Here There be Dragons (Book 4 in the Twilight Court Series)

by Amy Sumida

  The crowning of the fifth king (and third dragon king) of the Unseelie Kingdom was a simple affair. It was held in the midnight garden and the symbolism of the site wasn't lost on me. It was where Raza and I had first met. Plus, he knew I liked it there.

  Raza stood beneath a moss covered arch with his family to his right. The dragons looked imposing but Raye was smiling too brightly to intimidate anyone. Still, none of them could hold anyone's attention for long, not when they stood so close to Raza.

  He wore black leather with a red velvet cloak and his wings were folded serenely behind him. Raza's stance was warrior-regal; feet spread wide and shoulders straight, oozing confidence and authority. His face shone with happiness and his eyes were full of victory. Basically, he was breathtaking.

  The garden was full of fairies and when I glanced upward, I saw that all the balconies surrounding the open shaft were full as well. The unseelie were eager to witness the crowning of their new king There was no resentment from those who had fought for Uisdean, nor any held for them. Fairies can be quite flexible about such things. The battle was over, so now the entire court looked forward to Raza's reign.

  My father and I stood to the left of the arch. I stepped forward and stared up at Raza. I wasn't a short woman but I felt tiny next to him. He grinned, seeing that there would be an issue with our height difference, and got down on one knee. My father brought forward a red cushion cradling the Unseelie crown. I suppose it was lucky that Uisdean hadn't decided to wear it into battle. Come to think of it, I don't believe I'd ever seen Uisdean wear his crown. Strange.

  It was simple as far as crowns were concerned; a thick band of jet with a silver crescent placed at center front. The crescent rested on its curve so that the tips pointed upward like a pair of horns. I smiled at that, it would suit Raza perfectly. I picked it up carefully, vaguely recalling what my father had said back when he crowned me.

  “Before Danu and all of you assembled here today,” I began, lifting the crown high for everyone to see. “I crown the new king of the Unseelie Court,” I laid the crown on Raza's head but kept my fingers pressed against the cool stone. “Through blood and loyalty, with honor and the will of the Goddess herself, you are crowned.” I stepped back and turned to the crowd. “I present to you; Raza Tnyn, King of the Unseelie Court!”

  Raza stood to the cheering of his court.

  Then tendrils of tingling magic rolled off him. Magic which struck out at me and made me gasp. A glittering presence filled me and Danu's voice lifted from of my throat.

  “I have given you your true king,” her voice silenced the applause and Raza dropped down to both knees in awe. Everyone else followed his lead, kneeling to their goddess. “King Raza the Second has my blessing,” I/She laid her/my hand upon Raza's head. “He is my gift to you, my unseelie children. Treasure him as I treasure you and you will never falter. He will guide you and guard you in my stead.”

  She left me in a rush and the momentum sent me reeling. I fell forward and Raza caught me. He held me as the fey around us cheered once more. My eyes fluttered open to find him staring at me in awe and love.

  “Someday, Seren,” he whispered, “we will do this again. Except I will be crowning you.”

  And he sealed his vow with a kiss

  Chapter Forty-Five

  After Danu had made her second appearance of the day, the mood was decidedly joyous. Raza had held me until the dizziness subsided and then helped me to my feet. I was so disoriented, I hadn't even responded to his declaration. I just stepped aside meekly so he could crown his son.

  When Raza placed a smaller version of his crown upon Raye's head, I found myself caught up in the jubilation. Rayetayah beamed at his father and then waved to the cheering crowd, even going as far as to crane his head back and acknowledge the fairies above him. The unseelie seemed to love him, even though he was technically a twilight fairy.

  The thought gave me pause. If Raza could crown his twilight son as his heir, then perhaps the idea of me becoming his queen wasn't so far fetched. Not that it would ever happen.

  I swallowed hard and frowned as Raza proudly presented his son to the Unseelie Court and their twilight guests. Something inside me quaked and I realized that I was absurdly afraid. Of Raza. Not of anything he might do to me physically but of the pain he could cause me emotionally. Because as I watched him address his new court, speaking to his people with hope and deep respect, I knew the truth; I loved him.

