Yew Queen Trilogy

by Eve A Hunt

  “We should get Hekla to the list quickly,” Lucus said. “She’ll need a moment to greet the animal.”

  We set off, letting the crowd help us along.

  “What do you mean greet?” I asked.

  “Unicorns are intelligent creatures who are drawn to auras much like us,” Lucus said. “Hekla’s mount will want to scent her aura, to be clear on the rider’s persona.”

  I wanted to ask more questions, but the path through this area of the woods was tight and packed with flying and walking fae. They bumped against me now and then, each touch sending a frisson of fear through me. Their glowing eyes and veins grew more obvious as the canopy blocked out the late afternoon sun.

  The crowd separated us from the Binder and Nora as the unseelie group spilled into a long clearing stripped of its oaks and beeches. Tinted by the setting sun, citrine clouds floated above a low wall of stacked stone. Held by unseelie trainers dressed in solid black, two massive obsidian unicorns stamped the ground at either ends of the wall. The animals’ horns glowed in a way similar to the unseelie fae’s eyes in the dark. Their black manes floated around their sinuous necks like they were underwater. It was as if they inhabited this world and another dimension, too, like ghosts.

  I squinted as we got closer. “Is their fur kind of glowing too?” The ends of each black strand looked luminescent and cast a haze of ruby light.

  A fae at the far end was allowing two others to tie her wings down with twine while the trainer held her unicorn.

  Hekla stared. “Horses don’t have fur. It’s hair.”

  “See?” I shook her, forcing a brightness into my voice. “You’re an expert. You can do this. No problem.”

  Each unicorn wore a tasseled saddle of red, blue, and black and had matching reins and bridle. The unseelie holding Hekla’s mount had long fingers that tapered to become jagged twigs, and he wore his tangled hair in a knot on top of his head like a bad man bun. He looked Hekla up and down, adjusted the stirrups, then held out a hand to help her up.

  “Wait.” Lucus glared at the fae holding the beast. “She wants to greet him.”

  The unseelie smirked. They’d thought Hekla wouldn’t know about this little step, hmm? Assholes. All this smirking was making me feel very stabby.

  Lucus stepped back as Hekla walked to the unicorn’s head.

  She held out a palm dusted in crumbs. “I’m Hekla, and these are scone crumbs. There are more if you help me live through this.”

  The unseelie holding the reins snorted. “He won’t eat that. Try offering a finger.”

  The unicorn rose up on its hind legs, and I reached to pull Hekla back. But she avoided my grasp and stood her ground, her gaze on the unicorn and her hand outstretched. Nostrils flaring, the animal dropped onto all fours. He sniffed the air around Hekla’s head. Her hair shifted as he snuffled. Her feet looked so tiny next to the unicorn’s hooves. The thing’s horn was easily as long as one of her legs. This creature was going to haunt my nightmares for sure.

  Going still, the unicorn locked its gaze on Hekla.

  It took everything in me to keep from dragging her away from the beast.

  “Steady,” Lucus whispered.

  The unicorn had a smell, and it wasn’t the cozy scent of horse. It was more like something sweet and musky, like a rotting rose.

  With a blast of air from its nostrils, the unicorn relaxed and lowered its lips to Hekla’s palm. She yelped and jumped backward.

  “The damn thing bit me!” She pressed her palm against her shirt.

  The unseelie laughed, grabbed Hekla, and tugged a breastplate armor shirt-thing over her head. It looked like it was made of bark and maybe like walnut shells. He swung her onto the unicorn. “That means he approves of you,” the unseelie said. “If he didn’t, you’d have lost an arm.”

  And before we could say another word to her, before I could complain that walnut shells were a crap attempt at armor, Arleigh was addressing the crowd from a tangle of oak branches high in the tree line. “Welcome to the joust! Today our fine fae knight, Aella, faces our human guest. Lances at the ready!”

  From the other end of the list, Aella smiled and lifted a hand in some sort of salute aimed at Hekla. The female had the vibe of a killer zombie linebacker but the body and face of an archangel.

  Hekla’s trainer thrust a lance made of a length of sharpened wood into her hand. Hekla lowered her gaze at Aella, took the reins with her free hand, and tightened her legs around the animal’s girth.

