by L M Lacee
Frankie shook her head and said seriously. “Nope I was tested.”
Reighn grinned at her. “Frankie never, ever change.”
“Oh I couldn’t now if I wanted too.” The door opened again to admit Harper and Ace, to a much calmer room. Harper was correct! Sage thought Frankie did smooth things over.
She looked at Scarlett and Elijah and their guards who were all more relaxed. Strike one for Harper she knew her stuff.
Reighn said. “Let us take our seats.” He held a seat out for Sage as Elijah and Storm did for their mates and then Reighn held a chair for Frankie. Ace pulled a chair out for Harper who smiled at him and sat, he heaved a silent breath, he was not sure she would understand the gesture. Harper took a breath and looked around at the waiting people. With a small smile she said. “So good morning everyone. Firstly do you all know my shadow Ace Battle?”
The faeries all nodded, Elijah said. “We do and please allow us to offer our congratulations to you both on your joining, we hope you have many pleasant years together.”
Ace inclined his head. “We both thank you.”
Harper nodded. “Thanks. So I asked Reighn to set this meeting up so we could talk. I realized my anger towards you.” She nodded to Scarlett and Elijah. “Had not so much to do with you but our mother. Charlie’s and mine and what happened the night we fought the shades, in the grey mist.”
Elijah said. “We would like to say we understand but in truth we do not. The only other person we have ever known to go in there, other than you and Charlie was the former High Queen.”
“Oh please do not beat around the bush.” Scarlett said with a little heat in her words. “What my light is trying to say nicely is no half-blood has ever done that, it is meant to be impossible.”
Harper agreed. “You are right, we should never have been able to but Juna was a Queen, probably a High Queen and what abilities she was gifted with were only a few of what she carried within her.”
“You mean she held the powers of the High Queen in her DNA?” Charlie asked shocked at the revelations.
“Yep and passed it on to us, it lays dormant in Charlie but not in me.”
“Oh my and this is what the darkness has attached too?” Charlie asked fearfully as she looked at the pale faced Harper.
Ace took her hand in his as Harper closed her eyes when she spoke her voice was a little hoarse as she suppressed long held emotions. “Yes it is what I guessed. For a long time I thought it was my soul but it is my mother’s powers.”
Scarlett said. “No dear one, they are your powers. You are a High Queen.”
Harper let her left hand lay on the table and a blue sword appeared. All the faeries hissed in surprise and wonder the guards went to kneel.
“No.” whipped Harper. “Do not I am no Queen.
”I think that ship may have sailed.” Sparrow said as they remained on their feet.
“Too bad, I am not going to take that mantle up.”
“You may have no choice!” Elijah told her kindly.
“I am so not doing any quests for you Queen Harper. Nope not happening!” Stated Frankie with a scowl on her face. Harper scowled right back and said. “You would if I demanded you too!”
“I so would not. I do not have time for quests now.” And there was whining, Harper heard it. Scarlett laughed as did Elijah, the two female guards were used to Sage and Edith, so smiled and the male guards just looked bemused. Sage said “I am sort of a Queen you don’t do quests for me?”
Frankie snorted. “I run around all day for you!”
“Oh yeah, I forgot about that.”
“Egg brain!” Harper mumbled to Ace who grinned at her ridiculousness. Sage yelped “I heard that?”
“And your point.” Harper asked sweetly. Storm looked at his brother and saw a little vein pulsing in his temple he hid his smile as he asked “Reighn my brother has that vein always been there?”
Reighn said. “Pleased for the love of my sanity. May we continue?”
Scarlett said “I was entertained.”
“As was I.” Elijah agreed. He, like Reighn had noticed the sword had disappeared. Charlie told them “She was always like this, you get used to it.”
Reighn grumbled. “Do not encourage them. Now Harper the sword was what you fought with?” He asked.
“Yes.”
