Ballad of Blood

by Amy Sumida

  So, I kissed Banning goodbye and used my traveling stone to take me through the Veil and to my tower suite in Kyanite Castle. The towers—and there were several—were all reserved for myself and whomever I deemed special enough to give one to. Each of my consorts had one of the towers that connected directly to mine; joined via walkways on the lowest floor of my stacked suite. The towers themselves were amazing feats of architecture; slender stalks supporting teardrop-shaped tops that looked a little like rosebuds. With the thin walkways between them, the whole of it took on the appearance of spider webs between wildflowers.

  There was only one other person I'd given a tower to, but it was one of the towers unconnected to mine. Sara had once been my maid, but she'd shown mean so much loyalty and friendship that I did something nearly unheard of in Tír na nÓg; I changed her class and made her a noble. Sara was now Lady Sara, and she lived like a princess—just as she deserved. She was also standing in the middle of my bedroom.

  “What in tarnation are you doing here?” I shrieked as I clutched at my chest in fright.

  “King Torin said you'd be arriving soon,” Sara barely hid her laugh. “I thought I'd come over to welcome you back and see if you wanted me to do your hair or something.”

  “Are you bored, Sara?” I asked with a smirk.

  “Yes!” Sara whined and pounded her silk skirts with her fists. “What the jewels do ladies do all day?”

  “They look pretty,” I said dryly.

  “I don't want to sit around and look pretty!”

  “I think that's a song,” I mused.

  “Ugh!” Sara growled. “Everything is about music with you.”

  “It's kind of my thing,” I said drolly and waved at myself. “Spellsinger.”

  “Yeah; all right.” She blew her blonde bangs out of her face with irritation.

  Both of our lips started to twitch before we began giggling uncontrollably. And that was how the men found us.

  “Grown women giggling,” Declan declared gleefully. “I love it.”

  “Sara is bored,” I said to my beautiful lecher-of-a-consort. “Can a lady still do a queen's hair?”

  “A lady can do whatever her queen permits.” Declan winked at Sara. “And a queen can do anything. Especially my queen.”

  Declan sauntered over and bent me backward to kiss me thoroughly.

  “Bravo, good show,” Torin drawled as he smoothly twirled me away from Declan just as the Alexandrite King was raising me up. “Here's a better one.”

  I was still reeling from Declan's kiss when Torin lifted me up his massive chest and held me aloft to savage my lips. My mouth was tingling when he finally set me on my feet; just in time for Gage to sweep in and tenderly kiss my cheek. My body leaned toward Gage as he stepped away—wanting more—but he only grinned devilishly.

  “We'd best give those lips a chance to heal,” Gage said. “You know I'll be the hardest on them.”

  A tingle shot down my spine at his words. Gage was the most dominating of my men—as far as bedroom play went—and as much as I'd never thought to enjoy that; I did. Oh, so very much.

  “Well, don't I feel awkward?” Sara muttered.

  “Why don't you guys go get ready for dinner?” I suggested after a quick look at the clock beside my bed. “It's almost time to eat.”

  “And I'll let the chef know that you'll be joining us,” Sara said as she sauntered over to a large piece of barite that hung near the door.

  The barite was a castle contact charm; a lighter enchantment than my personal charm. It had a much smaller call-radius. However, you didn't have to stick it in your ear; only hold it up and speak into it like a two-way radio transceiver.

  “Thanks, Sara,” I said as she contacted the chef.

  “You just want us out of the room, so you can gossip about us,” Declan said.

  “What a horrible stereotype,” I fumed. “Do you seriously think I'm a woman who gossips?”

  “No; of course not,” Declan hurried to say; his amethyst eyes widening with dismay.

  “We'll just head over to our towers,” Torin gave Declan a pat on the shoulder—he'd been on the receiving end of my ire enough times to sympathize with the sting—and the men went downstairs to the first floor of my flower-tower (I just came up with that; I think it's catchy), where the walkways to the consort towers were.

  As soon as they were gone, Sara let go of the contact charm, turned to me, and said, “So, tell me everything.”

