Usurper (Chaos #4)

by Claire Farrell

  “I wouldn’t be surprised.”

  “Fanatics. And you wonder why I’m against the devotion to Brighid.”

  “Not quite the same thing. Sadler doesn’t care if he lives or dies,” I said. “Not really. He’s crazy. I mean, seriously batshit. There’s no talking to him, no compromises that can be made. He wants you dead, Brendan.” I pulled on Dubh’s reins to slow him and peered over at Brendan. “You can’t have peace with a man who wants you dead.”

  His scar creased deeper. “I thought I could do this. Protect the realm. Be the king my parents intended. But every move I make is thwarted. Every intention is twisted into something ugly.” He stared off into the distance. “Our wars are terrible things. They last for so long that nobody alive remembers why they started in the first place. I can’t be the one to bring about that kind of torment to this land.”

  “So we kill Sadler before a war has the chance to get started. His death could be the key to peace.”

  His expression was pained. “And you scare me when you start to sound like Drake.” He shook his head. “We should eat soon. You haven’t had breakfast yet.”

  We cantered until we found trees again. Among the small copse, we dismounted next to a spring. When the horses were taken care of and ready to graze, Brendan and I sat on the grass to eat the picnic lunch he’d had the kitchen maids prepare. I was glad to see the food was plain: fruit, bread, cheese, and some sandwich meats. But there was still so much of it.

  I looked at all of the food and sighed. “This would have been a feast in the Darkside.”

  He handed me a glass of faery wine that I set aside. “That bad?” he asked.

  “Nothing grows. The soil is so badly tainted that they can’t harvest anything they plant. It just won’t grow. When I was there, they started getting some food for me in the human realm because the midwife was kinda bossy. I shared it with the refugees, but—”

  “Refugees?” He nodded. “Oh, the tents. That’s what was going on. At first, I assumed it was a show of force of some kind.”

  “No. They just had nowhere else to go. Nobody over here wants them.”

  He shifted uncomfortably. “They could be quickening the spread of the taint.”

  “Then so could I. Are you going to kill me, too?”

  He held my gaze, and his expression softened. “You have to understand how much has changed now. I can’t—”

  “You’re the king.”

  “No.” He lay back on the grass. “I’m one king. I’m not the supreme ruler. There’s no one person with all of the power. We share our power, so none of us will reach our peak. And when you’re not the only one, people have choices. They can choose to leave if they don’t like our decisions. They hold that over our heads. In fact, my court has more power over me than I do over them. Did you know that there are more undeclared fae now than ever before? Solitaries used to be the minority, now they have enough to forge a kingdom of their own.” He groaned. “If a fourth king shows up, I’m running away.”

  “Maybe having one king wouldn’t work anyway. That’s a massive target. At least this way, it’s divided a little.”

  He laughed. “I appreciate your logic.” He reached out and touched my arm. “The wish I have to stay in the human realm is stronger than ever.”

  “Why? What’s in the human realm?”

  He thought about that for a moment. “Freedom, I suppose. Or at least, the idea of it. The hint of it.”

  “Nobody is free. Not really. Not here or anywhere else. We all have responsibilities. Yours just happen to affect a lot more people than usual.”

  He waved his hand. “Then perhaps it’s simply the idea of being free from court for a time. You know, those times we spent in the human realm before I was sent to the Fade again were some of my favourites.”

  “Pretty much everyone wanted both of us dead, idiot.”

  He stretched out his legs and laced his fingers behind his head. “And what’s changed?”

  “Ever wonder what things would be like if just one event hadn’t happened?”

  “Like what?”

  “Like… me finding the fae, or you ending up in Drake’s body, or him being branded. Or if I had stayed in Sadler’s castle.”

  He rolled onto his side to look at me. “You would be dead by now if you had stayed.”

  “I know. I just… I wish there was a way we could make everything perfect.”

  “Nothing’s ever perfect.” He got to his knees and started gathering the remains of our lunch. Come. Let’s walk for a while before we turn back. I’m not exactly eager to return.”

