“Oh, I have something better than a claim to them,” the Queen continued. “I have affection for them. And you would throw them to the wolves?”
“Keeping them here would be selfish.”
“Would it?” she shrieked. Her body flashed with light, and her green hair began dropping leaves. Then, lowering her voice, she turned to the humans. “And why did you come to this place, my dears? Did you do it for your own delight? Or were you seeking sanctuary?”
“Sanctuary,” Keegan said after a moment. He was hanging on her every word, even if he only understood half of them. “We wanted to go home after those faeries attacked us in the graveyard. But they knew what we looked like, and we thought they might follow us to our houses. Hurt our families.” His body twitched, as if it realized the seriousness of his words before his brain did. Honestly, the humans were acting far more casual than the situation required. Had they drunk too much wine?
The Bright Queen smiled. “Hurt your families? Oh you kind, precious babies. Did you hear that, Elora?”
Princess, I wanted to correct, because ignoring a person’s title was a sign of disrespect. Then again, I was planning to render all titles meaningless, so I might as well get used to the sound of my name on other people’s lips.
“I suppose I hadn’t thought of that,” I admitted. “Still, once the dark faeries have me, they won’t bother with the humans. They’d only use them as collateral to get me back.”
“Are they getting you back?” Taylor asked.
“You know they are,” I said, my eyes glued to the Queen. I was afraid to look at him, and be seen. “But only until I can destroy them.”
The bright faeries gasped at that. Surely the Queen had told them something of my reasons for being here, but she clearly hadn’t told them everything.
“And you’re doing that alone?” Taylor pressed. Oh, how I longed for the days when these conversations took place in his bedroom, away from prying Seelie eyes. Of course, back in his room, he hadn’t known that my stories of the dark and bright faeries were real. It had been a lot easier to talk about things when he thought I was telling him a “fairy” tale.
Funny, the difference a few letters can make.
“I will not be alone,” I said, trying to strike a balance between saying too much in front of the faeries, and saying too little to satisfy the humans. One human in particular. “Many of the dark servants will come to my aid.”
Another gasp from the bright faeries. This time, I couldn’t help but roll my eyes. Such drama. Didn’t it get tiring?
“So what if they will?” Taylor asked. “Is there such a thing as too much support?” He was staring at me, his eyes burning into me, and I hated the feeling of disappointing him. But regardless of the cost, I would protect him from the wickedness of the faeries, both bright and dark. Even if he hated me for it.
“This isn’t your fight,” I said, finally meeting his gaze. “I will not lead you into battle, risking your life—”
“You don’t get to decide that. It’s my decision—”
“It is my world and my revolution and I do get to decide.”
“What revolution?” Kylie asked, looking over at me. A couple of deer had crept out of the forest, and she was feeding them sweets.
“It is … complicated,” I began, swirling jam around my plate. “I am not sure how to explain it simply.”
“I can do it,” Taylor offered, and I looked up, surprised. But why was I surprised? From the moment I’d met him, he had always been kind, and understanding, and clever.
“Tell us,” I said, staring into his leaf-green eyes. “Tell us about my plans for the Unseelie Court.” My unspoken message was clear: do not mention my plans for this court, or my dealings with their queen. Do not mention that, if my revolution is a success and the Dark Court falls, the Bright Queen will disband her court in response.
Taylor nodded solemnly, in understanding. I wanted to pull him into my arms and kiss his lips. Instead, I sat quietly and listened.
“Let me see if I remember this correctly,” he said, holding my gaze. “Back in the Middle Ages, two courts of faeries were created, one who loved humanity, and one who wanted to destroy them.”
“Why? ” Keegan asked playfully. “Who would want to hurt us?”
“Um, people who don’t like murderers,” Alexia said. “Or pedophiles. Or hipster doofuses.”
Kylie almost laughed. But she caught herself, hand slapping over her mouth. She never did like talking about the worst kinds of humans. Here in Faerie, she could almost pretend they didn’t exist.
