Crown of Shadows (Court of Midnight and Deception Book 1)
Page 6
“Understandable, given who your neighbors are.” The Paragon pursed his lips. “But it leaves you ill prepared for what you are about to experience.”
“I know the gist of it.” I shrugged uncomfortably and did my best to smile. “As a half fae, the nobles of the Night Court are going to see me as inferior, and they will do their best to take advantage of me as long as I’m around, and kill me as soon as they can.”
“They can’t raise a finger against you themselves,” the Paragon reminded me. “A Court is bound to the will of their ruler. They cannot harm you.”
“They can’t plant the dagger in my back,” I agreed. “But they can pay someone else to put it there.”
“It’s not quite so easy as that. It takes a great deal of conniving to achieve even that sort of betrayal, or the Night Court would have rid themselves of Nyte years ago. But your sentiment isn’t wrong.” The Paragon eyed me. “It seems to me you have a rather low view of the Night Court.”
“I’m not a huge fan of fae in general,” I admitted. “I don’t like the mental gymnastics. But yeah, I would rather be on my way to any other Court besides the Night Court.”
“As much as it pains me to say this, your natural reluctance will help you survive in your new life.”
“That, and my stubbornness,” I agreed.
Even though this was the opposite of everything I had worked for, I wasn’t just going to flop over and give up. Heck no.
I would survive with the tenacity of a cockroach.
Because that’s what this was going to be—a fight for survival. And since it was my life on the line, there was no way I was going to lose.
I mean, I was pretty fond of living, but Mom had already had her heart broken by one fae. There was no way I was going to let this pushy Court hurt her again.
“Are you certain there’s no way out of this?” I asked the Paragon one last time. “I can’t believe there isn’t some ancient bylaw made in case the night mares picked an incapable ruler—or even just a national law that could give me the right to refuse.”
The Paragon shook his head. “No such law exists—to my knowledge. In any fae Court, once you are made ruler, you stay the ruler until the day you die. It’s why coups among the various Courts can get…bloody.”
I’d done some research in my week, so the news didn’t surprise me, but it was still crushing to hear. I absently rubbed my aching chest. “Okay. Thank you.” I glanced out the window—watching as cornfields and the occasional thicket of trees were gradually replaced with more and more houses. We were nearly to Magiford.
The Paragon pushed his glasses up to rest them on the top of his head. “When we get to the mansion, your Court is going to be waiting for you like a flock of vultures. It’s technically tradition, but since you are an unknown entity to them it’s your first impression on them, and their first chance to politically attack you.”
“They sound friendly.”
“The fact that you are already queen will help you,” the Paragon said. “Even more so that it was the night mares who bound you—they haven’t chosen a ruler that way in over a century. It’s very rare and considered to be a great honor.”
“It’s an honor I could do without,” I said.
I had spent more time with the night mares over the past few days—between my practice sessions with the Drakes who mercilessly drilled me until I could be called a fair shot—trying to sort through my mess of emotions. It just about destroyed me that they’d made me queen, but somehow, as I petted their dull coats and laughed when they lipped my hair, I couldn’t bring myself to hate them.
The Paragon adjusted his ring, popping the bubble of magic that surrounded us. “Given that we have almost arrived, my offer is rather late, but are you comfortable? Do you want music on, or more air conditioning? I’d offer you tea, but I’m afraid to report that your driver has a lead foot—isn’t that right, Azure?”
The naiad—gorgeous with her blue tinted skin and the faintest brush of opalescent scales across her forehead and dusted across her high cheekbones—didn’t even blink in acknowledgment.
I, however, was majorly distracted by the bomb the Paragon had just dropped. “Wait, my driver?”
“Indeed. Azure is under your employment, and this is one of the cars that belongs to the monarch of the Night Court. As queen you inherit it all: the mansion in Magiford, the luxury condo in Chicago, the lake house in northern Wisconsin, the cars, the stables, the Night Realm and the palace there, everything in the treasury—all of it.”
I stared at the Paragon, my brain already crashing.
“I made an inspection of your inheritance in the months between Queen Nyte’s death and the day the night mares were set loose. I didn’t want anyone squirreling anything away from you—as has occasionally happened in Courts with outside inheritance like the Night Court,” the Paragon grimly said.
“I’m going to have employees,” I said, a new kind of dread building in me.
“Yes, of course. You have your officials and advisors. But there are also the maids, the stable employees, a few accountants, gardeners, guards, and the rest,” the Paragon casually listed.
“I’m twenty-two. How on earth am I supposed to manage all of them? Do I have an HR department?”
“HR? Goodness, no. They are under your rule.”
“That’s even worse.” I rubbed my eyes and tried to keep my spirits up. “I knew I should have gotten my degree in business management instead of communications!”
The Paragon ignored my moans. “You will find that you can delegate. Your steward will be among the most important positions you fill as he or she can manage most of your house employees and act as a go-between for you and your Court officials. You’ll also need to hire a director of security to train, organize, and recruit guards, which will take most of that work from you as well.”
