Reluctant Fae

by Margo Ryerkerk

  Thorsten maintained his gait, not slowing or speeding up, but a bit of red crept into his eyes. The media was annoying him. Each step we took closer to the throne room made me feel sicker and sicker. Try as I might, I couldn’t imagine King Peter receiving Thorsten positively. I almost asked Nathan whether we shouldn’t notify the king about his unexpected visitor first, but then I remembered the telepathy thing. Nathan must’ve taken care to pass along the information as soon as we arrived.

  What mood is the king in? I sent the thought directly into Nathan’s mind, the way Nerissa had taught me so that other mind speakers couldn’t hear it.

  Not good, but he seemed understanding that we returned with somebody else.

  Okay, I supposed that was something.

  We reached the double doors with the tree carvings, and the guards heaved them open. The walk from the door to King Peter’s throne seemed endless. The surrounding trees towered over like gigantic guards. But it was the wicked smile on King Peter’s face that froze the blood in my veins.

  A trap. This is a trap, my intuition screamed. But, how? We promised to keep Thorsten safe. Yes, we had, but the king was above both Nathan and I. The king hadn’t made any oaths.

  My chest contracted. Oh God, what had I done? Nathan, promise, you won’t let anything happen to Thorsten.

  Nathan frowned deeply. I never go back on a promise.

  My knees trembled. But what about the king?

  He can’t make me break an oath. Nathan inhaled sharply, as he finally understood what I was getting at.

  He won’t honor what you promised Thorsten if he’s set on hurting him. The king will let someone else hurt Thorsten.

  Nathan gritted his teeth hard enough to chip, and I knew I was right. Oh Lord, what had we done?

  “Thorsten Steinberg, you have come to ask to renegotiate the peace pact I offered your consort, Princess Onyx Vinter?” King Peter’s grin grew. He was truly enjoying this.

  Thorsten remained completely still. No fidgeting, no signs of distress, and his voice was clear and low as it rang out. “The terms were unfair. No one returns from the wastelands alive. If you want Onyx to go and rescue your daughter, you’ll need to go with her.”

  Percival gasped, and I swallowed hard. Even I knew that demanding such a thing from King Peter was outrageous. It was fair, but you couldn’t speak like that to a king who’s temper lit quicker than a fire match.

  But instead of unleashing his rage, the king simply laughed. It was a nasty, rotting sound. “What interesting ideas you have. But I could never leave my Summer Court behind. It would be irresponsible.”

  “That’s exactly how Onyx feels about her court.” Thorsten paused for effect, and the king didn’t say anything. Well played. I held back a smile. Thorsten one. King Peter zero. “Let the past be the past. It cannot be changed.” Thorsten showed a fanged smile. “I’m certain Onyx would be willing to give you the borderlands in exchange for peace.”

  The king snorted. “Why in the faelands would I want those?”

  Thorsten shrugged casually. “The land of eternal summer is susceptible to droughts. The borderlands have several rivers and trade routes. A truce with the Winter lands would benefit your court. If both you and Onyx combine your powers, you might even reverse the plague.”

  “Reverse the plague?” the king spat and rose from the throne. “Don’t speak nonsense, vampire.”

  Thorsten raised his chin. “King Olwen caused the plague. Why couldn’t it be undone by the most powerful fae?”

  Something flickered in King Peter’s gaze, and I realized that Thorsten wasn’t speculating, but must’ve found some proof that the plague could be reversed. It appeared that King Peter had known this and yet had never considered fixing it. Why? Because he didn’t want peace. He wanted revenge. He wanted to destroy the Winter Court, even if the Summer Court suffered the same fate in the process.

  He was insane.

  “Any other offers you would like to make?” King Peter’s golden wings darkened into a sickly, yellow-green.

  Nathan took a step back, pulling me with him. The guards did as well. Something was happening.

  “Your Majesty, please think about my proposal carefully before rejecting it.” Thorsten bowed lowly, and I sighed in relief. He was taking the safe way out. Good.

  King Peter smiled. “My answer is no. Too bad you won’t be able to deliver it to your consort. However, she now has the luxury of knowing that I have her consort, courtesy of my messengers.”

