Unseelie Queen Page 9

  “I am Prince Sindarian’s only son,” he reminded her. “It is my birthright to rule.”

  She sniffed and waved her hand at the bright flashes of lightning that lit up the sky through the drapes. “This land doesn’t need another vain, selfish brute of a ruler.”

  “What does it need?” he asked her curiously.

  “It needs someone who can see beyond their own needs. It needs a King and Queen who will repair the damage together.” Her expression became sorrowful and she shook her head. “We fear this realm is doomed.”

  “Why is that?”

  “Unseelie fairies aren’t capable of love. They feel only spite, hate and contempt. Our Queen isn’t like your kind. To thrive here, she needs someone who will care about her, or she’ll revert to her goblin side until there is nothing good left inside her. Then the chaos here will be uncontrollable and it will spread to the other realms.”

  “It seems it’s already too late,” Dacrith said with unaccustomed bitterness. “Corvine has bonded with Asha and he will be King.”

  “Oh, he wasn’t successful,” the brownie said, suddenly perking up. “We brownies would have known if our mistress had been claimed.”

  Blinking at her, Dacrith frowned. “Surely, you couldn’t have all known that. You would all have had to choose to serve her to have become linked to her.”

  “That’s right,” she confirmed. “We’ve all decided to serve our Queen. For now, we’ll continue to do our normal duties, but when she is crowned, we’ll be free.”

  “Are you certain Asha wasn’t bonded by Corvine?” he pressed.

  “I’m certain,” she replied, then shivered. “I felt terrible anger coming from her even from this distance, then she turned into her goblin form. If there’s anything left of her suitor, they probably had to carry him away in a bucket.” After that pronouncement, she disappeared.

  A corner of Dacrith’s mouth lifted slightly at that news. The advisors had attempted to control fate and it appeared they’d failed. That meant Asha was still free and he still had a chance to make her his. It was now even more urgent for him to reach the palace before Lord Nicolaia and King Lod chose another fairy to be their next ruler. Asha would just keep rejecting them and putting their realm in more jeopardy in the process.

  None of the men the advisors chose would be worthy of her, but he was confident that he was. Fate had thrown them together for a reason; he was the only man who was up to the task of taming and claiming the dryad.

  Chapter Nineteen

  WHEN ASHA FINALLY CALMED down enough to revert to her usual form, she felt numb. She’d done more than just succumb to her goblin half, she’d reveled in maiming Corvine. Unable to stand being in his suite a moment longer, she walked over to the door and pulled it open. Kurtus was waiting for her. He gave her a cautious, respectful bow. “Fare you well, my lady?” he asked, seeing the blood that coated her face. “Do you require a healer?”

  Wiping her face with her hand, Asha grimaced. The blood vanished from her skin and clothes as one of the brownies cleaned her. “I’m okay,” she said in a shaky voice. “I heal just as fast as fairies do.”

  “Corvine didn’t seem to be able to heal fast enough,” he said in a dry tone. “I doubt any of our kind could have repaired the damage you did to him.” Asha gave him a stricken look and he felt bad for making things worse. “From what I’ve heard, he deserved it,” he added, wondering why he’d felt bad at all.

  “I couldn’t submit to someone like him,” she said as they headed for her suite. “I know I’ve put the realm in more danger, but a man like that can’t be King.”

  “Who would you have as your King?” he asked curiously.

  She shrugged, but her thoughts went back home to Texas. Harley Reid had been her ideal man. He’d been handsome, kind and funny. No one in this realm equaled him. Her thoughts traitorously slid to Dalrin and lingered on him. An idea occurred to her and she slowed her pace.

  “Is something the matter?” Kurtus asked, hand reaching for his sword as he searched for danger. The windows that had been shattered from the apocalyptic blast of thunder had been repaired and the floors had been dried. He could see nothing that would pose a threat to them.

  “I need to speak to the advisors,” she said in a determined tone.

