by Sage, May
Vale opened his mouth to reply; the king, however, wasn’t done talking. “I hear also that you would follow her and watch over her rather than greet your host. Peculiar, is it not?”
Oh shit. They were having the talk.
“Sir…”
“Don’t fret. I have no doubt Devira would cut your bollocks off herself and serve them to you in a stew should you do anything to deserve it. I am simply stating my observations and reading your reaction. You care for the child. Good. This conversation shall be fruitful.”
Valerius stilled, reading between the lines. He didn’t like the conclusion he came to.
“My mother sent me to you for aid. The city of night—”
“Is burning and the rest of your realm, lost. Yes, Byfram here”—the elf king glanced at his bird—“was so good as to bring me the news, along with a letter written in your mother’s hand.” Elden pulled a folded piece of paper from the inner pocket of his shirt and carried on talking, without much intonation or sentiment in his voice. “Soon, the foolish eastern fae who thought it wise to treaty with the enemy will also fall. We’re at the dawn of a new age where seelie and unseelie will be nothing more than slaves used for your master’s amusement.”
Well, that summed it up, all right.
Vale hadn’t failed to note that the king didn’t include himself or his people in his grim assessment.
“And you believe you’ll fare better?”
Elden laughed softly, a sweet and musical sound. “I know we will. Your enemy fears me and with good reasons. In my realm, I harbor as many scions as he does in the immortal city. A war with us may spell his doom. Besides, I have given him no cause to quarrel.”
Vale shook his head. “How do you know he isn’t seizing control of the rest of the Isle first? With the three other realms united against the elves, Aurelius’s next logical step would be to take his rival out.”
Elden’s eyes had cut to him the moment Vale had breathed his brother’s name. Now the king tilted his head. “And this would indeed have been strategic. However, it isn’t your practical brother you will face. It is the wicked one.”
Perplexed, Vale replied, “I don’t have another brother.”
“Alas, I fear this belief is at the root of all evils.” Elden flicked his hand, and as one, the gathering moved to leave the gardens.
Soon, Elden and Valerius were alone in the gardens, with the crow that watched him, unflinching and mistrustful.
The king gestured for Valerius to join him in a stroll through the fragrant bushes, some wild, others planted, and all thriving, making for a pretty picture in the snow and ice.
“What do you know of the first war of this age? Not the War of Realms, but the one that shaped the realms at the start.”
Why did everyone feel like giving him an ancient history lesson? He sighed. “Little more than what children learn at our academies.”
The king laughed. “So nothing, then.”
He feared that was only too true. “I’ve never been one to dwell on the past. My mother told me of the gods from another world who created our kind.”
“The enlightened,” Elden amended.
“Excuse me?”
“That is what they call themselves. It wouldn’t do to go by ‘gods.’ Rather pretentious, wouldn’t you say?” He didn’t let Vale attempt a response. “But I’m glad I can skip the basics. Shea might have spoken of the old times, but she’s a child of this age. She does not know the truth of the First War. It was brutal.”
Vale lifted a brow. “All wars are brutal. I’ve seen—”
“You’ve seen nothing, Valerius Blackthorn.” His words were sharp. Unyielding. Somehow threatening. “You came into this world during a time when blood flowed more abundantly than water down the River Reine in spring. Instead of songs celebrating the arrival of a prince, you heard screams. They put a sword in your hands as soon as you could walk. And they awoke something in you, something dark.”
How the ever-fucking hell did he know that?
Elden closed his eyes and opened them again. “Yet for all you’ve seen, you have no idea. The War of Realms was child’s play. I found it fun. No elf perished. We did not fight you. We made a point, to ensure that the next generations of fae would know better than to test our borders again, nothing more.”
Vale didn’t doubt that.
“How different was it, then?” Vale asked. “The First War.”
“I will not talk of it,” the elf stated resolutely. “Know only that wrongs that can never be undone were committed. Wrongs such as burning cities, threatening, torturing, and raping innocent. You only need to hear of one of these horrors. I’ve not talked of it in the last five thousand years, and I will not mention it again after today.”
Elden took a deep breath before saying, “One of the enlightened was ordered to take a young girl savagely to make her father talk. I watched in horror as all of our enemies were slaughtered after we’d gotten what we had come for.”
He’d watched? Vale took that in with awe and some apprehension. The male was at least five thousand years old. Most mages Vale knew only grew stronger with time. How terrifying did that make Elden Star?
“Rape and carnage.” It sounded like just about any other war. “What of it?”
“I saw it with my own eyes when your father spared the girl he’d taken; out of pity or guilt, I know not. His blade struck her face to make her bleed and pass out, so that none would suspect he’d spared her, but the blow was not lethal. And so the girl lived to birth a son.”
Ah. Well that had certainly gotten his attention.
His father had another son? One born of hatred over five thousand years ago?
“I have another brother.”
Elden inclined his head. “He has plotted in the shadows since the dawn of this era, and his time has come.”