Almost.
“Well, you’re half right,” Taylor said, tilting his head. “The faeries of the Dark Court did hate humans because of our destructiveness, but they especially hated us because we used iron.”
“Oh! Because iron keeps faeries away,” Kylie said, clasping her hands. “I read that in this crazy-old book. People put iron on their horses and their doors and around their necks. That really works?”
Taylor nodded. “It got so bad, the faeries stopped being able to have babies. Because iron was so poisonous, and it weakened them.”
“That’s terrible,” Kylie said, and my chest surged with warmth. The bright faeries were leaning in. “So they’re dying off?”
“We are immortal,” the Bright Queen announced.
“Then you can’t be killed?” Keegan asked.
“We can be killed,” I explained, “with weapons or magic, but our bodies don’t decay.”
“So you don’t die of natural causes, but you can be hurt, and iron hurts you the worst,” Kylie said.
Taylor nodded. “And their land is constantly being taken over by humans, because, you know, we don’t adapt to the natural world. We make it adapt to us.”
“De-evolution,” Keegan said.
“Exactly,” Alexia agreed, and her eyes went wide. I think it was the first time she and Keegan had ever agreed on anything.
After a moment of heavy silence, Kylie began putting the pieces together in that careful way of hers. “So after humanity started poisoning the faeries, and took over their lands, the dark faeries decided to fight back. Okay. Where do the bright faeries come in?”
“How did you put it?” Taylor mused, looking at me. His gaze flickered to my back, where dark wings unfurled like shadows. I turned away. “All faeries believe the earth is to be protected, because the earth is like their body,” he said. “But while the dark faeries are willing to protect the earth by any means necessary, the bright faeries believe humans are part of the earth, and fall under their protection.”
A slow smile took over my face, born of adoration. Affection. Maybe even …
“That’s pretty messed up,” Alexia said, brushing her dark, wavy hair behind her back. “I mean, say your body got sick, like you had a disease or something. And it was killing you, but you were all, ‘Oh, no, I have to protect it, because it’s a part of me.’”
“Okay, you’re sympathizing with the dark faeries,” Taylor said, his tone growing harsher. “You do know these are the people who almost killed your girlfriend? The people who almost killed … ” His gaze shifted, and all eyes turned to me.
That was all right. It was my turn to speak. “Over the centuries, the faeries of the Dark Court grew worse and worse. They didn’t simply fight with the Seelie Court, or with humanity. They fought with each other. They abused the servants that waited on them hand and foot.”
“They attacked their own princess,” Kylie said, shaking her head. “In the graveyard. That was them, right? The faeries of the Dark Court?”
“Ah, yes,” I said, nodding. “The courtiers, and Naeve.”
“Is that … was he … ” But Kylie couldn’t say it. Naeve had taken a special interest in her, realizing she was the sweetest of the humans. He’d commanded his favored courtier, the Lady Claremondes, to
attack. And that slithery creature, half-woman and half-snake, had slid her venomous tongue along Kylie’s neck, making her shake and scream.
“Yes, Naeve is the worst of them,” I said. “Of course, being the Prince of the Dark Court comes with a certain sense of entitlement.”
“Wait, the prince? Like your brother?” Keegan gaped at me.
“Adopted brother. Adopted, in fact, long before I was born.” I lowered my gaze. I did not want to get into the specifics of my relationship with Naeve. Did not want to admit how he had treated me since I was a child.
But Taylor took the reins for me, before I even had to ask. “Remember how I said the faeries were losing the ability to have babies? Well, for a long time, they thought Naeve was the last faerie ever to be born.”
“So he was born in the Middle Ages?” Kylie asked, wide-eyed. “He’s centuries old?”
“Yep, he was born toward the end,” Taylor said. “And the Dark Lady swooped in and adopted him, thinking she could use him as a symbol of her court. A symbol of everything the faeries had to lose if they didn’t take down humanity.”
