by KJ Baker
A howl of rage tore from his throat and he redoubled his attack, his sword whirling so fast I could hardly track it. Simeon bared his teeth in a snarl and his eyes blazed with hatred.
“How long?” I asked him. “How long have you been working for the Unseelie? How long have you been nurturing this hatred of me?”
He laughed shrilly. “I’ve always hated you, Arion Storm. How could I do otherwise? Your family stole the throne from mine. If it weren’t for you, I would be the one sitting on the throne! I would be the one holding the Orb of Tir and the whole of the Summerlands in the palm of my hand. I will kill you and take what is mine! Starting with that mortal bitch of yours!”
At his words an ice-cold fury filled my veins. He would dare threaten my mate? I hammered at him, blade whirling, and he staggered back under the sudden ferocity of my onslaught. I drove him across the clearing and now it was all he could do to block my blade. Tiny cuts opened up all over his body and he began to gasp and pant in fear.
Then suddenly, there was nowhere else to go. The trunk of a huge oak tree rose behind him and I forced him back against it. He held out a hand, his eyes wide.
“Wait, let’s talk about this. You need my support in the cou—”
I drove my blade into his heart, through his body, and into the tree behind, leaving him pinned there. For a second he stared down at the blade that impaled him as though surprised to see it there, then his breath left him and his body sagged.
I felt no elation at his death. I only felt tired. So tired.
But it wasn’t over yet. I yanked my sword free and whirled to face Taviel. He still had not moved. In the gloom all I could see of him was the moonlight reflected in his eyes. He was a darker shadow amidst a sea of shadows. Then he shifted, stepping out into the moonlight.
I raised my sword, checking that Asha and Rillana were behind me. He glanced at the bodies of Simeon Ash and Eliana Rose.
“They underestimated you, Arion Storm, and they paid the price. You and I though, are old adversaries, and know each other better. How many times have we faced each other like this?”
“Too many,” I replied. “But this is the last. Give it up, Taviel. It’s over.”
“Over? You think so? Tell that to the army that is marching this way right this minute. Tell that to the thousands of Fae that have flocked to my banner, eager to see you destroyed. Oh, it’s far from over, Raven. You might have won the battle but the war is just beginning.” He smiled, a chilling sight in the darkness. “I’m intrigued by this bond you share with the mortal. Why was it able to overcome the Orb of Tir? Why does it give you such power? It warrants some investigation. I’ve a feeling we’ll meet again.”
Then the air around him shimmered, and he vanished.
Exhaustion washed through me and I collapsed onto my knees, letting my blade fall from nerveless fingers. So tired. All I wanted to do was lie down in the thick grass and close my eyes, to shut out everything that had happened tonight.
Asha knelt beside me and her arms went around me, pulling me close. I looked up, forced myself to meet her gaze, even though I wanted to flinch away.
“I’m sorry,” I whispered. “Asha, I’m so sorry.”
She pressed her forehead against mine. There were tears in her eyes again. “It’s all right,” she whispered back. “It’s all right. I love you, Raven.”
The words washed over me. The tension inside me eased, just a little. The exhaustion receded ever so slightly. I cupped Asha’s face in my hands and looked at her. Fates, she was so beautiful.
“What’s going on?” said a groggy voice. “Where’s the Spire bitch?”
I turned to see Ffion push herself into a sitting position. A little further back, Hawk was beginning to come round too.
Ffion put a hand to her forehead. “Ah, Fates, it feels like I’ve been whacked with a lump hammer!”
I climbed to my feet, pulling Asha up after me. Rillana came to stand by my side as first Ffion and then Hawk staggered a little unsteadily to their feet.
Hawk’s eyes swept the clearing, noting Simeon and Eliana’s bodies. “Raven?” he asked. “What happened?”
“Don’t you remember anything?”
Ffion’s eyes narrowed. “I remember the Spire bitch taunting us. I remember...it’s foggy. I can’t seem to recall what happened.”