  Chapter Three

  On our way to the dining hall, a messenger arrived from the Copper Kingdom. One of my knights escorted him to me and stood guard; watching the man warily while we spoke. It may seem a little excessive, but with all that's been happening in Tír na nÓg—and my kingdom in particular—I understood his caution.

  “Your Majesties,” the messenger bowed to us. “It's fortunate to have caught you together. I have news of the Copper Kingdom and its ruler.”

  “Has there been a royal found?” Declan asked with interest.

  “Indeed, a king was born and presented himself to the Court of Copper just six days ago,” the man said with a grin. “We are rejoicing.”

  “A king was born, and they crowned him already?” I asked in surprise. “Can an infant rule, or will there be a parent ruling for him until he comes of age?”

  “When a jewel kingdom is in dire need of a royal, sometimes one of the fairies in alignment with its stone will be given a surge of magic and elevated to royal status,” Torin explained. “The term for this is being 'born.'”

  “Why wasn't a queen born here, I wonder?” I mused.

  Because I'm picky, Kyanite—my gemstone—spoke into my mind.

  “Ah; of course.” I chuckled.

  You should be flattered.

  “I assume he explained it to you in the most arrogant way possible,” Declan said dryly.

  “He's snarky but lovable,” I defended Kyanite.

  Thank you, my love.

  Kyanite also thought of me as his lady; in the romantic sense. When it was pointed out to him—and I use the term “him” only because the gem spoke with a masculine voice and obviously thought of himself as male—that he couldn't love me as a physical man could Kyanite said that our love was more sacred because it was untainted by lust. I had to hand it to him; he had a point. Lust could definitely do some tainting, but oh, what a lovely poison it was.

  “There will be a celebration feast in honor of King Cyrus six days hence,” the messenger said.

  Messengers loved to use the word “hence.”

  Torin looked at Declan, Gage, and I, and we nodded.

  “We will attend,” Torin answered for us.

  “Wonderful!” The messenger exclaimed.

  “We are on our way to dinner,” I said. “Please join my court and have something to eat. You're also welcome to stay the night if you'd like to give your horse a rest before you return to Copper.”

  “Thank you, Your Majesty; I would indeed.” He bowed again.

  We moved past the messenger, into the hall, and he followed eagerly. Not that he expected anything less; feeding the messenger was a requirement of the laws of hospitality in Tír na nÓg. But Shining Ones didn't always do what was required of them; especially the monarchs.

  The Kyanite Court had been more laid back than some of the other jewel kingdoms of Tír na nÓg, but that was before I banished a good chunk of it. The survivors were so happy to have the traitors gone, and so nervous about the possibility of upsetting their Spellsinger queen, that things had become a little more formal.

  “All rise for Their Majesties: Queen Elaria of Kyanite, King Declan of Alexandrite, and King Torin of Onyx; attended by the Royal Consort, Gagerian of the Saeiqa!” The herald proclaimed as we entered the room.

  I sighed heavily over the pomp, and Gage went sour over his full name being announced, as the entire Court stood for us.

  “How did he find out about my name?” Gage grumbled.

  “I suspect it was Sara; y
ou shouldn't have told her,” I whispered as I was escorted down the aisle between dining tables with a fairy king to either side of me.

  I had to lay my hands over the tops of theirs, while they held their arms out as if I might fall without someone to lean on. Evidently, queens were too classy to hold hands with their lovers and too prissy to walk without male crutches. I felt like an idiot.

  “I didn't tell her,” Gage growled.

  I could feel his glare on the back of my head.

  “Oh?” I asked innocently as I smiled brightly at my court. “That must have been me.”

  “Ellie,” Gage groaned. “Why do you hate me?”

  Declan and Torin chuckled as we climbed the stairs of the dais that the high table was set upon.

  “I could list some possibilities for you,” Torin offered.

  “Funny.” Gage grimaced.

  “You can't just announce 'Gage the Griffin' to a roomful of shining ones.” Declan held my throne out for me before taking his own.

  Because I had two royal consorts—considered royal because of their relationship with me—and two actual kings for consorts—royal all on their own—there were three large thrones and two slightly smaller thrones set behind the high table. A few normal chairs were placed to either side for any guests important enough to dine with us—or people I really liked.

