by Dyan Chick
Court of Memories
Forbidden Queen Book Two
Dyan Chick
Illaria Publishing
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
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Author Notes
This book is a work of fiction. The names, characters and events in this book are the products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any similarity to real persons living or dead is coincidental and not intended by the author.
Published by Illaria Publishing LLC
Copyright © 2018 by Dyan Chick
All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
Cover Artwork by Sanja Balan (Sanja’s Covers)
Editing by Elizabeth A. Lance (EAL Editing Services)
Created with Vellum
Chapter One
Cormac had insisted that we ride to Queen’s Palace at the heart of Faerie. When I asked why we didn't just slide there, I was given excuses about protocol and manners. All of his excuses circled my mind as I lay awake, sleep refusing to come. It was hard enough to ease my mind in the strange room in Tristan's Palace in the Winter Court. I wasn't exactly feeling tired yet, and I wasn't sure I could sleep anyway with the excitement and fear of traveling to see the Queen.
I knew I should rest, as another several day journey was ahead of me. But sleep wouldn't come. Tristan and the other princes didn't seem to get along, yet they were willing to combine forces to help me. I wondered what the Queen was going to think when I arrived at her palace with a prince from each of the three Faerie Courts and prince from the Winter Court. I wanted to know more about the politics in this land because I felt like I was going in blind. I wondered if entering the Queen’s Court with Tristan would be seen as an insult.
I turned onto my side, trying to will away all the unanswered questions. The purpose of going to see the Queen was to ask for help so I could understand at least how to channel the magic I had so I didn't keep attracting creatures from the Under. Cormac spoke of the Queen with such high regard, that I found I wasn't exactly worried about meeting her. I hoped she'd be able to help me. Secretly, I hoped she would have some insight as to where it came from. So far, all I gathered was that the magic I had shouldn't exist.
My bedroom door opened a crack and I sat up. "Who's there?"
"I didn't mean to wake you," Tristan said. "I was just making my nightly rounds."
I narrowed my eyes at the beautiful prince standing in my doorway. I had a feeling he wasn't checking on all of his guests the way he was checking on me. "Is this your normal night time routine?"
"It is when I have a beautiful female staying at my palace," he said.
"And here I thought I was special." I couldn't help but give him a little bit of attitude. Tristan certainly didn't shy away from being the center of attention. He had to be one of the most confident beings I'd ever met.
"I entertain my share of ladies." Tristan winked.
"Is that supposed to impress me?" I asked.
He shrugged. "I'm not sure yet. So far, I've gathered that you turned down the Summer Fae in favor of the Spring Prince. Which means you either don't know the reputation he carries or you don't care about sex. There's something else you're after. You're difficult to read and that's not typical for me."
Suddenly, I remembered Angela's comments about the Winter Fae in their ability to see the future. I'd experienced a couple of small moments where it was possible I was seeing things that hadn't yet happened, but it was difficult to be sure. If it was truly a gift of sight or if it was my imagination getting the better of me. "Do you normally read people? Angela said Winter Fae can see the future. Can you see mine?"
"Don’t you know it’s rude to ask a Winter Fae that question?” He lifted an eyebrow as he smirked.
I swallowed against a lump that had risen in my throat. His words were smooth and seemed to caress every inch of my skin. He was dangerous, yes. Like a wolf acting tame. Only I knew, if I went to feed him, it was possible he would bite off my hand.
"Sweet dreams, Cassia," Tristan said. Then he closed the door and I heard his footsteps fade away.
I turned over again, away from the door, hoping that was the last of the intruders for the evening. I wondered if I should have taken Ethan or Dane up on their offers to sleep in my room with me. I had a feeling Tristan's comments about me not getting any rest with either of them in my room were accurate. It was strange to think about the fact that I had lost my virginity to someone that wasn't my husband, to someone that wasn't even human.
For a moment I wondered what Nani would think and then I realized Nani was Fae, herself. My heart ached at the thought of her and I hoped wherever she was, she had escaped my father's wrath. After seeing how powerful Fae magic was, I had to hope that Nani had magic of her own that she had called on to get away from my father.
I thought back to my time with Ethan. Everything about it felt right and natural. Even when I had been with Dane, I couldn't even find a single flicker of regret. Warmth spread through me and I smiled. I guess, I did feel a little different. I felt a little more confident.
Letting go of the human morals and following my own intuition hadn't resulted in anything catastrophic. I enjoyed myself, and I wanted to do it again. Perhaps I was going to make it in this world. Maybe having magic from all three Courts was a fluke and the Queen could help me tame it. Maybe by the end of this week, I'd be settling into my new routine in this world, whatever that may be.
