The Dark Fae: The Knights of Burana Paranormal Romance Series Book Two

by T. R. Reilly

  "How long do you think we'll be gone?" she asked, trying to figure out what she should bring.

  "Hopefully only a few days...three at most..then you will be back here. I will be away a little longer than that."

  He said as he looked into Leanna's eyes. The realization suddenly hit her. He was going to be away from her. He hadn't been away from her since he brought her to Burana. Her heart fell, she suddenly frowned and tears filled her eyes.

  Ash quickly grabbed her and held her. "It's going to be okay. I'm sure I won't be gone long my love. Please don't cry" he pleaded as he rubbed her back and stroked her hair.

  Leanna pulled back, wiping her wet cheeks. "Please Ash, please promise me you will come home to me?" she asked.

  "I promise, my Queen. I will come home," he said confidently.

  The lands of Etana were as breathtaking as Burana's lands, Leanna thought to herself as they crossed the boundary into their neighbors kingdom. There were still golden fields of wheat and flowers of unimaginable color, but Leanna also noticed there appeared to be more birds of prey in the air than she had seen in Burana. Reading her thoughts, Ash spoke up as he rode his horse next to hers.

  "Etana honors the element of air, their familiars are birds of prey. You will find that Avalonia is powerful with the elements just as you are. She can make the birds act on her behalf. She even has a familiar of her own, it's a hawk."

  "What do you mean by familiar?" Leanna was fascinated by the thought of controlling animals as well as nature.

  "They are like animal guides. They choose people who are born of noble blood mostly. But if a person is honorable and pure of heart, they can end up with one without having to be of royal blood."

  "How come you don't have one?" Leanna asked sweetly.

  Ash laughed and shrugged his shoulders, "Burana is a little different than the other kingdoms. We respect all of nature and all of its elements. We don't favor just one. We also have the smaller elementals that surround us. The royal line in Burana has not had any particular familiar align itself with their house." Ash informed her.

  "Well, with Girvyn being there and all those shape shifters, is it any wonder?" Leanna laughed.

  "You're right. However, the dark realms do have their own versions of familiars. They are a little more...intimidating though," Ash gulped as he said it. Leanna sensed he wished he had not.

  "What do you mean by that?" she asked curiously, as she adjusted herself in the saddle.

  "Well Morholt is known to have a rock golem that protects the Queen." Ash said very matter-of-fact.

  "Wow? Really? Like a huge rock...man?" her eyes widened, then she felt a shiver move between the two of them. She sensed Ash was worried that he'd said something he shouldn't have.

  "What does Anadar have, if Morholt has the element of earth and Etana air, then what about-"

  Ash cut her off and continued, "Lambeth is the kingdom of water elements. The queen's palace resides on the water and she has mermaids and mermen that live in the water around the palace. Though the kingdom also has regular Fae just like Burana and Etana." He sounded distracted, as though he was trying to cloud his mind so Leanna would not hear him.

  "Okaaay," Leanna raised her eyebrows and turned to look at Ash who was looking straight ahead, "you still haven't told me the element of Anadar... you've covered, air, water, earth...oh no...fire?!" she exclaimed.

  "Afraid so," Ash said grimly as he turned to Leanna again, frowning.

  "Please don't tell me..." she gasped.

  "It is...." He said without having to say the word out loud.

  "Dragons?" Leanna raised her voice, the hair standing up on the back of her neck. Cage and the others turned around to look at her before facing front again, but clearly still listening. Leanna remembered the dragon symbol on the letter from Synne and suddenly felt a huge knot in her stomach.

  Ash nodded, "I'm afraid so. I noticed that Synne didn't have a familiar with her, so maybe she doesn't have one."

  "Sooo, what she has dragons flying around her kingdom, that she commands, but she doesn't have her own personal pet? is that suppose to reassure me? Ash you are going there to fight!" Leanna was beginning to shake as she felt sick to her stomach. Suddenly the ride to the palace couldn't come quickly enough.

  "Leanna, please...calm down...it's not that bad...really" Ash tried to reassure her.

