by Amy Sumida
Torin's kiss seared a path through me, bringing the spell to life, and recharging us all. The Rooster Spell was finally settled; completely transformed from something selfish and evil into something passionate and pure. The change was miraculous, and so was the love it had brought into my life. Torin and I had started with something amazing, but it had been cast into the fire and forged into a stronger and sharper love.
As Torin eased inside me, I held his face in my hands and kissed him tenderly. There we were; united at last, despite the odds and our own foolishness. I had thought I'd never hold him again. A tear slipped free of my eye, and Torin kissed it away.
“Everything has changed, little bird,” Torin whispered, “but this”—he angled himself deeper—“will always be ours. This moment when your flesh holds mine, and we are joined in the most primal of ways, will remain ours alone.”
“Fools together,” I said with a smile.
“Fools forever,” he agreed.
Chapter Forty-Nine
“Finally,” Declan declared dramatically when Torin and I emerged from the bedroom hours later. But then he winked at me. “Good; you're wearing combat clothes.”
“Combat clothes?” I looked down at my jeans and T-shirt. “I just put on the same thing I had on earlier. You thought I was going to come out in a gown?”
“I had no idea how you'd appear.” Declan shrugged. “But I knew you'd be lovely either way.”
“You just never stop, do you?” Gage chuckled.
“Never.” Declan grinned proudly.
“You gonna tell me why you were pleased with my choice of dress—or not dress, rather?”
“We're going after Queen Eileen, of course.” Declan stood and started striding out of Torin's study. “You're coming along, I assume?”
“Eileen,” I snarled and shot an annoyed look at Torin.
“Why are you glaring at me?” Torin asked in surprise.
“Oh, I don't know.” I rolled my eyes. “Because you showed up at my crowning feast with her, then went to visit her in Copper, and then invited her here.”
“First of all; I didn't attend your feast with Eileen.” Torin grimaced. “She was in the courtyard when I arrived and insisted on walking in with me. Then she contacted me, offering to sign a trading deal between our kingdoms. I went out to Copper negotiate, and then she invited herself here.”
“She played you, man.” Banning shook his head.
“In a way that I couldn't outmaneuver,” Torin agreed. “But I'm done being played. The Copper Kingdom is going to have to choose a new monarch because I'm going to kill its current queen.”
Torin strode out with Declan. Banning, Gage, and I looked at each other and smiled. Yep; we were all in agreement on that.
Chapter Fifty
We had to pass through three kingdoms and around relic mountain to get to Copper. For such a long journey, and because we expected a fight, we had to go by wagon, with our army on horseback. We decided to leave the foot soldiers behind. With our new rooster alliance (Torin scowled at me until I stopped calling it the cock collective) we shouldn't need much assistance anyway. We probably could have gone alone, but it was better to be prepared.
Without foot soldiers, we were able to travel faster, but the supply wagons still slowed us down, and it took two days to reach Copper Castle. We rolled up to find the copper gardens dormant and the front gates were thrown open. I exchanged annoyed glances with my men and urged my horse forward. The men followed, and we rode into the courtyard before the rest of our army. A shining one man came out of the castle and bowed respectfully.
“Your Majesties,” he said, “I am Alexander, the steward of Copper Castle. I was instructed to surrender in the name of my queen.”
“Where is your queen?” Torin snarled as he jumped off his horse.
Alexander looked shaken, but he stood his ground. “She has fled, Your Majesty. Word reached us of your... er... survival, and Queen Eileen abandoned us.”
“That fucking bitch,” Declan growled. “She just left you here to deal with a war?”
“No,” Alexander drew himself up proudly, “she instructed us to surrender to you. Our nobles are gathered inside, awaiting your decision. Should you wish recompense for our queen's behavior, they will negotiate that with you.”
“Negotiate?” Torin roared. “Your queen released monsters in the Human Realm, attacking the woman I love, her friends, her family, and the fucking Witch Coven! Eileen could have started a war between the realms. Should I negotiate for them as well? Do you think that Copper has enough treasure to pay off all of the realms?”
Alexander trembled.
“Torin,” I called out. “This is delaying tactics.”
Torin growled.
“She's right,” Declan added. “Forget these idiots; we need to pursue Eileen. She's already got a head start on us. We can come back later to deal with the Copper Kingdom.”
Torin took a deep breath but continued to stare at Alexander.
“This is not his doing,” I said calmly. “Do not take your fury out on an innocent man.”
“Innocent?” Torin spun to face me. “Every shining one here is complicit in this. Do you understand how much planning it would have taken, Elaria? How much magic? They are all guilty.”
“Not this guy in particular. He's just a steward, Torin,” I said gently. “We will return for Eileen's accomplices. But right now, we need to find her.”
Torin nodded gruffly and got back on his horse.
