Usurper (Chaos #4)

by Claire Farrell

  “Do it, Sadler,” Drake said, giving Brendan an anxious glance. “There’s not much time.”

  “No!” I shouted. “This isn’t how it’s supposed to happen. There are innocent people in that tower giving him life. He’s supposed to be dead. He can’t just carry on forever, using the lives of others to prop himself up!”

  “That’s their choice to make,” Drake said, refusing to look at me. “They sided with him. They must deal with the consequences.”

  “They didn’t choose this!” I stared at him, searching for anything familiar in his face. “And the ships. Don’t forget about the ships.”

  “Be quiet, Cara. This is none of your business.”

  Sadler laughed heartedly. “Ruthless. I appreciate that. A man after my own heart. Deorad got one thing right, after all.”

  “I’ll grant you pardon,” Drake said in a voice I barely recognised. “Just say the words.”

  Panicked, I looked at Brendan, but he had stopped fighting Arlen. It was no use. If he moved against Drake, the banshee would hit back. I bit my knuckle. Sadler was going to get away with everything he had done to me, to everyone. I couldn’t bear it. Blood thundered in my ears, and dark spots dotted my vision. I shook my head. I couldn’t show any weakness. I still had a job to do, for my daughter, for the Darksiders trapped in the tower, for Brendan.

  I had been forgotten. All eyes were on Sadler and Drake. I inched toward Sadler’s blindside, for the first time thankful I had damaged his eye.

  “Pass the crown to you?” Sadler said as if considering the option. “We could rule together. Me as advisor. You could have it all. The entire realm.”

  Before anyone could stop me, I closed the space between us. Reaching up, I gripped Sadler’s hair, yanked his head back, and sliced his throat. As crimson ran down his front, his eyes briefly widened with surprise before darkening. His face relaxed into a peaceful expression, and I hated that. The dying was quicker than I thought it would be. His body slid to the ground, and everyone stared in silence. His blood was warm and sticky on my hands, and I didn’t care because it meant others lived. It meant my daughter was safe from him. I had done what was necessary, and by the look on Drake’s face, there would be consequences.

  The doctor came out of nowhere, raising his staff to strike me. Rumble stepped in his way and plunged his sword through the doctor’s gut.

  I watched the doctor fall, then I looked down at Sadler’s blood. A crescendo of noise built in my ears. I realised it was the people around me, whispering, shouting, condemning.

  Vix and Rumble flanked me, and Donncha and his soldiers formed a semi-circle around me. If the Darksiders attacked, we could all die.

  “You shouldn’t have done that,” Drake whispered harshly. “You’ve made it so much harder for them to trust me.”

  “I don’t trust you,” I said.

  Drake dropped his sword and held up his hands. “You heard my words, but the human moved out of turn. I would have pardoned him, but now the throne is empty. I can fill it. I can be your king. We’ll merge courts and grow stronger together.”

  I kicked away his sword and pointed my bloody dagger at his throat. Gasps came from the crowd… and murmurs of approval. The fae had a long history of getting what they wanted through blood. And I was showing them how heartless I really was. The mood shifted. I was betting the crowd would back me over Drake, and from his expression, he was wondering the same thing.

  Sorcha let out a howl of rage and stepped toward me.

  “Stop!” Drake ordered.

  Sorcha looked at him in disbelief. “She’s going to take it from us. This isn’t how it was supposed to end.”

  “Don’t touch her,” he said. His hands were shaking, but so were mine.

  It killed the banshee to back off, but at his urging, she finally did. I knew by the anger in her eyes that this was one act she would never forgive.

  “What are you doing?” Drake mouthed.

  “I’m not letting you do this,” I said fiercely. “I can’t let you do this.”

  Drake’s soldiers pushed forward at Sorcha’s swift command, but so did the Darksiders… without a word from me.

  Drake held up his hands to stop his soldiers. “Cara, you’re upset. You don’t realise what you’re doing. I understand.”

