Crown of Betrayal (Wicked Kingdoms Book 2)

by Graceley Knox

  Arela ducks her head and smiles softly. “Hi. I’m Arela.” She gives a little wave and darts a glance Brodie’s way before looking back to Amren. Amren’s wearing his usual white robes whereas Brodie is in jeans and a tight navy blue t-shirt.

  Amren steps forward and bows his head to her. “Hello, wee lass. We have heard so much about you.”

  Arela’s face lights up at his words and she bounces in place. “Really? That’s so cool!” She looks to Brodie again and her cheeks redden before her gaze bounces back to Amren.

  Brodie steps forward and bows his head to Arela like his father did. “Hey, I’m Brodie.” His voice is horse and he clears his throat before he continues. “Nice to meet you.” He keeps his focus solely on her and watches her every movement.

  I frown at him when I notice and I look to Dare. He’s glowering at Brodie so he’s noticed too. She’s fourteen and Brodie is eighteen and the Fae may see sexuality as something to explore, but not until she’s legal in the human realm… or I’ll wear Brodie’s balls around my neck like a statement necklace.

  “Are you a Druid too?” Arela asks Brodie.

  “Yeah, I’m still training though.” He looks to his father and Amren smiles.

  “Yes, we are always still training. Even this old man is still training and learning, lassie.” Amren sits on the edge of the bed and pulls something out of the pouch hanging from his robes. “Want to see something?”

  Arela smiles wide and bobs her head quickly before she peeks at Brodie and shrugs nonchalantly.

  Brodie steps closer and Dare tenses. I shake my head at him and he ignores me.

  Amren pulls an amethyst crystal out of his bag and puts it in the middle of the bed. As soon as he removes his hand from the stone both Anarchy and Chaos pounce on it. Amren chuckles. “Now watch how they react to it.”

  Anarchy and Chaos both sniff at the rock and walk around it, examining it at every angle. Anarchy even opens his mouth and bites at it before shaking his head and continuing to circle it. Both gargoyles start to waver and wobble as they pounce, their pupils dilating.

  “Uh, what is the stone doing to them, Amren?” I watch as the gargoyles start to bounce around and hiss and snip at each other.

  “It won’t harm them, lass. Think of it like catnip for cats. Amethysts for gargoyles.”

  I huff out a laugh. “You’re kidding me. Gargoyle crack?”

  Arela laughs and Brodie inches closer and I keep an eye on everything. A quiet knock sounds before the door opens and Kirin pops his head in. “Hey, Ev. We’ve got news.” I nod and look to Dare. His attention is torn between me and Brodie. His protective attitude over Arela amuses the shit out of me. Brodie had better watch out if what I think I’m seeing is right.

  “Be right there. Let me make sure Arela’s set.”

  Kirin nods and closes the door. I turn and walk toward Dare. I sit on the arm of his chair and lean down to whisper in his ear. “We’ve got news from my uncle. I don’t want to leave Arela alone, though.”

  Dare taps my hip and I stand so he can get up from the chair. He gives Brodie a hard look and I bite my lip to keep from laughing. Brodie didn’t even see it. He’s completely focused on Arela and the gargoyles.

  “Eryn.” I nod my head at her and she joins us a few steps from the bed. “We’ve got news. Are you good to chill here with Arela? Or should I ask someone else?”

  “No, I’m good here. I’ll keep an eye on her.”

  Dare mutters under his breath and Eryn raises an eyebrow. “Watch that little Druid, too. I don’t like the way he’s looking at Arela.”

  Eryn turns wide eyes to me and I can’t help but laugh.

  “It isn’t funny. He’s young, but he’s a man. I know what men are thinking.” Dare scowls at Brodie’s back.

  I hit his chest with the back of my hand playfully. “Oh calm down. He’s not going to do anything. And Arela wouldn’t let him if he tried. Maybe we can talk to Amren and bring it up so he can let us know the best way to approach it. Maybe Brodie sees her bruises and is protective like a brother?” I ask the question, but it sounds like I’m reaching even to my own ears.

  I step toward Arela and run a hand over her hair. “Hey, we’ve got to go get some news from the King of the Light Elves. We’ll be back later, okay?”

