Institute of the Shadow Fae Box Set

by C. N. Crawford

  Ruadan straightened, and when he spoke, his voice boomed over the hall. I had no idea what he was saying, since he’d launched into Ancient Fae. The only word I understood within the stream of sounds was “Ruadan,” so I could only imagine he was announcing his entire lineage, possibly dating back to the Bronze Age. Seemed to be a bit of a thing for fae nobility.

  The phantom-fae continued to stare at us, bodies unmoving. The silver in their eyes pierced the gloom of the hall. Their heads were cocked at unnatural angles. A draft whipped through the hall, lifting locks of their hair.

  They crowded in closer around us, towering over us, until I could see nothing but the sentinels and their gleaming blades.

  It felt freezing in the hall, and I was still wearing nothing but the waterlogged, gossamer gown. I regretted not getting the chance to strip the armor off the bird-warriors before Ruadan had ripped the ground out from underneath us.

  It seemed like ages before the sound of heels clacked over the hall, a staccato slap punctuating the air like gunshots. When silence descended, the phantom-guards fell away, still pointing their swords at us.

  There, on the throne of rock, sat a woman in a sheer black gown that plunged to her navel. She crossed her long legs, and platinum hair cascaded over her shoulders. A black, spiky crown gleamed on her head.

  On either side of her stood rows of fae draped in silver cloth. They wore crowns of rowan leaves with red berries. Presumably, they were the High Council, and their grumpy expressions told me they were not pleased to have been roused out of bed in the middle of the night.

  Queen Brigantia—Ruadan’s sister—looked oddly relaxed, considering a reported traitor and possible rival for the throne had just burst in here with an iron sword and two random, half-naked fae.

  “Of all the things I could have imagined when my servant woke me at three in the morning, the last thing I would have expected was the sight of my brother arriving, dripping wet, with a barely clothed demi-fae and a small-footed prince from another land.”

  I was amazed that she recognized Maddan, but maybe all the fae royals knew each other.

  The queen leaned forward. “What is this about you being a traitor? I’d only just received word from Grand Master Savus that you’d betrayed the Institute. He wanted permission to execute you. I said no, of course.”

  Ruadan straightened, his shadows darkening the air around him. He nodded at me. “Arianna is my novice. Prince Maddan is a traitor to the Institute and to Emain. I’ve brought him here to testify. Grand Master Savus has been compromised. He is working with Baleros, who is demanding my execution in exchange for the World Key. Baleros wants to open the worlds again, to unleash chaos and recreate his gladiatorial arenas.”

  The queen narrowed her violet eyes—the same shade as Ruadan’s. “Why would Savus work with Baleros? Baleros slaughtered our mother.”

  “Baleros has figured out exactly how to control Savus,” said Ruadan. “He claims that he has a very important hostage.”

  The queen’s eyes widened. “Who?”

  Ruadan spoke again in Ancient Fae, his voice booming off the walls. I had no idea what he was saying until he switched back to English. “Our mother.”

  The Fae High Council began murmuring to one another, while Queen Brigantia’s eyes were locked entirely on her brother. She didn’t move, her body taking on that strange, animal stillness Ruadan so often displayed.

  A ghostly wind whipped through the hall, and the queen’s pale hair danced around her head. “You found our mother’s body in her bedchamber.”

  Ruadan’s body was as still as his sister’s. “She’d been burned beyond recognition. It may have been another victim. Alternately, Baleros may be lying. But the important part is that Grand Master Savus believes Baleros, and he is now essentially an agent working for the traitor.”

  One of the High Council members stepped forward, her white hair piled high on her head. “You have a witness?”

  Ruadan shoved Maddan forward. “He has been working with both Baleros and Grand Master Savus. Before I opened the portal, he was about to drive an iron sword through my throat. Arianna’s as well.”

  The line of sentinels closed in around Maddan, swords pointed at him. Maddan’s limbs were visibly shaking. “I was only acting as the Grand Master instructed,” he protested. “He told me the Old Gods supported it, that once I did their bidding, I’d become one of the Shadow Fae.”

  The queen tapped her fingernails on the rocky throne. “There was a time when we were reluctant to torture royalty from other lands. It caused certain diplomatic problems, like wars. Invasions. But now, the worlds are locked. My brother is one of the few people with the power to open and close the portals. Your family cannot come for us. I’m afraid we must know the truth.”

