False Queen

by Nikki Jefford

  I didn’t have to look at Jhaeros to feel the tension coming off him like a raging storm trapped inside a stone box.

  This wasn’t what he’d signed up for.

  “I will return to Pinemist and fight the ogres,” Mel said, pushing her shoulders back.

  I didn’t want her to go, but someone had to, and it couldn’t be me.

  “Me too,” Ryo announced, taking a step forward. Before I could object, Ryo rushed in with his argument. “You said it yourself, Lyklor is Dahlquist’s true heir, and the people’s choice.”

  I scoffed. “They haven’t even met the male. He could be a complete scoundrel.” I looked to Mel for confirmation.

  She frowned, her eyebrows pulling in.

  “He seemed okay. I mean, I didn’t get to speak to him much, not with Teryani insulting him anytime he opened his mouth to speak.”

  “Ah, then she made him feel right at home,” Ryo said mockingly, folding his arms.

  “He said he didn’t want the crown,” Mel offered.

  “And you believe him?” I asked.

  “I do.”

  “Well, he will have to be groomed for the crown whether he wants it or not. And Teryani will have to release him.” I sighed.

  One thing at a time.

  Her refusal to relent during a time of crisis had kept me up late each night stewing. It was the kind of game I would have expected from Liri, not from her.

  My body felt like it was filled with sacks of flour, dragging me down. It wasn’t the baby, the little joy growing inside of me could never dampen my spirits. Yet again, it was my insufferable in-laws weighing me with their willful immobility.

  I would find a way to get Lyklor to Dahlquist and assess whether he could be trusted with the crown. If he proved himself loyal to our family, I’d prepare him as best I could to take over the throne until Liri’s return. And if Lyklor didn’t want to be king, all the better. He should have no problem stepping down once his older brother returned. Liri would have to promise me he wouldn’t harm Lyklor for standing in. No more killing over the security of the crown. Liri couldn’t turn to me every time his kingdom was under threat. He needed to start treating his siblings with respect and earn their loyalty.

  Once things were settled, it was straight home to Pinemist for Jhaeros, Mel, and me.

  I just needed to ensure we had a home to return to.

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Melarue

  T

  he moment I stepped onto the streets of Pinemist, I noticed how off everything was. The homes in Jhaeros’s neighborhood were all intact but eerily silent. We stepped out into a bright morning, yet no one was about. Not even the birds were chirping from trees—like some kind of elven apocalypse.

  Winter was on the way out, but her chill clung to the land like frost in shadows.

  “So, this is the elven realm,” Ryo said in a quiet voice as he looked up and down the empty road. He hadn’t even gotten to step outside Jhaeros’s guest room the first time he’d portaled in.

  Ryo wore a long, open coat the color of denim over a matching tunic fitted snugly to his torso. Gold and silver embellishments adorned his armor from his lower arm cuffs to his shoulder mail attached together with a gold clasp. The clasp matched his belt buckle. A marble-sized sapphire gem adorned each piece. Even his sword pommel matched.

  “This is a neighborhood in Pinemist,” I answered. “There’s a lot more to see. Well, maybe not a lot in Pinemist. More than you’d find in Bluespark, but not as grand as Sweetbell.” I rolled my eyes. I hadn’t traveled around the elven realm much. The human world fascinated me a lot more. Much hipper and more happening. The elven realm felt outdated in comparison.

  Ten Fae guards followed behind us, the best archers Dahlquist castle had to offer, which wasn’t saying a whole lot. Apparently archery wasn’t as big with Fae as it was with elves. Aerith only had one evening to work with the assigned guards on a hastily assembled training area in the outer courtyard before sending us off the next morning.

  The guards wore matching metal breastplates and were armed to the teeth with a bow, quiver full of arrows, long sword, and daggers.

  Since the ogres’ last known activity had taken place in the shopping district, we were headed that way. With no carriages or horses about, we marched down the road toward the middle of town.

  But before we’d traveled half a block, footsteps running at us from behind made us all whirl around and the guards draw their swords. Looking past them, I saw a familiar round face, cheeks red with exertion.