  “I have to go,” I whispered to my father.

  He turned startled starry eyes to me. “What? Now?”

  “Yes,” panic was rising in my chest. “I'll see you at home.” I turned but he snatched my arm and held firm.

  Seren, don't you dare leave without your Guard,” he hissed.

  “Alright,” I promised and pulled free of his grasp.

  He gaped at me as I edged off the steps, Cat close on my heels. I slunk down to where my Star's Guard stood. With subtle gestures, I motioned for them to follow me and they did so without question. We hurried through the crowd, sticking to the edges so as not to disrupt the proceedings. When we reached the entrance to the midnight garden, I made the mistake of looking back.

  Raza was staring at me with a smug smile. He knew exactly why I was rushing away. I could practically hear his sleep-roughened voice saying again, “Okay, Seren. Keep running. You'll only circle back to me in the end.”

  “Let's go,” my voice sounded panicked, even to my own ears, and my knights responded to it with urgency.

  We hurried out to the stables and they quickly readied their horses as Cat changed form. Even with their haste, I got Cat saddled and had mounted before they were through. Then we were riding through the castle gates, fleeing the dragon who now ruled Unseelie, before he could claim my heart as well.

  That same traitorous heart of mine didn't stop pounding until we were deep within Twilight territory and I was certain we weren't being followed. I know how ridiculous that sounds. Raza wouldn't have left his coronation celebration just to chase after me. But my heart wasn't listening to reason. It just kept screaming; run, run, run!

  No one asked me why we'd left in such a rush, not even when we finally made it to Twilight Castle and I slowed Cat down to a canter. Looking over my Star's Guard, I saw why they hadn't bothered to question my desperate retreat. They already knew. These fairies had become my closest friends and they knew me better than anyone. Each and every one of them had witnessed what had just passed between Raza and I and they knew I wasn't ready for it. I wanted to thank them for their understanding and loyalty but that would mean admitting to my feelings for Raza and I just couldn't, not aloud. It would feel too permanent, too real.

  I sighed as I placed my hand to the amethyst gate and the magic dispersed, granting us entrance to our home. And there he was; waiting in the middle of the courtyard for me. The only person in all the worlds who could take my shivering dread and turn it into something safe and warm. Just seeing him made the tension in my chest ease. I leapt from Cat's back and ran across the courtyard to him.

  “Tiernan,” I whispered as he held me.

  “Seren,” he sounded worried. “Is everything alright?”

  I pulled back just enough to look up into his striking silver eyes. His heartbeat was strong beneath my palm and the scent of him rose up around me; deep amber and sandalwood. Tiernan always smelled like the heart of the forest and the scent had become one of solace for me. On a subliminal level, it triggered something and told me I was safe. I lightly traced the swirling silver scar down from his temple to his cheek.

  “Now it is,” I leaned forward and kissed him, letting the shivers of desire he always incited, wash away any lingering thoughts of dragons and destiny.

  Grammar Giggles

  And just for a little giggle, here are some grammar mistakes found by my editor Michelle Hoffman and by myself, during the editing of this book.

  The correct line: The little golden glow fluffs all bobbed down to the table an
d bent their heads to their new king.

  The giggle: The little golden glow fluffs all boobed down to the table and bent their heads to their new king.

  The correct line: But here’s the thing; the torso has no face so the nuckelavee was reading with its single, fiery, horse eye while the arms attached to the torso held the book for it.

  The giggle: But here’s the thing; the torso is has no face so the nuckelavee was reading with its single, fiery, horse eye while the arms attached to the torso held the book for it. (What's with the random is?)

  The correct line: “Now, what do you want, farm boy?”

  The giggle: “Now, what do want, farm boy?”

  The correct line: “We were told to prevent you from attending to King Uisdean’s rescue but I saw him as we walked up,” the man nodded to the van where Uisdean was waiting.