  "Oh my god Ash. You are going to war in a kingdom that has bloody dragons...what part of, not that bad, am I suppose to believe?" Leanna fought back her emotion and stared ahead, her mind filling with a hundred different ways the dragons could slay the man she loved. She sniffed and shook her head unable to speak any further.

  "Leanna, please...don't be upset..." Ash pleaded with her. They rode the rest of the way to the palace in silence.

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  The village that housed the palace of Etana was buzzing with people and the sounds of animals. Life here carrying on as usual, with no signs of disturbance. Ash sighed with relief at reaching their destination. Dismounting from his horse, he lay a pile of hay down for it to eat and turned to see Leanna being helped from her horse by Cage. He shook his head as he moved to join the group. Leanna had managed to avoid Ash for the last hour or so of their journey and he couldn't wait to get her alone to reassure her he would make it back to Burana okay. As he and the three men pointed the way to the castle for Leanna, she moved to the front of the group, handing her small bag to Ash as she passed him. Roderick and Tarrin chuckled as Ash rolled his eyes upward at them.

  "Queen Avalonia, may I present the new Queen of Burana, Miss Leanna," the small man announced, as he bowed before his Majesty and motioned toward Leanna, who stood just behind him. Leanna blinked as she gazed upon the tall slender woman who stood in front of her. Her aura was greenish blue with stripes of purple pulsating around her. Leanna had never seen such vibrant energy emanate off of someone. Avalonia had long straight dark hair, with a simple elegant head band crown. Her dress flowed to the floor in a shimmering silvery blue color. Her face was attractive, yet showed such strength, with a hard jaw line, strong chin and serious looking demeanor. Leanna wasn't sure that she'd want to cross her.

  Just as she doubted the kindness of this amazing looking woman, Avalonia rose from her seat and approached Leanna her arms outstretched. Leanna was unsure of the protocol and gulped, standing rigidly as Avalonia hugged her firmly.

  "Queen Leanna!" I am so happy to finally meet you. She said with sincerity. Leanna smiled, feeling a little embarrassed, as she patted Avalonia's back gently.

  "Er, hello...Queen Avalonia" she said sweetly.

  Avalonia laughed, "no need for formalities here, we are friends. You may call me Ava...and may I call you Leanna?" she asked hesitantly.

  "Of course," Leanna smiled, feeling suddenly at ease, as she sensed the genuine joy coming from Avalonia.

  Avalonia looked toward the door, where the three knights were standing and urged them to take a seat near the door while she took Leanna's hand and led her to a plush sofa to one side of the room. Leanna glanced around briefly at the large throne room that didn't really look anything like a throne room. The stone floors had thick rugs of gold and blue. The walls were adorned with paintings of nature based images like birds, trees and the sky. There were several seating areas with tables and overstuffed chairs or sofas. The throne itself was rather impressive, behind it was a large marble pillar carved in the shape of an eagle in flight and Leanna imagined that the plush seat of the throne with its perfect looking golden fabric and dark wooden arms was used for official purposes only, rather than everyday, since it looked like it was barely sat in. Leanna smiled brightly when she saw a hawk perched freely upon a wooden stick near the window. She heard Avalonia chuckle. "I'm sorry" she said as she turned to catch Ava looking at her, smiling to herself. "I just...I heard you have familiars here," she said feeling her face turn pink. Way to sound dumb Leanna, she thought.

  "Of course...you were raised in the human realm...yo
u wouldn't know. Don't be embarrassed by that." Ava said quietly as if not to let the rest of the room overhear their conversation. "My familiar is called Davyn." She said politely.

  Leanna nodded, not quite sure what to say. Ava took Leanna's hands in hers and looked Leanna in the eyes.

  "You've come to ask my support to fight Anadar, correct?" she asked.

  "Yes, how did you?..."

  "I have the gift of foresight. I see things that haven't happened yet. I saw that you would arrive today and though I don't see EVERYTHING, I see enough."

  Leanna felt her words had an ominous ring to them. Had she seen Ash die? Leanna began to perspire, beads of sweat rising on her brow and under her arms. She felt her palms begin to sweat in Ava's hands. She hoped she didn't notice.

