Unseelie Queen Page 18

  “I don’t know how that happened,” Asha confessed. “I just said I wished I could see my mother and the tree swallowed me up and brought me here.”

  “The fae magic responded to you as a ruler,” Efrene said wisely. “Speaking to me was part of your quest. I needed to give Norg’s ring to you so you can determine the truth from lies.”

  “Why did Norg give me this ring?” Asha asked, examining the gold band again.

  “The Seer told him to,” Irindal replied. “Norg owed Jake Everett a favor for rescuing him from the goblin dungeon. This is his way of repaying his debt.”

  Quests always took those involved on winding, complicated pathways. Everyone had their part to play, even people Asha had never met. Norg had been Gorm’s friend, so he was connected to her in a loose way. One thing she’d learned was that there were no coincidences when quests were involved. Everything happened for a specific reason.

  “It’s late and we should get our rest,” Efrene said, smoothing her daughter’s hair back from her face.

  Two small beds appeared a few feet apart. They were just big enough to accommodate the tiny dryads. “Thank you, Lania,” Efrene said. Her personal brownie hadn’t shown herself to Asha yet. She was shy around strangers.

  Lying down on the bed, Asha watched as Irindal fluttered over to lie near her feet. The pixie fell asleep almost instantly. Even while slumbering, she glowed faintly. Asha held her hand up and wondered if she would ever glow again. In response, faint light began to emanate from her hand. It faded when she wished it to, but she had a feeling she could call on the pixie magic anytime she needed it. Her friend had shed so much of her dust onto her that it had become part of her now.

  Pondering about what this could mean, Asha had a feeling she knew. She’d assumed her surname of Trinity encompassed her Seelie, Unseelie and human natures. Now she was pretty sure being raised on Earth had little to do with her quest. She had three different types of magic within her now; dryad, goblin and pixie. Her dryad side was good, the goblin side was bad and the pixie magic was neutral and could go either way. It seemed she had the last component she needed in order to heal the realm. Now she just had to return to Dacrith and allow him to become bonded to her.

  Rolling over onto her side so she was facing away from the others, a tear rolled down her face to soak into the pillow Lania had provided. Feeling her sorrow that she would have to become bound for life to a man who probably didn’t care about her at all, the closest tree reacted. A branch bent down and its leaves gently stroked her face. She fell asleep comforted by the support of her leafy allies.

  In the morning, they ate the breakfast Lania made for them, then Efrene and Asha spent the day getting to know each other. Hexam loped off to explore the borderlands and Irindal caught up on her sleep.

  As they talked, the intensity of the storms increased. Asha could feel her time running out and knew she had to return soon, but she wasn’t going to rush back to the palace. Instead, she decided that she and Hexam would walk. She wasn’t sure the hound would agree to accompany her if they had to travel by tree again.

  After another night spent beneath the canopy of the trees, it was time for Asha to depart. Her mother hugged her long and hard before letting her go. Tears stood in her eyes as she looked at Asha fondly. “I’m so very proud of you,” she said. “I always knew you would become the Unseelie Queen. Now that I’ve met you, I can see why you were chosen.”

  Asha blushed at the praise, feeling like an imposter. “I’m just fulfilling the fate that was set for me,” she protested. “There’s nothing special about me.”

  “Wrong,” Irindal said in a nearly bored tone. “There’s no one else like you in this entire world. You’re the only one who can end the chaos.”

  “Thanks to your help,” Asha said and made her hands glow.

  Both Irindal and Efrene gasped in shock. “That should have faded by now,” the pixie said.

  “I’m Asha Trinity,” Asha said. “You gave me the final piece to become what I was meant to be.”

  Awed, Efrene bowed her head in respect as one ruler to another. “Go, my beloved daughter. Fulfil your destiny and save our realms.”

  They hugged again, then Asha looked at the rain she could see pelting down through the trees. “Um, I don’t suppose Lania could conjure up a cloak and some shoes for me or something?”