  Darkness covers Arela’s delicate features at the mention of the Light Elven Kingdom but she quickly covers it with a blank face. “Okay. I’ll be here.”

  “Eryn’s going to stay, and I think Amren and Brodie are going to hang for a while, too. Don’t go running off or anything though, okay?” I nudge her side softly and she rolls her eyes like a typical teenager. It loosens the ball of worry in my stomach and I relax marginally.

  I head toward the door where Dare’s waiting and I walk through it as he holds it open for me. I look back and watch a smile flit across Arela’s face as she sits among family and new friends. We’ll heal her. It will be slow, but she’ll get there. I push it from my mind and compartmentalize so I can focus on what’s ahead. I dread the day that I can no longer push everything into neat little boxes and it all bursts at the seams.

  Kirin falls into step with us and starts talking. “Your uncle sent a letter with his bloody thumbprint sealing the paper. It’s unbroken so we know it hasn’t been tampered with.”

  “No one opened it?” I ask.

  “No, we were waiting for you to open it.” Kirin picks up his pace and bounces on his toes.

  “Well let’s go see what it says then.”

  CHAPTER

  TWENTY-SEVEN

  We all walk into the war room and I quickly take a tally of who’s with us. Teag, Tore, the twins, Dagan, Dax, the rest of my crew, and now us. I blow out a breath. It’s a miracle anything gets done around here with this many people involved in everything. We’re all so different apart, but together we work. Even if we tease each other mercilessly and fling insults around like it’s confetti.

  “Who delivered this?” I ask as we take our seats.

  “Your uncle’s personal guard delivered it.” Teag answers.

  “Is he still here?” I’ve met him before so I’ll know if it’s really him unless something has happened to him.

  Teag nods. “He’s in the main hall.”

  “So I walked right past him?” I stand up and hold up a finger. “One second. I’m just going to make sure it’s really him.”

  Dare follows me out as I walk back the way we had just come into the main hall.

  “I’ll be fine, you know. You don’t have to hover over me, Dare.”

  He grips my arm and pulls me to a stop just outside of the hall. “I know you will be fine, but for my own peace of mind I’d like to be with you as we verify that the man who delivered the letter means you no harm. No unnecessary risks, right?”

  I sigh and step closer to Dare. “Right. No unnecessary risks. I’m sorry, I just want to get this over with and get the answers we’ve been waiting for.” I lean up and press a kiss to his lips.

  He deepens our kiss for a moment before he pulls back and turns me around with a push toward the hall. “None of that, little álainn. We’ve got things to do.” He puffs up his chest and tries to hold a straight face, but it cracks and he chuckles.

  “Did you just make a joke? Someone call the Goddess and report history being made.” I round the corner as I make the quip and Dare swats at my ass.

  At the same time, Caddox’s personal head guard, Flynn, claps eyes on me. I smile at him, but his face reddens as he watches me and his hand goes to his sword.

  “Remove your hands from her!” Flynn shouts at Dare as he rushes forward.

  “Flynn, no. It’s fine.”

  He ignores me and continues his advance. Dare’s only reaction is the crossing of his giant arms across his chest and a raised brow.

  “You said she was safe here, but I’m here to deliver a letter and I see you assault her inappropriately. Ever, you’ll come back to the Light Elven Kingdom with me. I won’t let them mistre
at you this way.”

  “Flynn, it’s fine.” I lower my voice and step closer to him despite the growl coming from Dare. “Dare and I are…” I cough. How do I put this delicately? “Intimate. He’s allowed to touch me.” I cringe at my choice of words, but there’s really no good way to say it. It’s better than saying he can touch my butt though.

  Flynn relaxes marginally and looks Dare up and down over my shoulder. “And he isn’t mistreating you?”

  Dare steps forward at the accusation and I step back and place myself squarely in front of him. “No, he’s not. Quite the opposite.”

  “Good.” Flynn removes his hand from his sword and nods. “Apologies. With everything going on, we are all concerned for your safety, Ever.”

  I smile at Flynn. “Thanks, I appreciate that. I just had to make sure it was you before I opened the letter, not some stranger. I’ll be right back and if you have time, I’d love to chat?”