“I do not know what to say.” Elijah said as he looked at Harper and Charlie. Harper nodded. “I know it takes getting use too. I have told Charlie some of this, the darkness I received that night made me chase Charlie away. Pushed her out of my life. I was terrified I would hurt or kill her. I was so young and it was so strong, stronger than me. Every day I was losing the battle, I was scared for you. Don’t be mad.” She pleaded to Charlie who shook her head.
“Oh Harper, I am not mad. I am sad you couldn’t have told me.”
“What could you have done?”
“I don’t know something. Maybe!”
Ace said. “That is in the past now, not to be changed. Somethings we cannot undo, we accept and move forward.”
Charlie looked at Harper as she said to Ace. “Yeah you are right.”
“So this darkness what can we do to help you?” Reighn asked.
“I have no idea. That is not why I asked for this meeting. I wanted to meet Scarlett and Elijah. I know I judged you unfairly and for that I am sorry. Our mother loved you very much Scarlett, she spoke of you often to me, Charlie and her…”
“We know Charlie told us.” Scarlett quietly said.
Harper looked at Charlie, she shrugged as much to say it was what it was. “Oh okay then. Well Juna missed you more than she ever realized she would.”
“Then why did she leave me?” Cried Scarlett.
Harper felt sad for her and closed her eyes on her pain. “She left because your High Queen at the time would not allow her to have children, it was her destiny to have both Charlie and me. We are the future of, no… I am sorry that is wrong.”
She took a minute, Ace clasped her hand and she took a breath, centered herself and said. “We are the catalyst that forces change. Your world has remained unchanged for millions of years all through the time without magic and now you are here again establishing Groves, but you have not changed. You are able to have mating’s outside your own race for twelve years now. That is a fact, yet your people do not know this, and as far as we know, not one faerie has even thought about looking. Your race like the dragons were at one time are on the brink of extinction but you would rather that than have what you call impure blood in you Groves.”
“By you! You are referring to the council and a few others?” Scarlett asked her with an edge to her voice.
Harper smiled. “I am yes. No sister of Juna’s could think otherwise!”
“It is not the High Queen, it is the council.” Said Elijah.
“The High Queen fights constantly since she was gifted the title.”
Ace asked. “When was that?”
Elijah told them. “The former High Queen went to the High Grove only recently. Twenty years ago.”
Charlie said. “And that is why change is happening.”
“Are you saying the former High Queen and the council knew this was to happen?” Asked an astounded Scarlett. Harper said with a tinge of bitterness in her voice. “Juna told me they had a foretelling, they hated the idea of half-bloods. Pure bloods only is their motto.”
“So Junipa left to have her young. The young the former High Queen disallowed?” Reighn asked.
“Yes.” Stated Harper. Charlie asked slowly like she was waking from a bad dream. “It never made a difference who our father was?”
Harper swallowed and looked at Ace, he nodded. “Tell her it is only fair and it was never your fault.”
Harper took a breath and said. “Juna told me before she died that the sperm donor that was how she spoke of him, she said he was unimportant. She knew as the former High Queen knew, she would breed true. Her daughters would always be who they
were meant to be. It was ordained, our father had no choice in it.”
Charlie under her breathe. “That was why he was scared of us!”
“Yes he knew we were always more than human, that Juna was.”
Frankie asked. “So what do we do now?”
Scarlett informed them. “We confront the High Queen and council. Will you come with us nieces?”
Harper grinned. ‘I am in, Charlie?”
“Try and stop me, they have ignored us for long enough.”
“Juna called out to the Queen on her death bed. She was refused!” Harper told them.
“Well of course she would have been refused as the council would have ignored her. I bet they hoped she and you would all just fade away, how little they knew of Junipa and her daughters.” Scarlett stated with pride.
Ace commented, “If they had been able to look past their fear, they would have had her give birth to her daughters within the Grove.”
“Why would that make a difference?” Frankie wondered out loud.
Reighn smiled. “So they could have directed and controlled the growth of both Harper and Charlie’s abilities. They may have had a chance to keep them from doing what they are going to do now. Change the world of faeries forever!”