  The giggle: “We were told to prevent you from attending to King Uisdean’s rescue but I seen him just there,” the man nodded to the van where Uisdean was waiting. (Michelle asked me if this was the way he was supposed to speak... No, Michelle, this isn't the way anyone should speak especially not a fairy)

  The correct line: There was a shadow above us, a boat shaped shadow.

  The giggle: The was a shadow above us, a boat shaped shadow. (This may not seem so funny but I have to give a shout out to my friend Sandra for catching it... and a few others. The reason why I thought this one was so humorous was; even sitting there looking at the incorrect line right above her written in correction, it took me a good two minutes to catch what was wrong with it. My eyes just kept insisting that the was there)

  And please feel free to write me at vervainlavine@yahoo.com if you spot any grammar errors yourself. I'm a poor self-published author who must rely on the kindness of my super-smart friends for help in editing. Please have mercy on my writing.

  Keep Reading for a sneak peek into the next book in the Twilight Court Series:

  Witchbane

  Rue: A herb used in the Middle Ages to protect against evil spirits, the plague, and witches. For this reason, it was also known as witchbane.

  Chapter One

  I stepped out of the rath and into a garden of olive trees. A stone wall encircled the garden, going several hundred feet straight up. I was within the High Fairy Council House in Ireland and the rath I'd just come through was the first rath to have ever been created. And it had been made by my goddess' twin brother; Anu.

  I often wondered what Anu thought of his sister's children infiltrating his world. Did he resent Danu for allowing them to travel to Earth and eventually make war upon his own children? Did he even care or was he an absent god? Perhaps the humans had stopped listening to him as the fey had done with Danu.

  Well, if Anu was still watching over his people, he was about to be royally pissed off.

  I was there to meet with both High Councils and the witch elders, to inform them of my Uncle Uisdean's latest adventure. My Star's Guard and I had traveled to the Sacred Isle of Danu so we could use this rath to reach the Fairy High Council House and speak with the leaders of all three races in person. My Star's Guard was still two men short, though a royal guard didn't have a set number of members. Mine had originally been twelve and it had seemed to be a holy number. It hurt to have it diminished, mainly because it was death who took my men.

  But that was only partially why I was in the Human Realm.

  A fairy guard met us outside the door to the rath's garden. He bowed and greeted me before leading us to the council chambers. At a pair of arched doors, the guard stopped and pushed them open for us. When my Guard tried to follow me in, he held up his hand.

  “Only the Princess.”

  I nodded to my grumbling Guard and proceeded.

  “Um...” the guard looked down pointedly.

  Oh yes, I forgot to mention. I'd brought Cat with me too. After her near-death on the battlefield, I was both reluctant to bring her and leave her behind but since she especially hated the later, I ended up choosing to bring her with me.

  Cat growled at the guard.

  “I suppose your puka is fine,” the guard swallowed hard and stepped back.

  “Thank you,” I said graciously and strode in with a proud Cat.

  We walked through a massive but mainly empty room. I imagined it was made so spacious because there were times when the deeds of the Councils were made public. For instance, the time when we made a treaty with the newly discovered witches. The council chamber had been packed that day.

  Today though, it was echoingly empty. The polished marble floor didn't help with the echoes either. In fact, it seemed to encourage the hollow sounds. My footsteps rang out towards the distant walls with only a few stone pillars to attempt to stop them.

  It was a long walk to reach the dais at the end of the room, where both High Councils and the witch elders were seated at an elaborately carved wooden table. The chairs were just as elaborate, almost throne-like, but the one placed in front, facing the table, was obviously the grandest. That would be my seat.

  Because no matter how high up you were on either council or how powerful a witch you were, you still didn't outrank a fairy noble. Yeah, sometimes it was cool to be a princess. I nodded to the council members and the witches before taking my seat. Cat sat on the floor beside me but her head still came to my shoulders.

  “Welcome, Princess Seren,” High Councilman Greer of the Fairy High Council spoke first.

