Glimmer (Faylinn #4)

by Mindy Hayes

  Oh, Sakari. Why did you have to leave me?

  …

  “The bodies are placed in the same position when they’re found. On their backs with their hands crossed over their chests.”

  “Almost in a respectful manner,” I concluded.

  “Yes, Your Highness,” Brae answered.

  “Is there anything else you can tell me about their bodies? Any other marks or cuts?”

  “No, Your Highness. No bruising. No other wounds. Only the slit across the throat.”

  “So, we can assume they aren’t being tortured. Their deaths are quick.”

  Brae nodded. “I would say that is a safe assumption. From what we have gathered after examining the bodies, it doesn’t look as if they protected themselves. So, either Eldon and Sindri knew the assassin, they were caught by surprise, or their arms were secured to keep them from fighting back.”

  The doors of the hall flew open—slamming against the walls—and in walked a very menacing looking Marcus of Oraelia. His burly figure filled the room, his eyes ablaze.

  “Your Highness,” Galdinon rushed in behind him, “I’m sorry. I couldn’t stop him. I tried.”

  “It’s quite all right, Galdinon.” I stood at the head of the table. “Prince Marcus, is there something I can do for you?”

  “Was the Battle of Faylinn not enough for you?”

  Brae, Gallagher, Eitri, and Kayne stood and closed in to shield me.

  “Excuse me?”

  His fury gushed out of him in a surge. “I have two dead Keepers on my hands, and I can’t think of any other kingdom who would find it necessary to slit the throats of our own kind. Were you attempting to get our attention? Reclaim your dominance? Show your power? As the daughter of Adair I can’t say I’m surprised.”

  His accusation caused me to stand taller and narrow my eyes. “Prince Marcus, while I understand that you are upset, and our kingdom may seem to be the likely enemy at this time, please have more decency than to come into my kingdom and accuse me of such an act before considering more facts.”

  Prince Marcus lifted one long finger and jabbed it in my direction. “Are you denying your hand in it?” The volume of his voice never lowered, booming off the stone walls.

  “If it is one of my own, it was not under my direction.” I placed my palms flat on the table and leveled my stare. “So, if you would be so kind as to lower your finger and give me the respect I deserve in my own castle, maybe then we can converse like civilized beings.”

  The anger in Prince Marcus’s eyes minimally dissipated. He blinked, grunting his consent, and lowered his hand.

  “Kayne,” I murmured, “May Prince Marcus and I have the room.”

  “My Queen, are you sure?”

  I nodded once. “I will be fine.”

  “I do not feel comfortable with this, but as you wish.”

  The rest of the Keepers followed Kayne single-file out of the gathering hall and closed the door, giving us privacy.

  “My council and I were just discussing the recent assassinations on our grounds. So, it seems to me we have a common enemy.”

  Prince Marcus drew closer, minding his steps around the table as he walked down the long hall to meet me. “Were your faeries’ throats slashed?”

  “Yes. With no indication of the murder around the body?” I questioned him.

  He nodded his head curtly.

  “We’ve found two of our own in the forest within the last moon cycle, and I fear they will not be the last.”

  “Do you have any idea as to who may be behind the killings?” he asked.

  “We’re attempting to narrow down the possibilities, but unfortunately, we don’t have much to go on. I cannot say with certainty it wasn’t a Rymidonian. As of right now, it is not my suspicion, but I am not ruling it out.”

  His shoulders relaxed, and he pointed toward a chair closest to mine, asking with his eyes if he may have a seat.

  “Please.” I gestured and took my seat.

  “Forgive me, Queen Sarai.” He lowered his head as he sat and rested his clasped hands on the tabletop. “I believe the Battle of Faylinn has taken a toll on us, and I did not think before I acted. I hope you can forgive my intrusion.”