  “It’s all true!” Maddan shouted. “It’s all true. Baleros has been sending Queen Macha’s fingers to Grand Master Savus. Savus loves her. He only wanted to save her life.”

  The queen leaned back in her chair. “Torture him to make sure he’s telling the truth.”

  Her logic made no sense whatsoever, and yet I was happy to jump in. I raised my hand. “Can I help with that?”

  The queen nodded once.

  I took a step closer to Maddan, and slammed my fist into his jaw. He tried blocking my blows with his forearms, but I dodged around them. I hit him in the ribs, the skull, cracking his nose. The sting on my knuckles felt glorious.

  Then, I took a step back. Blood streamed from Maddan’s nose.

  The queen looked at him again, expectantly. “Well?”

  Blood dripped down his hands. “Yes. It’s exactly what I said before. Grand Master Savus was trying to save your mother by complying with Baleros’s demands. He wants to steal the World Key from Ruadan’s body.”

  The queen straightened. “So the leader of the Institute is no longer serving the Shadow Fae. Instead, he serves a traitor.”

  The High Council began arguing with one another, voices echoing off the ceiling. But they were speaking in Ancient Fae, and I had no idea what they were saying. After a minute, they seemed to come to some sort of a consensus, nodding and stepping back into their line.

  The queen cocked her head. “Imprison the fae prince in the Institute. Assassinate Grand Master Savus. Assume control of London. Then, find Baleros. We will send word to the Shadow Fae institutes across the world. Report back to me, and do not waste any more time.”

  The sentinels closed in around Maddan, binding his arms behind his back. They clamped iron around his wrists.

  The queen rose from her throne. “Aithmóre.”

  Ruadan repeated the fae word. Whatever it meant, the sound of it rumbled over my skin.

  The sentinels stepped away, and Ruadan’s body began to glow, his magic pulsing and rippling over my skin. As I felt the floor rumbling again, I prepared myself. When the first cracks appeared in the marble, I reached for the iron sword I’d dropped.

  Churning waters appeared through the fissures, and the floor fell out from underneath us. I plunged into the icy water. The portal’s watery depths enveloped me once more.

  We had what we wanted—a directive to kill the Grand Master. But as I sank deeper into the portal, I had to wonder if Baleros was already one step ahead of us. It seemed he always was.

  Chapter 64

  Warm light glimmered on the portal’s watery surface, and I kicked my legs. I wasn’t entirely sure where the portal would be opening until I reached the air. Gasping, I scrambled for the stony ledge. The smell of mildew, must, and an undercurrent of blood hit me like a wave.

  Ruadan brought us to one of the empty torture rooms in the dungeons, which was smart. It was completely empty down here.

  Given the mist army situation, the only way to kill Grand Master Savus would be through a stealth assassination—not exploding into the Tower Green in a hail of water and rock. Another benefit was the arsenal of weapons glinting from one of the rocky walls.

  I climbed over the ledge, and Ru
adan turned back to the portal. When Maddan’s ginger hair breached the surface, Ruadan hauled his shackled body out of the water.

  Lying on his side, Maddan coughed up water onto the stone.

  Ruadan gripped him by the shoulders and began dragging him off to a cell in the other direction. Maddan’s tiny bare feet left trails of water on the stone behind him.

  My muscles tensed. I couldn’t quite explain it, but something felt wrong in the air. The hair on my arms stood on end. Icy water dripped off my body, and I gripped the hilt of the sword, prowling slowly down the corridor, away from Ruadan.

  I heard the sound of a cell door creaking, then slamming shut as Ruadan locked Maddan inside. The prince of Elfame was screaming something, his voice rattling with rage, but I blocked him out, trying to attune my senses to the Institute.

  Faintly, Ruadan’s footsteps sounded behind me, and I turned to him. “Something isn’t right.”

  Ruadan gripped a broadsword that he’d pulled off the wall. “What do you sense?”

  I bit my lip. I couldn’t explain my sense of unease. “I don’t know. Just—we need to be cautious.”

