by Ivy Clyde
Intrigues of the
LUNAR FAE COURT
Lumina Fae Legends II
IVY CLYDE
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, organizations, places, events and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, organizations, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
Copyright © 2020 by Ivy Clyde. All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be used or stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted and reproduced in any manner or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording or whatsoever without written permission of the author.
For information contact, Ivy Clyde
Table of Contents
INTRIGUES OF THE LUNAR FAE COURT
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
36
37
EPILOGUE
The end for now…
INTRIGUES OF THE LUNAR FAE COURT
I have turned captive to a mysterious stranger.
Amaris has been waiting for my return, the true heir of King Arian. The kingdom is on the brink of extinction but the villains who rule over it don’t care. One whisper of my existence and they would gladly send an army to kill me.
But I am no longer alone.
The scared, defenseless girl is long gone, replaced by the young woman who is thirsting for revenge. I will get back what was supposed to be mine all along. My mates will make sure of that.
The threads of fate have long bound me to a fourth, most unlikely ally. Our bond will be tested as I pledge my life to protect my people and my mates.
Intrigues of the Lunar Fae Court is the second book in an intrigue-filled whychoose fantasy romance that support’s our heroine’s right to choose more than one mate. Get ready for this captivating tale full of heart-pounding romance and edge-of-your-seat action.
1
Rowan
The corridor was empty as I raced down the length of it. The sounds of explosions were punctuated by screams of people gathered downstairs. My heart pounded with fear at the prospect of facing an unknown enemy.
My mind came up with a hundred explanations for the sudden attack, all ending with one thought. Had Coran finally rebelled against my father? No, a calmer part of me reasoned. If this was really Coran’s doing, he would have launched the assault on the Sun Palace, not on his own precious manor, and certainly not on the nobility.
My feet came to a skidding halt at the bottom of the staircase. Soldiers in silver armor were slicing through the few women who’d escaped this way. They probably wanted to reach the upper floors for safety but had already fallen prey to these mercenaries.
“Stop!” I roared but within the few seconds it took me to assess the situation, the women were already on the floor. Dust of gold particles gently rose from their bodies, telling me they were already dead.
The men headed toward me, their swords stained with crimson. Silver flames danced on the palm of their left hand. Lunar fae soldiers, my mind whispered. I couldn’t fathom why they were in Coran’s manor. If they were sent to attack the kingdom, they would start by attacking the villages on the borders. It made no sense for them to be attacking Coran’s manor.
The five men before me kept their keen gazes fixed on me as they inched forward cautiously. I was weaponless at the moment but felt confident in my abilities to tackle them. Knowing that Moira was safe upstairs further calmed my mind. I tuned out the sound of screaming and prepared for the assault to come.
Two men lunged forward with raised swords.
I was quick enough to evade their strikes and used my magic to create a shield to defend against the balls of silver-white flames they threw toward me. I felt the hot energy graze past me, I stayed unaffected.
Before the two men could turn around, I placed my hands on one of their shoulders and used them as a support to launch my body into the air. Energy gathered in my palms in the split second my body was airborne. I unleashed white-hot balls at the three men in the distance who were waiting for their two companions to finish me.
The surprise was enough to take them down as the golden spheres of intense heat hit them in the chest one after the other. Their bodies hit the floor just as my feet touched the ground.
“Who sent you here?” I asked as the two men eyed their fallen companions. “Who is your master?”
They stayed quiet. Raising their swords once again, they came at me.
I attacked the man on the left first, hitting him in the arm that held the sword. His fingers loosened on the hilt, making it easier for me to snatch it. Gripping the sword hard, I sliced at the man’s side. As he fell, I used the weapon to fight the second man.
Paired one-to-one with no distractions between us, it became easy to see he was a trained mercenary. My mind whirled, trying to figure out who sent these people to attack Coran and the nobles gathered at the feast tonight. The king of Amaris was already dead. There were whispers of a new heir but he hadn’t showed himself to the public. As far as I knew, all official matters were handled by the Elder Statesman, Lord Vishen. In the past eighteen years, Vishen never launched any attacks on Aelia. Why would he suddenly do that?
My hands blocked every attack the mercenary threw at me. I gave him one last opportunity. “Will you tell me who your master is?” I asked.
The man stayed silent, striking at me as if he heard nothing.
There was no point in sparring with him anymore. Backing away, I held the blade of my sword before me. Crimson flames erupted on my left palm. The man watched me with cautious eyes as I swiped my flaming palm over the blade. This was a special move I’d picked up from Lady Deirdre at Belenus Court.
My sword blazed with crimson fire. Raising it, I swung it down in an arc despite my opponent having backed away a few feet from me. This attack didn’t need to make contact to be effective. A blade made of purely crimson fire sliced through the air toward the mercenary.
