Chapter 24

24

K yrie

“Don’t be alarmed; it’s just us,” Thesha announces as she and Xander return a little later, their boots squelching through the mud. One of Thesha’s braids has started to come undone, and her cheeks are rosy. Her lips look red and plump.

Xander’s tunic is untucked on one side.

They give each other this look that is plain sickening and wonderful. It makes my heart ache to see them so in love. Despite our current predicament, they look happy.

“Did the two of you kiss and make up?” Xander asks.

“We’re still friends,” I say, giving Damon a quick glance.

His expression is unreadable.

“And you’re okay with Damon being king of the icefae?” Xander asks, brows raised. He looks amused.

I frown. “There’s nothing to be not okay with.” I shrug. “It is what it is. I understand why Damon didn’t tell me about it. It’s all good. I’m fine.”

“And you’re friends again,” Thesha says; her mouth twitches like she wants to laugh.

“Yes.” I nod.

“We’re good,” Damon says. “Ready to head out. Oh! I forgot to mention that Xander is the bloodfae king. That would make Thesha the queen.”

“Oh!” Kakara give me the strength to deal with all of this. “Okay…nothing much is surprising to me anymore.” I blink a few times in quick succession.

“Wait a minute.” Thesha is frowning heavily. “Am I the queen? I never thought of it like that.” Her eyes go big.

Xander laughs. He cups her face and kisses her gently. “That’s why I love you so much. Titles don’t mean a thing to you. We stood before a holy man in a church of the gods and spoke our vows. That means that you are the queen of the bloodfae. A mighty warrior woman…my woman. I’m a lucky male, indeed.”

They kiss, wrapping around one another. It’s so intimate that my face burns. I turn away, bumping into Damon, who has turned away at the same time.

We exchange a smile before going to our saddlebag. He offers me a drink from the skin, which I accept. He takes a drink, too. It’s awkward between us. It’s never been awkward before. I don’t know that I like it much. It was far less complicated when we were just plain old friends. When he was a lowly human.

“It’s time to go,” Xander says.

When I look back, Thesha is fixing her braid.

“It will be nightfall soon enough,” Thesha adds. “We have a whole realm to save and an evil queen to topple.”

“You make it sound easy, love,” Xander says.

Thesha laughs. “If only.”

We head out, walking for a time in silence. The pace is fast, and I have to work to keep up. It’s really cold, and the movement helps me stay warm. There are a few dark clouds, and I pray it doesn’t rain. It’s the last thing we need right now. We keep pushing. I note how the others keep vigil, often looking behind us. We are still vulnerable, but at least we’re not in the open and easy to spot. Those fae would have a hard time finding us out here, I’m sure.

“We might have a few allies among the fae,” Damon says, stepping over a log. He offers me his hand, and I take it. “General Belen of the shadowfae might be one of them. He was supposed to be orchestrating our escape when the bloodfae attacked. He was going to make it look like we’d escaped on our own steam. He swore his allegiance to us. To the lost kings. He said that the fae are not happy under Snow’s rule but that her reach is far.”

It’s the first I’m hearing of it.

“I’m sorry I couldn’t tell you about it.” He squeezes my hand. “Belen swore me to secrecy.”

“I understand,” I tell him.

“That is good to hear. I can say the same of the Blood Court.” Xander scratches his neck. “We had help escaping, or we would never have gotten away. I have allies there, too. Powerful ones. Our people want nothing more than to be free of her. She’s vile and corrupt. She’s like a parasite. A tick living off our very essence.”

“What does she want?” I ask.

“What does anyone want?” Xander says.

“Power.” Damon looks at me, his blue eyes boring into mine. “All of the power. She is sucking this realm dry. Taking the lifeblood from the very soil.” Everything around us attests to that. It’s all rot, death, and decay.

“How is she doing it?” I ask.

Damon shrugs. “I’m not sure. I didn’t have long with Belen. He used his powers to shield us from her but knew she would grow suspicious if it went on for too long. He couldn’t give me all the answers to my questions.”

Xander glances at me before looking at Damon. “I have a few answers. Perhaps you and I can discuss it later.”

“No, you can speak freely in front of Kyrie. I trust her with my life.”

I warm up inside. I bite on my bottom lip to keep from smiling like a loon.