  My father.

  “Melarue,” he muttered gruffly.

  The guards kept their swords pointed at him.

  “You can lower your weapons,” I said. “That’s my father. He has the temperament of an ogre, but he’s harmless.”

  Father scowled.

  The face of one too.

  As soon as the guards had resheathed their swords, Father stormed up to me, nostrils spreading wide like a pig’s snout. “You cannot be walking about. There are ogres in Pinemist.”

  “That’s precisely why I’ve come,” I said, jutting my chin.

  His pupils darted from side to side, and he stood slightly hunched. “Please come inside.”

  “No can do. Got ogres to hunt down.”

  Father’s eyes squeezed together, and his jaw tightened as he released a low growl of frustration. He lifted his lids and stepped up to me. “I haven’t seen you in months. Can you not spare your father a minute? I have not seen Aerith nor Jhaeros leave their house in weeks. For that matter, I never saw you arrive.”

  Sheesh. Peeping Tom much?

  “Aerith is Queen of Dahlquist, which is where I’ve just come from, by portal, to take care of Pinemist’s ogre problem.”

  Father’s eyes looked like they might fall out of his head. “Aerith is queen?” Now his mouth hung open so wide I thought his tongue might join his eyes on the ground.

  “Temporarily, though Dahlquist would be better off if she remained permanently. Liri’s in the mortal realm retrieving his human bride, but we’re not sure when or if he’ll return.” I shrugged. “There are other heirs.” I glanced at Ryo. Even though he was technically Liri’s cousin, it only seemed fair that he remain in the running to take over the throne.

  Father suddenly became very interested in Ryo, his eyes latching on to the gems encrusted in his shiny armor. Once his gaze snapped up to Ryo’s face, my father pasted a courteous smile over his lips, one I knew all too well from our months mingling in Sweetbell’s high society.

  “I do apologize for the rash manner in which we are meeting,” he said smoothly. “Please allow me to introduce myself. My name is Elred Heiris, father of three beautiful daughters, as I’m sure you’re aware since you’ve met two already.”

  I was too astonished even to snort.

  “Nice to meet you,” Ryo said, sounding just as polite. “I am Prince Ryo Elmray.”

  “Elmray!” Father exclaimed happily, as though he’d just won a Las Vegas jackpot. Not that he’d know what in the worlds a jackpot was. “Then you are my eldest daughter’s brother-in-law. I deeply regret that we have not met until now.”

  The guards were beginning to fidget. I didn’t blame them. Places to be. Ogres to kill. For someone who’d acted fearful moments before, Father sure forgot about them quickly in the presence of a Fae prince.

  “And I see you are friends with my youngest daughter,” he said, sounding pleased as punch.

  “Yes,” Ryo answered, his voice softening as he cast a look in my direction.

  Emboldened by his response, my father leaned in closer, his fake smile stretching over his cheeks.

  Oh my sky! He better not be entertaining thoughts about me marrying Ryo and sending along riches from Dahlquist for him to squander.

  “You must both come over for dinner this evening,” Father said to Ryo. “I am staying with a friend across the street. Any family and friends of mine are welcome.”

  “Uh, thanks,” Ryo
said, looking at me.

  I jabbed my hands on my hips, done with yammering in the middle of the road. The cold was beginning to settle into my bones, and the guards were doing their best not to shiver. We’d stepped out of warm weather directly into cold.

  “We’re here to save Pinemist, not sip wine by candlelight,” I said impatiently.

  Father narrowed his eyes at me.

  “Thanks, anyway,” Ryo said, inching back.

  Father stepped toward him as though he meant to tackle Ryo if he tried to run. “After you kill ogres then,” Father said. “You still need to sup, yes?”

  “I suppose we do,” Ryo said as he rubbed his nose.

  Poor Ryo sounded like he had no idea how to handle my father. He was probably trying to be polite for my sake, not to mention Aerith’s with the whole muddled family connection.

  “Well, the sooner we kill ogres, the more likely we’ll have time to eat,” I said, ready to be on our way.

  “Eight o’clock then,” Father said in a voice that was amiable while his gaze sharpened on mine.