  Efrene laughed that their solemn moment had been destroyed and Irindal rolled her eyes. Hexam’s tongues lolled in a doggy grin. He was ready and eager to leave. “Lania?” Efrene prompted.

  Asha’s clothing changed from her beautiful amber gown to a tunic, pants, waterproof boots and a waterproof cloak that covered her from head to toe. “Thanks, Lania,” Asha said in heartfelt gratitude. The tiara she’d been wearing had vanished. Hopefully, it had been sent back to the palace. Bindel might be cross with her if she didn’t get it back.

  A tiny brownie appeared on Efrene’s shoulder. “Do you truly intend to set our kin free?” she asked shyly. She was even smaller than usual at only ten inches tall.

  “Yep,” Asha replied firmly. “That’s going to be my first order when I become Queen.”

  “I wish you luck, your majesty,” she said reverently. “I fear you’ll need it to rescue our imprisoned kin.”

  She bowed and Asha bowed back, then she waved to her mother and the pixie and headed for the edge of the forest and stepped out into the rain once more. Hexam whined, but made no other sound of protest as they left the borderlands and returned to the Unseelie realm.

  Chapter Forty

  DACRITH AND HIS SMALL band wended their way through the hallways to an exit that let them out into a courtyard. Rain immediately soaked them all. Olsa and Unwin conjured up cloaks for all four of them. Kurtus started when his appeared and looked at the brownies suspiciously. “You still have enough magic to create clothing?” he asked.

  “We’ve been conserving our energy,” Unwin lied. He had no intention of telling the fairies that brownies could still utilize most of their talents, even if it was getting harder by the day.

  “You have our thanks,” Dacrith said absently, adjusting the hood so it shielded his face.

  Kurtus gave him a strange look, but didn’t comment. Perhaps the dryad had rubbed off on them both. “Where to now, your highness?” he asked.

  “There is a little used path that will take us to an exit,” the prince replied, hoping it was still there. He strode over to a decorative shrub. It was drooping beneath the weight of water. He peered behind it and just as he’d remembered, a narrow tunnel barely tall enough for him to stand in upright was on the other side.

  “This palace has many secrets few know about,” Kurtus noted as he stepped behind the shrub after Dacrith.

  The tunnel took them to the wall that surrounded the palace. Dacrith found a hidden door and pushed on a stone. Just wide enough to allow them to squeeze through sideways, the door swung open. He closed it again when they were on the other side.

  “Exactly where are we going?” Kurtus asked as the prince loped towards the edge of the forest.

  “To a troll mound,” Dacrith replied. He heard the guard stumble and flicked a look back over his shoulder. “We’re going to free the brownies,” he added with a grin.

  Gaping at the warrior’s back, Kurtus shook his head, then hurried to catch up. “I thought no one knew where the brownies were being imprisoned,” he said, raising his voice slightly so he could be heard over the rain.

  “My little friends helped me to trick one of the advisors into giving us a clue,” Dacrith said slyly.

  “You call the brownies your friends?” Kurtus’ astonishment couldn’t have been stronger.

  Dacrith grimaced slightly. “It’s Asha’s fault,” he muttered. “She’s infected me with her good nature.”

  “I fear she’s infected me as well,” the guard admitted as they reached the dubious shelter of the forest.

  “You two idiots just aren’t willing to admit that you care about he
r,” Olsa said, thumping her feet on Dacrith’s armored shoulder. Her tiny heels rang on the metal with a dull clank.

  “Unseelie fairies don’t care about others,” Kurtus said stiffly.

  “Yet here you are, traipsing off on a quest to fulfil Asha’s greatest wish,” Unwin pointed out, leaning forward so he could see his face.

  Dacrith flicked him a long-suffering look when the tiny man grabbed hold of his ear to steady himself. “They’re right,” the prince admitted. “Asha has a way of making the people around her care about her. She’s reminded me that all fairies were good once and that we have the capacity to be less evil.”

  “None of her three ladies in waiting were affected by her charm,” Kurtus muttered.

  Dacrith frowned, unaware of the trio she’d been lumped with.