“So Naeve grew up as a prince,” Keegan said, “even though he wasn’t related to the Queen.”
“That’s kind of an important point.” Taylor glanced at me. “Because years later, when Naeve was an adult, he and the Queen kind of … hooked up.”
“Wait, what?” Keegan asked. Kylie dropped her roll. Only Alexia looked unsurprised.
Taylor jumped in. “Look, none of us has a perfect family. If we did, we probably wouldn’t be here.” When nobody responded, he went on. “Sure, the Dark Lady’s relationship with Naeve was messed up, but that’s the point. He was obsessed with her, and he saw her as a mother and a lover. She was everything to him.”
“Until I came along,” I murmured, my face flushing with heat. But Taylor had begun the story of Naeve, and he would finish it for me. Nodding, he said, “Centuries after Naeve was born, the Dark Lady realized she was pregnant. Turns out, Elora was the last faerie ever to be born. So Naeve lost all of his fame, and the attention of the Queen, in one fell swoop. And even though it wasn’t Elora’s fault, considering she was a baby and all, he took out all his anger on her.”
“He essentially tormented me throughout my life,” I admitted softly.
“So brother fought sister,” Keegan said. “The courtiers abused the servants. And the Queen abused them all.”
I lifted my head. “Yes. That is it exactly. You see, then, why I plotted a revolution. My goal is to take them down from the inside.”
“Like we did back at school.” Kylie gasped. “I mean, the way we all came together to take down Brad and his goons.”
“Yes. But more life-and-death,” I pointed out.
Kylie nodded, but she wouldn’t look at me. I felt the cold weight of guilt pressing into my chest. After all, Brad had made Kylie’s life a living hell. I hadn’t meant to belittle her experience.
Then she said the last thing I expected. “So what can we do to help?”
“What?” I blinked at her, utterly lost in that moment.
“You defended us back in the human world. You helped us throw our own revolution.”
“Yeah.” Keegan nodded. “We should return the favor.”
“You could die,” Taylor said, surprising me. I hadn’t expected him to interfere with their offering.
“We could die every minute back home. We could be crossing the street, and bam!” Kylie slapped her hands together. “Car crash.”
“Dying here is much more likely,” Taylor said.
“So you don’t want us to help her?” Alexia asked.
“I don’t want you to get hurt,” he explained. “But I’m going to help her.” He turned, catching my eye. “She’s insane if she thinks I won’t.”
“Taylor—”
“Right, like we’re just going to sit on our asses in faerieland while she faces the guy who cut off her wings? Fuck no,” Alexia said.
“It isn’t our fight,” Taylor said. “She’s right about that.”
“It wasn’t her fight back home. She still stood with us. She led us,” Kylie said, taking Alexia’s hand. “And what do I even have to go back to? Parents who stopped loving me the minute I had feelings for a girl? The minute I realized I might, at some point?”
“They didn’t stop loving you,” Keegan said, and it was the first time I’d heard him speak kindly about his parents. Then again, they had kicked him out at age eleven for being gay. Kylie, who’d jokingly called herself “half a heathen” for being bisexual, had been quick to follow him.
But perhaps Keegan wasn’t really defending his parents. Perhaps he just wanted Kylie to feel loved.
She smiled, barely. “I want to do something meaningful with my life. And sure, I want that life to be long—”
“I always thought I would burn fast and bright,” Alexia murmured.
“But that’s why we have to prepare,” Kylie said. “I bet there are wands and arrows and all sorts of things here. We could—”
“Darlings, darlings!” The Queen stood abruptly, towering over us like an ancient oak. “I believe I speak for all the bright faeries when I say I am enchanted by your offering. Here, more than ever, we have proof of the value of humanity. Let us make a toast in your honor!”
The bright faeries exploded with cheers and applause, and the humans beamed, not understanding what was happening. Not understanding that they were being dismissed. Distracted.
Still, after a moment, Taylor surprised me one more time. He turned to the Queen and said, “So you think we should fight?”
