I shuddered at the memory of the Keeper of All Things. “How can I be anything like these creatures? I don’t have any claws or special powers.”
“You are half-druid on your father’s side, and your mother is not a pure-blooded Fomorian. Things will change for you when you reach maturity.”
The words were like a fist in the heart. With a gasp, I doubled over. King Drayce sat me on a fallen trunk, and rubbed my back, waiting for my panic to subside. I stared into my dampening palms, processing everything I had learned. The history of Bresail was no surprise. He had explained the origins of the mist days ago. Father being a thousand-year-old druid was a shock, but the rest of it… Spots appeared before my eyes, and I shook my head.
“I’m eighteen.” My throat spasmed with the imaginary pull of a noose. “When will it happen?”
“Soon,” he replied.
“There’s nothing I can do to stop myself from changing, is there?”
“Nobody can halt time.”
My throat convulsed. “All right. Why does she want to release that monster?”
“The one-eyed giant is King Balor. Her father.”
A wave of panic tightened my throat. “And her mother?”
“The true Queen of the Faeries.”
I swallowed hard. I’d seen enough high fae to know that they wouldn’t reproduce easily with a giant. “How?”
“Faeries were the slaves of the Fomorians. From what I’ve heard, King Balor could change his shape at will.”
“Oh.” That explained how Queen Melusina didn’t have scales when I saw her in the throne room. “What happened to the Queen of the Faeries?”
“The ritual to banish the Fomorians also locked away the half-bloods. Queen Melusina was ripped from her mother’s arms.”
“But not for long,” I said.
His lips tightened. “When your father pulled her out of the mist, Melusina slithered back to her mother’s side, only to later devour the queen’s power and usurp her throne. The Living Courts refused to accept her rule, and she formed a union with my father to replace them with courts of her own.”
“Where are these courts now?”
“After she convinced Father’s Court of Shadows to betray him, she returned to the living world with his warriors and started a war.”
I peeked up at him through my lashes. “Then what happened?”
“For Queen Melusina’s rule to hold, she needed the blessing of each court’s prince.” King Drayce stared off into the distance. “They were her older brothers, yet she cursed them all when they refused.”
I massaged my temples, trying to keep up with the deluge of new information. “My uncles.”
“You must save them, Neara. Queen Melusina turned the Winter Court to ice, transformed the Autumn Court into beasts, cursed the Summer Court to eternal sleep, and cast the Spring Court under water.”
“And she killed your Father.”
“I don’t know how she managed it,” he said through gritted teeth. “And when his power moved to me, she placed me under a curse and restricted my magic.”
I ran my fingers through my hair and let out a shuddering breath. The past was hard to swallow, and King Drayce was expecting too much. There was no way I could dethrone a queen, let alone one who was part-monster. “Why me? Why hasn’t anyone else stopped her?”
“My strength is at its highest in the Otherworld. Here, in the realm of the living, I can only use a fraction of my power. She has sealed off access to my home and has seen to it that I can never oppose her directly.”
“Which is why you want me to overthrow her.” When he gave me a soft nod, I asked, “If I don’t bring the items she wants, I’ll doom Father.”
He shook his head. “No matter what Melusina says, she would never kill Ailill. He has been a part of her life for too long.”
My jaw clenched. “I can’t take that chance. I won’t let him suffer.”
“Then we will give her forgeries, and when she tries to enact the ritual to release the Fomorians, you will attack.”
The muscles around my neck relaxed. That was a possibility, as the vision had shown me the Book of Brigid in Father’s saddlebag. Had he been preparing me for a greater destiny? I shook my head. That didn’t make any sense, as he’d been desperate to escape Bresail.
He leaned forward. “What is it?”
“I don’t have any magic.”
“Your powers will grow with each curse you break.”
I shot to my feet. That’s why Ecne’s tears showed me the four Princes! “I need to free each of them to become the Queen of the Faeries?”
“And to unlock your powers with their blessing.”