I opened my mouth to ask more, but the Paragon kept going, blocking me from asking any additional questions. “If you look outside, you’ll see we are now on what passes as Night Court land in the human world. While this land here is technically under your rule, the individual houses are owned by the various fae and nobles that make up your Court—though I believe the apartment buildings belong to you.”
Curious, I peered outside as we rolled down the road.
We passed a few apartment buildings that were constructed out of darkly colored bricks and dark blue siding with a fairly modern appearance. All of the apartment buildings had sprawling gardens attached, which stretched out between them. Not surprising—we were among the fae. I was a little animal crazy, but I was pretty tame compared to the rest of the fae, who were practically the hippies of the supernatural world.
A few blocks later and we were driving through what felt like a regular suburban neighborhood. The houses were cute and square with dark blue or gray siding, and an excessive amount of landscaping considering the fairly small lots.
The longer we drove, the bigger the houses and lots grew.
Soon, we were driving through McMansion-ville, and I was gawking at the beautiful houses and amazing gardens.
“The Night Court lands begin about ten minutes north of Magiford and cover a large, half circle area, with your property at the center. You, naturally, own the largest property—which includes the large amount of land that makes up the other half of the circle. Most of your personal land is contained in a wildlife preserve, a very small lake, and some sprawling gardens. You should be able to see the house shortly.”
The road plowed through a thick patch of woods, and then opened up onto a pristine lawn that stretched around a massive mansion, which looked like it was doing its best to imitate a castle.
Constructed out of deep gray brick with three turrets and at least four chimneys poking above the slanted, almost gothic-like roof, it was obvious the architect had a thing for British manors. The medieval shape of the house, however, was overshadowed by the massive windows that stretched through every floor of the house.
The huge windows gave the home a more modern feel, as did all the fancy deck furniture placed strategically near the bits of the gardens that I could see.
But the beauty of the place was broken up by the massive crowd I saw spilling through the front doors of the house.
It seemed only the Night Court nobles were in attendance. Fae nobles appeared more humanoid, or picture-book, even, given their slender bodies, slightly tapered ears, perfect hair, and perfect skin.
While a fae Court was actually made up of a wide variety of fae—from trolls to pixies to brownies—it was usually the more humanoid fae that made up the nobles, and it was the nobles who most typically interacted with the human world because they were a whole lot easier to use for marketing and PR than a giant, wrinkly faced troll.
But the hierarchy also had to do with power. The fae nobles got their titles because they were the best at using artifacts and magic. Some of the common fae could only cast certain kinds of magic, and others were very weak.
I swallowed hard as the car rolled to a stop.
“Remember,” the Paragon muttered as Azure the chauffeur slipped out of the car and circled around to open the door for us. “Don’t show any weakness—they’re worse than vampires who have scented blood.”
The Paragon flipped his glasses back down his nose, slid across the seat, and was out of the car before I could respond.
I took a deep breath and forced myself to think of Mom and Dad.
I’m going to do this. I’m going to survive.
I put a smile on and slipped out of the car, standing next to the Paragon at the edge of the brick walkway before I looked out upon the stony crowd.
The fae were unnaturally still.
We were outside, and there was a slight breeze which should have blown through their hair or tugged on their clothes, but they were suffocating in their stillness.
They looked like a glossy magazine picture—so perfect in hair and dress that it was almost alien.
That was the difference between them and me: perfection. I was dressed in a nice pair of jeans and a cute lace top, and a few artful strands of my thick black hair were already slipping from the ponytail I’d pushed it back in.
The fae were dressed for a garden party, with the females all wearing dresses and skirts, high heels, and fresh flowers accenting their clothes, and the males wearing navy blue or dark gray suits with glittering swords secured to their belts. Not a hair moved on any of them, and the planes of their faces were equally frozen.
My smile wanted to die, but my stubbornness kicked in. I willfully relaxed my posture and made my grin grow a little.
The Paragon gave me an approving nod, then turned to address the crowd. “Night Court, I give you your new queen: Leila Welkin.”
I’m sure they meant their frosty expressions to be frightening, but it actually made them look like clothing mannequins as they stared at me with lifeless—but somehow still disapproving—eyes.
The whole stunt was intimidating—not because I particularly feared well-dressed people, but because it really showed just how many more of them there were than of me, and displayed the clear line between us.
“The night mares have bound her to the Court and made her queen,” the Paragon continued, “but she will be publicly crowned before the end of the summer.”
“She’s human!” A beautiful fae who appeared to be about my age—which didn’t mean much as fae aged way more slowly than humans—stepped out of the crowd, breaking their flawless formation.
Her button nose was scrunched with anger, and there was a slight flush to her olive complexion, but that didn’t break the image of beauty she made with her blond hair floating in loose coils, her light pink dress that was a perfect fit and fell just below the knees, and her pink parasol trimmed with enough ruffles to strangle a doll.
“You have a skill of observation!” the Paragon marveled, not a hint of sarcasm lining the comment. “Yes. Queen Leila is half human, half fae.”
The crowd collectively exhaled quiet murmurs that barely made their lips move.