  “No promises,” I answered.

  “Melarue, I will expect you to bring Prince Ryo over for a nice elven dinner,” Father said, raising his voice.

  Arg! The male was more stubborn than a child. It was worse because I couldn’t tell him to go to his room.

  “Fine,” I groaned. “But if I’m knee-deep in ogre guts all afternoon, then don’t expect me to smell pretty tonight.”

  I expected another scowl but instead, Father looked past me to Ryo and smirked.

  “My daughters are unmatched when it comes to killing ogres. Perhaps your brothers told you the tale of how my daughter Aerith single-handedly stopped an ogre from turning their tournament into a bloodbath. Mel here is just as skilled as her sister. Beautiful and deadly. You won’t find a worthier female in all the realms.” This last part Father said with a nod at me.

  “Father.” I groaned halfheartedly because I liked the “beautiful and deadly” part. I lowered my arms. “We need to go, but we’ll see you later.”

  That was enough to finally shake free of my father, who scampered off the way he’d come, probably to order his friend’s cook to prepare a feast.

  “Ugh, sorry about that,” I said to Ryo and the guards.

  We picked up our pace to make up for wasted time.

  “Your father seems nice,” Ryo said from beside me.

  I flicked my gaze upward. “He’s a complete phony.” Maybe it wasn’t kind to speak about a parent that way, but it was the truth. “The only reason he’s falling all over himself is because you’re a prince. He forced Aerith to marry Cirrus. Now he plans to pressure me into marrying you.”

  Ryo frowned. “I would never pressure you to do such a thing.”

  “I know.”

  Ryo cleared his throat as though he meant to say more, but thankfully he held it in. I needed less yapping and more stabbing.

  He seemed to get that, which was one of the many things I liked about him.

  Our small army moved from block to block, stepping into silence around every bend. It was unnerving. I’d expected to hear smashing and screaming. The closer we got to town, the smaller the homes became and the closer they were to the road. I noticed a few faces pressed against windows as we marched by.

  “I’ve never seen, let alone killed, an ogre before,” Ryo said. “Any tips?”

  “Don’t stop stabbing until it’s dead.”

  I’d only seen one ogre in my life—the one Aerith had killed at her tournament.

  Ogres generally preferred the mountainous areas with their boulders and caves, opposed to the flatter, forested regions. I really wanted to know how Albedo and Malon had managed to herd them to Pinemist. Ogres didn’t scheme. They smashed things.

  “Aerith had to use half the arrows in her quiver just to put one ogre down,” I said to Ryo and the guards. “Be ready to go at them with everything you’ve got.”

  Ryo glanced back at our small troupe. “Let’s hope there aren’t more than ten or twelve,” he said.

  “The shopping district isn’t too far off,” I announced. “Maybe another five minutes.”

  Though we were nearing Pinemist’s area of commerce, we still heard no smashing. I did, however, pick up on a slight rustling in the hedges.

  I glanced over at Ryo, who nodded that he had heard it too. He turned his head to his guards, issuing a silent order. We all jumped away from the hedges, drawing our weapons as a female elf with two thick long white braids hanging over each shoulder stepped out with a thick-bladed sword in her right hand and an electric blue ball of cold energy hovering half an inch from her left palm.

  I had half a mind to create a fireball to show her I had elemental magic too. But now wasn’t the time for a pissing contest.

  “Hi,” I said. “Where are the ogres?”

  “Are you here to help us fight?” the female asked.

  “As you can see.” I nodded at our guards.

  The blue ball disappeared from the female’s hand, and she sheathed her sword. “I will take you to our commander. My name is Sana.”

  “I’m Mel, this is Ryo, and ten of our best guards from Faerie.”

  Sana cast a quick glance behind us before returning her attention to me. “Thank you for coming. I don’t suppose one of you happens to be a witch or a warlock?”

  “I have elemental powers,” I said proudly, lifting my palm to show off a red flaming ball a couple inches wider than the one she’d produced with her ice magic.