  I helped him clean up, then we left the horses alone to wander along the thicket of fruit trees.

  “How are you being treated?” he asked, reaching up to pluck a stray apple from a branch. He offered it to me.

  I pursed my lips. “They watch me, your people. They frown at my clothes.”

  He offered the fruit to me. “Which is why you wear them.”

  I shook my head then looked away so he wouldn’t see my grin. “That’s not the only reason I wear them. The fae in your court mostly ignore me, though.”

  We reached the edge of the orchard. Ahead was a grove of wisterias that wound around a narrow path.

  “This is pretty,” I said.

  Brendan shoved his hands into his pockets. “The prettiness is being killed by the Darkside, Cara.”

  “We could look for the tree that made the weapon I used to kill Deorad. It could be the key to everything.”

  “If it were here, somebody would know. Surely the Miacha would know. They’ve been in the Great Forest longer than anyone.”

  “Maybe it doesn’t grow in the Great Forest. Maybe the Guardian would know.”

  “You truly met the Guardian of the Forest?”

  “I think so. He wanted Brighid’s flower as payment for helping me.” I glanced at him. “Don’t you think it’s time you stopped hating Brighid?”

  “You think some ancient goddess saved you, but it isn’t true. You saved yourself. Stop thinking she’ll swoop in and save your Darksiders, too.” He upped his pace.

  I hurried after him and took his arm. He stopped walking and stared down at me, something unrecognisable in his eyes. He had told me once that he wasn’t as pretty as Drake, and that was true, but he had something Drake didn’t. Brendan had enough power, charm, and experience to turn everything in his favour.

  I held his gaze. “What if you’re the one who can save the Darksiders?”

  “Cara, how can I do that? Sadler’s leading his own people into a war that will surely kill them. Even if it doesn’t, Drake will be right there, ready to wipe them out.”

  “You could stop both of them. Stop all of that from happening.”

  He held my hands. “How? How do I stop two kings intent on killing each other?”

  “Just hold on a second and think about this. What is it you want? Really, Brendan, what is it you want to happen with the Darksiders?”

  He sighed. “Honestly, I wish that part of the realm would break away and float off in the sea. It’s going to kill everything here, and I don’t know if we’ll be able to stop it. You said it yourself: nothing grows in that soil. Even if we find the tree that cleans the taint, how will it grow in the Darkside? We need to seal the rift in the Fade, and nobody knows how.”

  “Somebody has to know. Maybe the Watcher, maybe—”

  He cupped my cheek with his palm. “You have a good heart, but the fae are dying. All I’m doing is trying to prolong it as much as I can.”

  “The Darkside is part of the realm. You said before you wished you could have done more to protect the fae. Here’s your chance to do something different, something amazing. You can’t stand by and let somebody kill innocent people just because he hated their ruler.”

  “Are they innocent? They come here and kill.”

  “They’re ordered to do that. And that’s just the soldiers. The army isn’t large. I don’t know why you’re all having
so much trouble with them. Most of the Darksiders are ordinary fae, trying to survive. You have to get that.”

  “If I don’t go along with Drake, what’s to stop him from aligning with Sadler long enough to wipe out my court and my people?”

  “He wouldn’t do that.”

  “I don’t know what he’s capable of anymore,” he said softly. “I’m sorry, but he’s unpredictable now. I understand why, but he’s pulling away from everyone, and the only way I can take care of the Darksiders is to take that part of the realm for myself.” He gave me a steady look. “And to do that, I have to fight against Drake. Is that really what you want? Could you watch us war and still be on my side?”

  I couldn’t answer that because I didn’t know. “Tell me something.” I gripped his hands tightly. “What would have happened if I had killed Sadler the night I left? If he had died in that tower, what would now look like?”

  He frowned and started walking again. “If Sadler had died, then Drake and I would have divided up the Darkside between us before another Darksider decided it was time to rise to power.”