As long as I could find a way to keep these princes in my life, I would be happy here. I couldn't imagine being anywhere without them. Even Cormac, as serious as he was, felt like he was part of me now and I wouldn't trade my time with them for anything.
I snuggled under the blankets, feeling more calm and more at peace than I had in years. I knew tomorrow was going to bring changes, traveling with Tristan was going to bring its own set of challenges. But I was ready for the next phase, ready to embrace my new life as a Fae, and ready to leave the fears and frailty of being a human behind.
"Cassia, it's daybreak," Ethan said gently.
Groggily, I opened my eyes and blinked up at Ethan's handsome face. I greeted him with a sleepy smile and reached my fingers toward his cheek, brushing them against his skin. As confident as I had been before I went to bed last night, I still wanted to make sure this was all real. I wanted to make sure that Ethan was still here, and that he was still mine. "Good morning."
Ethan leaned down and kissed my forehead. "Breakfast is ready and soon it will be time to go."
"She going to come? Or am I going to have to carry her down?"
I turned toward the newcomer and couldn't help but smile a
t Dane's huge grin. "She's coming," I said, throwing the covers off of me. Though, part of me wasn't completely opposed to the idea of Dane throwing me over his shoulder. A vision flashed through my mind and I saw the world from upside down as Dane walked with me over his shoulder. It faded nearly as quickly as it had arrived, leaving me with a smile. "Can you imagine the look on Cormac's face if you came down to breakfast carrying me?"
"It would be pure jealousy," Dane said. "And worth every second." He charged me, ducking down to scoop me up and throw me over his shoulder, just as I had visualized.
I squealed and giggled as Dane raced out of the room causing me to bob up and down on his muscled shoulder. "Dane, put me down, you beast!"
"Not until I see that look on Cormac's face," Dane said.
From my vantage point, I had a very clear view of Dane's firm buttocks and I felt my cheeks heat at the memory of him without his clothes on. I looked up to see Ethan trailing behind us, laughing.
"I'm not healing you if Cormac decides to punch that grin off your face," Ethan said.
"It'll still be worth it," Dane said.
I'd given up asking for him to put me down, I was laughing too hard to speak anymore anyway. The mood was lighter this morning now that the Sodalis were gone and everyone had a full night's sleep. No one seemed all that bothered by the fact that we had to go see the Queen. And I wondered how much of that was for my benefit and how much of it was because of their station.
I tried not to think about how my father had reacted every time someone with higher rank than him came by our house. He was a ball of stress, preparing and working round-the-clock to placate and impress other human beings who had nothing on him other than a title. Yet, when those people were around each other, there was no sense of fear or anxiety. My males were all royalty themselves. And though I didn't understand the way the Fae Court worked, I still knew they were high-ranking enough that going to see the Queen wasn't the same as someone like me going to see her.
Dane took the stairs carefully down to Tristan's grand dining hall. I couldn't see what was in front of us, so I watched Ethan's face to get a sense of how Cormac was going to react to the three of us acting like children.
Ethan pressed his lips together, trying to maintain some sense of decorum so I knew Cormac was in the room.
"I brought you something," Dane said.
I could only assume he was speaking to Cormac. Then, Dane burst out laughing and Ethan joined him.
"Just put her down," Cormac said.
"Now I understand how Faerie lost the Winter Court," Tristan said. "The second you think you've defeated your foes, you begin to celebrate."
"Not all of us," Cormac said. "And we granted the Winter Court its succession; the Winter Court didn't earn it."
The mood in the room shifted. It felt like every speck of happiness had been sucked out.
Dane set me down on the ground. "You know, the Winter Court could learn a lot from us. When you're kind to females and make them laugh, you don't have to force them to come to you."
Tristan lifted an eyebrow. "You want to go down memory lane?"
"That's enough," Ethan said. "We've all agreed to help Cassia reach the Queen. Our personal histories can't be brought into this. Past is past."
Tristan leaned back in his chair and stared at Cormac. I glanced over at the Autumn Prince and could almost see the fire in his gaze. His hatred for Tristan wasn't just based on his alliance to Faerie, that was clear. I didn't know what was going on between the two of them, but I knew that the sooner we reached the Queen, the better. That was, if we could get there before the two of them tried to kill each other.
Breakfast was a silent affair, which made the careful footsteps of the servants in blue sound thunderous. Wordlessly, they set plates in front of us and refilled drinks as the Fae males ate more than I thought possible for anyone to consume in one meal. Finally, I couldn't take the silence anymore.
"Why can't we just slide to the Queen's palace?” I asked.
"There are protocols," Cormac said.
"But it can be done," Tristan said. "My guess is that Cormac is testing me, dear. It has nothing to do with you."
Cormac's jaw tightened, but he didn't respond to the comment.