  “As you wish,” he replied and changed direction, heading down a different hallway. After the bonding debacle, the advisors would no doubt be gathered in the sitting room that Prince Sindarian had once used as his meeting place.

  Two guards flanked the door. Their eyes widened when they saw Asha, but they made no move to stop her when she knocked on the door. She waited for a few seconds before opening it. Unable to use their magic to cast a spell to keep their meeting private, they’d been speaking in hushed whispers. All six straightened up and turned to stare at her when she entered with Kurtus at her back. “I’ve had an idea,” Asha announced.

  “Oh, good,” Lady Mildra said dryly. She’d rearranged her black and green hair herself since the brownies had apparently been too busy to tend to her. Several strands stuck out haphazardly, making her seem slightly crazed. “I’m sure we can’t wait to hear your thoughts,” she added with a condescending sneer.

  Lord Vanse watched the dryad, seeking signs of the monster within. She looked like a beautiful, delicate young woman, but they now all knew the truth. Asha was a monster just like they all were on the inside, except her evil could manifest and change her physical appearance. He averted his eyes when she looked at him and pretended to adjust the cuffs of his tunic. He’d lost any desire to attempt to become their next king. He would prefer to keep his limbs intact.

  “What is your idea, my lady?” Lord Nicolaia asked, feigning patience so she didn’t lose her temper again. They were all still shaken by their disastrous failure to right the balance.

  “You should hold a tournament to find me a suitable husband,” Asha replied and received their full attention. “I’ll only marry a man who is worthy of being my King.”

  “That’s actually not a bad idea,” Nicolaia said, mind racing with possibilities. “We can pit our best warriors against each other. Whomever prevails should be strong enough to rule.”

  “No,” Asha said firmly and he narrowed his azure eyes that were so like Jake’s. “The tournament should be open to all male Unseelie fairies,” she told him. “Anyone can become a competitor.”

  “I like this idea,” Lady Mildra said with a sly grin that the others shared. “We can get the brownies to send the message out immediately. Fairies will gather from all over the realm to sign up for the competition.”

  “It’ll be good for trade,” one of the other advisors murmured.

  “It’s decided then,” Nicolaia said. “We’ll send word out and give potential candidates a month to arrive. Then the tournament will begin.” Now that teleportation was so difficult to achieve, they would need to make their way here on foot.

  Asha breathed a sigh of relief that they’d accepted her plan so quickly. She now had a month to prepare herself for the inevitable. As she and Kurtus returned to her suite, she was glad they’d decided to allow all male fairies to participate rather than just their soldiers. Word would spread and Dalrin would surely hear about it. She’d seen him in battle and knew he was an accomplished swordsman.

  A fluttery feeling hit her as she nodded her thanks at her guide and stepped into her room. If Dalrin joined the tournament and won, he would become her husband. Instead of filling her with the revulsion she’d felt at the idea of being bound to Corvine, she was strangely excited. He wasn’t like the other fairies she’d met. He’d treated her differently, like she was a person rather than an object. He hadn’t told her what he’d done to be exiled from the palace and it didn’t really matter. What better way to redeem himself than to win the tournament and her hand in marriage?

  Sinking down onto the sofa, she stared into the crackling fire and fantasized about a future where she wouldn’t just be a useless figurehead and w
ife to a tyrant. The Unseelie realm would never be good like the Seelie lands were, but it didn’t have to be so dark and grim. Surely, there was more to the fairies and other fae here than just greed, lust and spite.

  Her stomach rumbled, reminding her that she hadn’t eaten during the banquet. A plate of fruit and cheese appeared on the table beside her, but the brownies remained absent. They were probably too busy helping repair the damage from the storm to visit her in person. Her rooms showed no signs of the aftermath of the thunder and lightning, which she was thankful for. It was bad enough knowing she was responsible without having to see the wreckage she’d caused.

  Watching their mistress from the shadows, Olsa and Unwin exchanged worried looks. “I fear our Queen is sliding deeper towards her goblin side,” Unwin murmured.