My tongue darted out to lick my lips. Drayce wasn’t talking about the kind of blessing Father Donal gave in church. “Why would the princes help me if I’m the daughter of the monster who killed their mother?”
“Do not forget, you are also the granddaughter of the Queen of the Faeries.”
“And half-human.”
He shook his head. “All faeries require humans to reproduce. They are also compatible with Fomorians, I suppose. The fact that your father is Ailill gives you the potential for great power.”
“Where do you fit into this?” I asked.
“Only the Queen of the Faeries can return me to my home.”
I stared at him hard, trying to find traces of falsehood in his words. He’d lied to me once about our bargain, hadn’t he? I had offered him my maidenhead in exchange for Father’s life. If he knew Queen Melusina wouldn’t kill him… My mind twisted into knots. The most important thing was whether he was lying to me now.
I kicked at the leaf mold beneath my feet. What did he want? To regain his power and free himself from Queen Melusina’s grasp. To do that, he needed to put me on the throne, so I could release him from the realm of the living. And for me to ascend to the throne, I needed to destroy my own mother.
I gulped. “I would become the Queen of the Faeries?”
His green eyes shimmered with amusement. “You’d be saving the world from the Fomorians. I think you deserve the reward.”
A huff of laughter forced its way out of my throat. This time last week, I could barely scrape together enough money to escape Bresail.
I tilted my head to the side. “Are you really the god of death?”
“Demi-god,” He replied. “I won’t be able to take my throne until I reach the Otherworld.”
“All right, we’ll work together, but if this is another trick, I swear by everything holy that I will kill you.”
He inclined his head. “I would expect nothing less.”
Chapter 13
After pouring the blood into the soil and replacing it with the juice of a bloodroot, we prepared a meal of roasted rabbit and more healing herbs before heading back toward the palace. King Drayce assured me that the queen knew the location of the Sword of Tethra, but we needed to prove to her that we at least had the blood before she’d give us any clues.
By the time we left the forest, the sun had dipped low within a cloudless, periwinkle sky. I slumped on his chest, eyes half-closed, and spirits crushed by the weight of the world. Two nights of sleeping among enemies in a gnarled oak had taken its toll, and recent revelations ground everything I knew about myself to dust.
King Drayce’s eyes, on the other hand, shone as bright as emeralds catching the sun. I suspected it was a combination of my herbal remedies removing the Keeper’s poison, and my agreement to usurp Queen Melusina.
My own feelings worsened the closer we rode to the palace. Gray, Fomorian mist swirled up from the surrounding forest into the sky, imitating storm clouds and casting the Apex Palace and the mountain into shadow. Now that I’d seen the visions of the monsters trapped within the mist, the thought of them made me shudder.
“Are you all right?” He lifted my chin, meeting my eyes with a concerned gaze.
“Not really,” I replied. “I still don’t know how I’m going to get these Princes on
my side.”
His chest rose and fell in a deep sigh. “No one can refuse one who breaks their curse. It’s the law of the fae.”
I would have told him that I was human, but the words stuck in my throat. There was no point in lying to myself. I’d accepted my fate, and now I would face the queen… the creature who birthed me… and pretend to be the frightened, dutiful human girl carrying out a quest to save her father.
The dark, flint hallways offered no resistance, leading us to the throne room, but when we arrived, it was empty, save a few liveried servants with hair that resembled autumn leaves. The queen’s guards directed us to the dining room, which was on the other side of the palace.
As we walked through the dark, flint-walled hallway, King Drayce muttered, “At least there will be fewer hangers-on.”
I could only nod in response because my entire body shook at the thought of seeing Queen Melusina again. The dark-haired woman I’d always considered my mother, the one who had died when I was young, had to be a stepmother or a local woman Father had befriended. I wondered if her death had been fae-related. Father didn’t like to speak about her.