  Sana tugged on one of her braids and sighed. “Elemental magic is no use. There’s a dark enchantment surrounding the ogres, protecting them from any type of elemental attack. Arrows are no use either; they bounce right off their thick hides. The only way we’ve found to hurt them is with blades from within three feet, and as you can imagine, that is an extremely dangerous and difficult way to kill an ogre, especially when they’re sticking together.”

  Like a herd of elephants, I thought.

  Sana began leading us toward the hill to market rather than into the shopping district. I propelled myself forward, falling into step beside her. She set a swift pace.

  “How many ogres are there? Where are they?”

  Sana didn’t slow as she spoke, which I liked. “There are seven of them now. We managed to take down two, but we lost three of our own in the process.”

  My heart squeezed into a tight ball inside my chest. “Have any more elves been killed?” I asked.

  “Two shop owners,” Sana replied with a tight frown. “Estrella Suncone, the local florist, and Mr. Bilkin, who owned the travel shop.”

  “Mr. Bilkin?” I cried.

  I mean, he hadn’t been helpful at all when I needed to get to Dahlquist, but I’d never wish him dead.

  “The ogres are currently napping south of here, at the edge of Brightwhisk Forest. They smashed up the cottages there and have been using it as their stomping grounds.”

  Arrows of fear pierced my gut. I nearly doubled over. “Did they kill any of the inhabitants?” I demanded.

  “Everyone made it out thanks to Devdan. He ran out of his cottage and managed to distract the ogres long enough for everyone to run from their homes before the cottages were trampled.”

  “But Devdan’s okay?”

  Sana turned her head slightly my way, frowning. “He’s fine. Do you know Dev?”

  Dev? Do you? I wanted to demand back. And just how well?

  Had he moved on already? Traded fire for ice? Red for white? Mel for Sana?

  My relief flashed to anger. My fingers rolled into fists. “We’re . . . friends,” I finished. I wasn’t sure what we were anymore. He’d walked away from me and hadn’t returned.

  “Then I’m sure he’ll be glad to see you.” Did I detect a hint of challenge in her tone?

  I pursed my lips, grumbling internally the rest of the walk to the hill and up. At the top, tents were erected and fires burned from barrels. Elves clustered around the fires in
their woolen cloaks and armor, bows strapped to backs and swords sheathed at their hips. As we walked by, they glanced curiously at our group and nodded at Sana, who led us to the largest tent on the hill.

  My chest tightened with each step, remembering the laughs Devdan and I had shared upon this very hill—our first kisses. There was no sign of the market any longer. The hill had become a battle station.

  Ten feet from the large tent, Sana stopped and turned. “Your guards will need to wait outside. They can warm themselves at the fires.”

  Ryo nodded and turned to his sentinels. “Keep close while Mel and I meet with the elven commander.”

  The guards stood by stiffly. Hopefully they would take up Sana’s suggestion of gathering around the fires after Ryo and I stepped inside the tent. They had to be cold, especially coming from the sunny warmth of Dahlquist to the clear, crisp winter of Pinemist.

  Ryo and I followed Sana into the tent where a familiar brunette swung around from an oak table she’d been leaning over between two males.

  “Keerla!” I cried, rushing forward.

  She wore tight leathers beneath her polished armor and looked as badass as ever. A grin lifted her cheeks. “My goodness. Mel, what are you doing here?”

  I launched myself at my old instructor and friend. She chuckled when I ran into her.

  “Keerla, are you the commander?” I asked.

  “I am,” she said as I took a step back.

  “Wicked!”

  Keerla smiled and shook her head slightly.

  It was great to see her again, and even better to find the counterattack on the ogres was in the best of hands.

  “We came from Faerie,” I said. After introducing her to Ryo, I rushed to explain how the situation in Dahlquist was affecting Pinemist. Keerla’s smile dropped as I filled her in.

  “Damn Fae,” grumbled a male with long gray hair tied back in a low ponytail. “We should ban them from Pinemist. They prance in and make a spectacle of our females. Aerith Heiris should have kept away. She has brought doom to our people.”

  Before I could burn off the insolent male’s ponytail, Keerla folded her arms and glared daggers his way.