I shared a look with Asha. “Maybe it’s better that you don’t.” I glanced at the bodies lying in the grass. So much bloodshed and for what? “I’ll fill you in as we walk.” I took Asha’s hand then met their gazes one by one, my little band of supporters.
“We have a lot of work to do.”
Chapter 12
ASHA
“Do you swear to uphold the values of the office to which you have been elevated?” Raven said, his deep voice rumbling through the hall like an avalanche. “Do you promise to dedicate your life to the service of your people? To commit no crime, to speak no untruth, to cause no suffering? Do you promise to walk the path of the righteous, to be a beacon and to light the way for your people?”
Rillana met Raven’s gaze for a moment then turned to look out over the sea of people who had gathered in the hall for the ceremony. All of the Seelie leaders were there, standing in the front row, watching this most unusual of ceremonies play out in front of them.
I looked around the hall packed with Fae. The Ash family was noticeable by its absence. Soon after we’d returned to the palace and reported everything that had happened, they had all disappeared. Gone to join the Unseelie, no doubt.
Rillana gazed out at her people, the light from the many candles turning her neatly braided hair into a rope of gold. She spoke into an expectant silence.
“I swear to serve my people to my dying breath. I will commit no crime. I will speak no untruth. I will cause no suffering. I will be a beacon and light the way for my people.”
“You have sworn the Binding Oath before your people,” Raven said, his voice ringing out across the hall. “And so I name you Rillana of the Spire, mother of us all.”
Solemnly he handed over a golden scepter, the symbol of the Spire’s office. It was only a replica, the real scepter still being in the throne room of the Spire tower, but I knew it was the symbolism that mattered. Rillana took it then stepped to the front of the dais. As one, everyone dropped to their knees, even Raven. I hesitated only a second before following their example.
“Rise, my children,” Rillana called out. “It is done. I am your Spire and now we must discuss what happens next. You all know what occurred tonight. You all know what that means. No longer can the Seelie sit on the side lines, waiting to see what will transpire. You were deceived by the Unseelie, deceived by the former Spire, the woman in whom we all put our trust. No longer can the Seelie stand by and allow the Unseelie to threaten the mortal realm and in so doing, ignite a war that will consume us all. Now we must unite. We must form an alliance here tonight, an unbreakable alliance of Seelie that will stand against this dark threat. One must lead us and I think you all know who that must be. Arion Storm is that man. What say you? Will you stand with him? Will you pledge your allegiance?”
Rillana stepped back, indicating for Raven to step forward. He did so, his face a mask of stone, but his eyes blazing with an inner light. He glared down at the Seelie. He was furious with them, I knew. Furious with them for what he saw as their indolence and lack of action, action that had led to the events that had transpired in the forest tonight.
“Well?” he demanded.
Telia Rowan was the first to step forward. When she’d learned of the Spire’s betrayal she’d been incensed. It had been all Raven could do to stop her leaving the Shadow Court, taking the forces of the Court of Rain with her, and riding out to meet the Unseelie in battle this very night.
“Of course we’re with you!” she snapped. “And if any of these idiots still think otherwise, just send them to see me and I’ll knock some sense into them!” She dropped to one knee in front of Raven. “I pledge myse
lf and my court to you, Sire.”
Raven took her shoulder and lifted her to her feet. “And I gladly accept your service, Telia.”
Telia Rowan stepped back and I watched as one by one, the other leaders of the Seelie courts came forward to pledge themselves to Raven and cement their alliance.
Pride swelled in my chest. I’d never seen him look so resplendent. This was what he was born to be. A warrior. A leader. A man whom others would follow to the death. When a cheer broke out around the hall, I found myself joining in, howling myself hoarse in support of my mate. Yes, they would follow him to the death.
And so would I.
Raven held up a hand for silence and eventually the tumult died down. “Two days,” he said. “We have two days to supply and prepare then we ride out to meet the Unseelie army.”
“What about the Orb of Tir?” someone shouted. “Why not simply use that on the Unseelie? Make them slaves and give them a taste of their own medicine?”