  I couldn’t breathe.

  “Ride!” Arleigh shouted.

  The unicorns took off, thundering hooves throwing earth and horns blazing a bright red. I could only see Hekla’s back from where I stood next to Lucus.

  I cupped my hands around my mouth and shrieked, “You rock, Hekla!”

  My encouragement was lost in the cacophony of shouting from the unseelie, and surprisingly, Nora, who was jumping up and down beside the Binder. I could only glance her way, though, because Hekla’s unicorn was about to pass the fae’s twin beast. Hekla lowered her lance and aimed. Honestly, Aella’s lance bounced around a lot more than Hekla’s.

  As they passed, the unicorns jerked their heads across the low stone wall. Hekla’s unicorn dragged its horn along the other creature’s neck, drawing a line of shimmering blood. The unseelie roared in anger, her lance missing Hekla just as Hekla’s missed the fae’s. Both animals screeched like barn owls before galloping on to the end of the list. Hekla’s leg moved against her unicorn, her pale skin showing through a rip in her trousers as she turned the unicorn around to face us and readied for another run.

  Seriously, it was like she was born for this. I exhaled, finally feeling like she wasn’t about to die at any moment. I was beyond impressed.

  “She might survive,” Lucus said quietly beside me, his words loud in my chest because of the bond’s occasional flare. “But the true test will rise if the unicorns see fit to use their magic.”

  I didn’t even want to ask. But, of course, I did.

  Chapter 20

  “What can they do?” I asked Lucus, feeling clammy as Hekla adjusted her hold on the lance.

  Lucus crossed his arms. “They can take sight or addle their minds.”

  “Why do the unicorns allow themselves to be used in this kind of thing anyway?” If I were a unicorn of darkness, I’d be off in the magical forest being magical, away from all this drama.

  “They do it for fae flesh.”

  Bile rose up my throat. “One of Arleigh’s people offered themselves up as a reward meal?”

  “Most likely just an arm or hand. Fae flesh is imbued with magic that feeds their unicorn powers.”

  Hekla rode at Aella again. As they met, the fae’s lance struck Hekla dead on. My heart stopped as she was flung onto the ground, dangerously close to her mount’s stamping hooves. The unicorn smashed the churned, wet earth near Hekla’s head, spraying her with mud. Hekla tried to roll away, but accidentally found herself further under the unicorn.

  Whispering prayers, I pulled at my hair.

  The trainer who’d outfitted her rushed over, grabbed the creature’s reins, and helped Hekla remount.

  In the next run, Hekla’s lance hit the tip of Aella’s weapon, and the unicorns thrashed. Hekla held on, white-faced as her mount stabbed the fae’s beast in the chest with his horn.

  “Ah!” Arleigh flew over the jousting area, her long dress fluttering against her tight trousers and her dainty slippers. “Do we have a kill?”

  The fae’s unicorn stumbled and fell to its knees, the fae rider nimbly dismounting. Was it over? Hekla’s trainer hurried over to take her reins, but they remained at the center of the run, watching the dying unicorn across the stone wall.

  Arleigh clapped her hands three times. “The joust is finished! The human and her powerful mount have defeated our own Aella and her unicorn!” The queen eyed Hekla like she was anything but a winner. “Ready yourselves for our next event,” Arleigh said as she landed on the fa
r end of the clearing. Her gaze shot spears at Lucus. “It promises to be the best entertainment yet.”

  It was time for the alpha duel.

  Lucus stared back at Arleigh, his stance relaxed as if he were certain of victory. But his color had faded again, his lips pale and dark circles around his eyes. The curse was dragging him toward death slowly but surely. He needed to feed on a tree or two before this fight.

  “Will you unbind me for our duel, Queen Arleigh?” he asked.

  She laughed huskily. “Of course, Lord Lucus. I don’t want a weak opponent. I want you at your best. Well, as best as you can be considering the twisted curse that’s eating away at you.” Chuckling to herself, she flew into the woods.

  My magic surged inside me, electric and sharp, and as I used the ley lines to steady me, a voice trickled through my head. “Dip your hands in the blood.”