  “So what would have happened to me and Scarlet and the Darksiders?”

  “Much the same, I suppose. You would have gone back to the human realm to have your daughter. We would have killed any protesting Darksiders and staked our claims. Drake would do what he wished with his portion, and I with mine.”

  “And the line of succession?” I asked.

  “You mean Deorad’s children?” He shrugged. “I doubt Drake would have allowed them to live in case they made a claim.”

  We reached the end of the grove and came upon a meadow. I realised that Scarlet’s worth would drop if Sadler died. Drake hadn’t claimed her, and Brendan was only protecting her until he married and had children of his own. A target would be removed from her back, and the fae could forget about her. Or worse, they would get rid of us both, just in case.

  “What is it about these Darksiders that makes you care about them?” Brendan asked. “Why are you so interested in what happens to them?”

  “I lived with them. They’re like any group of people. Some are decent, others, not so much. But they looked after me as best they could. Most of them are scared and worried about what will happen to them. They don’t want war. That’s Sadler’s thing.”

  “I saw some in the Chaos Court with the same lust for war in their eyes,” Brendan said. “If Grim had been there, he would have recognised many of the old queens’ servants.”

  “I’m sure some of them still want revenge for what was done to the queens, but most of them are trapped there, forbidden by Sadler to leave. Lots escaped in the night before I left. I hear more ran after I did. They’re probably in hiding and being hunted down by Sadler. You could help them.”

  “They haven’t come to me for help.”

  “If they did, what would you do?”

  We veered away from the grove.

  “I don’t know,” he said. “It would depend on them.”

  “The longer we wait here, the less time we’ll have to figure out what to do about those ships.”

  He stopped walking and faced me. “Unless we kill Sadler, you mean.”

  I gazed up at him. “I could help.”

  “By leading an assassin to him? That would stain you with the same deed. You’re not a murderer, Cara.”

  “I killed Deorad. I killed Darksiders on the way to the Fade. I’m not afraid anymore. I know what needs to be done.”

  He brought up his hand and caressed my cheek, which made my heart beat faster. “I know you’re not afraid. But you feel guilt. Death weighs on you.”

  “He hurt me,” I whispered. “He scared me, and he killed innocent people for nothing. I hate him. He’s sick in the head, and he needs to die. It could be the only way to stop the ships.”

  Brendan smile was indulgent. “You truly want to help our assassin get close to Sadler?”

  No, I wanted to be the assassin. But everything would change if he knew that. “I just want to face him this time and not be defenceless. I want him to know he has no power over me anymore.”

  “He knows that already.”

  I covered Brendan’s hand with mine. He was overflowing with doubt, and I had to convince him, or I would be stuck in the Green Court forever. “He won’t ever stop. There’s only one way, and it might even prevent this war.”

  He rested his other hand on my hip and closed the space between us. “Cara, I—”

  Dubh neighed and raced toward us. When he reached us, he bent his head and bit my shirt.

  “On the horse,” Brendan urged. “Quick!”

  He helped me up then mounted behind me. I heard a familiar whizzing sound as Dubh began to gallop. I looked over my shoulder and saw an arrow sticking out of the ground behind us. A second and a third followed, but all of the arrows fell short. When we reached the shelter of the trees, Brendan pulled on the reins to stop Dubh. All was quiet, and no one was in sight.

  “They’re gone.” Brendan slid off the horse. He rested his hand on my knee and squeezed. “Still care about those Darksiders? Because they just tried to kill us.”

  Chapter Ten

  Back at the castle, Brendan ordered his soldiers to be on high alert, then he retreated to his office to hole up with Drake. I paced in my room, trying to make sense of the scenario. Why would the Darksiders want to kill me now? They had taken a huge risk by getting so close to Brendan. Then, they had run away instead of chasing us down and killing us while we were defenceless. Something hovered at the edge of my brain, but I couldn’t quite snatch it out of the ether and give it weight.