Across the crowded room, Raven’s eyes met my own. They filled with shame. I wasn’t sure if he would ever forgive himself for attempting to kill me, even though it had been beyond his control. My stomach knotted at the memory. Raven’s face a blank, emotionless mask, his sword poised above me. I pushed the thoughts away. It was over and I would not let Dark Hair and the others win by allowing them to poison my thoughts of Raven.
“The Orb will not be used,” Raven answered. “Not even on the Unseelie. We are fighting to keep our world free. To keep the mortal realm free. How then can we justify enslaving our own kind? What is the point in fighting if we become the very thing we hate? The Orb will go into the vaults beneath the Shadow Court, protected by the strongest of magics that I and the Spire can conjure. And it can rot there for all I care.”
Nobody argued. The news that the Spire had used the Orb of Tir to enslave Raven, Hawk and Ffion had rocked the Seelie. Never before had any of their kind fallen victim to another’s glamor. Never before had any of them been made another’s slave. It had shaken them profoundly.
“You all know your tasks,” Raven said. “Get to them.”
The meeting began to break up and a white-clad figure made her way through the throng to where I stood at the back.
“How are you feeling?” I asked of the new Spire. It had only been a matter of hours since she’d woken from her coma and in that time she’d been attacked, confronted her former mistress, and then faced a council of the Seelie. It was no wonder she looked tired.
She smiled wanly. “Better. I think. Maybe ask me in the morning when all this has sunk in.”
“I will. I think we’ll both feel better after a good night’s sleep.”
She nodded. “I want to thank you.”
“Thank me? For what?”
“For all the times you came to speak to me while I lay unconscious. I heard you. Your voice kept me anchored to this world, kept me from losing myself entirely.”
“I...you’re welcome,” I stammered. She’d heard me after all? She’d heard me confessing all my doubts and fears? My cheeks flushed.
She reached out and squeezed my arm. “I know how hard this has been for you. Leaving behind your family, your friends, your home. But I know it was the right thing to do. I feel it in my bones. You are meant to be our queen, Asha Grant. After tonight, nobody can dispute how much Raven loves you.” Her smile was kind. “You need to speak to him, discuss whatever it is that troubles your heart. After that, if you need somebody to talk to, you know where I am.”
I smiled, suddenly feeling like I’d finally made a friend. “Thanks, Rillana. I will.”
She squeezed my arm one final time and then glided away. A cough behind me caused me to turn. To my surprise, I found Ffion standing there. She shifted her feet, looking decidedly uncomfortable.
“I...um...” she began.
We hadn’t spoken since the incident in the clearing. In fact, Ffion hadn’t spoken to anyone. She had retreated deep within herself, barely acknowledging anyone’s existence. What the Spire had done to her had affected her deeply. The arrogant expression was gone and for the first time I saw doubt flicker in her eyes.
“I...wanted to...um...” She huffed a breath, closed her eyes for a second and opened them. This time she looked directly at me, meeting my gaze.
“I misjudged you, Asha. I’ve treated you badly since you came to the Summerlands but now I realize I was wrong to do that. You are Arion’s fated mate. Nothing else could have overcome the Orb of Tir. I’m sorry.”
I knew how much the admission must have cost her and once again I admired the courage of Raven’s fierce, caustic sister. “Apology accepted. I think we would all like to put what happened tonight behind us.”
She nodded then stuck out her hand. “Friends?”
I took her hand and shook it. “Friends.”
She stepped back, gave me an awkward bow, then turned and walked away. I drew a deep breath. An apology from Ffion? This was indeed a night of surprises.
I looked around for Raven but couldn’t see him. The hall was emptying, with only a few clusters of people standing around talking. Hawk was deep in conversation with one of the Seelie leaders. I made my way over to them.
“Have you seen Raven?”
“I think he went that way,” Hawk replied, pointing. Of everyone, Hawk seemed the least affected by what had happened tonight. Perhaps it was because he’d spent the last few months on the front line, fighting the Unseelie so was used to the struggle. Or perhaps it was his easy-going nature, so different to that of his brother and sister. “Do you want me to come look for him with you?”
