She was honey sweet, her aura glowing with magic that had been missing before. And the black, that had swum through her like a piranha searching for a victim, was gone.
“Get dressed. I’m getting you out.” He didn’t know what he was going to do once they got past the castle walls but he knew one thing: he wasn’t letting her die.
“Don’t you see? I’ve been feeding them information about my family and the prince. They’ve been using me to win the war. This is my chance to give some false information. To help change the course of the war so Kian can get in here and take her down. I have to go.”
Bosco ran his fingers through his hair. Kian was one of the few people at court he truly liked. He’d had to stand back when the prince had rebelled against his own mother, the queen. Half the young men and women in the court had died, and the other half had disappeared that day. And Bosco had been forced to laugh and fake loyalty to the queen. She’d been desperate for followers. Desperate to believe in someone. But watching the death and destruction of the Black Court had been devastating.
“It’s too dangerous. The spell is gone. They’ll know it as soon as they access it.”
She took his hand. “I’ll leave here. I promise. I want to see my family more than you could know, but if I don’t do this the odds are that the queen will destroy them before I can find them.” She squeezed his hand. “I’ve done a lot of damage, given Haddon everything he needed to destroy Kian’s forces,” she added bitterly.
“You didn’t know.”
“No, I didn’t know. But I still changed the course of this war.” She came over and took his hand. “Look, what I really want to do is punch her in the face, but she’s a magical powerhouse. And she’s crazy. Before, I thought my magic was there, just inaccessible. Now I can access it, and that’s great. But I’m only a gypsy witch and she’s a fucking queen of the fae. I’m taking her down if I can, any way I can.” She tilted her chin up at him. “Are you going to help me or not?”
He wanted to throttle her. Or kiss her. Either way he could see he wasn’t changing her mind.
His plans were going up in smoke. He’d had a shot of sneaking her out when she’d been the vulnerable princess who needed to get her memories back. Now that she had them, she’d become a stronger, more stubborn woman than she’d ever been as a Tuathan princess.
If he let her walk in there and face Haddon, she’d be dead. He couldn’t do that. He told himself it was because he had to keep his cover going. He had to save Siobhan. But a small voice deep inside him said it was Cassie’s need shining in those amazing eyes that had him agreeing. He ignored that small voice. He wasn’t going soft. He was simply doing what he needed to do to get this job done.
Chapter Twenty-one
Cassie sat opposite Bosco on the floor of her bedroom and looked into his eyes. “Is it done?”
It was weird remembering being the Tuathan princess and knowing she was human at the same time. Letting an elf fool with her inner self was even more difficult. But Bosco was still Bosco, and she had that deep instinctive trust in him. She might be fooling herself but when she looked into his eyes she saw real emotion. Even if half her brain said he was the enemy, the other half said he’d come through for her over and over again. And she should trust him.
He squeezed her hands and his eyes lost their focus. The cool touch of his magic probed delicately into her aura, examining the false spell he’d layered in. “It looks the same as the queen’s spell, but it’s not the same.” His eyes refocused and he gripped her hands tightly. “If Haddon gets a real look at it, he’ll know it’s a fake. And Danu help you if the queen checks.”
“I can do this. Haddon thinks I’m completely under his control. He won’t question it.”
“What if he does? What will you do?”
She gave him a saucy grin and hoped she didn’t look as sick as she felt, thinking about what would happen if Haddon figured out their deception. “Then I guess it’s been nice knowing you.”
“Don’t get cocky. It’s the mistake that will take you down. And you’ll be taking me with you.”
She dropped his hands and stood up, careful to stay inside the circle of his wards. “Look, Bosco, if you want to run, you should run. If he figures this out, he’ll be after you in a shot. You don’t owe me anything.” She wasn’t even elvatian, just human. The bitterness of loss that hit her was surprising.