Yep. They’re going to be tons of fun to hang with!
The pretty fae curled her lips back in revulsion. “We can’t have a half fae as our queen! It would bring shame to the Night Court!”
“It’s a little late for that,” I grumbled under my breath.
The Paragon cleared his throat to keep down a gurgle that sounded suspiciously like the start of laughter. “The night mares bound her,” he said. “Her connection to the Night Court cannot be broken.”
Lady Demetria stood next to the blond fae. She clutched a fluttering fan which hid her mouth, but I could tell by the way she leaned into the younger fae she was whispering to her.
“Perhaps, then, it is time that we change the tradition of letting the night mares choose, so a more suitable queen could be chosen,” the blond fae said.
Oh ho-ho! This is who Lady Demetria wanted to be the next queen? I have to give her points for having the guts to come straight at me.
“It appears you are either daft of the mind or experiencing hearing difficulties. The night mares bound her. There will be no other ruler as long as Leila breathes. I suppose if you feel daring enough, you can float your idea past the night mares themselves. It would be such fun to see what they make of your opinion when they have been king and queen makers since the foundation of this Court in America.”
That shut her up. The way she broke eye contact with the Paragon implied just how well she thought that would go over with the night mares.
The Paragon nodded in satisfaction.
“How, then, are we to face the other Courts with such a queen?” A male fae dressed in a dark green suit stepped up next to the blond’s other side. “We are of the proud Night Court. Can we not expect to be led by a monarch of quality—not someone sullied by human blood?” His hair—braided on the sides and pinned to the back of his head—was perfect despite the humidity of the morning.
Sullied? My eyebrows wanted to arch upwards, but I managed to keep them flattened and my expression relaxed.
“The vice of humanity could cripple us more,” someone else chimed in.
“The blood of humans weakens magic,” Lady Demetria squawked. “It perhaps is responsible for the decline in magic that has plagued the supernatural community and threatens to ruin us. More ruin may visit us with a half on the throne!”
It hadn’t escaped me how the fae excelled in speaking non-absolutes. Humans perhaps were responsible. My blood could cripple them. They were using vagueness as a way to get around their inability to speak outright lies.
Yes, magic was dying. It had been in decline for a long time—ever since the elves died out. But humans had nothing to do with it. These nobles were just using it as an excuse.
Do they really think they’ll be able to make me cry just by rejecting me? Please! I want to be here even less than they want me here!
“Anyone who has concerns about your new queen is perfectly free to ask the night mares to search again,” the Paragon said, his voice thundering above the outcries, silencing them with ease. “But Curia Cloisters law, the Regional Committee of Magic, and the national law are perfectly clear. There is only one Night Court in America, and Queen Leila rules over it since the night mares not only selected her, but bound her as well.”
The crowd returned to its sullen silence, lips pursed in disdain and expressions taking on that airbrushed, plastic-y appearance again.
The Paragon almost inhaled part of his mustache when he scratched his upper lip, then turned in my direction and nodded his head. “Queen Leila, do you have any words you would like to say in greeting your Court?”
Oh, would I!
“Yes.” I looked out into a crowd of seething hatred, armed with my brightest smile. “I wish I could say it’s a pleasure to be here, but it’s not, frankly.”
That shut them u
p—mostly because they were too surprised to speak.
“Humans are taught that fae are elegant beings of culture and refined manners, but that’s obviously not true anymore,” I blithely continued.
“How could you say such a thing?” Lady Demetria shouted.
I put a hand to my cheek in such an obvious act of surprise the whole Court had to know I was being sarcastic. “After the welcome you just gave me? Very, very easily.”
The crowd now stirred with a little concern as the fae whispered to one another.
“I suppose it’s just as well—this way, we’re all disappointed,” I concluded. “And maybe that mutual disappointment will unite us.”
I paused, and the desire to tweak their pride was too strong for me.
I don’t want to let them know that their rules don’t affect me, so I shouldn’t tell them an obvious lie. But I also want to show them that I’m not going to be a pushover.
My smile turned into a smirk, and I lowered my eyes to half mast as I addressed my Court. “Finally, please allow me as someone sullied by human blood, to say it’s the fae half of my heritage that I’m truly ashamed of,” I concluded.
The crowd was in an uproar. A few fae ladies dramatically swooned, and I saw two pixies and a naiad zip off—probably to tell others how their new queen had just insulted the Night Court nobles.
Personally, I had to fight to keep in a cackle.
Shots fired! If you want to exchange insults, you’d be better off picking fights with someone who cares!
I smirked as the murmurs grew louder and louder. Although there was more than one red face, strained jaw, or veined forehead in the crowd, none of them reached for their magical artifacts or the weapons that they carried.
The Paragon was right—I really was bound to the Night Court. The will of magic had to be keeping them in check—it must have been what kept that rando night fae from killing me, too.
“Ah. Ah-ha-ha-ha,” the Paragon uttered a canned laugh. “Isn’t she funny? Thank you for your presence this morning. I shall show Queen Leila her new lands. Good day.”