  “I'm still getting used to this,” Sara muttered as she came up the stairs behind us and took a normal chair on Torin's left. “This is so bizarre.”

  I suppose it was kind of strange for an ex-maid to be sitting at the high table. But I wasn't even a fairy, and I was Queen of Kyanite. So, in comparison, it wasn't all that weird.

  “Sara, did you tell the herald about my name?” Gage growled.

  “What?” Sara instantly looked innocent. “Absolutely not! I would never betray the Queen's confidence.”

  Sara was an awful liar. To get around this, she'd developed the habit of overreacting every time she had to answer a question like this. It made her look guilty every time; rendering any accurate judgment impossible.

  “Damn it, Sara!” Gage snapped.

  “Oh, leave her be,” Declan huffed. “It was me. As I was saying; you can't be announced as 'Gage.' It's too simple a name for a royal consort. Now, Gagerian holds weight; it's royal.”

  “It's fucking ridiculous,” Gage declared. “And you're on my shit-list now, Dick-lan. Oh, excuse me; that was a Freudian slip, Declan.”

  I burst into laughter as the members of my Court resumed their seats, and I received strange looks for it. And speaking of ridiculousness; I had to give my fairies permission to eat.

  “Please, enjoy the meal,” I tried to sound gracious.

  “Try a hand wave with that next time,” Gage teased me. He shook his elbow and then his hand. “Elbow-elbow, wrist-wrist.”

  “I'm a jewel queen, not a pageant queen,” I shot back.

  “And I'm too refined to start a fight at the high table,” Declan announced. “Or you'd be lying on your ass right now, Gagerian.”

  “I'm not too refined,” Gage shot back. “So, go ahead and call me that one more time, and we'll see who's more of a bad-ass; a Shining One king or a griffin.”

  “Don't make me separate you two,” I snapped at the men, who—for reasons unknown—had sat beside each other.

  “Sorry,” they both muttered.

  I caught the gleam in their eyes, though. This was how our collective worked; the men had become like brothers, and brothers messed with each other. I had the unique status of being a part of the group and yet in my own class. So, I ended up as a referee most of the time. It was annoying, but they made it up to me in numerous ways. None of which they'd be showing off at dinner; unlike in most fairy courts.

  Oh yes; Shining Ones were perverts. At least, that's what I'd been raised to believe, and that was what my first visit to a fairy court had shown me. It turned out that a jewel court could be as scandalous or as reserved as their ruler dictated. Torin's and Declan's courts were both on the reserved side; Torin's more so than Declan's. But honestly, with Declan's proclivities, the fact that he didn't have nightly orgies shocked me; a few couples making out during dinner was tame by comparison.

  My court was also more circumspect in its sexuality as well; no public displays of coitus here, although some minor PDAs were allowed. I think it confused my fairies a bit; seeing as how I had four consorts. They seemed to have expected the debauchery level of the Kyanite Court to shoot through our domed roof. I hoped the fact that things stayed tame relieved them, but even if it didn't, I wasn't about to turn my court into a Roman festival simply to appease my people.

  “Who's that guy?” Sara asked as she nodded in the direction of the Copper messenger.

  “A messenger from Copper,” I said. Then I altered my tone to a dramatic one, “A king has been born.”

  “Really?” She asked in surprise. “Wow, he must be something special to be called to rule.”

  “Not special enough to have been born a king,” Gage pointed out.

  “I wasn't born a queen,” I countered.

  “Sweetheart, there was no chance of that; you weren't born a fairy.” Gage smiled softly at me; his hazel eyes twinkling. “And thank goodness for that.”

  “You're not going to find offense in that sentiment?” I asked Declan with surprise.

  “Not at all.” Declan swept back his blood-red hair. “I, too, am glad you were not born a shining one. You are far more special than a mere fairy, sweetheart.”

  Yeah; so that gave me the belly-flutters real good. I kind of fell into a goofy grin and just stared at Declan as he lifted my hand to his lips and kissed it gallantly.

  “That was so wrong,” Gage muttered. “You just totally bit my compliment and took credit for it.”

  “What did he just say to me?” Declan whispered to me.

  “He's been watching a lot of TV in the Human Realm,” I explained. “And hanging out with Cerberus.”