  “If she continues down this path, the balance will never be restored,” Olsa agreed just as quietly.

  “We have to make sure the right fairy becomes her mate.”

  “How?” Olsa asked in frustration. “The fairies are evil, every last one of them. None are worthy of our Queen. None of them can help her keep the good that resides inside her. They’ll just push her towards the darkness all the faster.”

  “There is one man who might be able to help her resist the lure of the darkness,” Unwin pointed out with a speculative look. “He treated our mistress well while they travelled together. She seemed much happier when she was with him.”

  “You want our Queen to become wedded to the warrior known as death?” Olsa asked, voice rising slightly in alarm. “Are you mad? Dacrith is just as bad as his father. His greed and ambition were why he was exiled to the dungeon in the first place.”

  “People can change,” her husband said with a shrug. “Maybe eons of battling monsters gave the fairy some perspective. If he was as evil as his father, why didn’t he immediately attempt to claim the throne after he killed Sindarian? Why did he choose to flee?”

  “I don’t know,” she admitted with a sigh. Neither of them had said anything to the dryad yet about Dalrin’s true identity. Instinct told them to keep quiet and every brownie knew to trust their instincts.

  Chapter Twenty

  DACRITH WAS SITTING in the dining area of an inn the next night when he heard the news about the tournament. The brownies had a magical system set up where they could hear the news from their kin from all over the realm. It enabled gossip spread at lightning speed.

  It seemed that in one month, combatants could compete to become married to Asha Trinity, their future queen. They’d all heard that Corvine had failed to become bonded to the dryad. Rumor had it that he’d been sent to the goblin dungeon, but no one could confirm it. The nightly entertainment of seeing warriors pitted against monsters had died along with Sindarian. Most of the exiled and monsters had been killed by Jake, Dacrith and their lackeys, leaving few behind to continue to fight each other.

  The news that warriors would enter a contest to become king had sparked a flurry of excitement. This would be a similar entertainment to what they were already used to. It wasn’t just open to soldiers in the Unseelie army. Any male fairy could apply.

  Dacrith’s dour mood lifted as he contemplated what this meant for him. He had no doubt that he would win the tournament. No one in this realm could best him in battle. The problem was that if he was recognized, he would be banished again. He had to find a way to enter the competition without giving away his true identity.

  He had a month to make his way to the palace and figure out a plan of action. That would give him plenty of time, but without the use of magic, it wasn’t going to be easy to remain incognito. At least he and Hexam could slow their headlong rush now. The trick would be to reach the palace without being stopped by the guards who were appearing in growing numbers. The Cerberus had been targeted by spears and crossbow bolts earlier that day. He’d fled to the forest with Dacrith clinging to his back as the warriors had given chase. While they didn’t know who he was yet, they clearly didn’t want him to be reunited with Asha.

  Making his way to a vacant room upstairs, Dacrith sat down at the small table. Hexam scrambled out of his pocket and grew to his usual size when he landed on the floor. A long platter with three bones appeared in front of him and he pounced on the meal with relish.

  “Brownies,” Dacrith called, knowing the little people were hovering somewhere in the inn, waiting on their customers.

  “Yes?” one replied as he appeared on the table in front of him. His attitude was almost churlish.

  “Might I request a change of clothes?”

  “You could, but why should I comply?”

  Raising an eyebrow in surprise, Dacrith studied the tiny being. They were becoming bold in their defiance against their hated masters. “Would you serve your chosen mistress faithfully?” he asked.

  “Of course. We’d do anything for our Queen.” The brownie’s eyes shone with fervor.

  “Then you must know that I would be a far better husband for her than any other fairy in this realm.”

  “How did you jump to that conclusion?” the brownie asked skeptically.

  “I have treated Asha with nothing but respect,” the prince said haughtily. “Unlike Corvine,” he added pointedly. “I would never abuse a woman in that fashion.”