I wondered how we were going to survive any amount of time with the two of them together.
Chapter Two
Tristan insisted on providing horses from his stables for each of us. I felt bad that Starlight, the horse that had taken me through my time in this land so far, was still waiting for me at the stables in Twin Falls. "We told them we'd be back soon," I said to Cormac. I knew he would understand how I felt and to what I was referring.
"The horses are well cared for, my friend and I have an agreement," he said.
"How was it that you came to befriend the owner of the Dizzy Dragon?" I asked.
"I spent some time in my younger years in the Orc kingdom. I got to know many of those who live there," Cormac said.
"So he's an orc." I thought it rude to ask, but now that I knew, it made sense. I'd always assumed Orcs were wild and lacked manners. In every story I'd ever heard, they were the villain.
"Don't let his exterior fool you, that Orc is just a big softy," Cormac said.
"Oh, to be fair, he is a rare example of his kind," Dane said. "Not a good idea to just assume everyone will be your friend."
"Orc or Fae," Ethan added.
"That's true," Cormac mumbled.
"So, basically it's no different than the human world. Don't trust someone unless you get to know them and assume everyone always want something from you," I said.
"Maybe you are Winter Fae," Tristan said.
"We don't know what she is yet," Ethan said. "And if we want to get there in a decent amount of time we should probably get going."
"And here I thought Cormac was still boss," Tristan said.
"Unlike the Winter Court, we in Faerie believe in equality," Cormac said.
"Only for those who are highborn with magic in their veins," Tristan said. "Or have you since granted citizenship to your serving class?"
I turned from Tristan to Cormac, my brow furrowed. "What does that mean?"
"There are some things about the way our kingdom is run that have been going on for a long time," he said.
"That doesn't make those things right," Tristan said.
"You two can argue about politics later," Dane said. "Ethan's right, we don't leave now, we'll only get a few hours in before sunset. Might even add an extra day to this trip. And none of us want that."
"If this is going to be too much trouble," I said, "one of you could take me to the Queen. It doesn't have to be all of you." My heart ached at the words, I didn't want to leave any of them behind, well maybe Tristan. But I didn't want the fighting to continue.
"I'd be happy to take you, but something tells me none of these three would allow it," Tristan said.
"That's the truth," Dane said.
"Cassia, once we find out which Court you belong to, you become the responsibility of that prince as a citizen of that court, since we don't know..." Ethan trailed off.
"Do you take this much care for all of your citizens?" I asked.
"Probably not, no," Ethan said. "But it isn't typical to meet a changeling who has the power of three courts."
At least he was honest, but it still didn't make anything easier. "Then we should get going."
I watched the stable boy as he readied our horses. All four of them were large creatures, white like the snow, with gray leather saddles, and gray saddlebags. In the clothing we wore, all of us would look the part of Tristan's court. I wondered if that was on purpose to prevent anyone who might see us from knowing who we all really were or if all the clothes in Tristan's palace were this color. It felt odd to be uniformed in such a way. Though, I still wasn't sure who I was, I certainly didn't feel like I was a Winter Fae. I didn't like games or deception and I had a feeling Tristan lived for those.
"Can you rid
e?" Tristan asked as he lightly touched my elbow.
I turned to him. "I can ride just fine."
"She's an excellent rider," Cormac said.
Compliments from the Autumn prince were rare and I felt my cheeks flush at his words.
Someone handed me the reins to one of the large white horses and a stable boy slid a stool in front of me. Without waiting for instruction, I climbed into the saddle. "I thought we were leaving."
Cormac grinned at me before mounting his own horse.
"This way," Tristan called, leading the way.
I expected the Winter Court to be dusted with snow and I expected that the thick dress and fur-lined boots would still leave me feeling the chill in the air. But for some reason, it wasn't any cooler than it had been in the Autumn Court. My breath came out in clouds so I knew the air was colder, but I wasn't feeling the sting of the winter air on my cheeks. I wore thin, flexible riding gloves that allowed me to have complete range of motion with my fingers. Everything Tristan had provided for me to wear was nicer than anything I usually wore. Part of me felt guilty for how much he and the others had provided for me. I knew I wouldn't be able to repay their kindness.
I let my mind wander to the landscape, trying to eliminate the sinking feeling creeping in on me. In the human realm, I knew there'd be a price for all of this. Based on the Fae lore I'd heard, I knew they often dealt in favors. Yet, the only verbal agreement that had passed between me and any of the princes was one with Tristan regarding my knowledge of humans. And he hadn't brought it up once since initially asking. I wondered if he forgot. It seemed a silly favor in the first place, but he had made it seem important. Perhaps in light of the Sodalis attacks and the risk I posed to Faerie, it no longer mattered to him.