Elijah said softly. “They missed a golden opportunity to control the future course of faeries.”
Scarlett told them. “The former High Queen was terrified of her and you, she would have known you were born and that you represented change. She would have been told, just like the council was that Juna and her daughters would bring unwanted change. They would have been fearful of their position in Faerie society. I want you to know I would not have ignored you or your mother!”
Charlie said. “We know that Scarlett, and so did Juna.”
“I hope she did.” She murmured softly. Harper told them. “Once I sat and thought about it I realized that I have lived with anger for so long. I forgot who and what I was angry at and why.”
Reighn asked. “So Harper have you talked to the ancients about the darkness?”
Harper lit up from within, causing more than one person to stare in surprise. “Well I was saving that for last but the darkness is gone as of last night.”
Ace grinned widely. “The ancients visited my shadow and removed the last little bit, apparently bonding with me destroyed most of it.”
Harper grinned. “It could not survive the joining of our souls in happiness. The ancients said they would not have their seeker tainted. How would the wild ones return if their beacon was stained or something like that? I got bored and went to sleep.”
Ace nodded. “She did, they told me and I wrote it down for you my Lord.”
Reighn shook his head. “Harper they are the ancients.”
She nodded. “And long winded!” He sighed and said to Ace. “Please give the information to Keeper for the histories.
“So you are healed?” Charlie asked.
“Why would I say I was if I wasn’t?” Harper growled at her.
“Still Bitchy I see?” Frankie retorted.
“Like that would go away.” Sage said as Charlie dragged Harper from her chair and hugged her, she then let her go as Frankie did the same. Scarlett hugged her as well. “Hugging!” Growled Harper as Sage hugged her hard, she had tears in her eyes. “Dear Goddess, do not cry female!” Harper pleaded desperately looking at Reighn for help. He shrugged and smiled as her eyes narrowed and Sage said with a sniff. “Hormones, it is not because I like you.”
Harper grinned as she said. “That is what you say but we all know you love me!”
“I admit nothing.” Sage quipped. Harper laughed and turned to Scarlett. “Let us go visit the High Queen and councilors!”
CHAPTER NINETEEN:
T he Faerie council sat behind a raised curved horseshoe dais. It was very medieval and ridiculous. Harper sighed with impatience. She was here as a courtesy to the High Queen and her aunt Scarlett. And because Charlie has puppy dog eyes and uses them to extreme. So unfair!
Harper stood in the center of a round room, she was looking up at the thirteen faeries. Four females and eight males who peered down at her like she was a specimen under a microscope.
Harper looked over at Frankie. Who was so not meant to be here! She and the others had arrived three hours earlier and been shown instantly into the High Queen’s chamber where Harper had once again related what her mother had told her.
The High Queen had sat with a sorrowful look on her face as she said to her light. “She was much like that, so positive she was right. She would destroy a whole family to prove it and the council encouraged her.”
“She was your mother. You are not like that my light. Remember that! You are your own person and now more than ever you need to be. I and my warriors stand with you.”
“I will of course step down as High Queen.” Said Queen Meadow. Harper shuddered at the thought of being Queen. “There is no need for that. I relinquish all claim to the position of High Queen or Queen!”
Queen Meadow was confused. “Then why are you here?”
“To explain what Juna told us. Life for you has to change, if not all of ‘Faeriedom’ will be swallowed up as a myth, a memory of times past. There are unicorns at Dragon’s Gap. Female dragons are talking again. A grounder has appeared. Twin sun dragons have been brought by the Sun Goddess to Dragon’s Gap. Elementals walk the earth. When before in history. Yours, Unicorns, Shifters, Humans, and Dragons has that ever happened?”
Scarlett now added her voice. “I have been saying this for months. We have to make the council look at the signs. You have to look at the portents, they are screaming at you to see that you have to change. We have to change.”