“They’re best friends, Xander.” Thesha gets that cheeky smile. She winks at me.

“I won’t say anything to anyone. You have my word.” I put my hand on my heart.

“Fair enough.” Xander nods. “Snow controls the fae through mirrors. There is one at each court. They all look the same. Big, ornate, and magical.”

“Mirrors?” Damon sounds incredulous, and I don’t blame him.

“Yep, these huge magic mirrors that can’t be broken. Instead of regular tax, she demands a quota from each fae in magic.”

“We had heard such a rumor.” Damon looks at me.

“Yes, but we assumed that she didn’t take too much,” I say.

“She takes almost all of it. Haven’t you noticed how reluctant the fae are to use their magic, even in battle?”

“I did.” Damon nods.

“It varies from species to species and fae to fae, but all must contribute. All must pay, even the emptyfae. She sucks their magic from them like a leech. Fall short often enough, and she will end you. It is told that she can smite a fae down in an instant. Go against her and die. Or even worse, watch your family perish for your wrongdoings.”

“That’s terrible,” I gasp.

“There was that guard at the salt mine a few years ago who was struck by lightning in the middle of the desert.” Damon rubs his beard. “I remember it because it was so out of place. Lightning in the desert. He died instantly.”

“I heard about that.” I thought it was an exaggeration. “There was quite a lot of talk about it when I first arrived at the mine.” I narrow my eyes in thought.

“That was more than likely Snow. It happens all the time. She’s relentless in her pursuit of power. She can track all of her fae. She can listen in on conversations. She has spies everywhere, as well.”

My skin crawls at the thought.

“It’s only the fae, not us humans,” Thesha pipes up. “It’s why she detests us. She can’t control us. Or spy on us through her mirrors. Snow fears us because it makes us dangerous to her. That’s why she wants us cowed and enslaved or dead.”

“I always saw her as a queen living in an ivory tower who let the fae run rampant,” I say. “I always saw the fae as evil. I never considered that it was a human behind all of it. In a matter of days, my whole world has been turned on its head. I don’t know which way is up anymore.”

“Follow your instincts, Ky. It’s never steered you wrong before.” Damon bumps his shoulder softly against mine. “And as to which way is up, you naturally gravitate up.”

“You guys are so sweet.” Thesha has this sappy look. “You make such a great couple.”

“They’re friends, love,” Xander tells her.

“Oh, right! I forgot for a second there.”

Is it obvious that we’re attracted to one another? That there is something between us? It must be.

“Belen mentioned that Orion has been freed as well.” Damon steps over a log. “Orion is the beastfae king,” he tells me as I step over the large, twisted root. We have to tread carefully in this terrain.

“Yes.” Xander laughs softly. “He’s also married and expecting a child.”

“No. How did that happen?” Damon’s eyes go wide.

“Do you really need me to explain how it works?” Xander lifts his brows, grinning.

“Very funny.” Damon chuckles. His eyes light up, and his dimples pop out. He’s handsome. I can’t believe I never noticed. I know plenty of the women at the salt mines really liked him. I was asked all the time if we were involved. I can’t believe I never saw it. His jaw is masculine. His mouth is almost too full to have any business being on a man. His eyes are unreal. That vivid blue framed by thick black lashes. They were brown before but still striking. He’s very good-looking, and there’s no denying it.

I trip over something – a rock or a vine. It doesn’t really matter since the end result is the same. I go flying. I put out my arms, bracing for a fall, but Damon catches me just in time, hauling me to my feet.

He holds me against him for a few moments. He’s smiling at me. “You good?”

I nod. “Thanks for the save. You know me; two left feet sometimes.” I force out a laugh.

Damon lets me go and we keep walking.

“It would help if you were looking where you were going, Kyrie,” Thesha tells me. She winks at me when I look over at her. She must have caught me staring at Damon.

My cheeks heat up. I’m sure they’re red like freshly pulled beets.

She giggles.

“His wife bonded with a dragon? I didn’t think it was possible. Humans can’t bond with dragons,” Damon says. They’re talking about Maya, Orion’s wife.

“Not normally, no, but by then, it turned out that she was with child. Carrying a fae child allowed her to keep the bond with her dragon. It gave her the fae blood she needed to complete the bond.” They continue to talk. I listen with half an ear.