The Queen’s smile slipped, but oh, she was so practiced at wearing the mask of nobility, she caught it quickly. “Far be it from me to stop you from doing as you please. That is the dark faeries’ game … ”
Subtle, I thought, biting my tongue to keep from biting her. I mean, to keep from lashing out at her. Verbally.
Oh, who was I kidding? I wanted to bite her at this point.
“But first, let us show you all the Bright Court has to offer.” She waved a hand dramatically. “There are crystalline pools so deep, you can dive hundreds of miles into the sparkling depths, and mountains so high, you can see countries splayed out below you. There are cities built into the trees!”
Taylor perked up at that. I remembered, suddenly, my first night in his bedroom, when he’d told me he used to daydream about a city in the trees. He and his brother had even drawn up the plans. I’d almost forgotten he was an artist. Or at least, he used to be, before his brother died.
I waited for him to take the bait.
To bite.
To sink into the Bright Lady’s hook.
But even the lure of seeing his visions come to life was not enough to distract him. “After the battle, I’d love to see those things,” he said calmly. “And more. But until then, I’m going to be very busy, learning how to fight.”
“Young man—”
“And if you respect me, you won’t try to stand in my way.”
“I respect you a great deal. But I also respect the princess, and if she does not want you to fight … ”
Oh, clever, shifting the blame to me. That way, she could be the hero, rooting for the humans. And I could be the villain.
I chose my words carefully. “You’ve been through a great deal,” I said to Taylor. “You risked your life for me. Your family. Your home. The last thing I want is for you to get killed in my name—”
“Indeed,” the Queen agreed, cutting me off. Then, more softly, she added, “The poor babies wouldn’t stand a chance.”
“They aren’t babies,” I snapped.
“They are humans,” the Bright Queen said. Her tone was not laced with disgust, as my mother’s might’ve been, but still, it was heavy with condescension.
“Human is not synonymo
us with helpless,” I said. “Even in battle, they would not be helpless. I simply think—”
“Of course they wouldn’t,” she agreed. “Many mortals are experienced in warfare. But when it comes to magic, and the wickedness of the dark faeries—”
“The dark faeries were thwarted in the graveyard. The dark faeries underestimated the humans. That’s why they lost,” I said, a thrill racing through me. A thrill of possibility. Of hope.
“Young princess, you cannot possibly believe—”
“Wait.”
“Excuse me?” The Queen frowned, clearly startled by my command. But I was speaking as much to myself as to her.
“Wait, I have an idea. What if the mortals could aid my revolution without risking their lives in battle? What if they used their magic to—”
“What magic? ” the Queen interrupted. “Mortals are many things, but they are not magical.”
I shook my head. “That’s where you’re wrong. Kylie’s more talented at craftsmanship than anyone I’ve ever met. Alexia’s a natural chameleon. Keegan can see into you, into the depths of your soul—”
“And the leader?”
I froze, narrowing my eyes. “What?”
“The boy who’s led this conversation,” the Queen said, gesturing to Taylor. The light was clinging to him the way it clung to her faeries. Her devotees. I needed to get him out of here. I needed to crawl across the table, pushing the plates aside until I reached him—
My gaze dropped to his plate. There, in the center, was a haphazard drawing of me. And just like that, an idea blossomed in my mind, something so powerful, it could bring the dark courtiers to their knees. The missing element in my revolution.
And all of it hinged on Taylor’s ability to paint.
My gaze shifted up, to the artist who’d saved my life. “Tonight, after the Queen has drawn all the forest’s light into her body so the mortals can sleep, I will meet with you under the stars, and together we will discuss your part in my revolution.”
5
TayloR
She came for me in the darkest part of the night. First I saw nothing, just darkness clinging to the sleeping forms of my friends. Then she appeared, stepping through an opening in the trees that hadn’t been there a second ago. Her hair was tangled like she’d been caught in the rain, and her eyes, miraculously, were bright.
The Last Faerie Queen Page 4