  “I might be able to make time for you.” Flynn winks and I smile. He’s been my uncles personal guard forever. He’d always been with my uncle when he came to visit me at MECA and had helped with my training a few times, too.

  “I’ll be right back then. Give me a few.”

  I turn around abruptly and head back to the war room once more. Back and forth, back and forth. It’s becoming a pattern in my life. I walk in and take my seat.

  “Okay, let’s see the letter and crack it open.”

  Tore reaches across the table and hands me the envelope. Smeared on the back is a bloody thumb print just as Kirin had said. I slide my finger under the flap and break it open. I let the envelope fall to the table as I pull out the letter. Two pictures spill out as I unfold the letter. I stop to look at them.

  “Son of a bitch.” Head Guard Frederick is meeting with Cashel in one picture and another elf, and in the other he’s speaking with a man who’s back is turned to us. The elf wears the same blue cloak with the symbol as the ones that had helped Cashel. I slide the pictures across the table to Doyle, Axel, and Kirin. “Here’s our smoking gun.”

  “Holy shit.” Kirin mutters as he hands the pictures to Axel.

  “Slimy bastard.” Axel throws the pictures down on the table and nods to the envelope. “Anything else in there?”

  I open it and check. “Nothing.” I slide it across to him. “Check it for anything magical though. Maybe the Druids can help.”

  “Worth a shot.” Axel keeps his hand firmly on the envelope as I scan the letter.

  “Well? Read it aloud.” Dax shifts impatiently and I look over the top of the letter at him.

  “Calm your tits. The letter is addressed to me, not me and everyone else in the room, yeah?”

  Dax guffaws at my words and Dagan only shakes his head as he watches him bend over laughing.

  I read the first part of the letter before I expel a surprised breath.

  “He’s going to do it. He’s really going to do it.”

  “Do what?” Teag asks.

  “Caddox is going to repeal the Declaration. He’s invited me and my crew to the Light Elven Kingdom to be there when it happens. I don’t know if I should be excited or terrified. It’s going to be a shit show there while everyone figures out the new norm.”

  “Maybe he wants our help as guards?” Doyle suggests.

  “I don’t know, but I don’t want to be anywhere near them if they’re going to try and off us.” I tell everyone what Arela had told Eryn and I in her room and Teag and Tore exchange a look.

  “What? What is it?”

  Tore answers. “We’ve had run-ins with them in the past.”

  I wait for him to continue, my knee bouncing impatiently under the table.

  “Mostly the elves that sought shelter here were spies trying to get goblins to outcast all who had taken sanctuary here. The exiled from other courts, the half humans, and anyone else they could think of. We kept it quite so we wouldn’t incite a panic.”

  “Smart.” Doyle nods.

  “How did you sniff them out? I’ve only ever seen them in a vision and when they bashed me over the head. They probably don’t advertise that they are a part of the Order of Íonachta.”

  “No. They don’t. That’s why they’ve survived so long.” Teag leans back in his chair and crosses his arms across his chest. “What does the rest of the letter say?”

  I pick it up and scan the rest. “Assurances that we’ll be protected and safe and that he’s got people on the lookout for Cashel. I’m just not sure why my presence would be necessary there when he makes his announcement. I play no part in their politics and my mother is still missing. Caddox would be the only one besides maybe Flynn who would be happy to see me there.”

  “I don’t like it.” Dare holds his hand out for the letter and I hand it to him. He looks it over. “Do you think Caddox’s guard will know more?”

  I shrug. “We can ask him. He probably won’t tell me much with goblins around, though.”

  “I don’t want you alone with him.” Dare states.

  “I don’t think we have a choice if we need information from him, Dare. It’s not an unnecessary risk. What if I have one of my crew with me?”

  Dare taps his fingers on the table while he mulls it over. “Fine. Two of them there. Don’t argue.”

  “I’m not going to argue. I was going to suggest that we have all of them there, actually, since the letter says we are all welcome. Might as well see how Flynn reacts to that.”

  “I’ll go get Eryn.” Kirin stands and walks out of the room.

  “What about Arela?” I ask Dare.

