark Fae who seemed to be everywhere and out of control.

  Within minutes, Cici and Ashley had gathered them together as the armies of Sea and Wood regrouped.

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  Succession (Fallen Fae Academy #6) Now with a sense of urgency and danger, Kingsley and Oak quickly ran down the slope to rejoin their armies and to arm themselves with swords. They looked at their men and told them how the Dark Fae had imprisoned them so long, while they built up their army to charge into the Faery Realm today.

  As they spoke, they also noticed Cici and Ashley morphing out of the
ir glamour into the ugliest slug-like troll dark fae. Revolted by the sight of the ugly creature that had been his lover before Harley, Kingsley recoiled and grimaced.

  Oak gagged and almost threw up.

  “To think I had licked her all over,” he said.

  Kingsley wanted to wash his mouth out as he shuddered, realizing what was Cici and Ashley’s true forms.

  “Men,” Kingsley addressed his army. “Today is the day we defend all of the Faery Realm.”

  Oak addressed his army. “Today we are no longer one kingdom against another kingdom.

  Today we are united as brothers, as light fae against 183

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  the dark fae who want to take over and destroy all that we hold dear.”

  Kingsley and Oak shouted together so all of their men could hear, “Today, we take back the Faery Realm for the Light Fae or we die!”

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  Succession (Fallen Fae Academy #6) Chapter 13

  Oak

  Oak glanced at Kingsley. The sight of Cici and Ashley was still too clear in his mind. “And to think that we used to…”

  They both shuddered at the thought.

  “Unfortunately,” Kingsley said. “They’re not the only ones who are ugly, in every sense of the word.” He looked down at the encampment that had become a battleground. “How much damage do you think we’ve sustained so far?”

  Oak looked down at the mass of good, well-trained soldiers from the Kingdom of Wood. A quick assessment told him that he still had a few hundred soldiers. “I don’t think the damage is as bad as I initially thought… maybe less than a hundred of my men. What do you think?”

  “I think we need to reach Red and Zed fast.”

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  He’d barely had time to finish his sentence that a loud explosion shook them.