  I had zero idea who was telling me this. One of the mages of my bloodline? It sounded male though, and all the voices I’d heard had been female.

  “Lucus.”

  He turned, gaze touching my forehead and cheeks as if he were checking to see if I was okay. “What is it?”

  “I just heard a voice.”

  “Like you did before when your magic woke?”

  “But this one was male.”

  “From what I’ve learned of mages, your kind tend to only hear those of the same gender.”

  That was lame, but whatever. “Okay, so who could be telling me to dip my hands in the blood?”

  Lucus looked toward Hekla’s unicorn, who was staring at us. “I believe it’s him.”

  Whoa. “Hold up. The unicorn of darkness is speaking telepathically with me?”

  “It’s rare, but I’ve read stories that mention such occurrences. Does the voice feel trustworthy?”

  I snorted. “I can’t tell.”

  “If you listen to your magic, you should be able to distinguish his intent.”

  Closing my eyes, I listened for the music of my magic and envisioned the golden shimmer of my aura. The unicorn spoke again. “Dip your palms in the blood of my opponent. Arleigh is my foe.” The words rang like a song, combining with my magic’s notes, and they made me feel…good. I opened my eyes to see Lucus watching me, his lips parted. “I think the unicorn is on our team. I’m going for it.”

  I left Lucus and strode quickly for the wall. The dying unicorn lay still on the ground, its glowing blood bright on the grass. Aella walked away, raising a hand to her trainer—the fae had brought her a bowl of some liquid that was splashing over the rim.

  “Coren?” Hekla dismounted as her unicorn kept its red eyes focused on me.

  I gave her a quick smile, hoping she’d leave me to it and not bring too much attention to what I was up to. I didn’t know if the fae would care about me gathering up unicorn blood, but I had to assume they wouldn’t love it, since the unicorn seemed to think it was valuable. I hopped over the wall and knelt beside the dying creature. It inhaled shallowly, its massive body inert.

  Wasting no time looking around, I put my hands in the luminous blood, and the scent of rotting roses filled my nose. I tried not to gag.

  “Step away, mage!” Aella stared, face contorted in irritation. But she was looking over my head like I was standing instead of kneeling. The bowl her trainer had brought over sat in her hands, the liquid shimmering. “This is fae business, and you should have no part in it.”

  Swallowing, I stood and backed up. “Apologies. Just checking this out. I’ve never seen a unicorn.”

  “Yes, well, move along.”

  Aella tried to look at my hands, but I held them at my sides, palms turned inward to hide the blood. Shaking her head, she threw the liquid from the bowl onto the unicorn blood, and a hissing erupted from the red glow. A cloud of thick fog hovered. Aella then handed the bowl back to her trainer before whispering a few words over the cloud, hands outstretched and sparkling a bright grassy hue. The cloud twisted into a column of white then shot into the earth.

  Aella didn’t seem concerned with me anymore, so I hurried to where Hekla and Lucus stood at the side of the clearing, the crowd passing in air and on foot.

  The blood on my palms began to pulse like I held two hearts in my hands. I stopped, staring at my blood-blackened skin. The red glow intensified, then went dark like a candle blown out. I touched my palm with a finger, shocked.

  The unicorn blood was gone.

  Rushing to join my crew, I grabbed Hekla, and we hugged hard. “You are such a badass,” I whispered.

  “I’m trying to be!” She kind of laugh-sobbed, and I rubbed her back before we began walking on with Lucus.

  “Why were you staring at the dying unicorn?” Hekla whispered.

  I checked for any fae that might be listening, but they were talking so loudly themselves that they didn’t seem to care one bit what we were up to.

  Lucus inclined his head to listen as we slowed, hanging at the back of the moving crowd.

  I told Hekla everything, but when I got to the part about putting my hands in the blood, she frowned.

  “You did? I didn’t notice you doing that.”

  “I didn’t either, now that you mention it,” Lucus said, a puzzled look on his handsome face.

  I shrugged. “It’s a wild day when someone dipping their hands in the blood of dark unicorns isn’t the most interesting sight. Now, Lucus, are you feeling all right for this duel with the queen?”

  “Please tell me you’re going to shame Arleigh for even bringing this whole duel thing up,” Hekla said to Lucus.

