Queen (Chaos #3)

by Claire Farrell

  “So what happened?” I asked.

  “We were sent to the human realm for a time. But when Cormac grew older, she got it into her head that she had to train him to be as mercenary as she was, so she called him back. Of course, I returned with him. She didn’t like the fact that we were friends or that he was fond of a kitten and could tame a horse like Dubh. She didn’t like much of anything, really, not even her own son. She never showed him any motherly affection. He was sensitive. Not like her. She thought the human realm would toughen him up, but he thrived on the humanity there. We were still young when she finally separated us and sent me away, but it was too late. The damage was already done. He loved me, and fae like Donella despise love, see it as a weakness, a sign that a person is lacking. Sadler was different back then. He was supportive of us. He had a healthy respect for love. That was before… everything.”

  “What did he do?”

  “He helped reunite us. We eloped, hid in the human realm, and had a child. So you see, you’re just as much a part of me as you are of Donella.”

  “So you’re a closer relative than Nella?”

  “Do you hate that?”

  “What? No! You’re my family, Bekind. That’s… amazing.”

  Her expression softened. “Cormac was a good man. Worthy of everything.”

  “But she found you,” I said, wishing that it wasn’t true.

  She nodded. “Found us, tried to kill me, and got him killed instead. But as he lay dying, they argued, and she said… she said he would never find peace. If the Hauntings showed us anything, it’s that her words rang true. She blamed me for everything and vowed to separate me from my child. Mad with rage, she fixated on his fondness for his childhood kitten and cursed me and a cat to be one in immortality so that I would suffer for eternity.”

  “Your curse is to live forever? Wait. If she had freed you, then you would be dead?”

  She nodded. “I’m so tired of living. But I don’t even have the promise of being reunited with him in death. I have nothing either way. I didn’t know back then, not everything. And when she heard of Sadler’s plans for her, she scoffed. She had spies everywhere, and although she didn’t think he was capable of such cruelty, she prepared for everything and sent for me.”

  “To help her?”

  “Yes. It was her idea, you see. She encouraged Brendan to sully Sadler’s wife to punish Sadler for rejecting her and helping me and Cormac. She said I was responsible for protecting her bloodline from a distance. Then she told me she would release me from my curse if I brought one of her descendants to free her from the Fade. I knew she would need me. There was no escaping Sadler. When he put his mind to something, he accomplished it. He caught up to her and banished her. I was compelled to watch others bring up my daughter, to watch her suffer and carry on the line. For a long time, I was spiteful, wanting Donella to suffer in the Fade, but I couldn’t take my life anymore. And when a light shone on you and led you to the fae, I encouraged it. I helped. I pushed you into the things I needed to happen, and I was carried along on your journey. But I regret so much. And he’s lost forever. That’s the worst part, knowing he’s a shade.”

  “And now she won’t lift the curse.”

  “I was a fool to ever believe she would. She took my child, my chance of happiness, any sense of peace I could ever earn. She’ll never forgive me for stealing her son. She laid out all of these plans, and none of them worked out. She’s back, but her human descendent is married to the man she planned to marry, and he’s gone and become a king to boot. She must be enraged.” She smiled. “I hope she chokes on it.”

  “I’m sorry, Bekind. I’m sorry for everything.”

  She smiled. “I think of you as mine, you know. You’re my descendent, not hers. You look like her son, sometimes. It’s probably my imagination, of course, but it makes me happy. Some days.”

  “Do you feel guilty about Sadler?” I asked. “That you helped me instead of him?”

  She shrugged. “I’m glad I helped you. I’m just sorry Donella destroyed him as well as me. I’ll never forgive her for the things she’s done. Sometimes I imagine getting revenge, but I doubt it would make me feel any better. I don’t think anything could scrub the stains away. But maybe we can have a fresh start.”

  “I won’t complain if you come with me,” I said. “I think I’ll need the help. No matter what I do, Scarlet has faery blood in her veins. She’s going to attract attention. I just hope I’m strong enough to protect her.”

  “We’ll keep moving when we have to. We’ll figure out a way to slip free. Where would you like to go first?”

  I thought about it. I had run out of choices, but there was a human who had taught me about faeries as a child, one who might have more answers. “My grandparents. I haven’t seen them in a long time, but I think my grandfather might understand. I’ll make him understand.”