  His gaze flicked to the lumen stone at my neck. “Okay, but time is of the essence. The longer we spend here, the greater the chance we’ll be discovered before we assassinate the Grand Master. Once we get to the Tower Green, I’m going to shadow-leap to Savus’s chamber. I’ll slaughter him within seconds. It will all be over.”

  I had complete faith in Ruadan’s killing abilities, and yet as we climbed the dank stairwell, I couldn’t shake the feeling that something was very wrong here at the Institute.

  By the time we reached the top of the stairs, my chest was pounding.

  Then, just before Ruadan pushed through the door to the Tower Green, it hit me like a fist to the gut.

  The scent of roses.

  Baleros’s scent.

  I gripped Ruadan’s arm, pulling him back. On my tiptoes, I whispered into his ear, “He’s here. Baleros is here.”

  Grand Master Savus had failed in his task of slaughtering Ruadan. Maybe Baleros thought he had to do the job himself.

  Baleros’s nineteenth law of power: Never send a servant to do the work of a king.

  When Ruadan met my gaze, his eyes were as black as the void, and a chill slid through my bones. As we stood behind the oak door, mist curled under it, twining around us.

  I frowned at the magical fog. Was Grand Master Savus deploying his mist army, or…

  I gripped Ruadan’s arm tighter, sliding the puzzle pieces together in my mind. “Do you really think Baleros would stick around here, facing the Grand Master’s mist army in person? My old master doesn’t face opponents he can’t beat.” My heart slammed against my ribs. “If Baleros is already here—”

  My breath caught in my lungs, and I pulled open the door just a little, peering outside. My stomach sank at what I saw.

  My old master—Baleros—prowled across the flowery green, a lumen stone glowing around his neck. The mist army surrounded him, fog lifting off of them in steamy tufts.

  Panic climbed up my spine, and I closed the door again. As I did, another deep bell began to toll—just like the one in Emain.

  “There’s good news, and there’s bad news,” I whispered. “The good news, is we don’t have to worry about killing Grand Master Savus. He’s already dead. The bad news is that Baleros is now ten times more powerful than he was before, because he can shadow-leap and he’s assumed control of the mist—”

  A loud boom and the splintering of wood cut off the rest of my sentence. A battle-ax splintered the door, and mist began pooling inside.

  “He controls the mist army,” I said, completing my thought.

  “Use the lumen stone,” said Ruadan.

  He didn’t have to tell me twice. Without it, Baleros would corner us here in the dungeons. His mist army would slaughter us.

  Through the shattering door, I glimpsed the darkened towers. I let my mind meld with the shadows across the green, and dark magic whispered through my blood.

  I shadow-leapt outside, the wind whipping at my damp, half-naked body. I landed hard in a dark spot by a tower archway. Then, I whirled to find a small cohort of mist soldiers closing in on me. Just beyond them, I glimpsed Shadow Fae knights running out of the towers, swords raised. They were responding to the alarm, attacking the invaders.

  Already, I’d lost track of Baleros, but I had a more pressing concern in the form of the ten mist soldiers closing in on me.

  Shadow magic skimmed and buzzed over my skin, and I mentally bonded with the shadows behind them. I used the lumen stone to leap out of the circle of mist warriors. From behind them, I swung my sword into their backs. But instead of hitting flesh, it was like swiping through steam. How were we supposed to kill these guys?

  My gaze flicked to Ruadan, who moved so fast I could barely track him. I saw only puffs of steam as my mentor carved his sword through the mist soldiers. Too bad the attacks didn’t kill them. They simply wafted away like smoke, then solidified elsewhere in the green.

  I shadow-leapt away from the mist soldiers, sniffing the air until I tuned into the scent of roses. The sickly-sweet scent dripped over the whole Institute. I could smell Baleros, but I couldn’t see him.

  Two mist soldiers ran for me. I whirled and leapt, my sword clashing against the mist soldiers’ blades. Adrenaline blazed through my limbs as steel met steel. Still, every time I thrust my blade at them, it met only air. The fruitless attacks were throwing me off balance.

  Everything could be killed. But how?

  As I fought them, I kept scanning the Tower Green, searching for Baleros. I glimpsed the other Shadow Fae fighting the mist soldiers, but Baleros had hidden himself somewhere, letting his army do the work for him.