  “There is nothing to forgive. I understand what my father did, and I am fully aware that it will take time for our kingdom to be trusted. If I were in your position I cannot say I wouldn’t have done the same thing. When you are responsible for so many, the desire to protect intensifies.”

  A hint of a smile lit his eyes. “Yes. It does.”

  He had very nice eyes when they weren’t set on killing me. Shaking my head, I cleared the thought before I spoke. “Well, maybe our kingdoms can come together and pool our resources to catch the assassin.”

  “I think that would be wise.”

  “I will say I am surprised it was you who stormed my castle.” I kept the teasing in my voice. “King Ronan seems like the type to take matters into his own hands.”

  “He is. He wanted to invade Rymidon with an army. I convinced him to let me come and speak to you first, before we made any hasty decisions.”

  Oh. “Well, then I suppose I should be giving you my thanks.”

  “How about we call it equal?” A full smile graced his face, and the strangest thing happened to my stomach. It felt like it was soaring through the trees, fluttering and light.

  I smiled in return. “I agree to that.”

  “Good.” Prince Marcus held my gaze. “I will return to Oraelia and speak with my father. It would be wise to contact the other kingdoms to see if any of them have lost anyone.”

  “I will have Kayne begin the communication.”

  “And I will also, so they are aware you aren’t the only ones being targeted. If we work together, hopefully we’ll get to the bottom of this quickly and efficiently.”

  “I now have faith it is possible.” There was something about Prince Marcus, something trustworthy, and I was in desperate need of more fae I could depend on.

  “Well.” He stood and glanced falteringly around the room. “I believe time is valuable at this point, so I should be on my way.”

  I stood. “Thank you, Prince Marcus.”

  “Please, you may call me Marcus. No need to carry on with formalities.” His tone was lighter, almost toying with me. I could feel my cheeks flush with heat.

  “Oh. Okay. Well, thank you … Marcus.” I tasted his name on my lips. It was surprising how much I enjoyed it.

  He nodded with a faint side-smile. “We’ll be in touch.”

  Chapter Fourteen

  LIA

  No one needed to give me a run down of Skye’s offenses. I knew them well. Hearing them out loud only made me hate Skye. And I didn’t want to hate him. I could hate the corruption he’d fallen for, and the horrible acts he’d carried out, but not him. Never him.

  Being in Faylinn had solidified that. I couldn’t get the words out of my head. Everywhere I’d turned, the moment someone saw me, there were choruses about how pathetic I was to love a monster like Skye. Did they think my human ears couldn’t hear them? Surely not. They’d wanted me to know how disgusting I was, had wanted to me to drown in the miserable life I’d created for myself.

  I hated Adair. I hated the way his Supremacy soaked into Skye and poisoned everything good that was left of him. Brainwashed him until there was nothing left of the Skye I loved.

  I rubbed the ribbon, weaving it between my fingers—my security blanket—and watched the rain trickle down the front windows.

  Wished and wanted weren’t strong enough words to describe how desperately I wanted to go back and change what had happened. Yearned? Craved? Ached? Everything combined. If I knew then what I know now … Oh, the things I could have done differently.

  I couldn’t say I regretted making the deal with Adair to come to this world and get to know Calliope. She was the only good thing I’d gotten out of this mess, but that had been the first act to set things in motion. Though, had I said
no, Adair would’ve found another way. If I hadn’t been the catalyst, someone else would have been. So, as much as I wished I hadn’t been the one to give Adair insight, I couldn’t regret it. Without it, I might not even have Calliope as an ally now.

  However, when I’d returned to Rymidon before we’d invaded Faylinn, I would’ve somehow tried to convince Skye to run away with me. I would’ve done everything in my power to counteract Adair’s Supremacy. And if that hadn’t worked, I would’ve kidnapped Skye, made him see the wrong of his ways, away from Adair’s control. If I could’ve been strong enough, wise enough—more persistent—maybe Skye would’ve listened to me. If I’d had a backbone, maybe he’d still be alive. Maybe everyone who lost their life would still be alive.