  “If Sadler is alive, he’ll look for you. And more fae will look for the baby. Scarlet is a day old, but she has a connection to all three thrones. We can never forget that, Cara. One day, she’ll have to return. And someday, she’ll want to know about her heritage. Also, she might be forced to take her birth right.”

  “I’ll do anything to protect her. And I’ll make sure she understands how to stay safe. I can do this, Bekind. With your help, it’ll be easy.”

  “You’ll leave a lot behind,” she said. “Are you prepared for that?”

  I smiled at Scarlet, who had fallen asleep again. “I have her. I don’t need much else.”

  Chapter Twenty-Nine

  The Miacha were happy. Scarlet was healthy and growing almost abnormally fast. She was feeding from me. It took a long time to get started, and that was all I seemed to do, but we were okay. I had spent a few days recovering, and if I went home, I could always take Scarlet to a hospital.

  “You could stay,” Green Eyes said wistfully. “We can hide you for a long time, I think.”

  “It’s time for me to go home,” I said. “I’ve outstayed my welcome here, and I’ll never be safe. You need to be careful. If the Darksiders find you…”

  She snorted. “Those fools couldn’t find their own arses. Don’t worry about us. We’ve been hidden for a long time.”

  “But you helped me. Why?”

  She pressed her palm against my cheek. “Some things feel right. I have bundles ready for you when you leave. I know you trust your human medicine, but your child was born in the faery realm. She will always be different. Never forget that, Cara Kelly.”

  “I won’t.” Leaving was harder than I expected, but I knew I couldn’t linger much longer. “Are you sure you both want to come with me?” I asked my friends.

  “Don’t ask such silly questions,” Anya said.

  “You should go back to him,” I said. “He’s waiting for you.”

  “He’s waited this long. This child needs all the protection she can get. As you told me, this is bigger than us.”

  “I didn’t mean for you to sacrifice everything.”

  She cocked her head. “The realm is dying, but Brighid looked out for you. I’m not going to ignore the signs she’s given us. I’m sticking with you until whatever I was born for is done.”

  I decided there was no talking with pixies sometimes. “Thanks for the herbs you sent to the Dark Court,” I told the Miacha. “We really appreciated it. We were in bad need of help.”

  Pink Eyes laughed. “We, she says.”

  “You sound as though you’ll miss it,” Green Eyes said.

  I thought about it. “In a way, I will. Not Sadler or any of that, but the people who lived there, just struggling to survive. They didn’t ask for any of this. They’re just making do.”

  “Perhaps we will pay them a visit someday,” Pink Eyes said.

  “What happened to the boy?” I asked.

  “He’s in pain, but he’s recovering well in the Green Court,” she told me. “Our sister went with them. We thought they would be safer there. The mother was very gr
ateful to you.”

  “Are they going to stay there?”

  “Perhaps,” she said.

  “And the taint?”

  “It remains, but it’s not choking his heart as it was. He will always suffer, but he will be as healthy as a child of the taint can be.”

  “And Scarlet?”

  Green Eyes squeezed my hand. “That remains to be seen. If the human realm is clean of the taint, then you may never need to worry.”

  “She’s perfect,” Bekind scolded. “Why would you even entertain Cara’s ridiculous questions?”

  I held my daughter close, hoping I had done enough to protect her. As the Miacha gathered around to say goodbye to Scarlet, I held up the wooden stick I had used on Deorad. “Do any of you have any idea where this kind of wood comes from?”

  Green Eyes gasped. She reached for the stick but pulled her hand away before touching it. “It’s from the very first tree. It was lost a long time ago. Do you think it still grows?” She sounded hopeful.

  “How could people lose a tree?” I asked.

  “Brighid,” Pink Eyes said. “They say it grew in one of Brighid’s grottos, that she pulled it out of the faery realm to punish us all.”

  “It seems like it takes the taint away,” I said. “If we found the tree, could it help the Darkside?”

  “The taint of the Darkside didn’t exist when the tree was worshipped,” Blue Eyes said. “It might not even be from the same tree.” She blew out a breath. “But it feels so pure.”

  I frowned and handed the stick to her. “Can you give it to Brendan? Tell him what it is and what it’s for. I used it on Deorad. Whatever was keeping him alive was full of the taint. It just… leaked out of him. Maybe it’ll be useful in case Sadler does the same thing again.”

  “You sound as though you care very much what happens in this realm,” Pink Eyes said. “Are you sure you don’t want to go back to one of the courts?”