This pine forest must have once been quite something. It isn’t anymore, but once, it would have been dense with trees. Now, many are dead or dying. Some still stand, their gnarled branches reaching up. Their roots twist and intertwine beneath our feet. The air here is cooler, laden with the faint scent of decaying leaves.

The trees gradually thin out, giving way to a clearing with a grove of tall, ancient trees. Most are bare, their leaves long gone, but a few of them hang on to life. They have a smattering of white leaves with green veins.

“How beautiful,” I whisper.

“They’re called Pale Guardians,” Damon tells me. “They are supposed to protect all who journey through these parts and are said to be older than these mountains themselves.” He sounds sad and when I look at him, his eyes are clouded. “They used to be something to behold; now, only a few remain. You should have seen them, Kyrie. Their branches were full of those pretty white leaves. And in spring, the most beautiful red flowers. So magnificent it would take your breath away.”

“I can well imagine.”

“I have to find a way to fix it. To bring her down.”

“Amen,” Thesha remarks.

“What was all that about Snow wanting to marry you, Damon?” Xander nudges him.

“She’s lost her mind. The Primus tried to convince me that it would be the right thing to do for my people. He said that I could be a good influence on Snow. Make her see the error of her ways. As if! Even if it were possible, I wouldn’t go anywhere near that crazy female. Cassius can marry her if he feels so strongly about it.”

“I hear you.” Xander nods. “She needs a sword through her heart and not a ring on her finger.”

“To think that she was once like a sister to you,” Thesha says.

“To all of us, but especially to you, Damon.”

My heart pounds at the news. “You knew her well, then?” I keep my voice even. “Queen Snow?”

“Even though she was a princess and in line to take the throne, she was just plain old Snow to us.”

“There was never anything plain about Snow,” Damon says. “Like the Pale Guardians, she was quite beautiful. Her heart was the most beautiful thing about her.”

I feel a twinge of jealousy, but I push it aside. I’m being silly.

“Her father – the human king – died, and Snow was too young to take the crown. His wife – her stepmother – took it upon herself to rule. It was only supposed to be until Snow turned one and twenty. Until she reached adulthood. Except the stepmother, Hecate, liked the power. She liked being the queen. She didn’t want to give it up. Hecate grew more and more hateful and more and more jealous of Snow as time went on.”

“That’s awful,” I say, feeling sorry for her.

“Eventually, Hecate tried to have Snow killed, so she ran,” Xander goes on. “The only place she could think of to seek aid was with the fae who did not fall under her stepmother’s evil rule. Snow came to stay at each of the courts. At first, she moved from court to court, but then she lingered at the Ice Court. You see, she had fallen in love.”

“We’re here,” Damon says as we step out of the forest. Before us lies a small hamlet sprawled out in the shadow of a mountain with peaks of white.

Smoke wafts from several of the chimneys. There are a couple of cows and several sheep grazing in a field and a herd of horses in another field toward the back of the hamlet. Chickens and pigs run around the small houses. Above us, the clouds are rolling in. The air smells of rain.

“The humans in this part of the kingdom are known to still be friendly toward the fae,” Xander says.

“Why?” I ask and then shrug. “No offense, but things are strained between our species because…well…”

“Most fae have turned into giant pricks,” Thesha finishes for me. “Not by choice, but hey…it is what it is.”

I shrug. “Exactly right.”

“Icefae don’t need humans to generate magic. Just a lot of ice and snow, and there’s plenty of both of those at the Ice Court, so the humans are left relatively in peace in this kingdom,” Xander explains.

“That makes sense. I’m glad to hear it,” Damon says. “So, they should be hospitable, then?”

“We will soon find out.” Xander shrugs, and we keep walking.

All I can think about is why we got here when we did. Why not a few minutes later? Even ten seconds more would have been nice. I was listening to the story about Snow coming to the Ice Court. About how she fell in love. It must have been with Damon. Did he love her back? He spoke highly of her. Not just of her outward beauty but of her heart, too. Is there a part of him that still loves her?

Maybe there is more to his quest than just toppling her. Maybe he wants to save her as well. Maybe…

It doesn’t matter. We’re traveling together for a little while longer, and then I’ll probably never see Damon again. Just the thought has my eyes filling with tears and my throat clogging.

I’m an idiot!

This is a ridiculous reaction.