  “The advisors chose three fairies to attend to Asha,” Unwin said. “They weren’t particularly pleasant and she finally ordered them to leave and not to return.”

  “Those three harpies aren’t the type who would ever want to change,” Olsa said darkly. “They like being evil and they excel at it.”

  “We were both born in this land,” Kurtus reminded the prince. “Neither of us have ever cared about another soul in all of our lengthy lives.”

  “The prince began to change when he was in the goblin dungeon,” Olsa said as the fairies followed a path through the trees. The brownies took it upon themselves to make their armor disappear and clothed the fairies in black traveling tunics, pants and boots. They could call them back again at a moment’s notice if needed. Armor wasn’t practical to travel long distances in.

  “What do you mean?” the guard asked.

  She turned around to face him. “He was locked up in that labyrinth for so long that he was isolated even when he was with the other banished fairies. His eons of solitude made him introspective. He couldn’t help but question his old way of life when he was reduced to being entertainment for the Unseelie Court.”

  “Is she right?” Kurtus asked.

  Dacrith turned for a moment and nodded. “The brownies are insightful,” he said ruefully. “I did question what sort of beings would banish their own and gleefully watch them battle for their lives for eons without end.”

  “You got your revenge on Prince Sindarian,” the guard said. “That must have given you some satisfaction.”

  “It was hollow,” Dacrith said. “My actions, and those of my friend, Jake Everett, caused this chaos.” He waved his hand to indicate the punishing storm that was raging overhead.

  “See!” Unwin said triumphantly. “You just called Jake your friend! You were changing even before you met Asha.”

  “It is true,” the prince said ruefully. “Jake became like a brother to me. I knew I could trust him even when he embraced his darkness and succumbed to his Unseelie rage. Any other fairy would have killed me during our final duel. Instead, he gave me the means to escape.”

  “No one knows how you were able to flee from the dungeon,” Kurtus said. “How did you manage it?”

  “With a shrinking spell and by using tiny gaps between the enchantments that nullify magic casting.”

  Olsa nodded as if he’d confirmed her suspicions. “We thought that must have been how you pulled it off. One of the brownies saw King Lod creating a shrinking potion in his den.”

  “The advisors were behind your escape?” Kurtus asked for clarification.

  “Lord Nicolaia and King Lod conspired to have my father eliminated,” Dacrith replied. “The Seer foresaw that he would be defeated, but they had no idea how it would play out. They knew Jake Everett would play a significant role in his demise, but not that I would be the one to arrange his death.”

  “It was pure genius getting the dragon to eat him,” Unwin said in admiration.

  “I thought so.” White teeth flashed in a grin beneath the prince’s hood.

  “What’s going to happen when we free the brownies and Asha returns to the palace?” Kurtus asked.

  “Hopefully, Asha will accept me as her husband,” Dacrith replied. “If she does and we become King and Queen, things will have to change.”

  “What sort of things?” Olsa queried curiously.

  “A lot of things, starting with how the lesser creatures are treated.”

  “Lesser creatures?” Unwin repeated in insult.

  “My apologies,” Dacrith said with a grimace. “I mean no disrespect. It is the term I’ve heard used my entire life.”

  “Changing how everyone sees us and other fae creatures would be a good start,” Olsa said in a belligerent tone. They’d been oppressed for so long that their attitudes had changed. Their kin in the Seelie realm served out of love and devotion. She and the rest of her people in the Unseelie realm had done so only to keep their families and loved ones alive.

  “I’m sure Asha and I will be able to change opinions and make sure all species gain the respect they deserve,” Dacrith said smoothly.

  “Look at that,” Kurtus said with a chuckle. “You sound like a politician already.”

  Cutting the guard a wry look, Dacrith came to a stop in a small clearing. “Does anyone have any idea where we might find a troll mound?” he asked.

  “Nope,” Unwin replied and Olsa shook her head.

  “I have no idea,” Kurtus added.

  “I thought you said the quest would guide you,” Olsa taunted.