At the end of a darkened hallway stood a set of oaken doors, guarded by two soldiers in armor as black and shimmering as polished jet. The queen’s dining room was a vast space of floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the mist, which swirled around, forming needle-thin projections as though trying to find a way inside. Disgust rippled through my innards, and I snatched my gaze away. Perhaps King Balor liked to watch over his daughter to make sure she was working on releasing the Fomorians.
Apricot-skinned faerie servants with wings as thin as spider’s silk fluttered around a huge, crystal dining table, placing dishes on a foot-wide runner that looked like it had been spun by spiders. The chairs were made of the same transparent material, which I guessed was to reduce the chance of dinnertime assassinations.
“Where is everyone?” I whispered.
The gentle tinkling of bells filled the silence, and another set of double doors swung open to a procession of fae noblemen, each leading a blank-eyed human. The companions were a mix of male and female, but they were all young, all beautiful, and all oblivious of their surroundings. Unlike the servants I’d seen on my first day at the palace, these humans were dressed in silks finer than I’d seen on even Mayor Mulloy and Shona.
I followed the movements of a raven-haired girl about my age. A gossamer-thin gown hung from her slender neck and flared down to her knuckles, forming a train that dragged over the polished stone floor. Although exquisite, it did nothing to protect her from the cold or to hide her nudity. Her companion was a blue-skinned male faerie who seated her at one of the crystal dining chairs as though she was sightless.
Anger burned the back of my throat, seeping bitterness across my tongue. I thought I’d been shocked to see the antics of the gancanagh, but this display made the edges of my vision turn red. Old resentments resurfaced from the times I’d see fairies torment unsuspecting humans, and my limbs shook in anticipation of a fight.
King Drayce squeezed my hand, breaking through the overwhelming desire to attack, and I inhaled several calming breaths. We had a plan. Any rash actions would jeopardize it.
“You did not dress for dinner,” said a haughty voice.
Queen Melusina glided from the doorway, clad in a floor-length, velvet gown that shone as bright as the moon. A flush of health radiated through her skin, and her eyes sparkled like diamonds. Shuffling behind her with his head bowed and shoulders slumped with defeat, was Father.
Blood drained from my face, and a cry stuck in my throat. King Drayce grabbed my wrist and yanked me back to his side.
Father’s gaze met mine, and recognition flickered in his eyes so fast, I thought I’d imagined his lucidity. Then he stared ahead, as blank as the other humans. My heart exploded into action, pumping blood to my limbs, urging me to grab him and run.
“We returned as quickly as we could to bring you the first of your requests,” said King Drayce.
Blood roared in my ears, and my pulse pounded to the beat of a war drum, muffling all the background noises. I stared at a crystal water jug on the table, breathing hard. Holding back my reaction now would save Father later. I had a plan.
“You have the blood?” the queen tilted her head to the side. “Come, sit with me, dear Drayce, and celebrate.”
The king beside me stiffened, and I jerked my arm, silently urging him to go. As we were both scheming to usurp her throne, neither of us could afford to show any signs of defiance.
“Of course.” He strode over to the head of the table, where a servant brought another crystal chair, and another placed a new setting next to the queen’s.
“Seat the girl with me.” A sharp-nosed, teal-haired warrior whose ears were adorned with silver cuffs beckoned at me with a goblet glistening with wine the color of blackcurrants. A servant pulled a blank-eyed blonde woman from the chair next to him and led her to the exit. The faerie’s eyes lingered on my form so intently, I had to resist the urge to pull my cloak together.
I shot a glance at the queen and King Drayce. He stared ahead, expressionless, but her dancing, quicksilver eyes fixed on me. I couldn’t help but stare back. Her hair was the same, thick mane as mine, except hers was silvery blonde where mine was Father’s now garish shade of orange.
While I didn’t share her upturned nose, pointed chin, and high forehead, those round cheekbones and the way her eyes slanted up when she smiled were all me. I swallowed hard. Now that I knew to look for it, the family resemblance was obvious.