  I choked and exchanged a glance with Nathan, finding the alarm I felt mirrored in his silver gaze.

  Nathan stepped forward. “Your Majesty, Virgie and I swore an oath that no harm shall befall Lord Steinberg while he is with us.”

  King Peter grinned. “Is that so?” Vines sprang from his fingers.

  Don’t. Let Thorsten return peacefully to the Winter Court, I screamed into the king’s mind, and he turned his glare on me as he stepped away from his throne.

  “Do not ever use your magic on me, you foolish girl.” A vine shot straight for me, and even though I dodged the first that lashed for my chest, the second one wound around my neck and pressed hard into my throat, cutting off my air.

  Nathan jumped to my side. “Your Majesty, please. She didn’t know what she was doing. She’s still learning.”

  “Yes, and learn she will, not to stick her nose where it doesn’t belong.” With that, King Peter shot a vine for Thorsten.

  Do something, Nathan, I mind spoke, but he remained rooted. My ears rang as the king continued to hold me there.

  I expected the vine to bind Thorsten as well, but instead, it circled him several times, growing longer and longer, and then cocooned him.

  Don’t let him kill Thorsten, I pleaded again as my insides burned, as if someone had poured acid down my throat.

  He won’t, came Nathan’s dull reply. Sweat ran down his face and the way he clutched his hand across his stomach, I knew he too was in pain.

  The oath. We were breaking it, and these were the consequences.

  A strange crunching noise filled the air, and I snapped my gaze back to the vines that now hid Thorsten. With a dull thud, the cocoon fell away to reveal a tall cactus with white, blooming flowers. A night blooming cereus. My ears rang with horror. King Peter had turned Thorsten Steinberg into a plant.

  Gasps filled the throne area.

  “See?” King Peter asked with a scarily calm smile. “I did not harm Onyx’s consort.”

  The pain in my stomach ceased, and Nathan’s sweating ceased. I opened my mouth to speak, but the vine around my throat tightened, cutting off my air supply. My last thought before I passed out was that with Thorsten turned into a plant, King Peter could force Onyx to go to the wastelands to search for Petra. Then when it became clear that Onyx wasn’t returning, King Peter would invade the Winter lands.

  Dear Reader,

  Thank you so much for reading Reluctant Fae! We hope our book has entertained you during quarantine and allowed you to fantasy travel with Virgie and Nathan :)

  If you enjoyed Reluctant Fae, it would mean a lot to us if you could take a minute to leave a review. We love reviews, no matter how short or long.

  We’re currently putting the final touches on Rebellious Fae (Book 2 of the Fae Prison Academy) and are writing Wrathful Fae (Book 3 of the Fae Prison Academy).

  Please turn the page, for a preview of Rebellious Fae (Book 2 of the Fae Prison Academy).

  Margo & Holly

  Rebellious Fae Blurb

  Torn between two courts, I must find my own path.

  The king of the Summer Court wants war. He has taken hostage the consort of the Winter Court Queen, who’s preparing to invade our lands. I can’t blame my former friend for her anger, but I also can’t stand by and watch her destroy innocent Summer Court fae.

  Using every ounce of magic and ingenuity I have, I must find a way to free her consort and return him safely without King Peter discovering my betrayal.

&n
bsp; Yet every step I make only gets me deeper and deeper in danger. Will I find a solution in time, or will I pay dearly for my insolence?

  Join me on my heart-racing and enchanting adventure now!

  Rebellious Fae is a YA/New Adult fae academy novel and the second book in the Prison Fae Academy trilogy.

  Click here to pre-order Rebellious Fae, which will be released on the 21st of May.

  Book 3, Wrathful Fae will be released in June 2020.

  Rebellious Fae Excerpt

  War lurked on the horizon.

  King Peter settled back onto his throne and a small, disturbing smile grew across his lips. He eyed the cactus that only seconds ago had been Thorsten. He tapped the arms of his throne as if turning a vampire into a plant was no big deal.