Did she want to be an elf? Did she miss being a princess now that she knew it was fake? As a princess she’d met fascinating people, lived the high-life in this fancy castle with ball gowns and a chef and virtually any amusement she’d known was available. As plain old Cassie MacElvy she lived on the run, lucky to keep one or two suitcases of clothes that had seen better days. They ate cheap food and she never felt safe. Ever.
The answer to her question shocked her. Yes, she did miss being the princess. Being the other Cassandra. It wasn’t logical and she wasn’t happy with it, but part of her had been totally convinced she was a fae royal. And part of her still was. That part, the Tuathan princess part felt adrift seeing what the rest of her life had been like. Her very human life. She examined the pain like someone using their tongue to test a sore tooth.
Bosco took down the inner set of wards and stood up. “I’ll be waiting by the pond, just like we planned. Once you’ve fed them the false information, don’t look back. Get out of there. Run.”
She gave a shaky laugh. “No worries. It’s usually Haddon who shows, not the queen. She’s too busy being stoned to come, and Haddon’s so full of himself—he’s just asking to be fooled.”
Bosco nodded. “You’re right. He’s an ass. And he doesn’t have that much magic, not compared to the queen. Not even compared to me. But you have to take him seriously. The truth is, he can be very dangerous. Especially when cornered.”
“I can’t wait to be out of this place. Now that I know it’s all a charade to keep me in line and co-operating it gives me the willies.” It was the double vision that gave her trouble. Seeing things like her brush and comb and feeling like they’d always been hers, yet knowing it was all an illusion.
She waited while Bosco took down the second set of wards that he’d insisted on. She hadn’t argued. They couldn’t sneak out of the castle during the daylight and he hadn’t wanted to wait to put a false spell in place. As soon as the wards were down she began moving around the room, touching all of the familiar yet strange things she’d thought were hers.
She had to do something. Being here was excruciating. “So? Are we ready?”
“As ready as we can be. I still think you should just leave.”
“We will. I want to get out of here as soon as possible. I can’t wait to go find the rebels and find my family.” She couldn’t believe she’d given the queen exactly what she’d needed to nearly exterminate the last of the MacElvy’s. For years the queen had hunted the MacElvys down until the only members left were her mother, her sister, and her cousin. And herself. Cassie. The unwitting Judas.
Well, no longer. Today the tables would turn.
She put her chin up. “It’s nearly time. I’d better get going. Wish me luck.”
He took her shoulders in his hands, his fingers sinking in a little too deep. His face was so close she could see the tiny fractures in his black irises. “Get in, get out, and get back to me.” He kissed her. Hard and fast with an intensity that rocked her to her core. “Got it?”
He waited for her to speak, his eyes searching hers.
She opened her mouth to speak but sudden fear rose up, swallowing her response. From the butterflies doing wheelies in her stomach to the weak wobblies in her knees, she didn’t want to go. She didn’t want to face Haddon or the queen or even a single guard in the castle. She just wanted to run away with Bosco. Run off into the Dark Forest. Lose themselves in Underhill with the rest of the wild fae.
“Tell me you’ll come back and I’ll believe it.”
She wasn’t sure she believed it but she forced words
out anyway. “Got it.” She couldn’t promise she’d come back. She had no idea if this was going to work.
He released her and she stumbled a bit without the bracing support of his hands.
“We have to go.” She turned and ran for the door, knowing he would be behind her to back her up. He thought she was stupidly brave to face Haddon, but she knew she was a coward—she couldn’t face the fear in Bosco’s eyes.
CASSIE MADE HER WAY down to the parlor they used for her sessions with Haddon. Just outside the door she wiped her sweaty palms on her dress and took three deep breaths. She’d dressed carefully for this meeting, making sure to wear the kind of dress that Haddon approved of for her role as princess. Not too sexy, not too plain. She didn’t want him suspicious, but she also didn’t want to show up in the jeans and t-shirt she knew he hated. Now she knew why. Every time she’d worn them he’d been worried the spell was slipping. She didn’t want him thinking that this time. She wiped her palms again and blew out some air. Show time.