  Ava smiled, "Now, I have known of this day for a long time. I don't want you to worry, my kingdom stands behind Burana. I am happy to supply the army you require."

  Leanna smiled brightly. "Thank you, Ava. May I ask my...Ash to speak with you about the next step?"

  Avalonia's eyes twinkled and Leanna suspected that she knew there was something between the two of them.

  "Of course" she motioned for Ash to approach her.

  Ash bowed before both queens and then stood tall.

  "Ash, your lovely Queen here, has requested support to go against Anadar. I have agreed to supply all the help you need. But I must warn you, it is imperative that you waste no more time. I am sure that Queen Charmaine of Lambeth will also supply men, but you must spare only one of your knights to go to her. I will send a message from both myself and Queen Leanna, with him. She will instruct your man to advance on Anadar without delay. You and another of your men should proceed to Anadar, while your Queen returns back to Burana with the remaining knight."

  "Thank you." Ash bowed his head again. "However, I will go to Lambeth myself and send Roderick and Cage to wait on the outskirts of Anadar, for the armies to arrive."

  "As you wish. Just let me get the note ready and both Leanna and I will sign it for you. Then I would like to invite you all for a meal. It's been a long journey. You all will need to be fed and rested for tomorrow." She smiled as she rose from the sofa. Leanna stood and followed her to a table near her throne.

  Supper proved to be quite informative for Ash and Leanna, as Queen Avalonia shared tales of their own previous run ins with Anadar. It seemed that Synne made the mistake of crossing Avalonia long ago and decided Etana was better left alone.

  Leanna had mentioned to Ash before supper, that Avalonia was a prophetess along with her other abilities. Ash felt sure that she would not lead them astray and welcomed her hospitality and armed support.

  "Your Majesty" Roderick said to Avalonia. "We have heard that Synne wants some gems that have been buried on our land. Do you know about this?" he asked, curious.

  Avalonia put down her fork, her face becoming serious. Placing her hands in her lap she gazed past Roderick, lost in the memories of another time. "Yes, I'm afraid I was ruling when those gems were found. Word spread quickly and made its way to Morholt and Anadar." She glanced back at Roderick, looking into his eyes, "It wasn't long before scouts from those kingdoms tried to muscle in and claim the gems for their own. We all knew that they would mine the land if they could and as you know, we don't hold with destroying mother nature for greed."

  "What kinds of gems are these?" Leanna asked, interrupting the solemnity of Avalonia's thoughts.

  Ava shifted her gaze to the amulet around Leanna's throat. "The amulet you wear around your neck, it isn't just any stone my friend. It is a magical emerald that bonds to specific auras. Your mother had one like it and held that one for you from the time you were born." She pointed to the stone around Leanna's neck, Leanna put her hand to it and held it between her fingers as Avalonia continued, "The stone can only be worn by one soul. I too have one," she said as she pulled the amulet up out of hiding behind the top of her dress, it glowed bright blue against her fingers as she held it out.

  "The stones that were found in Burana were much the same as these. The only difference is that if they were to land in the hands of the dark Fae, they could be used to control the entire Fae realm. Their power is enormous and they are better left hidden. Etana, my kingdom has already fought Synne over this and now she threatens to bring war to Burana, but she underestimates the strength of not only your knights...but you too."

  "Couldn't we just move the gems, hide them away somewhere else, so that they can never be found?" Cage spoke up.

  Ava shrugged slightly then pursed her lips, "the problem is that Synne can feel the gems. It wouldn't matter where they were, she would find them. However, if they remain in Burana, as long as I am queen of Etana I will make sure they are never dug up again."

  Cage nodded in agreement. The group were realizing the severity of the situation and how important it was going to be to stop Anadar from advancing on Burana.

  "There is one more thing you may not be aware of," she said directly to Leanna.

  Ava picked up her glass and took a drink from it. "What do you know of Girvyn?" she said, her eyes narrowing, her lips curled up as if she had some secret gossip to share.

  "Not much, only what Ash told me. He is my uncle and he killed my mother, to take my place on the throne"

  "Is that what he told you?" Ava raised her brow and eyed Ash, who sat next to Leanna. Ash wasn't sure what Avalonia was insinuating, he knew what Leanna did, nothing more. Leanna put her hand on his and gave it a gentle squeeze under the table.