  Dacrith heaved a quiet sigh. “I wish Asha was here. She could simply ask the trees and they would tell her where to find one.”

  After he voiced that thought, the leaves of the closest tree rustled. Then a branch swung around to point at a faint pathway that led to the north.

  “Ask and you shall receive,” Kurtus said sardonically.

  Dacrith copied what Asha would have done and bowed to the tree. “You have my thanks,” he said politely. He had no idea why the sentient forest would help them, but he hoped it wasn’t just leading them astray. They had little time to waste to achieve their quest, then return to the palace.

  It was his hope that Asha would be waiting for him with open arms when she heard of his mission. He snorted out a wry laugh, knowing how unlikely that would be. He would have to prove himself to her before she would accept him as her mate.

  Following the trail and the guidance of the trees, they walked long into the night before making camp. It became immediately obvious just how much they needed the brownies when the pair conjured up a tent, cots and food.

  “I can see why Asha befriended your kind,” Kurtus said when he found himself magically warm and dry. “We’d be lost without you.”

  Hearing his sincerity, Olsa and Unwin shared smug looks. “And so it begins,” Unwin said. “Even when she isn’t present, our Queen is affecting change.”

  “Let’s hope her influence can spread fast enough to combat the imbalance,” Olsa added, wincing when lightning blasted the forest somewhere nearby. Water seeped beneath the bottom of the tent and not even their magic was enough to keep it at bay.

  Chapter Forty-One

  HEXAM TOOK THE LEAD as he and Asha slogged across an open field. One nose rose to sniff the air while another snuffled at the soggy ground. The third head swiveled from left to right and occasionally glanced backwards in search of danger.

  Asha kept pace with the hound, grateful for his company. Most of the dangerous beasts and fae creatures had been sent to Earth by Prince Sindarian and the land was eerily empty of life. Jake and the rest of his team would be working with the groups that had been set up by the various governments around the world. They intended to send the creatures back here, but it would take a long time to evict them all.

  A low growl warned her that Hexam had spotted something. All three of his heads were looking upwards, orange eyes squinting against the driving rain. “What is it?” she asked, peering up as well.

  Her answer came in the form of talons reaching for her as a gigantic monster swooped down through the gloom. She didn’t even have the time to scream before she w
as snatched up and was being carried away. Her hood fell back from the wind rushing around her and she was blinded by the rain. The air became thin when she was flown to the peak of a mountain. Then the talons opened and she was falling.

  Screaming in terror, Asha mentally reached out for any nearby plants in desperation as she plummeted from the sky. Responding to her call, branches reached up and formed a dense leafy cradle that broke her fall moments before she would have hit the ground.

  Stunned and winded, Asha lay on her back with her eyes shut, trying to relearn how to breathe. A vine reached out and tugged her hood down to cover her face from the rain, which she found strangely amusing. She got her breath back and began to giggle uncontrollably. In response, the vine pressed against her lips, warning her to be quiet.

  Reminded that there was a predator nearby, Asha went quiet. She silently asked the tree what sort of creature had snatched her up. It told her the beast was a hippogriff and her blood ran cold. The hippogriffs in the Seelie realm worked for the Court and patrolled for intruders. The ones here would be as evil as every other being that roamed the land and would see her as food.

  As if in confirmation, she heard piping cries coming from somewhere below. Rolling over onto her side, she peered through the leaves and saw it wasn’t the ground, but a nest about ten feet below her. Three hideous gigantic chicks were clustered together. Their mouths gaped open, waiting for food to be delivered to them. They had the heads and wings of eagles and the bodies of lions. Even in their baby forms, they would rend her apart with their beaks and claws.

  A shadow passed over her as their mother or father soared overhead. Asha was hidden in the leafy cocoon, but she was still in danger. She asked the tree if it could take her to the ground and it complied. Keeping her hidden from the hippogriff that was circling above the nest, she was passed from branch to branch until her feet touched the ground. She’d learned her lesson about traveling across open fields. It would be far safer to stick to the forests when she could from now on.