“Where did she go, Alexander?” Banning asked.
Alexander looked uncomfortable.
“Please don't make King Torin dismount again,” I said with soft menace. “It will not go well for you.”
Alexander paled. “I don't know where Queen Eileen went.”
Torin started to dismount.
“I swear I don't!” Alexander screeched. “She left in the middle of the night. Her instructions to surrender were imparted through a note.”
He pulled out a piece of parchment and waved it at us.
Declan urged his horse forward and took the paper from Alexander. He looked it over and nodded.
“He speaks the truth,” Declan said.
“Fuck,” Torin hissed. “She could be anywhere.”
“Easy, love.” I smiled at him. “You forget who you're with.”
Torin lifted his brow and then began to smile. “By all means, little bird; sing.”
I smiled back at him as the light strumming of a guitar filled the air and magic filled my heart. The tickle of it rose up my throat, and I began to softly sing Florence + the Machine's “Dog Days Are Over.” The music felt so happy, so lighthearted, especially when a clapping beat was added to the strings. But the lyrics were subtly sad; a woman fleeing from happiness, trying to kill love with lust, and drown it in alcohol. My voice lifted, strengthening the sorrow and hardening it into an arrow to shoot after the particular fleeing, heartbroken woman whom I sought.
A golden light gathered before me, condensing into a ball. As the music magnified, and my power with it, the ball moved, drifting through the gates of the Copper Castle to trail after the traitorous queen. I turned my mount about as I kept singing, and my men followed suit; horses pawing the air dramatically as we sped back through our army and after the ball of light.
“Follow the light!” Declan shouted to the soldiers as we passed by.
The army turned about, the wagons taking the longest to maneuver, but I was focused on the orb before me and the song that fueled it. My words became a warning to Eileen; we were coming for her, our horses pounding the earth and eating the distance between us. Drop everything and run, Copper Queen, but it won't matter. Because now; I have your scent.
We raced after the light, through the Fluorite Kingdom and then Bloodstone, our wagons falling far behind. I kept singing, repeating the song over and over to keep our trail burning bright. My voice was hoarse and breaking by the time we reached Kyanite.
“She dared
to cross your kingdom,” Declan said in wonder. “She must have been desperate.”
“Where is she going?” Banning asked in confusion.
“I don't know, but our horses need rest.” Gage stroked his stallion's neck. “Elaria, let the song go for now. Take us to your castle. We can get fresh mounts there, and you can have your voice tended to before we continue.”
I agreed with a measure of relief, letting the words die in my aching throat as I turned my poor horse toward my new home. We weren't all that far from the castle, thankfully. It wasn't long before we were riding through the golden gates.
The stable master himself came out to take our weary mounts, and assured us that he would see to them while we were gone. Torin's knights poured into the courtyard behind us, but he only chose ten of them to continue on with us. The rest would wait at Kyanite Castle for our return. Torin assured them that we would contact them through a charm if we needed their assistance.
“You wanna scrape some claw dust down her throat, griffin?” Banning asked Gage.
“No,” I croaked before Gage could answer. “That's precious and should be saved for emergencies.”
Torin didn't wait for us to finish arguing, he just shouted, “Bring a healer!”
Shining ones scurried about until finally, a woman came rushing out of the castle and bowed to us.
“I am Thea, the healer,” she said as she lifted her head. “How can I help?”
“Your queen has strained her voice,” Torin waved his hand toward me. “It's imperative that she be at full strength.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.” Thea hurried over to me and placed her hands around my throat without further ado.
Her fingers were adorned with silver rings set with polished pieces of jade. The stones softly glowed as energy trickled through her fingers and into my neck. I inhaled deeply in relief and clasped one of her hands as she drew away.
“Thank you,” I said, my voice entirely recovered.
“My pleasure, Your Majesty.” Thea bowed and moved back to stand among the gathering crowd.
“Your Majesty?” Kieran came rushing through the kyanite shining ones. “Do you require assistance?”
“I'm in pursuit of an enemy, Duke Kieran,” I explained. “Please see to the onyx knights while I'm gone.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.” Kieran immediately started directing the castle staff to look after Torin's soldiers.
Fresh horses were brought out for us, and my bruised backside got up into the saddle again. I suppose I should have asked Thea to do a complete healing, but that would have taken too long, and it would have been a bit greedy. At least my throat didn't hurt as the magic rose within it once more. I wasn't about to let Eileen get away with what she'd done. I owed it to my friends, my family, and my fellow witches. The bitch was going to pay.
I urged my horse into a run as the ball of light appeared once more, and we followed it out into the night. The men rode behind me, faces resolute as my refreshed voice echoed out with renewed vigor. I never wavered, and so neither did the magic. It took hours, but we finally came to the edge of my kingdom, and the end of Eileen's trail... in a way.