  Acrid vomit rose in my throat. I had agreed to bring Thorsten here. This was my and Nathan’s fault. Nathan stood beside me, arms behind his back in military fashion, gray eyes steely and unseeing. What was going through his head? We hadn’t meant to do this to Onyx’s consort. We only wanted to bring him here so he could negotiate peace.

  Now she’d have no choice but to strike back, playing right into King Peter’s hands, who wanted nothing more than to attack the Winter Court.

  I had done this to my friend.

  “Nathan. Vergeat. Thank you for completing your task.” King Peter leaned back, and the trees that lined the open-sky throne room settled back in place, straightening. I hadn’t realized they had leaned forward during the horrific transformation. “You may both leave until I call upon you again. Your continued loyalty to the Summer Court is expected, of course.” The king spoke with a scary calm.

  “Yes, Your Majesty.” Nathan bowed in respect as King Peter’s throne rose, carried by the two slave trees that always held up the root chair. The air filled with the groaning of branches while the cactus remained still.

  What are you going to do with Thorsten? What are your conditions for Onyx? The words wanted to burst from my lips, but as if sensing that I was about to speak out of line, Nathan seized my arm and whirled me toward the double door exit. I bit in my words and followed. Protesting now would only anger King Peter more. Given how unhinged he was, he might throw me in the dungeons or worse, and then I’d be useless.

  Nathan marched me out of the room and through the central, open courtyard of the castle. Pain spread through my chest as we walked along the river. Onyx had helped me at the Wild Hunt. And this was how I repaid her.

  “Virgie,” Nathan began once we reached the outer balcony. No chariot waited, but it would arrive soon, pulled by two white Pegasi.

  “We’re about to go into a war,” I snapped, and Nathan released my arm. The night sky spread overhead, along with the ribbon of stars that seemed to be laughing at us foolish and pathetic fae.

  A strand of Nathan’s whitish-green hair fell over one eye, hiding it, hiding him from me. “I know.” His voice was resigned.

  “You can’t just accept that! We need to free Thorsten and stop this madness.” I scrambled to come up with a plan. “King Peter wants Lady Cardinal. If we can find her, maybe he’ll consider releasing Thorsten in exchange for her. Onyx must be looking for her, too.”

  Nathan hesitated before speaking. “King Peter wanted a high-profile vampire prisoner.” He spoke those last three words slowly, as if I had missed the meaning.

  Nathan’s words slapped me, awakening me to the brutal reality. I had missed the meaning. Being cunning, King Peter had tricked us. Our prisoner hadn't necessarily had to have been Lady Cardinal. “You’re saying he knew we might bring Thorsten back?” Nathan remained silent. “Yes or no, Nathan?”

  He cast his eyes to the tile of the balcony, probably coming up with an answer that wasn’t a lie, something we fae couldn’t do. “King Peter only told me that he wanted a high-profile vampire prisoner. Just because King Peter communicates with me telepathically doesn’t mean I can read his mind.” He paused, stared at the tile, and then added, “It is possible he intended for us to bring Thorsten back.”

  I checked the archway leading into the castle for any media or spies before I drew close to Nathan. I lowered my voice to a hiss. “King Peter seemed very happy that we turned up with Thorsten instead of Cardinal.” Then I watched Nathan for a reaction.

  “He is a high-profile prisoner, Virgie,” Nathan repeated like a broken record and rubbed his forehead, like he had a headache coming on. “Thorsten offered to come with us. He understood the risks. I don’t like the outcome and was hoping for a better resolution, but it is what it is.”

  My pulse sounded in my ears. “Are you kidding me? Is that your attitude when you lead your fae into battle? You abandon them at the first sign of trouble?”

  Anger flashed across Nathan’s face, but he regained control and held his features neutral. He took my hands, his touch sending tingles under my skin. But I took no comfort in his touch. “Thorsten’s not dead. There’s hope for him, but I can’t do anything for him. I don’t know much about plant transmutation. “

  I let out a breath. Nathan, despite his strange attitude, wanted to help. “So let’s find someone who can change Thorsten back.”

  Nathan frowned and shook his head. “We are not allowed to go against King Peter’s orders.”