  His absence was making me nervous. As usual, he was much more in control of this situation than Ruadan and I were. He knew where we were—and we had no idea where he’d gone.

  I lunged into another mist soldier, my blade slicing steam. I’d worked up a sweat now, and I’d killed not a single soldier.

  As cold sweat dripped down my gossamer gown, a fiery glow appeared through one of the Institute’s arches. Baleros had committed his soul to the fire goddess. My heart thrummed. Was that him?

  I had no doubt it was—my old master, about to unleash fiery hell on the Tower.

  I summoned my shadow magic from the lumen stone, a cold burst of power. Then, I shadow-leapt closer to the archway. When I landed, I staggered back.

  Baleros crossed through the archway, dragging someone with him. He was holding a knife to Ciara’s throat. Of course the fucker had leverage.

  His body glowed with orange light, and he was chanting a spell in the Angelic language. As he did, the sky blazed with searing light, fires in the heavens. It took me a moment to realize what he was doing.

  With the fiery light he’d created in the sky above us, Baleros had burned out all the shadows. He’d made it impossible to shadow-leap anywhere.

  My mind was a wild animal, ready to tear down everything in my path, but I had to move carefully, or Ciara would die. I froze, staring at Baleros, waiting to see what he’d demand of me. Drop my sword? Go with him? I’d do whatever he wanted to get Ciara away from him.

  “What do you want from me?” I said through gritted teeth. “You have your leverage. What do you want?”

  His lip curled. “Only to watch you suffer. You defied me. People need to learn there is a price for defiance.”

  Rage coursed through my body, and I went completely still.

  Guilt gripped my heart. If it hadn’t been for me, Ciara would never have been pulled into any of this. Baleros never would have brought her into the arena as my servant. He would never have brought her here.

  My senses had become heightened. I felt the slither of mist over my skin, the distant heat of Baleros’s glow. I felt the rush of Ruadan’s shadow magic as he leapt over to us. I sensed the chilly, damp air of the mist soldiers closing in on us
, their swords drawn.

  I lifted my hand, signaling to Ruadan that he needed to be still. One false move, and Ciara was dead.

  And yet my mind couldn’t work out what to do next.

  This wasn’t leverage anymore. This was punishment.

  Baleros was going to kill Ciara before my eyes.

  “Watch your friend as she burns,” said Baleros, and icy dread crashed into me.

  For the briefest of moments, Baleros released Ciara, and she ran for me under the blazing light of the sky. Then, he hurled an enormous fireball at her body.

  I stared, my mind reeling as she ignited, and her clothing and skin caught fire.

  I started to run for her, desperate to stamp out the flames.

  It took me a moment to realize she wasn’t screaming, or writhing. Instead, she was simply transforming.

  Great tendrils of red hair snaked around her head like flames. Her back arched, and her skin became ashy and cracked, with lava flowing beneath the fissured surface. But within the fire, she was smiling, her features ecstatic.

  Behind her, Baleros’s face looked as shocked as I felt. He hadn’t seen this coming, either.

  She grinned at me. “The devil wears many faces,” she hissed.

  I stared as the clothing burned off her body.

  I hardly registered the darkness falling around us, the light receding from the sky.

  Then, Ciara eyed me through the fires that licked around her body.

  What in the hells…?

  She took another step closer to me. “Arianna. Behind you.”

  I blinked, completely at a loss for words. When I felt a cold lick of steam at my neck, I whirled again to slash my sword. A mist soldier puffed into the air. To my right, Ruadan was trying to fend off another group of mist soldiers, his sword clanging.

  I turned back to Ciara, my legs shaking. “What the fuck, Ciara? You look like a gods-damn demon. You are a gods-damn demon.”

  She pointed again. “Behind you.”

  I spun. A sharp arc of my blade slammed into a mist soldier, vaporizing him.

  She looked down at her own blazing hands, fire curling from her skin. “I always thought the McDougall family legends were true.” Then, she met my gaze, fire burning in her pupils. “Didn’t I tell you I’d protect you if it came down to it? I told you my grandma was from the embers under a mountain, didn’t I? I sensed something bad was about to happen. I could feel it behind my knees, like when a storm is coming. Baleros captured me, but I wasn’t scared. A McDougall woman always gets out alive.”