The man raised his sword to block it but the crimson blade made of pure magical energy sliced through his metallic sword. Next second, it broke cleanly at the spot where the crimson fire touched it. Fear and confusion clouded the eyes of my opponent.
Without wasting any more time, I struck at him again. The blade of crimson flames hit him across the chest, spraying the air between us with blood. With a groan, he dropped to the floor to join his dead companions.
I breathed hard, noticing the dusts of gold and silver waving in the air. The bodies of the elves before me would perish within the next twenty four hours. Gripping the foreign sword in my hand, I walked down the corridor to reach the central part of the manor where most of the guests were gathered. Their screams weren’t as loud as before now.
Bodies littered the hallways. Blood soaked through their luxurious clothing and streamed onto the pure white marble floors. The air was heavy with gold dust. My throat tightened at the sight of mindless carnage. What was the point in killing these innocent men and women? Sure, they were from the nobility but killing them was pointless. If Lord
Vishen truly wanted to wage a war, he wouldn’t start by attacking a group of fae ladies and nobles gathered at a feast.
The sound of heavy boots and jingle of armor made me pause. Hiding behind a thick pillar, I watched a gang of silver-armored soldiers looking through the corpses littering the floor. They seemed to be searching for something among them or someone…
I took care to stay hidden, wondering how my men were faring against these lunar fae soldiers.
I felt troubled after watching them for a few minutes. There were way too many lunar elves here. My men wouldn’t pose much of an obstacle to their battalion.
“Have you found the girl?” someone asked in a tight voice.
“No, Captain. A few people saw her but she disappeared from the ballroom.”
“Check every room in the castle,” said the first speaker. “She might be hiding somewhere. There is no way she could have escaped through the front entrance gates. Our men have already secured that area.”
Anxiety welled up inside me. Who could they be searching for? Moira, my mind whispered. Suddenly, I realized why these mercenaries were at Coran’s manor. Queen Brenna already disclosed Moira’s identity to the whole royal court. It wouldn’t be too farfetched to guess the information had already leaked over to Amaris. Vishen had to be interested in the girl who came to Aelia with the ancient lumina seal on her body.
Even though I couldn’t be certain these men were after my Moira, I had to go check on her. Coran’s invite to the feast was fraught with deadly traps for my mate. Anxiety snaked around my throat, choking the air out of me.
Stepping away from the scene, I turned around to go back the way I came from. There was no point in facing these men. I was outnumbered. Engaging them in battle was pointless. My main priority right now was to get to Moira and then get her out of the manor safely. Only then, I would be able to breathe freely again.
I was lucky the hallways weren’t teeming with the lunar fae soldiers just yet. I was able to slay the few who came across my path without drawing any attention.
Reaching the staircase, I hurried upstairs.
There were no lunar elves in the corridor leading to the room where Moira was hiding. My breathing became more regular when I reached the door. Knocking on it, I called out to her. “It’s me, Moira. Open the door.”
There was no answer.
I knocked again.
Nothing.
“Moira,” I spoke louder as my knocks became harder. “Open the door. It’s me, Rowan.”
My momentary relief vanished. Why wasn’t she answering the door?
“If you don’t open within the next ten seconds, I am breaking down this door,” I warned her.
I counted, wondering whether the gancanaugh in the room had risen once again and attacked her. No, I decided a second later. The disgusting creature was already burned to death.
When no answer came, I stepped back from the door and gathered my magic in the palms of my hands. Once the energy felt strong enough to blast through the thick wooden barrier, I unleashed it.
The door was blasted away with a loud explosion. I shielded my face with my hand as splinters erupted all around me. When the air before me cleared away, I stared into the room.
Other than the bed occupying most of the room and the corpse of the gancanaugh, the place was empty. I walked inside, feeling my heart pounding in my chest. My gaze traveled to every corner but couldn’t find Moira. Curtains at the windows billowed in the night breeze. Walking toward them, I looked out into the dark grounds of the manor.
Moira could have escaped through the windows but I rejected the idea. We were on the second floor of the castle. Moira’s magic was powerful but she wasn’t physically strong enough to survive a fall from this height.
I looked back at the remnants of the damaged door. It had been locked from the inside, so there was no chance Moira left through that way. The only means of escape was through the open windows.
The lunar fae soldiers would soon arrive. There was no point in staying if Moira was no longer here, but I desperately hoped she was safe.
With no other choice, I climbed onto the window sill and looked out. There were a few magnolia trees nearby. I could use them to make an easier climb into the grounds but again, wondered whether Moira was agile enough to do something like this.
No point in speculating, I told myself as I aimed for the tallest magnolia tree and jumped down. My feet landed on a thick branch. I leapt to the ground from there.
Straightening up, I looked around me. Bright moonlight lit up the grounds around me and the woods in the distance. There was no sign of Moira anywhere.