She opened the door and slipped into the room, closing it behind her and bracing for an attack. She shouldn’t have worried. The room was empty. And if everything was as it should be, no one would be attacking her here. She needed to chill out or Haddon would know instantly that something was wrong.
She checked the ornate china clock on the mantel. She was early. Some of her tension drained out. She paced the room. She was sweating, but her skin felt clammy. Almost cold. “Don’t worry,” she whispered to herself. “You can do this. Just do what you’ve done a hundred times.”
Of course this time she wouldn’t be channeling the Goddess. This time she’d be faking it. But it was Haddon, not the queen, and they had a plan. Bosco was going to waylay him in the hall with an additional glamour spell. Haddon would see exactly what Bosco wanted him to see. And if he checked too closely, he’d see the false black spell that Bosco had planted inside her aura.
The door opened. This was it. She turned, pasting a thin smile on her face and in walked Aeval, Her Majesty, the Queen of the Black Court.
Cassie’s stomach twisted. Damn. I’m screwed.
She had to change tactics, and fast.
“Hello, my dear, I’m glad you’re early today.” The queen looked more in control than Cassie had ever seen her, her voice was low and calm with none of the high pitch Cassie had gotten used to associating with a fit. Or worse. The queen’s normally wild eyes were turning barely discernible slow spirals. And her hair, which usually sparked with static, lay in smooth corkscrew curls about her shoulders.
Cassie dipped into a deep curtsey. “Your Majesty.”
Aeval waved her up with an impatient hand. “Enough of that. We don’t have much time. I want to hear you prophesy before Haddon gets here.” She pointed a long black tipped fingernail at Cassie’s usual chair. “Hop on your toadstool and get to it.”
Cassie didn’t know what to do. “Your Majesty? I don’t understand.”
“Are you questioning me?” The slow whirl of Aeval’s purple irises sped up.
“No, Your Majesty, never.” She’d better get with it and continue to be the princess or she was going to be back in the dungeon before the end of the day. Haddon wasn’t here and the queen was. There was no way Bosco had taken the risk and glamoured Aeval. She had no choice but to stick to the plan. “I’m just confused. Usually Lord Haddon is here.”
“That fool of an advisor of mine has been drugging me. Luckily one of my new lovers is greedy for pills. He’s taken to stealing my drugs from me or I might never have known.”
Cassie hovered over her chair until the queen sank into the opposite one, then she perched on the edge of the leather seat, suddenly grateful for it’s support.
“Now then, I need to know what the future holds for me.”
Cassie nodded. When she’d been without her memories she’d struggled to find her Gift. It had come reluctantly to her. Now she knew that not only had it been bound up in the spell, but she’d been trying to access it like the fae would access their magic. Just reach for it, and it would come to hand. But, she only looked fae. Her magic was still Gypsy magic—it needed centering and calling. But this time she didn’t want her Gift to come, she wanted to fake it and give the queen the false information she and Bosco had cooked up.
She centered and relaxed, ready to spin her story, but as usual the Goddess had other ideas. Her Gift roared to life, rushing bright gold through her aura, more powerful than she remembered it. Bright light poured through her, rushing through her chakras and cascading out of her mouth in the thin reedy voice of prophesy.
She struggled to slow the words—this was her only chance to fool the queen. She had to control her Gift like she’d never been able to before.
“He is coming. He has gathered a great army.” She could see the prince on a wide plain and knew exactly where he was. “He comes for you. He’s hungry, so hungry.” She could feel the rage of Prince Kian. Years of manipulation by his mother and then her final betrayal when she’d tried to kill him filled his aura on the battlefield. With that amount of emotion driving his already amazing power he was nearly invincible. “He will devour you. He will take your life where your heart resides.”
Just prior to being taken by the queen she’d been a prisoner in the Troll-kin keep, Caer Bol. Now, that was the building she saw in her vision behind the prince and his army. Over the last few months she’d seen this keep and the prince there, but as the princess, with no memories, she’d never known where it was. Now she had her own memories. She knew its name and where it was. And she knew something else.
