Reluctant Fae

by Margo Ryerkerk

  “Speak your business,” King Peter snapped. “Rise. I am surprised you did not bring your vampire consort. In fact, I am surprised the Winter Court didn’t bed them sooner.”

  I held my breath. So he knew about Thorsten. I gritted my jaw at King Peter’s hypocrisy. The Summer Court had allowed the vampires to enslave us for generations. Two of his children had worked with the vampires and now he was shaming Onyx. I relaxed my jaw and focused. I couldn’t let my anger show or distract me. Getting Onyx out of here alive and with a peace offering was the mission. I stared at the king, sending out my mental pressure. Calm down, calm down.

  But he did not. A hint of color crept into Onyx’s face as she rose. “I would like to discuss a truce,” she said all businesslike, rising above the jab.

  “A truce.” King Peter leaned back in his chair, letting the dangerous vines fall. As he did, Onyx’s shoulders dropped. “Your kind has done significant damage to the Summer Court. The nature of the Winter fae is to fight. It is in their blood. Your father has also employed underhanded tactics and tricks.”

  “I am not my father.” Onyx squared her shoulders. She eyed King Peter’s hands, as if expecting more vines. “With him banished to the fae wasteland, I took over the Winter Court. My goal is peace.”

  King Peter focused on her, his milky-green eyes darkening. He leaned forward, boring hatred into Onyx as the leaves on his crown curled. “My daughter Petra has gone missing. A powerful princess such as her could not have fallen to any magic that is less than royal. Tell me, do you know of her whereabouts?”

  I tensed. King Peter already knew that King Olwen had banished Petra, and yet, he insisted to hear it from Onyx. He was testing her and trying to get her to admit the Winter Court’s wrongdoings.

  “We are here to discuss a truce,” Onyx said, too quickly.

  “We have already mentioned a truce.” King Peter balled his hand into a fist. “I have met my end of the bargain. I demand answers about my children’s whereabouts.”

  Onyx balked.

  “Now is the time to enlighten me with the truth.” As he spoke, King Peter flicked his savage gaze to me.

  I nodded while I wondered if I could influence someone without looking at them. King Peter had to crack his own armor for my mentalist powers to work, just as Nathan had. But with the leaf crown sitting on his head, the power of the Summer land itself flowed through him.

  I felt Nathan staring at the back of my neck and took a tiny step forward. Onyx glanced at me with surprise, and I stared at her. My head ached as I turned the other half of my focus to King Peter. Maintaining the mental state was difficult even after practicing through all those classes during the past week. Sweat formed on my nape.

  Onyx turned to King Peter. “I will tell you the truth. King Olwen was fighting Gregory Vulthus and your daughter, Petra, allied with Vulthus and got in the way. She pulled King Olwen into the fae wastelands when he opened the portal.”

  I gasped on the inside. I hadn’t compelled Onyx to reveal this. She had done so of her own free will, probably deciding she needed to throw the lion something, even at the risk of only further wetting his appetite.

  King Peter rose from his throne, the leaves quaking on his crown. The ground below me trembled as it absorbed and reacted to his rage. I stepped back into Nathan, who grabbed me and pushed me behind him. This time, I didn’t resist. I was strong, but I also wasn’t a fool. I had no physical training and no weapons on me.

  “Petra is in the wastelands because of Olwen!” King Peter boomed. “I knew it! I’ll destroy Olwen myself.”

  Focus. My pulse raced in my ears as I turned my full attention on King Peter. The Winter and Summer guards didn’t move, but their hands flew to their swords. Onyx froze, also waiting.

  King Peter advanced on Onyx, and a single, thorny vine extended from his open palm. It shot at her and wrapped around her wrist. Onyx stood her ground. “I want more of the truth,” he said. “So my daughter is alive, but suffering. Who took the life of my son, Preston?” His nostrils flared and darkness swirled in his eyes. “Tell me!”

  The king’s power shifted to focus completely on Onyx, who held her ground, not taking even a single step back or showing any other signs of fear. A manic grin spread across King Peter’s mouth. He suspected Onyx. Despite his inability to mentally influence her, he wouldn’t let her go until he squeezed every morsel of information out of her. I needed to distract him. Now.