  “Thank you,” I nodded to him respectfully.

  “You have news to impart?” High Councilman Murdock of the Human High Council asked impatiently.

  “News and a warning,” I sighed. “Elders,” I nodded to the witches. “Thank you for being here.”

  “It's our pleasure,” Gabriel Alegre, Elder of Beckoning, sent me a smoldering Spanish stare.

  The council members were muttering amongst themselves, obviously upset about my mention of a warning. Though the witches didn't seem bothered or even surprised. Councilman Greer held up a hand and everyone went quiet.

  “Start with the news, if you please?” Greer insisted.

  “There is a new Unseelie King,” I announced and the muttering began again.

  “Please shut up, all of you,” Murdock growled. “Go on, Ambassador.”

  “The previous king, Uisdean Thorn, has unearthed the fairy weapon called Dagda's club and used it to bring back his dead wife.”

  They all went silent.

  “If you are unfamiliar with the weapon, as I was,” I nodded to the humans and witches, “then let me inform you of its abilities. With one strike, the club can kill nine men. If this is done during a battle, the kills are considered honorable and the gathered energy can be used to bring someone back from the dead. However, if it is used against innocents in time of peace and then employed to return the dead to life, the soul which is brought back, returns tainted by the evil of the deeds.”

  “What exactly did King Uisdean do?” High Councilman Timberstride asked with horror.

  “He murdered twilight fairies and then brought Queen Rue back to life,” I said with as little emotion as possible. “I personally witnessed her resurrection and her first act was to cast me out a tower window while I was bound with magic-dampening chains.”

  “Queen Rue tried to murder you?” Councilwoman Shinsato's nine, snowy, fox tails twitched around her in dismay.

  “She did.”

  “And the Sluagh?” Greer asked.

  “There was no response.”

  This was a catalyst for a violent conversation. I sat back and let the shouting happen without interference. I understood that they needed to work through the fact that a fairy had tried to kill a royal and had not been held accountable for it. It was astounding to them and for good reason. The Sluagh had effectively protected the royals of Fairy for thousands of years.

  The witch elders, who were all new to this, sat back and watched carefully. I nodded to them in commiseration as the arguing continued. Jarne Vinter, Pack Elder, sent me
a saucy wink. I looked away hastily, the Norwegian fancied himself a ladies man. Beside him, Chantelle Robinson, Elder of Tide, rolled her dark eyes and tossed her long dreads over her shoulder.

  “She's dead to them,” I finally interjected into the Councils' conversation. “The Sluagh can't sense her actions. At least, that's what my father and I have concluded.”

  “So you deposed King Uisdean?” Jared Turner, Elder of Quake, asked.

  “There was a battle and a new king was put on the throne,” I nodded. “King Raza Tnyn now rules Unseelie from Craos-Teine.”

  Both Councils went silent.

  “Who is this Raza?” Crispin Arterbury, Elder of Bite, asked.

  “He's a dragon,” Timberstride said in a low tone. “His family once ruled Unseelie.”

  “He's a good man,” I stood up angrily and Cat stood with me, “and an even better king. The unseelie are blossoming under his rule.”

  “Our apologies, Princess Seren,” Councilman Timberstride held up his hand placatingly. “We didn't know you were so... close to the new king.”

  “He's a friend of mine,” I noted. “You'll recall his aid during the raven-mocker affair.”

  “Of course we do,” Murdock rolled his rheumy, dark eyes. “That's how we know he's a dragon.”

  “Oh, that dragon,” Gabriel's eyes widened.

  “Who better to rule a fairy kingdom?” I shot back as I resumed my seat. “But I haven't finished. The reason I'm here isn't to inform you of the new Unseelie King but to warn you of the last one. Danu appeared on the battlefield and turned the Sluagh away, ending the war while giving her blessing to the new king.”

  The fairies gasped.

  “Uisdean and Rue used the distraction to escape,” I went on. “They made it through the Alaskan rath.”

  They went silent.

  “And Uisdean still has the club.”