Even though her body had been changed she wasn’t fae, she was still human at heart. And thank Danu, she could lie and save her family. Inside she almost laughed, her heart heavy with the realization. Who would think that taking the Goddess’s words, the golden sacred words that over the years had saved her family from the queen over and over again, who would think that taking these words and twisting them into lies could be the thing that actually saved her family from the Black Queen forever?
“Where is he going? What are his plans?”
The vision split. She saw two futures, two men, and two things she could say. One would be the truth and would lead to the prince’s death. The other future would only come to pass if she lied.
Seconds before the true words came out of her mouth she pushed her inner magic at the Goddesses words, changing the sacred words of prophecy for the first time in her life. “He is coming to the seat of your power. He dares to attack the Black Court itself. You must defend. You must prepare.”
“Noo!” Sparks flew from the queen’s fingertips. One landed on the wool carpet and lay smoldering.
Cassie ignored it. A wave of power rippled through her and her fingers dug into the leather arms of her chair. Her whole body shook. What the hell? For the first time in her life multiple futures opened up before her. It was up to her to choose which one she spoke of. All could come to pass, or none. And she, Cassandra Rhiannon MacElvy, could choose what to prophesy.
The queen was up moving back and forth across the room, her new control breaking under this news. Cassie barely saw her, the futures spiraled out in front of her, filling her vision and her mind. She had no idea which ones were real and which ones were false. What had she done?
“How dare he attack the Black Court. It’s mine! I will be ready and we will crush him!” Aeval reached for her hand. “We must prepare.”
Cassie shut down her vision fast, her head spinning with the sudden jerk into the present. The queen yanked her to her feet and dragged her to the door. Aeval reached for the door handle. Outside in the corridor, Haddon chuckled, his high thin laugh coming through the door. The queen stopped. Cassie stopped with her. She was reeling from what had happened. Her head ached and black spots danced in and out of her vision.
“He’s there,” the queen hissed. “We are not pleased with him, no we are not. He’s taken advantage of us.”
Thick black color was strea
king through the queen’s bright red hair. Cassie stifled her squeak. One of the queen’s other aspects, the Morrigan, had black hair. Cassie held very still.
“We must see what he is doing.” An odd extra note had crept into the queen’s voice, almost as if her voice had been joined by others. “We must watch. We must keep control.” She waved her hand at the door, her eyes spinning so fast Cassie couldn’t look into them, she was afraid of being sucked into the vortex.
A rectangle in the center of the door dissolved. Cassie could see into the hallway. Haddon was talking to Bosco, but neither seemed to notice the queen or herself, or the window now formed with misty edges in the solidity of the door.
“You’ve done a wonderful job with the princess, I haven’t heard peep one from her.” Haddon’s lips were turned up in a greasy smile. “You must be doing an excellent job fucking her. But I knew you would. That’s exactly why I asked you to keep an eye on her.”
“Thank you, my lord.”
“I’ll have the bursar ready your gold. You can pick it up later today.”
Cassie swallowed down the sudden rise of acid in her throat.
Cassie couldn’t hear Bosco’s response—the queen was making a rising sound deep in her throat—but she saw him nod his head. Haddon slapped him on the back and Bosco walked away, down the hall.
The window’s edges collapsed into themselves, meeting in the center with a loud snap! The high-pitched sounds the queen was making resolved into words. “How dare he arrange a lover for you behind my back,” she hissed. “That was never the plan. He’ll pay. Everyone will pay.” Her claw-like grip grew tighter and tighter around Cassie’s wrist. She opened her mouth to protest, but it died on her tongue. The woman gripping her no longer had red hair and an elegant gown. She now had long black curls, snaking into the air, almost hissing in Cassie’s face. A row of small white skulls were suspended from a heavy chain around her neck. One swung close to Cassie’s face, its chattering teeth skimming close to her ear.
Enchanted: A Fae Fantasy Romance (Fae Magic Book 3) Page 16