  “Then understand this,” I said coolly. “I’m not letting you steal this. I won’t let you spark a war with Brendan. And I won’t let these people suffer under another fool who thinks they’re worthless. You’ve told me they deserve to die. Just like Sadler. You will give up everything to satisfy your need for revenge. Just like Sadler. He was right about you. I don’t even recognise you anymore.”

  “Calm down,” he said gently, but I could see the impatience in the tightness of his jaw. “Let me deal with this, and everything can go back to normal. You can go home and feel safe again. You never belonged here, and now I can make everything right. I can end the Chaos Court. It was never supposed to exist.”

  “Neither was the Silver Court.” I glanced at Brendan. His expression had tightened. I gave him a pleading look, hoping he would understand. He didn’t react. He was just… waiting. “Sadler’s dead,” I called out. “That means his throne goes to his heir.”

  “And as her father, I should—” Drake started.

  “She’s my daughter!” I cried. “You’ve never claimed her. You just want to use her, too. The people here deserve to be cared about. They deserve to find out how to end the taint in the soil. They deserve to have healthy children! I won’t let you take what belongs to them just to raise yourself higher above them, above Brendan. This belongs to Scarlet. It’s her right, it’s her heritage, and I won’t let anyone take it from her. This belongs to my baby, and I’ll speak for her until she’s old enough. And if you try to take it from her, I’ll kill you myself, I swear.”

  “You’ve lost your mind,” he said. “How can you run a court? You have no power.”

  “Because I care! I care about these people and what happens to them. That makes me the right person to speak on their behalf.”

  He gave me a pitying look. “You’re naïve if you think that’s all it takes to rule. They’ll murder you in your sleep. You have no idea what you’re doing, Cara. You’re just a human.”

  “I’m more than that,” I said fiercely, needing to believe it myself. “I’m more.”

  He lowered his voice. “Are you trying to punish me? Is this some petty revenge?”

  “This is bigger than you and me,” I said. “Can’t you see what you’re doing? What you’ll stir up?”

  “Then it’s for him,” he said coldly. “You’re doing this on Brendan’s behalf.” His lip curled up into a sneer. “There’s a monster inside of him, you know. It’s only a matter of time before it shows itself again.”

  “I think there’s one inside me, too,” I whispered.

  “This is your heir,” Fiadh called out, riding up with Scarlet in her arms. I hadn’t even noticed her leaving.

  Scarlet was wide-eyed, but she looked perfect, like a little princess complete with a black ribbon in her hair. And in the sunlight, the veins in her temple glistened green. For the first time, I saw what everyone else saw. I saw a faery. My daughter had always been more.

  Sounds of surprise spread through the crowd, then a burst of energy exploded outward as people began to yell and cheer. A crow flew lazily over our heads. A huge blue bird with a hooked beak and webbed feet dropped a white lily in the centre of the crowd.

  “A peace lily,” someone shouted from behind me, making me jump.

  “The ships are sinking!” a man yelled from the back of the carriages. “The water fae are spreading the word. The ships are sinking because Sadler is dead!”

  “She saved us!”

  “Queen Badb! Queen Badb risen again!”

  “It’s time to go,” Brendan said coldly. “The Darksiders have spoken and chosen for themselves. The child is their heir by law. Her mother is regent. Let us leave them be in t
heir time of… celebration.”

  The Darksiders whooped and cheered and yelled, “Queen Badb” again and again.

  Drake gripped my hand. He looked hurt. “You couldn’t have trusted me?”

  “You made it impossible,” I said, breathless with fear and adrenaline.

  He stalked off. He glanced back at me once, anger flaring in his eyes. He probably hated me, and I wasn’t sure I even cared. Brendan turned away from me, but I caught his hand to stop him.

  “Wait,” I said urgently. “Let me explain.”

  “You don’t have anything you need to explain.” But there was no smile.