Anxiety weighed heavy in my gut. Moira wasn’t the kind of person who would leave me behind to escape an attack. She was cool-headed and so far had managed to stay out of trouble in the palace. I remembered the time I threatened to kill her if she told anyone of my involvement with her. She’d been smart enough to obey my instructions back then. There was no way she would disobey me now unless a greater crisis came her way.
Cupping my hands around my mouth, I shouted her name.
There was no answer.
After a while, I stopped calling for her. My shouts could attract the attention of a stray lunar elf in these dark, deserted grounds. I had to go back to the palace and come back here with reinforcements.
Heading for the woods for cover, I ran as fast as I could. There was no way I could rest until I’d found Moira. Please be safe, beloved, I thought as I disappeared into the shadows to escape Coran’s infiltrated manor grounds.
2
Moira
My eyes fluttered open. For a moment, I wasn’t sure if I was still trapped in the dark abyss of a dreamless sleep. My eyes gradually adjusted to the dimness of my surroundings. I blinked again, becoming aware of my regular breathing.
I am alive, the thought flitted through my confused mind. I tried to move but suddenly felt strong ropes binding me against a straight-backed chair. “What the hell?” I muttered, struggling against the bindings.
The scrape of a shoe against a hard stone floor made me look up. A tall, lean figure stood silhouetted against an open window in the far corner. I couldn’t see the person’s face as the moonlight filtering in cast a silver halo around their outline.
“Who are you?” I asked in a low voice.
“You are awake,” said a female voice. I was reminded of the woman I’d seen earlier that evening. She’d come into the room where Rowan left me and had blown something in my face, which made me pass out completely.
My gaze roved all over the room. This place was different from the room we’d been in before.
A night breeze blew in from the open window, making the cloak around me flutter. Wait, a cloak? I’d been naked before. Glancing down, I saw someone had covered my body in a long, warm mantle. A sliver of confusion flitted through my panic. Why would they bother keeping me warm?
“What do you want with me?” I demanded.
“I just wish to speak to you.” The woman came to stand before me. Raising a hand, she conjured dancing silver flames on her palm. She swiped her hand in a wide arc. Next moment, lanterns flickered to life, filling the vast space with a silver-white light.
The stranger was dressed in fitted black leather breeches and a tight white blouse with long sleeves. A corseted jacket accentuated the curves of her lush breasts. Her figure was lithe and feminine but she kept her face hidden.
“Who are you?” I asked, looking up at the masked woman. “Are you working for Deirdre too?”
“Who?” she asked with a hint of uncertainty in her voice.
“Who sent you to kidnap me?” I asked.
“I guess I did do that,” she said in a quiet, thoughtful voice. “There was no other way to reach you.” Before I could say anything more, she started removing the patch of cloth wrapped around the lower half of her face. “I am Lucia,” said the stranger, showing me her face for the first time.
My lips parted slightly as I st
ared up at the most beautiful woman I’d ever seen in my life. Her emerald-like eyes reflected the glow of the lanterns around us, turning them as silver as the strands of her long, flowing hair. My gaze traced the elegant shape of her nose and dropped down to focus on her pink-hued lips.
It took a moment for me to collect my thoughts and stop staring at the mysterious stranger before me. My magic stayed steady in my veins. Just like the first time I saw her, it gave no indication of any danger from her. But here I am, I thought savagely. Tied up and kidnapped to some godforsaken place.
I tried to hold on to the sliver of anger shooting through me. There was no need for me to stay bound like a powerless idiot. My magic surged to my fingertips at my call but something felt different this time. Instead of seeping out through the skin of my palms, it stayed locked in, warming my hands. No matter how I tried, my magic wouldn’t come out or manifest so I could burn the ropes keeping me tied up.
My breathing turned heavy as I pushed myself to conjure up the flames that had the potential to burn the beautiful stranger watching me with an apologetic look.
“Stop doing that,” said Lucia. “You will drain yourself.”
“Why won’t my magic work? What have you done to me?”
“Those manacles will not let you use your magic,” she said. Coming closer, she dropped to her knees before me. “Please calm down. I don’t mean to harm you.”
“Then why have you tied me up?” I demanded in an anger-filled voice.
“I want you to listen to me before making up your mind about me,” she said in a grave tone. “I will release you if you promise to stay put and listen to what I have to say. Can you do that?” When I stayed silent, she added, “If I meant to hurt you, I would have killed you by now.”
Lucia had a point. She could have slit my throat while I slept. She could do it right at this moment when I was bound and restrained. So far she hadn’t truly hurt me. Releasing a stuttering breath, I gave a nod. “I will trust you if you free my hands.”
She straightened up and moved closer to me. Pulling a dagger from its sheath, she began cutting the ropes bound around my torso. I stood up as soon as I felt them loosening around me.