  If it weren’t for me.

  Chapter Fifteen

  CAMERON

  When I walked out into the main room of my apartment to grab a glass of water before bed, I noticed Lia sitting in the dark near the windows overlooking the parking lot and forest beyond. Rain pelted the glass. It was a calming site. Made me want to watch the rain with her, which was a strange thought.

  Lia didn’t turn or acknowledge the fact that I’d walked into the room. Her back remained straight, her figure motionless. She hadn’t heard me come in. I should’ve turned away and given her privacy. Then I heard a sniffle.

  Without thought, I asked, “You okay?”

  “Huh?” Lia swiftly wiped her hands across her cheeks. Are those tears? Does Soul Sucker have a heart?

  “I said, are you okay?” I walked closer.

  “I’m fine.” Her voice was short, unyielding. She wouldn’t meet me in the eye. If anything, she angled herself further away from me. “Why?”

  “You want to talk about it?” I asked, sitting down on the armrest closest to her.

  She cleared her throat. “Talk about what?”

  I thought carefully about what I wanted to say to her. “Well, I’ve been doing a lot of thinking…”

  “That’s a first,” she snorted.

  I decided to let her have that one. “As I was saying … I’ve been doing a lot of thinking, and I realized I’ve been a little tough on you. Not to say you don’t deserve it. You made your bed, you’ve gotta sleep in it now.”

  “Do you have a point, Cameron?” she interrupted, slicing her eyes to me. While she was no longer a faery, her eyes were still a vivid hazel, nearly glowing in the dark. It was kind of terrifying. But in a weird, good way. In a way I wasn’t quite ready to explore. Under the moonlight streaming through the window, I could see the sheen of tears glossing her red eyes under puffy eyelids. Maybe I should’ve been a little more sensitive.

  “I know what you did for Callie—trading places with Kai—wasn’t easy. There wasn’t anything in it for you. It was pretty selfless, which was really big of you. And now you’re stuck here. Not to mention you lost people, too.”

  “Not people. Just one.” She turned away again. Her voice was so small I almost didn’t understand her. I wasn’t sure she wanted me to. It wasn’t hard to figure out she was talking about King Evil, Jr. Whatever his name was.

  “What did you see in that guy, anyway?”

  She took a deep breath as she stared out the window. “Skye wasn’t always so confused.” Her tone was defensive.

  “Confused?” I scoffed before I could hold back. “You call him confused? He kidnapped me, killed Sakari. He tried to kill Calliope’s dad. The man was downright delusional to think following his father was the right thing to do, and you want to call him confused?”

  Her jaw clenched. Silence occupied the space between us.

  “I know defending him to you will be pointless, but Skye loved me,” she murmured. “He was good to me. He always had been. I might’ve been the only person he was good to, but it was enough.” She took a deep breath. “I just think our forbidden love got the better of him. He would have done anything to be with me, and I for him. For so long we’d fought for our love, and Adair had used it against us. Saw a way to exploit it and make it work in his favor. All we saw was a way out, a way to be together, and nothing else mattered. It’s truly crazy how love can make you blind. That’s a human term I understand completely. When he gave me the option to spy on a human in exchange to bond with Skye, it seemed like the easiest thing Adair could’ve asked of me.”

  I kept quiet, afraid if I said anything, she’d clam up. She was finally opening up to me, and I wanted to hear everything she had to say.

  “It wasn’t until Rymidon took over Faylinn that I saw what I’d done, what I’d set in motion. Adair never gave me much information on his plans. All I knew was that I was supposed to give him information on Calliope, anything strange about her and her life. I didn’t know what he was going to do with it. Not at first. Not that it would have mattered in the beginning anyway. She was just another human to me. I didn’t know she was a True Royal. I didn’t even know she was a faery until she showed me her wings. I mean … I knew she had to be special enough for me to spy on, but he didn’t trust me enough to tell me anything. His questions were always cryptic.