  “I had to do it. We needed him dead. We all agreed there was no other choice. There was no time. The ships were too close, and—”

  “I know,” he said. “It was brave of you to take his life in front of so many.”

  “Don’t look at me like that. Please. Let me explain, Brendan.”

  “You don’t have to explain a thing. I understand.” His voice turned cold. “I understand everything. You’ve been planning this from the start, and I’ve been so foolish and blind that I couldn’t see what everyone else saw.”

  My cheeks flushed with heat. “I always planned to kill him. It was the only way to be sure that he wouldn’t ever take Scarlet from me. But the other stuff… just happened.”

  “Was it Drake’s idea?” he asked with enough scorn to send shivers down my spine. “Trip up Brendan with a human? Make him blind to her manipulation for long enough to steal land from right under his nose?”

  “No! I never planned anything with Drake. You have to listen to me!”

  He ran his hands through his hair. “All of those times I… you know, I’m almost impressed. You really had me fooled. I thought I saw the real you, but you’re nothing but a conniving little—”

  “Brendan! I didn’t plan on taking the Darkside. I didn’t know what Drake was going to do.”

  “I don’t believe you,” he said flatly. “I thought… I don’t know what I thought.” He gripped my shoulders as he studied my face. “Was it all a lie? And there I was, letting you build your little army because I saw your confidence grow with each soul who trusted you enough to follow you around. How stupid you must think me.”

  I wrapped my arms around his neck. I needed to touch his skin, to make him understand the real truth. “I didn’t do anything to hurt you. The only thing I lied about were my intentions for Sadler. That was all.”

  He brushed me off. “Go be with your people, Chaos Queen. Celebrate. You saved them today.”

  “You’re my people, too,” I whispered.

  “You drew a line today.” He gestured at Drake’s retreating back. “It appears a lot of lines were drawn today.”

  “I couldn’t let him do it. I couldn’t let Drake use Scarlet any more than I could let Sadler.”

  “I understand that. I understand the desperate actions of a mother, but I never doubted you, and you fooled me. You’re a dangerous creature, Cara Kelly.”

  “I’m not.” A lump in my throat made it hard to speak. “I didn’t want him to have more power than you. He would have let Sorcha hurt you if I didn’t do something. Somebody had to do something. And you said it yourself. Power corrupts. The more power you have, the more you have to do to keep it.”

  “So you think yourself infallible? That it won’t corrupt you?”

  I shook my head. “I didn’t want to be left helpless again. Can’t you understand what I went through with Sadler? And my father? Can’t you see I would do anything to save Scarlet from that life?”

  A fleeting look of pity crossed his face. “I… I can see that nothing will get in your way when it comes to your daughter. But I would have done anything to keep her safe.”

  “But it’ll be out of your control! Nobody can protect her like I will. Nobody else will care enough. I stole power to protect her, but I was trying to protect you, too.”

  He hardened his expression again. “As you say.”

  I understood a little of what was going through his head. He had been the king, but he was pushed further and further away from power with every move Drake and I made. Even Scarlet may have stolen a little of his power, judging by that glimmer under her skin that was so like his.

  I only had one card left to play, one way to make him understand. I let myself feel all of the pain and fear running through my veins, and I rose up on my tiptoes to kiss him. But when I did, when his hands automatically came around me, something else flew out of me. And for once, I didn’t try to stop him from knowing how I felt about him.

  He flinched then looked down at me as if stunned. “Now what?”

  “I’ll always be your friend, even if you can’t be mine.”

  “Charmer.” His eyes twinkled. He squeezed my shoulder. “Good luck, Cara. You’ll need it.” And then he left.

  The Darksiders grew louder, pressing around us. I looked around for friendly faces and saw Vix giving me a bemused look.

  “Oh, shut up.” I took Scarlet from Fiadh. “Why are they shouting Queen Badb?”

  “She was a warrior goddess,” Fiadh explained. “She and the crow were linked, and she fought ferociously for her people. Just as you did today.”