  Irritated, I raced downstairs to go to Brendan’s office. I hurried down the hallway, noting the presence of a half-dozen soldiers outside the doors.

  “I wouldn’t,” someone said from behind me.

  I turned and noticed Sorcha standing in the shadows. I must have walked right past her. “I just need—”

  “Only kings allowed.” She gave me a wry smile. “Apparently, the title of queen only takes you so far.” She stepped away. “Well, I’ll leave you to it.”

  “Wait!” I held out an arm.

  She recoiled, but she didn’t leave.

  “I just… back in the Dark Court, when Sadler… went too far, I heard you say you felt death.”

  She looked away for a moment, her long raven-black hair glimmering in the sun’s rays coming through a stained-glass window above the stairs. “Did you have a question?”

  “Yes, I have questions. Was my baby dying?”

  Her eyes became suspiciously shiny. “My god approached for his gift, but somebody else beat him to it.”

  “Who? What are you talking about?”

  She let out a shaky sigh and turned her head. “All I know is that the child was slipping away, that death was nearing, and then suddenly, it wasn’t. Maybe it was luck. You have more than your fair share of that. Or…”

  I wanted to slap the information out of her. “Or what, Sorcha? Tell me now.”

  “Somebody with as much power as my god interfered.” She raised her head and sneered. “Gods don’t interfere forever. Perhaps the third time will be the charm.”

  She stalked off, leaving me stunned. The third time?

  Then it dawned on me. Sorcha had known I was pregnant before I did. She had planned on letting me go free after Brendan’s ceremony until she realised the truth. That was when she decided to kill me, to kill my baby before she had even formed. I swallowed hard as I stood still in the hallway. I would never be safe in the faery realm. I would always need protection. And I was getting tired of relying on other people to protect me. I needed to look after myself. I needed to be the one to take care of Scarlet, because unlike everyone else, I would never let her down. A pang of longing hit me. I wanted to see her so badly.

  The office doors opened, and the soldiers moved out of the way. Drake came out and walked down the hall. He stopped short in front of me, a weird look of panic on his face that would have
made me giggle if I still did that sort of thing. He looked as though he wanted to say something, but he simply gave a little bow.

  Brendan came out, took one look at us, and grinned. “Five days,” he said. “That’s the most I can give you.”

  Drake gave him a sharp look then brushed past me. As he left, he whispered, “Stay safe.”

  I watched him until a group of his soldiers fell into step behind him and hid his retreating back from view. I looked at Brendan. “What was that about?”

  “He’s going home.”

  “What? Now?”

  Brendan nodded. “He’s going back to his court to rally his troops. He’s sending them with you to the Darkside.”

  I frowned. “I thought he didn’t believe me about the ships.”

  “He doesn’t want to believe that.”

  “So why is he helping?”

  Brendan laughed and put his arm across my shoulders. “Did you really think he’d watch my men leave with you and not try to outdo me?”

  But I wondered if Drake just wanted to face off against Sadler sooner rather than later.

  ***

  Part of the deception about Scarlet’s presence in the castle involved a lot of visits to Fiadh’s quarters and not only by me. Dymphna had been forced to remain behind to keep up appearances, and I began to run into her more frequently.

  “Thanks for sticking around,” I told her the first time we met after Drake left. “It must suck for you to be near, you know, a rival court.”

  Dymphna took a seat next to me. I couldn’t help noticing the lightness in her shoulders compared to the first time we had met. Even her hair and eyes seemed to be shifting into more vibrant red-toned hues as she shed the memories of her actions while under the control of Sadler.

  A soft smile curved her lips as she watched Eithne, who was playing with Setanta on the floor with Fiadh. “After our journey together, I can’t view this place in those terms. I’m not particularly welcome here, but I respect Brendan and the others. My loyalty to Drake doesn’t change that.”

  When Sadler had kidnapped Eithne, I had only caught a glimpse of her. Her hair had lengthened into wheat-coloured curls, and she had grown taller, though she still had that baby face.