  I continued staring at Onyx while putting all of my attention on the sudden opening in King Peter’s magical armor that had probably been caused by his outburst of anger. For a horrific moment, I sensed his core. A darkness swirled there deep within golden light, smoldering and growing tentacles as it fed off King Peter’s rage and grief. I breathed out calm and peace, forcing my own terror down as I drew my brows together at Onyx but shot my mental powers toward the king.

  “We want peace,” I said, more to King Peter than to Onyx. “Perhaps we should come clean so we can move on.”

  Onyx widened her eyes at me, bewildered, as her guards stood at attention.

  “The truth will allow us to move on with the truce,” I repeated, aiming the words into the magical opening.

  “Yes,” King Peter said, loosening the vine on Onyx’s wrist to reveal a bracelet of scratches and blood. “The truth will set you free. Your father has caused me a lot of pain, but I am willing to forget his awful deeds and work with you, Onyx Vinter, if you help me put the full glory of the Summer Court back together.”

  Was it working? I couldn’t believe it. Onyx blinked, and I feared I’d worked on her instead, but she faced King Peter and forced a look of calm onto her face. “I am sorry, but I do not know who killed Preston. He was a great teacher at Nocturnal Academy. Some of the vampires were jealous of him. I am afraid that one of them or a group of them might’ve hurt him.”

  King Peter released Onyx and snapped the vine back into his palm. Onyx held his gaze, ignoring the blood trickling from her wrist.

  “I can see why your generals are rushing your coronation. You are bold and reasonable.” Disappointment flooded King Peter’s words. He had been expecting a confession and a chance for bloody revenge. “Perhaps we can negotiate after all.”

  I held in my sigh of relief. King Peter’s magical shield snapped shut as he took his focus off revenge. So far as he knew, I had compelled Onyx to speak the truth. King Peter retreated to his throne, which lowered with several groans to collect him. The trees lifted him back up like dutiful slaves.

  “I would like to negotiate.” Onyx tilted her head. “What are your terms?”

  “I want my daughter returned.”

  Onyx blanched. Clearly, she had expected King Peter to ask for something else, like favorable trading conditions, maybe even a part of her lands, but going after Petra was insanity.

  “The wastelands are difficult to reach without great magic,” King Peter said slowly. “They are oriented sideways to the Summer and Winter realms. You should be able reach them after your coronation.”

  “You cannot reach the wastelands?” Curiosity filled Onyx’s voice.

  “For the good of the Summer Court, I cannot risk the wastelands trapping me and draining my magic. Venturing there will risk corrupting the entire Summer Realm,” King Peter continued. He spoke with a scary calm that sent a chill down my spine. The conditions were clear. Onyx was to go there herself and risk ruining the Winter realm. If she didn’t, there would be war. What had I done?

  “Return my daughter and bring me the killer of my son, then we’ll have a truce.” King Peter smiled cruelly.

  Onyx’s gaze blazed, and I held my breath, terrified she’d challenge him, but she merely nodded. “I understand.”

  King Peter smiled. “Then we have a deal.”

  She backed out of the room with her guards. Whether she wasn’t turning her back to the king out of respect or because she didn’t want to be vulnerable, I didn’t know, but I was glad. As she left, the trees on either sid
e of the room leaned forward, as if ready to strangle Onyx.

  Nathan took my arm and gave me a gentle tug. We left, the Summer guards marching behind us.

  “See Princess Winter out,” Nathan said tightly to the guards before turning to me. “You’re coming with me.” From the tone of his voice, I knew he hadn’t bought my act.

  “I’m not supposed to see the guests out?” I asked as Onyx and her guards disappeared. I needed to catch up with her, tell her that I hadn’t been trying to get her killed.

  Nathan didn’t speak until we had crossed past the media waiting in the main courtyard and entered a dark corridor that was away from everyone. “Your loyalty must be to the Summer Court,” he hissed.

  “I am loyal to the Summer Court,” I hissed back, praying that Nathan had only picked up that I was on friendly terms with Onyx and not on my lack of mind manipulation.