“And you half breed are here to see it happens at the end of your sword, perhaps?” A male said as he walked from behind a screen that hid a door.
“My brother Kai.” Said the High Queen. Ace and Storm tensed as Harper and Charlie stood shoulder to shoulder. “Cool the tone boy or I will.” Charlie told him.
“You can try.” He laughed derisively. “You a half breed?”
Harper said. “You will die where you stand.”
Instantly a blue flamed sword touched his chest. Harper grinned she knew a test when she was in one.
“Now I am not as patient as my sister or our shadows. So you will cease calling us half breeds. This conversation was between your sister and us you may stay if you are respectful and to answer your question. No, not at the end of my sword.”
Frankie said. “That may have more impact if you were not standing there with one in your hand.” She wiggled between the two and held her hand out to the male. Making Harper quickly remove her sword.
“Hi I am Frankie Kingsley.” The male shook her hand, bewildered by her as was everyone else.
“Frankie!” Harper, Charlie and Scarlett all yelled at the same time, just as the blue sword disappeared.
“What are you doing here?” Demanded Harper.
“How did you get here?” Demanded Scarlett.
“Oh wasn’t I invited. I thought I was?” Frankie asked as she looked around at the people there. Harper knew as Frankie knew she wasn’t invited. This was Frankie being Frankie. “Why would I bring you somewhere if I wasn’t sure it was safe?” Harper asked. Frankie did that lips thing and said. “Charlie is here?”
“Because she can shoot you nut.”
“Excuse me, who is this?” The High Queen Meadow asked as she looked at her light as well as her brother when Harper answered. “Hush now Queen. In a minute.”
“Did she just hush me?” Meadow asked Scarlett.
“Yes Queen Mother.”
“But…”
“Oh please I need to hear this.” Scarlett said as she moved away.
“Did she just hush me as well?” A bewildered and slightly miffed Queen Meadow asked.
“I would say she did my light.” Answered High King Zale who was thoroughly amused.
“What are you laughing at
?” She asked her brother who just laughed harder.
Frankie crossed her arms and frowned at Harper. “Huh! Explain Storm and Ace?”
“They carry frigging big swords.”
“Oh yeah. You have a point but I am here now.”
Harper scowled at her and said. “Frankie I am very annoyed with you!”
“Aww Harper! You say the funniest things. Now where were we?”
“How is that funny?” She asked as she threw her hands up in surrender.
Frankie said. “So I am Frankie, Harper’s best friend and you are the High Queen Meadow. You are her light, King Zale and you are her brother, not a prince because you denounced the title. Kai!”
“Ahh! Yes that is so.” Agreed King Zale.
While Queen Meadow stared at her light trying to understand what was happening. “How do you know all that?” asked Charlie.
Frankie shrugged. “I just do. I am magic!”
“Frankie!” Harper admonished. “Don’t play with Charlie, she has a short fuse.”
Charlie snorted, her patience was so much longer that Harper’s. Ace and Storm both smothered laughs when Harper turned her grey eyes on them.
“Chickens!” mumbled Charlie just loud enough for the males to hear. They growled low as she grinned. Frankie slammed her hands on her non-existence hips, which made Harper snicker, which Frankie ignored. “Harper do not ruin my fun. It is not fair, all you guys have stuff.”
“Frankie are you whining? What did I say about whining?” Harper asked sharply.
“Never do it in my hearing.” She mumbled.
“And you are doing what?”
“Sorry Harper.”
Sighing Frankie said to Charlie. “I looked everyone up before I arrived.”
“Okay.”
Kai, brother to the High Queen said into the silence. “Are there more like you where you come from?”
Ace asked. “Why!”
“I want to go with you, when you return. I need a female like these. You are so fortunate!” he told Ace and Storm.
Storm said. “When we leave you are welcome to visit. There are many females at Dragon’s Gap. We cannot swear they are like these though.”
“I thank you. I will take my chances.” He looked at Frankie. “Are you without a light?”