We pulled up short at the treeline of Primeval; the forest which surrounded the shining one kingdoms of Tír na nÓg. Everyone went silent as we stared at the imposing trees and listened to the eerie calls of the lesser fey within them. There were very few lessers in the Jewel Courts, mainly because they preferred the wild freedom Primeval offered, but also because there was an unspoken agreement between the Lesser Fey and the Shining Ones; we don't cause trouble in your territory, and you don't bother us in ours.
“She's indeed desperate,” Declan finally murmured.
“The forest will take care of her for you, Your Majesty,” Sir Hugh said to Torin. “Let's be gone from its border before the lessers take offense to our presence.”
The other knights murmured in agreement, and I had to admit, I was spooked too. I'd been told about Primeval, but I had never been this close to it. It had an aura about it that was part warning and part allure. You wanted to go in, even though you knew you might never come out again.
“What do you mean, Sir Hugh?” I asked.
“If the lessers don't get Queen Eileen, the woods will,” Hugh whispered. “The very forest is alive, Your Majesty, and it doesn't take kindly to trespassers.”
“We cannot let her escape,” Torin growled.
“I agree,” Declan surprised us all by saying. “But we cannot go in like this. If we want to pursue Eileen into Primeval, we need assistance.”
“We just got finished saying how...” Gage noticed the attention of Torin's knights and amended his statement. “How good we work together. Why are we worried about a few fairies and a bunch of trees.”
“Shush!” Declan hissed. “They will hear you.”
“Who?” Gage searched the impenetrable shadows between the massive trunks.
“The trees,” Declan said as if it were obvious.
With his words, a breeze picked up and shivered through the branches, rattling leaves and creaking wood in a very unsettling manner. The horses whinnied and stamped their feet in fear, pulling against the reins in an attempt to flee.
“Shh, easy now,” I said to my horse, then hummed a quick, calming tune.
The animals quieted, but the men remained anxious.
“We will gather our forces,” Declan announced. “Banning can bring his blooders, Gage will call the griffins, Elaria will petition the witches, and we will unite our armies. But we must prepare for this; we cannot go riding in there now. At the very least, we must get permission.”
“Permission?” I asked.
“From the Lesser Fey leaders,” Declan explained. “Without asking permission to enter, we make ourselves fair game. We may be more powerful than they, but that is their territory, and they have more than their personal magic at their disposal.”
“He's right,” Torin said grudgingly. “We will prepare, seek permission, and then pursue Queen Eileen. If I can't kill her myself, I will at least have proof of her death.”
“So be it,” I whispered, my gaze focused on the sheen of eyes watching us from the darkness within Primeval. “But for now, I just want to go home.”
Chapter Fifty-One
Preparing to enter Primeval was taking longer than I had expected. All of the groups were willing to join us, but arranging to get them to Tír na nÓg, temporarily housed, fed, and then marched out to Primeval was a bit of a process. We broke up the steps so that we could accomplish other things in the meantime.
Other things such as investigating the nobles of Copper. Shining Ones weren't much for trials. The kingdoms were run by the monarchs, and disagreements between kingdoms were generally handled with compromise or bloodshed. But this was an odd case; Copper's queen had abandoned her kingdom, leaving her nobles to fend for themselves. No one stepped up to lead the army in their defense either. They had, as Alexander said, surrendered. So, Torin, Declan, and I had a trial of sorts. We gave the nobles a chance to defend themselves. Unfortunately, most were found guilty of adding their magic to their queen's cause. The most obviously guilty was a familiar-looking fairy count with pale hair and size 9 shoes. It was difficult to sentence the nobles, though. They had been following their queen's orders, but the orders had been treasonous to Tír na nÓg itself, which meant that the nobles had been within their rights to refuse to obey them. In the end, Torin grounded some of their magic and stripped their titles, but we allowed them to live.
After that was handled, I spent a lot of time going back and forth between Coven Cay and Kyanite Castle; working with the witches on our plans to enter Primeval as I tried to establish my policies as queen. I also made a few trips to Torr-Chathair with Gage. Since the griffins would be joining us, we had to come clean about our relationship. The tribe was shocked but then intrigued by the power such a union could bring. Gage was already notably stronger than before. In the end, they were cool with it. Although, Gage's m
other seemed a little sad, and that hurt my heart a bit.
Banning's new ability to withstand sunlight hasn't faded. Yes; that was a concern. Banning had explained the energy transfer to us; power received from blood eventually dissipated, and then the blooder would have to drink again to revive himself. Only the power passed from blood-sire to son remained. But that made sense since most blooders drank from humans, and humans didn't have any magic to pass along. I did, and I have started feeding Banning more regularly, with the support of the other men, in the hopes that Banning would grow even more powerful.