  His eyebrows lifted, and he nearly smiled. “I wish I could, but I don’t know what she has planned for this competition of ours.”

  “At least she’s going to unbind you.” Anxiety filled my stomach with fiery nails. I focused on my pulsing hands instead. I had power here, and I needed to figure out how to use it to help Lucus survive this.

  “True,” he said. “I wonder how long she’ll allow me such a freedom.”

  “Until she starts losing?” Hekla said, rolling her eyes.

  We were getting a bit reckless, talking like this among her court. Fatigue did that to a person. I was just too damn tired to be careful.

  “Seriously though,” I said. “What happens if you gain the upper hand? What is a fae duel exactly? When does someone win? Please say it’s not a to the death thing.”

  “Seelie fae don’t play to the death. We play until either the challenged or the challenger is well blooded or disabled. The loser must serve the victor for one cycle of the moon.”

  I wanted to say a million things about Lucus and Arleigh and the ramifications if he lost. Lucus and Hekla probably did too, but we walked in silence, the coming event pressing in on us like storm clouds.

  Chapter 21

  We walked out of the thick expanse of oaks and into a clearing where a hill mounded right in the center. The rich pink and purple hues of twilight poured over the rise, and around the mound’s base, shadows gathered like black puddles.

  The Binder and Nora approached us, Nora’s gaze darting between the faces of the fae. The Binder leaned close to my ear.

  “Why did you gather the unicorn’s blood? Did you know when you did that, you had a glamour on you? I’ve never seen a glamour on a mage. I could see through it, and Nora too. But I’m positive the fae couldn’t truly see what you were doing. A copy of you stood over the blood while the real you set your hands in it. If the fae had noticed the glamour, they would’ve questioned you. Did you cast a glamour?”

  “I had no idea it even happened. I heard what I’m pretty sure was the living unicorn telling me to put my hands in the blood. He said…” I lowered my voice to the quietest whisper. “Arleigh was his foe.”

  The Binder drew back, his eyes wide. He grabbed my hand and flipped it over. “But it’s gone.”

  I explained how the unicorn blood had soaked into my skin.

  A fae with spiked blond hair approached us. “Lord Lucus, I am Ruis. Please come with
me. It is time for you to prepare for your duel with Queen Arleigh.”

  Lucus took my hand and kissed my wrist like he had the first day we’d met. His warm breath sent shivers down my arm. When he looked up at me through his fae eyelashes, the outer ends thick with miniature leaves, he whispered, “I fight for you, my lady.”

  A smile tugged at my lips. He sounded like a knight from a fairytale. Oh, fairytale. I was in one. Wow. I blinked. I’d forgotten for a moment how insane this all was. “You’re going to own this duel,” I said to him.

  He winked, then turned to go.

  I wished he looked stronger. Hopefully, they would give him access to a strong tree and let him fuel up. How long would it be until the curse did more than simply weaken Lucus, Kaippa, and his brothers? Kaippa had to be miserable in that cell. And who knew what was going on with Aurelio and Baccio? What if they’d gone too close to the barrier and been injured? With the curse and possible injuries from the Yew Bow boundary, death might have already found them. For Lucus’s sake, I hoped not. I knew for a fact that even if we managed to break the magical barrier and set up a portal, Lucus wouldn’t leave here without his brothers. I could portal Aurelio and Baccio if I pictured them in my mind’s eye, but I wasn’t sure what would happen if they were really far away from me.

  A few minutes later, the spiky-haired Ruis walked to the top of the hill and spoke down to the crowd at the foot of the rise. “The rules for this tournament event are as follows: The younger alpha, Queen Arleigh, will strike first. The elder may defend. They will take striking in turns until one is well blooded or disabled. The loser will serve the winner for one cycle of the moon.”

  Hekla snagged my hand, and I gripped her fingers, willing my panic away. Lucus was so screwed. Not only was he weak because of the curse, but this was Arleigh’s home. There was no way her people would keep Lucus alive if he lost. Would Arleigh even play fair? I seriously doubted it.

  Ruis’s voice rose. “Our alphas are preparing themselves for battle. Mage Coren, Lord Lucus requests your aid.” Turning in the air, he sped away.