Her lips spread into a grin, baring teeth I couldn’t be sure were human. I tore my gaze away and scurried to the other side of the table.
The fae warrior stood. “Allow me to introduce myself. I am General Creach, leader of the Court of Midnight. Will you grace me with your name?”
I cleared my throat. “Neara.”
He grabbed my hand between inhumanly long fingers and pressed his cool lips on my knuckles. “I am delighted to make your acquaintance.”
My flesh crawled. He felt even colder than the gancanagh. All I could do was nod in response. General Creach pulled out my seat like I wasn’t grubby from having returned from a dangerous mission and spent two nights sleeping in a tree.
“Creach,” the queen’s voice was as sharp as the crack of a whip. “Neara is under my protection for the duration of our bargain.”
“Of course, Majesty.” His voice was as smooth as a silken shroud. “I merely wish for an active conversation partner.”
My lip curled. The faeries had likely ensorcelled their companions to stop them from screaming.
The queen turned to King Drayce and whispered something in his ear. Too many of the fae noblemen sat between us for me to overhear her words.
One of the winged servants approached on my left with a silver tray containing what I hoped were animal organs. General Creach picked up a dripping heart, still attached to its arteries.
I turned away before he bit into his meal, but it did nothing to dim the sound of squelching and lip-smacking.
“What’s the mortal world like, then?” he asked. “I tend not to venture out there unless it’s for a hunt.”
My lips tightened. He’d probably been one of the creatures who had chased me and slaughtered the villagers that Samhain night. I brought the crystal goblet to my mouth to hide my reaction but didn’t drink. Half-faerie, Fomorian, or not, I wouldn’t expose myself to faerie fruit of any form.
General Creach continued his one-sided conversation, explaining that he had come from the Otherworld to serve his queen. My gaze flickered to King Drayce, who appeared to be having an amicable conversation with the monarch who had killed his father. I tried to distract myself by asking about the other dark courts and tried to listen, but as time progressed, the queen and King Drayce sat closer and closer to each other, and their smiles became wider.
“Of all the courts, mine holds the most sway with Her Majesty.” Ge
neral Creach went on to list the other Shadow Courts: Twilight, Dawn, and Dusk, pointing out each leader from around the table.
Although each male wore different color jackets, each with hair colors as vibrant as wildflowers, they each shared a similar sharp-eyed gaze that reminded me of Queen Melusina.
“Who leads the Otherworld?” I knew the answer to the question but wanted to see how the general would respond.
The corner of General Creach’s lips curled up into a smile. “King Drayce has stepped aside to allow Her Majesty to rule.”
“If they’re both here in the realm of the living, who is looking after it?”
He waved his long-fingered hand. “The Otherworld takes care of itself.”
I would have asked what it meant, but King Drayce whispered something in the queen’s ear, making her throw back her head and laugh. It was one of those throaty sounds that women of the night made in taverns when trying to impress a wealthy patron. One of her hands rested on his thigh, and the other was on Father’s. He bowed his head, shoveling spoonfuls of porridge into his mouth as though he hadn’t been fed since arriving in the realm of the faeries.
“Ailill has a rare beauty for a human,” murmured the general. “Much like yourself. However, Her Majesty is never generous with her toys.”
My lips tightened at the implication, and I glanced at her empty place setting. “Why isn’t she eating?”
He swirled the purple liquid in his crystal goblet. “She has no use for food.”
King Drayce’s words floated up to the surface of my memory. The Fomorians used humans like cattle. Since she was part fae, she was probably like a leannán sídhe, who seduced men to feed upon their essence.
Queen Melusina’s eyes fluttered closed, and her lips parted. She arched her neck to one side, giving me a better view of King Drayce. He hadn’t been whispering into her ear. He’d been kissing her neck! From the way his arm encircled her waist, it didn’t seem like this was the first time they’d been intimate.
Curse of the Fae King (Dark Faerie Court Book 1) Page 11