  I shook my head. “I care more about my baby. I want Scarlet to know normal. And I want to keep her safe from the magic for as long as I can.”

  “She might want to come here someday,” Green Eyes said softly. “You understand that it’s the fae in us that wants to be here. The fae in your blood made you want to stay in this realm.”

  “I’ll deal with that when the day comes,” I said. “And hopefully, Sadler will already be dead by then.”

  The Miacha exchanged glances. Blue Eyes looked pointedly at the wedding rings on my fingers.

  “I know,” I said. “But this is what feels right to me. Are you going to help me or not?”

  ***

  They helped us. Despite my arguments with Anya, she came with me. I cried over having to leave Dubh behind, but he belonged in the faery realm. I regretted not saying goodbye to my other friends, but I was confident the Miacha would tell them everything they needed to know.

  It took a half-day’s journey to get to a path that led out of the faery realm.

  “Nobody knows this place but us,” Green Eyes said as she pointed toward the cave. “Be careful. I can’t go with you. I would never survive the human realm.”

  “Thanks for everything.” I swallowed the lump in my throat. It was time to go back to the real world. I stepped away from the Miacha and didn’t look back.

  I shivered as soon as I entered the human realm. A new day was breaking. The baby was snuggled against my chest in a carrier made from a sheet. With Anya and Bekind on either side of me, I led the way to my grandparents’ house, hoping they still lived there. A lot of time had passed while I was in the Fade. I dreaded to think how much time might have slipped away while I had been in the Chaos Court.

  When I knocked on the door, my grandfather answered. His hair was a little lighter, his cheeks somewhat ruddier, but he didn’t look much different from when I was a child. He looked at me in confusion for a moment, his gaze sliding to the others and back to me.

  “Hi.” I cleared my throat. “It’s me, Cara.”

  His mouth dropped open, and his eyes widened. The baby cried, and my grandfather’s face turned red.

  “I need your help,” I said. “We’re on the run, and we need a safe place to stay. These are my friends, and this is my daughter.”

  “On the run?” he asked. “On the run from whom?”

  I looked him dead in the eye. “Faeries.”

  He gulped then stepped aside and held out his arm. “I think you should come in.”

  When we all stood in the hallway, he closed the door and stood there, fidgeting.

  “Who was at the door?” my grandmother called from upstairs.

  “It’s Cara,” he answered, his eyes on mine. “She’s going to be staying with us for a while.”

  I let out a breath I hadn’t realised I had been holding. I was home. Scarlet and I were home.

  If you enjoyed Queen, watch out for book four, Usurper, coming Autumn 2014.

  Usurper (Chaos #4)

  Cara’s trying to adjust to life in the human realm, but the taint isn’t the only thing that followed her home. She’s been sensing the presence of the fae, and it’s only a matter of time until they come knocking.

  Three courts want different things from Cara, but trust is something she lost in the Darkside. As a new threat appears from across the water, Cara only knows one thing for sure: those with the most power… win.

  For more information, check out Claire Farrell’s blog or email the author. Sign up to be notified of new releases or like the Facebook page for more regular updates.

  Books by Claire Farrell:

  Chaos Series:

  One Night with the Fae (Free Companion Prequel)

  Soul (Chaos #1)

  Fade (Chaos #2)

  Queen (Chaos #3)

  Ava Delaney Series:

  Thirst (Ava Delaney #1) – Free

  Taunt (Ava Delaney #2)

  Tempt (Ava Delaney #3)

  Taken (Ava Delaney #4)

  Taste (Ava Delaney #5)

  Traitor (Ava Delaney #6)

  Awakening (Ava Delaney Volume I – Books 1-3)

  Uprising (Ava Delaney Volume II – Books 4-6)

  Cursed Series:

  Verity (Cursed #1) – Free

  Clarity (Cursed #2)

  Adversity (Cursed #2.5 – Free

  Purity (Cursed #3)

  Cursed Omnibus (Entire Cursed Series)

  Stake You Series:

  Stake You (Stake You #1)

  Make You (Make You #2)

  Short Story Collections:

  Sixty Seconds

  A Little Girl in my Room

  Other:

  Death is a Gift (A banshee novel)

  Zombie Moon Rising (A Peter Brannigan Novella)

  Coming 2014:

  Usurper (Chaos #4)

  Break You (Stake You #3)