  Nathan crossed his arms and stared me down. “You are lucky that King Peter didn’t notice. But I did.” Nathan might not be able to read my mind, but he must’ve taken several courses on intuition and how to read others’ intentions. “King Peter severely punishes those he doesn’t believe to be loyal.”

  I gulped. “I didn’t do anything wrong. I couldn’t throw Onyx to the wolves. She helped me once. Such bargains have to go both ways.”

  “Whatever happened in the past doesn’t matter as it was before you came to the Summer Court to serve King Peter. Your loyalty is toward him, and him alone.”

  “So this is how it’s going to be.” I squared my shoulders at Nathan as a stab of pain formed in my chest. Seriously? I had hoped Nathan would at least be a good friend and someone by my side. Until now, he had almost been.

  Nathan swallowed as his eyes shone with emotion he couldn’t quite hide. “I do not want that, but if you are caught being on friendly terms with any of the wrong people, it won’t be good. I want to help you, but I have a kingdom to defend and a king to serve. When people are not loyal to their king, bad things happen. Very bad things. You saw the throne room.”

  I sure had. The king could execute any of us at a moment’s notice, but that didn’t mean we should be cowards. “Thanks for letting me know where you stand.” I stormed past Nathan and back toward the entrance balcony, but by the time I had reached the balcony, it was empty. Onyx and her guards had already left.

  I tried telling myself that with the Winter Court and Thorsten behind her, she’d be fine, but that made me feel only worse as it reminded me that even though we both were in horrible positions, she at least had a man who truly supported her. I had no one.

  Chapter 16

  I left the Summer palace alone, ignoring the press who tried asking questions. Let them think whatever they wanted. They were stupid, vapid, selfish creatures. They didn’t care about the things that truly mattered. They’d probably welcome a war if it meant higher readership.

  When I reached the Vasara Center and stepped out of the carriage, I didn’t go immediately inside the open gates, but asked the stableman, who waited beside those gates, if I could groom the Pegasi.

  “But that’s not your job,” the brown-winged fae replied, his expression puzzled.

  I eyed the winged horse closest to me. “Please. You’d be doing me a favor.” He didn’t look convinced, so I added, “It makes me feel closer to nature.”

  He nodded. That was one thing the Summer fae understood: the need to be outside and connect to plants and animals. I let the stableman show me where the food and water was kept for the animals, which was in a hidden side building on the side of the stockade fence. After he left me alone and stated he’d leave the gates open for me, since most of the other students were already in bed, I refilled the Pegasi’s food and water. While the Pegasi gobbled up the carrots and hay, I started in on their manes, brushing slowly, calming down with each stroke. I lost myself in the activity so much, I didn’t hear the approaching footsteps and jerked when a voice behind me said, “There you are.”

  I turned around to Peony, not hiding my emotions. Her brows drew together at the expression on my face. “Onyx’s meeting didn’t go too well, I take it.”

  I continued brushing the horse. “No. The king wants her to retrieve Petra from the wastelands and bring him Preston’s killer.”

  “But—” Peony shook her head. “The first part is impossible and the second will doom her.”

  I nodded. “And this was the proposal he made after I calmed him. King Peter is unstable.”

  Peony bit her lip. “You worked your magic on him, not her.”

  My hands shook, making me nearly drop the brush I was holding. “Nathan noticed, and he was furious. He worships the king.”

  “Oh, Virgie.” Peony pulled me into a hug and began rubbing my back in a circular motion. I relaxed into her, allowing myself to be vulnerable, something I never thought I’d dare to be around Peony. But this was not the girl I had met at Nocturnal Academy, and I had a feeling that I had Caleb to partially thank for this transformation from head bitch to caring being.

  I stepped out of the embrace, practicality taking over. “Peony, have they trained you in combat and sword fighting?”

  She nodded. “Most of my training was focused on my plant skills, but yes, a little bit.”

  “Will you show me how to fight?” I had mental powers, but the more of an advantage I had, the better.

  Peony sighed. “I’d be happy to, but with your daily timetable, it will be hard to squeeze something in.”