  Not this again. I quaked with anger and pulled out of Nathan’s grasp. As if defeated, he let me go. I backed away until I hit the railing. The spray from the nearby waterfall enveloped me, its roar filling my head and becoming my own. “After everything, you’re still on board with King Peter’s plans? He’s killed children. Now, he’s purposely starting a war. Can’t you see that following his orders will lead to more deaths?”

  Nathan flinched, but I didn’t regret my harsh words. What was wrong with him? I knew the king had taken him and his sister under his wing when they were kids, but Nathan was an adult now. He needed to make his own decisions.

  He had no chance to respond. The carriage arrived with the whooshing of wings, circled the balcony, and came in for a smooth landing. The two white Pegasi whinnied, waiting. Nathan rushed to the white carriage and opened the door for me. “Return to Vasara. Your lessons continue tomorrow.”

  “Fine.” Fists balled, I entered the carriage, wanting to get away from Nathan and cool down.

  With that, he shut the door, his jaw tight. The Pegasi rose in the sky, and Nathan worked his lips as if he wanted to tell me something, something that had been building inside of him for a long time, but instead of stopping us, he walked back into the castle as the gulf between us became uncrossable.

  I am on my own. The thought slammed into me as soon as I opened my eyes the next morning. Sunlight streamed through the skylight and onto my bed, bathing me in warmth, but the world had gone dark.

  How had I ever let myself think Nathan was coming around?

  Fueled by anger, I jumped out of bed and tore off the white suit I had worn into the Winter lands and collapsed in. Then I slipped into the plainest lavender dress in my closet. I wanted nothing more than to talk to Peony or Caleb, but both were still in the dungeons. While I doubted King Peter would keep his own bastard son and Peony in there permanently, I feared their weeklong punishment might turn into a longer period of time, depending on his mood.

  A knock sounded on my door, and I opened it, waving a dull-faced fae servant with bronze wings in, who brought me a tray of waffles, fruit, and coffee. I gulped down the coffee and managed a bite of a plain waffle and a spoonful of strawberries before pushing the tray away, unable to eat anything else.

  The rotating tree staircase delivered me to Blythe’s round classroom. I plopped down in the circle next to the other former earthbound fae. Blythe floated into the room, hovering just above the wooden floor as she gently flapped her peach-colored wings. The other students, including Kristen, watched with jealousy. So far, I had heard of none of us being taught to fly yet, and I doubted any of us would get to learn. Most of us were expendable. And my talents were needed elsewhere.

  Blythe took
a position in the center of the room. “Please stand, class. Today we’re going to move on to a more advanced way of developing a mind shield. Rather than predicting the movements of your enemy, you’ll be working on avoiding the truth. This will come in handy, if you’re ever captured by Winter warriors and interrogated.” A serious undertone ran under Blythe’s normal, chipper tone. “As you all know, we cannot lie, but there are always clever ways around giving the answers your enemies may seek.”

  I pushed up onto shaky legs, knowing I was expected to help with the lesson. Kristen chewed on her fingernail, and other fae in the room fidgeted. Most of them were training to be soldiers and would be the first to be sent into battle.

  Blythe spent the lesson instructing us on how to technically speak the truth without giving away the actual truth. “So, if a Winter warrior asks you what your commander ordered you to do, what do you say?” She trained her expectant gaze on a male fae with bronze wings.

  “To follow orders,” he parroted as I silently urged him to give the right answer, training my ability to influence.

  “And when that interrogator asks you what those orders were?” Blythe turned her attention to Kristen.

  Feeling slimy, I urged her to speak the answer Blythe wanted, pressure growing across my forehead. “I am to say that we are merely fighting for the Summer Court.” Kristen shook her head, freeing herself from my mental grasp. “But they will keep interrogating us.”

  “Yes,” Blythe said. “After a while, it will be better not to speak at all.”

  I let my jaw drop open as my breakfast churned. Blythe was telling the students to accept torture and not save themselves, and all for King Peter. I balled my fists and retracted my mentalist abilities, too disgusted to continue.