  “Once I understood the magnitude of my actions, I was in too far.” I saw tears pool in the corners of Lia’s eyes. She blinked them away before I could wipe them for her. “I was so ashamed, and, if I’m being honest with myself, prideful. I didn’t want to accept that I was wrong. I couldn’t face Calliope because everything she had to say to me was true. And I was so blinded by my love for Skye, nothing else mattered except for the fact that I was finally able to be with him freely, without consequence. I kept telling myself it was worth it. Little did I know there were consequences. Consequences of gigantic proportion, but there was nothing I could do to stop it. Adair was my king, and therefore—because I was a faery again—I had to follow him, honor him, and obey him. His Supremacy would’ve forced me to if I hadn’t. He gave me Skye, and at the time, I thought that was all I needed.”

  Lia paused. I thought she was finished until she quietly said, “Regrettably, it wasn’t until I saw Skye send an arrow into Sakari’s heart that I realized how far gone he was. He was willing to kill his own brother to see his father’s plan through. I wanted to believe that my Skye was still in there. That we just needed to get through this hurdle in order for him to come back to me, but in that moment before he was killed, I realized, I’d already lost him. I was never going to get him back, not even if we survived the war.”

  After a trembling breath, she blinked and added, “No matter what I do, I can’t unlove him.”

  There were always two sides to every story. Calliope’s was the only side I’d ever cared about before. It wasn’t until now that I realized Lia had one, too—that I cared about her side. And somewhere buried deep inside her chest was a beating heart. She was manipulated and used, betrayed and broken-hearted. Her choices were wrong, and she was going to deal with the guilt of her actions forever, but now at least I understood them. At least she was trying to make things right.

  More tears fell from her shimmering eyes before she could stop them. I had the most bizarre urge to wipe them from her face and hold her, but I held back.

  “I’m sorry.”

  She broke her gaze with the rain streaming down the windowpane. “For what?”

  “I hate what you felt you needed to do, what you’ve had to endure to get here. I’m sorry you were placed in the position you were.”

  She snorted and looked down at her hands twisted in her lap. “It’s my own doing, Cameron. No one to blame but myself.”

  “I think we can blame Adair a little bit.”

  Lia chuckled, and, for the first time it wasn’t sardonic or mocking. She offered me a smile that finally reached her hazel eyes. “Umm … I haven’t thanked you. I really do appreciate you taking me in, even if you only did it because Calliope asked you. You didn’t have to, so thank you for taking pity on me.”

  “Honestly, I was terrified of Calliope’s wrath,” I joked.

  “That little blonde thing can
be quite terrifying.”

  “I’m sure you’ve seen more of that than I have.” I laughed. “She was probably pretty bad-A on the battlefield, huh?”

  Lia annunciated every word. “She was fierce.”

  Chapter Sixteen

  SARAI

  “I have good news, and I have bad news. What would you like to hear first?”

  My heart couldn’t handle anymore whiplash. “I have had enough bad news to last for an eternity. I need something good, Calliope. Please.”

  Her hands clapped together. “Okay. Well, it’s not necessarily good news as much as it is useful information. I don’t know who is behind the assassinations, but I have an idea as to why they are taking our blood.”

  “Should I have a seat for this?” I asked.

  Calliope took my hands and guided us toward the window seat in my chamber. “There are scrolls documenting rulings and history that were created by my family after the Great Divide. All of them are supposed to be kept safe in the atrium in Faylinn for the eyes of the True Royals only. When I asked Evan about our blood he said the scrolls would tell me. I’ve scoured them, Sarai and there’s nothing. So, Evan counted them. Sure enough, I’m missing one.”

  “Where would it be?”

  “Adair is the only one I know who had access to the atrium. I believe he stole the scroll and either it’s somewhere hidden in Rymidon or he traded it or the information on it and our enemy now has it.”