  Yes. Whenever he was around, Nathan and I met for Telepathy at the end of the day which was emotionally and physically exhausting. The very end of the day wouldn’t be a good plan, especially now that Nathan had his eye close on me. “Half an hour here and there is better than nothing.” She nodded, and I smiled. “Thank you. How’s everything going with you?”

  She sighed. “Caleb has sent out his fae soldiers to find Mrs. Wu and the fertility plant we made for her.” At my raised eyebrow, Peony brought me up to speed on how the rich Hong Kong vampire had commissioned her to create a fertility plant that was a powerful aphrodisiac, zapping the willpower of Mrs. Wu fae servants and making them jump each other like animals in heat.

  “That’s awful.” I swallowed hard.

  Peony avoided my gaze. “It was a horrible of me to agree to do it. I was afraid she’d kill me if I didn’t.”

  I shifted in my seat. “She would have. You didn’t have a choice.” None of us did when working for the vampires.

  There was a long silence before Peony continued. “Mrs. Wu is lying low. There’s no trace of her. Caleb stole her first plant, but she still has the one we were forced to make at Nocturnal Reformatory.” Peony chewed on her lip. “Originally, I was supposed to use my plant magic to try and create a fertility plant that would help Summer fae wanting to conceive, but now my whole focus has gone on training the new fae and ensuring that the king is happy with us so that he doesn’t kick us out.” Tiredness entered her eyes. “Nothing is going the way I hoped it would.”

  “I’m sorry.” Peony’s situation wasn’t much better than mine. The Pegasus neighed, and an idea came to me. Sword fighting seemed alien to me, but being around these magnificent beings, I felt strong and capable. “Let’s take the Pegasi for a ride,” I said before I could think through what I was proposing.

  Peony blinked and looked around for the stableman, but he had left me alone. “Are you insane? We can’t.”

  “Why not? Is there a rule against it?”

  “No,” Peony said slowly, “but we could fall and die. Besides, we’re supposed to stay inside the walls. The public...they were promised that until we assimilate.”

  I crossed my arms and gave her a hard look. “And that doesn’t bother you?”

  Peony twirled a blonde curl slowly, deep in thought. “You think they teach us only certain skills on purpose, to keep us weak overall. It’s why you’re only learning mentalist abilities and why none of us have been taught to fly. And I’ve tried, trust me.”

&nbs
p; I nodded. I had tried using my wings several times but without any success. Nathan made it look easy, but without any training, I was a flightless bird.

  Peony’s catlike eyes narrowed, and the queen B was back. “If this war breaks out, we’ll be the first ones to be sacrificed. They care about us as much as the vampires did.”

  A smile cracked across my lips. “So, are you in?”

  She grinned wickedly. “Yes.”

  I convinced Peony not to saddle the Pegasi, though the shed was full of a bunch of ugly ones. It felt disrespectful to such beautiful mounts. Also, if I needed to make a quick escape in the future, I highly doubted I’d have the luxury of getting my ride ready, and finally, I had a feeling that the Pegasi would not throw us off. Those dark, soulful eyes were soothing. Could I sense the emotions of animals? Perhaps. It was definitely something to explore.

  I helped Peony use a stool to swing her leg over the Pegasus and climb on his back, then I did the same. The Pegasus offered a low, contented whinny as he exited the small barn. Outside, night had fallen, which was good for us, as no one would see us take to the skies. I patted the creature on the neck, and we trotted for a few minutes. Both Pegasi seemed to glow in the moonlight.

  “I’ve never done any horseback riding,” Peony said. “The Pegasi are amazing. It’s like they know what you want them to do without us using any tools.”

  “They’re intelligent.” My gaze drifted past the open field of flowers and up to the sky and the stars. “Fly,” I whispered into my Pegasus’ ear.

  The creature extended its massive, gorgeous, white wings, and my stomach rose into my throat as my Pegasus took a giant leap. With a whoosh, wings flapped. Air blasted my face and threw my hair back. The flowers and fireflies shrunk first into small shapes, and then clouds of blinking light. Next to me, Peony rose into the air on her Pegasus, holding on for dear life. A scream caught in the back of my throat. But it wasn’t fear, it was exhilaration. For the first time since arriving in the faeland, I was doing something of my own accord. For the first time in my life, I was thinking and acting outside the mold.