  “I’ll have Dax and Dagan with her. She knows them so she should be okay.” Dare nods his head in the direction of the door and they both leave to do as he asks.

  “I’ll report back when I know more then.” I stand with a twist of my lips and walk out.

  “You got a plan, Ev?” Doyle asks.

  “Yeah, find out what the fuck is going on.” My stomach twists as we walk down the hall and I try not to wince in pain. All of this worry can’t be good for my insides. I make a mental note to ask the Druids about something to ease the stress and keep moving forward.

  “And if that doesn’t work?” Axel asks.

  “Well I guess I’ll just have to wing it then.”

  *

  We wait until Eryn joins us and she assures us all that Arela is okay with Dagan and Dax and then we head in to meet Flynn.

  “Hey, I hope you don’t mind that my crew joins us? You remember some of them, right?”

  Flynn smiles and says hello to everyone and we all grab a drink and sit around a table in the corner of the hall.

  “Flynn, did my uncle tell you what he wrote in this letter?” I hold up the letter in question.

  He shakes his head and eyes the letter. “No, he didn’t. But judging by your tone, you aren’t happy about it. What did it say?”

  “Read it for yourself.” I hand the letter to him and take a sip of my drink, watching him over the brim of the glass.

  His eyebrows fly up and his eyes move quickly back and forth as they scan the page. He whistles. “He’d mentioned repealing the Declaration, but I just wasn’t sure if he was actually going to go through with it after everything that happened. First Cashel attacking you and escaping, and then your mother disappearing.”

  “He says that we’ll be safe, Flynn, but I’m not sure how true that is. There are a lot of elves that won’t be happy to see this Declaration repealed. Four hundred years is a long time and change doesn’t come easy for most Fae.”

  “You’ve got that right. Do you disagree with his decision?”

  “No, I don’t. I applaud it. However, I’m not sure why he would want us there for the announcement. That makes no sense to me. What am I missing, Flynn? There’s got to be something else going on.”

  He nods. “Aye. There are rumors.” He looks around the empty tables around us and takes a deep dram of his drink.

  “And those rumors would be?” My stomach knots at h
is pause and I get the feeling that what Flynn says next is going to knock me for a loop.

  “The rumors are that Caddox is going to name you his heir.”

  I choke on the sip I had just taken and Doyle claps me on the back. “Are you fucking kidding me?” I shout the question before I settle down and whisper the rest. “His heir? Is someone poisoning him? Has he gone insane?”

  “He’s telling the truth.”

  We all turn and look at Arela in shock. She’s standing tall behind Flynn and she locks eyes with me. We’d been so focused on our own little group that none of us had heard her approach.

  “What is he telling the truth about, Arela?” I pat the seat next to me and she comes to sit between Doyle and me. My stomach drops with her next words and my entire world tilts on its axis.

  “King Caddox is going to name you his heir and the prophecy will begin.”

  THE END… FOR NOW.

  THE

  WICKED KINGDOMS SERIES

  CONTINUES IN

  THRONE OF

  SECRETS

  COMING SOON

  Keep reading for an excerpt!

  CHAPTER

  ONE

  King Caddox is going to name you his heir and the prophecy will begin.

  Arela’s words from three weeks ago repeat over and over in my head like a broken record. And just like the first time I heard them, my stomach drops to my feet and my emotions spin out of control. Doubt that I can be the person to unite two kingdoms. Shock that I’m even considering that I’ll be the one to do it. Happiness that someone will unite the two kingdoms; worry that Arela is having chats with the Goddess of Faerie. And finally, determination to sort through all of it and make sure that everyone I love comes out unscathed.

  I shiver and wrap the blanket I’d grabbed tightly around me. Dawn is approaching and the dark blues of the sky are slowly being replaced with streaks of orange and yellow. I’m sitting on the top of the front gate of the goblin castle. The cool stone seeps through the blanket I’m huddled in, but I don’t mind it. I’ve come here every morning for the past week so I can sit in silence and think. Everyone around me is making plans and guessing at outcomes and I just need a few minutes to myself to process. Just a few moments to take a deep breath and clear my head. The darkness of the night matches the murkiness of my thoughts and my mood perfectly.