  Eyeing the Unseelie fairy, the brownie heaved a reluctant sigh. “You aim to join the tournament, then?”

  “I do. I also intend to win it. I will be the Unseelie King.”

  Weighing up his options, the brownie shrugged. “If it’s your destiny to be King, I’ll not stand in your way, my lord.” He waved his hand and the fairy’s clothing changed to all black rather than a combination of black and brown. He wouldn’t be immediately recognized by his outfit now and would remain unnoticed, as long as he didn’t draw attention to himself.

  “You have my thanks,” Dacrith said, surprising them both. Asha’s manners had rubbed off on him, it seemed.

  “Don’t make me regret it,” the brownie said, then vanished.

  Hexam paused on gnawing one of his bones to look up at his companion. “What?” Dacrith asked and the beast cocked his head to the side while the other two heads kept eating. “You think my plan to join the tournament is a bad one?” The hound almost seemed to shrug, then resumed chomping on the bone. “You’re of no help to me,” the warrior muttered.

  Placing his chin on his fist, he pondered on his dilemma. His face was too well known for him to just stroll into the palace and sign up for the tournament. He was no longer confident that he could use magic to change how he looked. That meant he would have to use other means to alter himself.

  Thinking long into the night, he failed to come up with a solution to his problem. He was almost lucky for the unending storm that lashed the land. It gave him an excuse to keep his hood over his face. Thanks to the brownie who had changed his clothing, he was indistinguishable from most fairies who had taken to the roads for transportation now. Black was the most common color they wore. Hexam kept his distance and remained out of sight as they made their way northwards.

  Several rivers crossed their path. They saw the full extent of the flooding when they came to a bridge that had been washed away. A growing crowd of pedestrians stood on both sides of the road, helplessly peering at the hundred-yard gap. The water had overflowed, taking the bridge with it. The river was flowing too fast for them to be able to attempt to cross it.

  “How long has the bridge been out?” Dacrith asked a satyr.

  “Two days,” the goat-legged man replied sourly. “The soldiers have sent for the gnomes to fix it, but they’re taking their sweet time to get here.” He had stubby horns growing out of his forehead and a triangular beard on his chin. His hair was curly, but bedraggled from the rain.

  Cursing beneath his breath, Dacrith couldn’t afford to be delayed. It could take days for the gnomes to arrive. Their kind were few and far between in this realm. While they would be paid well to repair the bridge, they might not be able to use magic. It
could take them weeks to complete the project.

  Seeing the glow of three pairs of orange eyes peering at him through the gloom, the prince slipped away from the crowd. He followed the hound into a clump of trees, which offered them scant cover from the deluge. “Do you have a plan?” he asked the beast sardonically. One of Hexam’s heads swung towards the river pointedly. “Yes, we must find a way across,” he said, striving for patience. “Unfortunately, the current will most likely sweep us away before we’ll even make it halfway to the other side.”

  Rolling his eyes, the Cerberus began to grow. This time, he didn’t stop until he was monstrous in size. Bending, he grabbed hold of the fairy by the scruff of his neck and waded across the raging torrent. He dropped Dacrith, then shrank back down, looking extremely pleased with himself.

  “You think you’re very clever, don’t you?” Dacrith said sourly, glad the rain washed away the slobber that had coated him. The beast whined and looked up at him, seeking approval. “You did well,” he conceded with a sigh and thumped Hexam on the side. He hated to admit it, but he’d grown used to the dog’s company. The beast made his solitary life more bearable. “Come on,” he said. “We’d best get moving. We still have a long way to travel.”

  They skirted around the gathering who were impatiently waiting to cross the river. Dacrith headed back to the road so he could listen to the rumors while Hexam remained out of sight. So far, they hadn’t been detected. Hopefully, the soldiers who had been searching for Asha’s mysterious escort would think he was still trapped on the other side. They must suspect that he would enter the tournament by now. They would want to know exactly who he was before they would allow him to participate.