  “I didn’t know what I was doing,” I said nervously. “I just knew it had to end.”

  “Well, it worked. You came at the right time, and the people responded.”

  “They responded to Scarlet,” I said. “I’m just minding things until I can figure something else out.”

  Fiadh laughed softly. “They were only too happy to accept their queen back into the fold. We should get inside before the other kings change their minds.” She patted my arm. “I’m glad you took my advice about charming him. He’ll be easier to deal with, at least.”

  I didn’t bother correcting her. I was falling for Brendan, whether I liked it or not, and the feeling was nothing like how I had felt about Drake.

  Once all of the Darksiders were in the courtyard, some of the men began slowly sliding the gates closed. My non-Darksider friends stood with the carriages, watching as I was shut away from them. I could tell Anya was crying, even at that distance.

  One by one, they turned away until Brendan was the only one left standing. I waved at him, feeling mournful despite the celebratory atmosphere. Bekind flew through the gates at the very last minute, and then they slammed shut.

  Rat scurried up to me. “I’m glad you’re back.”

  “Thanks,” I said. I looked at Fiadh, who wore a smug grin. “So… what now?”

  “Whatever you say. You’re in charge.” She gave a little bow, making Scarlet giggle. “You’re the queen, remember?”

  My hands shook so badly I clenched them. The magnitude of my actions hit me at last. I had just earned myself a broken kingdom, and I had no idea what to do with it. But Sadler was dead, and the ships were gone, at least for now.

  “I think it’s time to celebrate.” I followed the rest of the Darksiders into the Chaos Castle.

  My castle.

  Thanks for reading the latest book in the Chaos series. For more information, check out Claire Farrell’s blog or email the author. Sign up to be notified of new releases or like the Facebook page for more regular updates.

  If you’re still interested in what happens next for Cara and the fae, watch out for the final two books in the series, due in Spring 2015.

  Blight (Chaos #5)

  Stealing power is one thing; keeping it is quite another. Sadler may be dead, but others follow the same destructive god, and not everyone is interested in being loyal to the new ruler. As the blight spreads, destroying the land, the Darksiders turn on Cara. They thought she’d be pliable, or maybe even a miracle-worker, and it’s not as easy to scrub Sadler’s influence away as she thought. But Scarlet isn’t her only priority anymore, and once the ceremony to swear her in as regent is done, it’ll be time for Cara to find a way to stop the blight and prove to the fae that she can be the leader they need.

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sp; Books by Claire Farrell:

  Chaos Series:

  One Night with the Fae (Free Companion Prequel)

  Soul (Chaos #1)

  Fade (Chaos #2)

  Queen (Chaos #3)

  Usurper (Chaos #4)

  Ava Delaney Series:

  Thirst (Ava Delaney #1) – Free

  Taunt (Ava Delaney #2)

  Tempt (Ava Delaney #3)

  Taken (Ava Delaney #4)

  Taste (Ava Delaney #5)

  Traitor (Ava Delaney #6)

  Awakening (Ava Delaney Volume I – Books 1-3)

  Uprising (Ava Delaney Volume II – Books 4-6)

  Cursed Series:

  Verity (Cursed #1) – Free

  Clarity (Cursed #2)

  Adversity (Cursed #2.5 – Free

  Purity (Cursed #3)

  Cursed Omnibus (Entire Cursed Series)

  Stake You Series:

  Stake You (Stake You #1)

  Make You (Make You #2)

  Short Story Collections:

  Sixty Seconds

  A Little Girl in my Room

  Other:

  Death is a Gift (A banshee novel)

  Zombie Moon Rising (A Peter Brannigan Novella)

  Ghost Moon Rising (A Peter Brannigan Novella)

  Upcoming Releases:

  Break You (Stake You #3)

  Demon Dog (V.B.I. #1)

  Tethered (Ava Delaney: Lost Souls #2)

  Blight (Chaos #5)