“No, I’ll be fine, thanks.”
I left Hawk and made my way to the door. Raven was clearly avoiding me. We’d not talked about what happened, not really, but each time he looked at me there was a flicker of shame in his eyes and I could feel it pulsing through the bond.
The corridors of the palace were brightly lit and busy, despite the hour. I doubted anyone would get much sleep tonight. Where could Raven have gone?
I turned left, skirted along the corridor, and then hurried up a flight of steps and through a tall glass door onto a long balcony on the palace’s north side. During the day the balcony gave an uninterrupted view of the verdant landscape to the north but now that landscape was just a mixture of blue and black shadows. I shut the door softly behind me and paused for a moment, letting the silence and darkness envelop me.
“Raven?”
“I’m here.”
A shadow shifted by the railing and I saw Raven’s form outlined against the night. I walked over and leaned on the railing by his side, gazing out at the darkened landscape. Moonlight dusted the hills and valleys with silver. All was still, peaceful.
“What are you doing here?” I asked.
He glanced at me and away again. “Thinking.”
I didn’t need to ask what he’d been thinking about. “Raven listen to me—”
“No, Asha,” he cut me off. He turned to face me. “I know you said you’ve forgiven me for what happened. But it’s not that easy for me.”
He raked his fingers through his hair and then curled his hand into a fist and thumped it against the stone railing. “Fates take me, Asha! I tried to kill you! No Fae has ever, ever, harmed their fated mate. It is something we just cannot do. A Fae’s duty is to protect his or her mate with their life. To ensure no harm comes to them. It is who we are. But I almost...I almost...”
I grabbed his hands and stepped close. “Almost, Raven. There is a world of difference between almost doing something and actually doing something. You did not do it. You did not harm me. I’m standing here right now and I’m fine.” I took his hand and placed it over my heart. “Feel that? It’s still beating. And you know why it’s still beating? Because you came after me. You found me. Dark Hair and the Spire would have used me and then killed me if you hadn’t found me. You did what a fated mate is supposed to do, Raven.”
He took a deep breath. “Perhaps, but
I’ve realized something tonight, Asha. I cannot keep you safe. I thought I could, but I can’t. Perhaps not even from myself.” His eyes met mine and the self-loathing in them almost floored me. “If you want to go home, Asha, say it. I will take you there right now if you wish it.”
I was stunned. Go home? Back to the mortal realm? Leave him behind? Surely, he wasn’t serious? But the look in his eyes told me he was.
He wasn’t hearing me. He was so wrapped up in his own self-loathing, in his shame at what he’d done, that he wasn’t listening to my words. I could tell him and tell him and tell him but it would make no difference. But I had to make him see. I had to make him understand.
And if he wouldn’t listen, I would have to show him instead.
I took his hand from where it rested against my heart and moved it down to my hip. I glided forward until our chests were touching, then went up on tiptoes and pressed my lips against his. I kissed him gently, softly, and my hands came up to cup his biceps.
He lifted his face away from me. “Asha, I think—”
“Hush.” I pressed my finger against his lip. “Don’t think. Feel.” I kissed him again and this time his eyes slid closed, a soft moan escaping him. I reached up to tangle my fingers in his hair.
For a second longer, he stood rigid, fighting the desire I felt flaring along the bond. Then his restraint snapped. With a growl, he grabbed me, his hands pressing into the small of my back, his lips suddenly hard and insistent as our kiss deepened. Heat flashed through me, an all-consuming need.
Yet I didn’t give in to it. Not yet. Instead, I took all the feelings that flooded my body and pushed them out through the bond. I pushed them at Raven, forcing him to experience what I felt for him. The need. The longing. The love that had settled deep into my bones. But most of all, the forgiveness.
Raven gasped, breaking our kiss and staring at me with wide eyes. His chest was heaving, his face alive with emotion. For a second, the self-loathing lingered. Then it shattered.