  "Girvyns parentage is somewhat different than most people think..." her eyes were on Leanna, "your grandmother is Girvyns mother...but his father was not your grandfather." She took another drink and finally put down her glass.

  A serious look spread across her face. "His birth father is a King name Merwyn. He is the husband of Synne"

  "What?" Leanna couldn't believe it. No wonder Synne was so angry, her husband clearly messed about on her.

  "Does Girvyn know?" Ash interjected.

  Avalonia's brows shot up, "He might, he might not. Who knows. From what I know, Merwyn fell in love with Leanna's grandmother, but was forbidden to marry her because he is from the dark Fae and is a shape-shifter."

  There was an audible gasp from a few of the people at the table, Leanna included.

  Ava looked grim, her eyes wide as she continued, "Merwyn secretly met with Queen Abela, your grandmother and they slept together. When Abela fell pregnant, her husband King Gareth felt sure that the child was not his. He was furious.

  It was worse when queen Synne found out, because Merwyn had been promised to her. She married Merwyn anyway, but waited for the day she could take her revenge on Abela. When Girvyn was old enough to start exhibiting dark Fae tendencies, King Gareth sent him away. He ended up in Anadar and Queen Synne set about turning him into a twisted little man. We believe that finding out about the gems only added to her need for revenge. She manipulated Girvyn and controls him with dark magic. He doesn't realize who is father is and doesn't even know that she is controlling him. She arranged the accident that killed her rival, Abela and her husband Gareth and when Estra, your mother took her place on the throne, Synne used Girvyn to slowly destroy her. First taking away her husband and then giving the poison to Girvyn that killed Estra."

  Avalonia had a look of disgust on her face as she described what she knew. Shaking her head she brought a hand up to her chin absently stroking it. The room was silent for a moment.

  "Wait, you mean that SHE killed my parents and grandparents...not Girvyn" Leanna was shocked by these revelations.

  "I'm afraid so. It was myself and Freya that arranged to move you to the human realm so that you could be kept safe. Freya volunteered to take you there herself. She was very fond of you." She frowned and looked at Ash, biting her lower lip she then added,"her loss has been felt by anyone who knew her. I am sorry for your loss, Ash" she said sincerely.

  Ash nodded and looked down at his plate, clearing his throa
t.

  Tarrin, who had been listening quietly to everything, looked at Avalonia in deep thought, "what I don't understand, is, if Synne hated Queen Abela so much, why would she want his offspring around her? I mean, it would remind her of what Merwyn and Abela did."

  "I am unsure of what her motives were or are, but I know that aside from wanting Abela out of the way, she wanted...still wants...to get her hands on those gems. I doubt that she would keep Girvyn around for any other reason." Avalonia stated. The rest of the guests nodded in agreement.

  Tarrin asked, "With Girvyn on the throne for twenty years, why hasn't he taken the gems by now, or Synne taken them?"

  Avalonia responded, "I suspect she doesn't want him to know about them and was biding her time. She also knows that my people help guard the spot where they are buried."

  As the meal wrapped up and the group began to feel the weariness of the day, Queen Avalonia stood and thanked everyone for their company. As Ash and his men said good night and headed away from the table, Leanna lingered standing in front of Avalonia.

  "Thank you for everything. It's nice meeting someone else who knew my family." Leanna smiled.

  "It has been such a pleasure seeing you and spending this time with you. Travel safely Leanna. I am sure we will meet again, very soon. Remember to trust yourself and your own abilities in times of trouble. You are a more powerful Fae than even you realize." She placed her hands on Leanna arms and slid them down to her hands, clasping them. Your people will get through this, you must be strong for them"

  Leanna nodded, a little nervous about what Ava was getting at, leaning forward she just had to ask, "Is Ash going to be okay? I need to know," she said in a low hesitant voice.

  Avalonia smiled, "Ash is one of the bravest of Burana's knights. If anyone can find a way back to you, it will be him. Don't worry, please. Now rest well, both of you. I have arranged a bed chamber for you both to share. I hope you don't mind." She said with a sly wink.