  “Ah.” Declan nodded in understanding. “Then I shall ignore the gibberish.”

  “Sweet!” Gage settled back in his seat and set his elbows on the armrests so he could tap his fingertips together diabolically. “Then I can insult you with impunity.”

  The servers, who were setting platters of food on the high table, gave the men worried glances.

  “They're just teasing each other,” I said to the wait staff. “It's fine.”

  They looked up at me with wide eyes and nodded. Every time I talked to one of Kyanite's staff, they seemed surprised, and rarely spoke back unless an answer was required.

  “I think killing Kieran has made my court afraid of me,” I said after the servers fled.

  “You think?” Sara huffed.

  I shot her an exasperated look.

  “Hey, it's not a bad thing,” she added. “They'll be less likely to attempt to murder you.”

  “Thanks.” I rolled my eyes.

  “She's right.” Declan gave me one of his rare, serious expressions. “A little fear of a monarch is a good thing; they needed to learn to respect you, and fast.”

  “More importantly, they needed to learn what disrespecting you would cost them,” Torin added. “But it's not all fear, little bird. There is a fair amount of hope here now, and it's because you've made this a true jewel court again.”

  “I love you,” I said gratefully to Torin.

  “And Onyx outdoes us both,” Declan murmured to Gage.

  “It's not a contest,” I said to Declan.

  “Bite your tongue!” Declan exclaimed. “Competing with each other is half the fun of our little coterie.”

  “Our little what?” Gage glared at Declan as if he'd said something naughty.

  “Our group,” I explained to Gage before looking over at Declan. “Do I want to know what the other half is?”

  “It's Declan; I think you already know what he finds fun about our coterie,” Torin murmured with amusement. He leaned in to kiss my cheek; his eyes deepening t
o sapphire. “And you also know that you're just encouraging them.”

  “Yes; I suppose I am.” I sighed. “Shall I ignore them?”

  “Absolutely,” he said.

  I shifted us into a real kiss and slipped my fingers through his sin-black hair; taking my time to enjoy Torin's sensual lips. As Torin eased away, he looked over my shoulder at Declan.

  “I win,” Torin said smugly.

  Chapter Four

  We had all been to the Copper Castle before and could have easily traveled over to Earth and then back to it. But Shining One Royals did not simply pop up at a castle; not when they were visiting the ruling monarch for the very first time. That was uncouth. No; we had to have an entourage, and horses, and pennants, and a fucking circus. Scratch that last bit; there wasn't actually a circus traveling with us, but it sure felt like it.

  We had to cross through the Bloodstone and Fluorite Kingdoms to get to Copper, and that took us four days. It would have gone much faster if we didn't have to cart all of our stuff around. But we had to feed and shelter our entourage along the way. And then we had to stop and make nice with the Bloodstone and Fluorite royals because monarchs did not cross through each other's territories with an entourage and not say howdy-do to the ruler of the land. The Fluorite and Bloodstone monarchs were preparing to make the same journey that we were, and ended up joining our circus—I mean retinue.

  So, we had a total of six royals in our party when we showed up on Copper's doorstep. This sort of thing must happen a lot in Tír na nÓg because Copper's steward was completely unfazed by our arrival. He efficiently went to work with our camp chatelaines... generals... oh, damn it all; I can't remember what the hell we call the guy who runs everything when we're doing these dumb royal adventures.

  Anyway, we got set up in the open field behind the castle. At least, our entourage did. Us royals got put up in grand suites inside the keep. King Jagger and Queen Batilde of Bloodstone were given one suite, while the single Queen Lilia of Fluorite also had her own. But with my consorts and me, the steward finally got a little thrown. In the end, he offered to put my kings up in their own suites, with Gage and me together in another. That actually worked well for us. Usually, I found it too awkward to sleep with more than one man in one bed; especially when two out of the four of my consorts were the size of superheroes. Not that Declan and Banning were small, but Banning had been human—he was buff without being bulky, and Declan's shape was closer to the Shining One norm than Torin's. Mainly because Torin wasn't all Shining One; he was part witch. Anyway, the beds in Copper's guest suites weren't large enough to fit all three of the men and me in them at one time. Not for sleeping, at least.