Four
The King’s Deals
After a long bath to soothe her tired limbs and wash away thoughts of Valerius Blackthorn, if only for a moment, Devi returned to her room, got dressed, and walked up the path to her father’s gardens. She had only lived in this court for a year, but if she recalled anything, it was that Elden could be found in his frozen paradise more often than not. She wasn’t surprised to feel Valerius’s presence along with her father’s as she approached.
On her way up, she encountered a handful of elves that were part of Elden’s council.
She greeted them, rather surprised that he’d sent them away. What did the king of elves have to tell Vale that he wouldn’t share with his most trusted advisors? Devi certainly didn’t wish to miss that conversation, although the words might not be meant for her ears. She approached slowly, tiptoeing and masking her presence.
Close to the winter garden, she heard their voices. Devi halted and listened to the tale her father was sharing with Vale. The first words confirmed their talk was related to their affair, and she needed information as much as Valerius.
She listened as Elden talked of a war, gods, enlightened, monsters, and brothers, her mind storing each detail, until her spying session was rudely interrupted.
“I see you have not yet learned what is said of eavesdroppers, daughter.”
Devi sighed and stepped into view. “I can’t say I have, no. Don’t expect an apology. I’d very much like to know what’s happening.” Elden had never talked to her of anything of importance in the past, and she doubted he planned on starting now. “So, you’re saying the evil five-thousand-year-old son of Orin is yet another contender for that blasted throne up north.”
“Evil is a matter of perception, daughter. The son of an abused female, raised in poverty, often starving and without a home, may grow into a person a child such as yourself—born and raised in palaces—cannot understand.”
While it had been delivered with as much condescension as possible, she had to concede his point.
“Fair enough. To me, burning a city to the ground, entirely unprovoked, definitely counts as an evil dee
d, but each to their own.”
“Inconsequential. The boy has long plotted, patiently waiting for the right moment. That time is now. He has considered every possibility, every scenario. He’s prepared. You may expect to lose this war.”
She had to note that her father didn’t seem troubled by that perspective. Devi didn’t have to think too hard to imagine why. “You’ve made a deal with him, haven’t you?”
Her tone held no small degree of contempt and accusation.
Elden didn’t take offense. “A long time ago, when the child lost his mother, he crawled to these lands, dirty, famished, and wild, and aid was offered to him. He came to me more recently, saying that my kindness hasn’t been forgotten. He asked for a favor, and I have granted it.”
Vale was astonished, which meant that he had no idea who Elden Star was.
“You helped him?”
The king didn’t so much as quirk an eyebrow. “It is not in my nature to refuse aid to those who need it.” Elden stared at Valerius pointedly. “Be glad of that.”
The poor guy was left speechless, and Devi, amused. “You made a deal with him, and now you wish to make a deal with Vale too. That way, whichever side wins, your realm will be safe.”
“Indeed.” The king kept petting his bird, deaf to the criticism in her tone. “Take note, daughter. This is how rulers ensure the welfare of their people.”
She shook her head. “Suit yourself. I hope you’ll also agree to a deal with me.”
This got the king’s attention. He lifted his chin and turned his unnerving eyes to her. “That would depend on your terms.”
“I want the location of Queen Shea and the resources to reach her.”
He returned to petting his bird. “Denied.”
She wasn’t even surprised. “On what grounds?”
Elden lifted the folded piece of paper in his hand, holding it in the light. Her eye caught a familiar seal—the outline of a wolf. “A letter from that queen of yours.”
Devi stepped forward, hand extended to take it.
Her father smiled. “I think not. These words aren’t meant for your eyes.”
Her eyes narrowed. “If whatever’s in that letter determines my fate, I’ll have you tell me.”
“And I shall tell you. Reading my personal correspondence is another matter altogether, daughter.”
She kept glaring until he finally decided to explain. “Shea has taken what’s left of her court, her army, and the seelie king. She is riding east through the Graywoods in the south, with my blessing. Asra is lost; the Elderdale fortress, home to the seelie court, still stands. She will attempt to defend it. She expects to fail, eventually. The old walls around the city will help, for a time, but she cannot hope to last more than a year under siege. Regardless, once the gates are closed, they will not open again, not even for you. She has made that clear.”
Fuck. How could she argue against that?
What was she supposed to do, then? She’d never felt more helpless. But Elden was done with her; he’d redirected his attention to Vale.
“You have a quest, princeling. I will give you whatever assistance is in my power. We’ll talk details in the morrow. I demand one thing in exchange.” Elden stared at Valerius long and hard, and Devi wondered if she was hearing the whole conversation or if Elden was also speaking to Vale’s mind. “Should you claim the crystal throne, you will take a female with elf blood to sit at your side. Our kind has long been forsaken in the thoughts of the rest of the Isle. You make agreements and trade without inviting us. I would have your rule end this. I would have us thrive together.”
Devi’s outrage rendered her speechless at first, then she exclaimed, “Did you just offer me up like a piece of meat? Again!” Her voice had risen to a shout in her indignation. “I can’t believe this.”
Elden was the picture of indifference.
Vale seemed as unfazed. He pointed out, “To his credit, your father said a female with elf blood. Pretty certain that includes just about every female in this court. Not everything is about you, you know.”
For some reason, that only fueled her rage. She unhooked her bow from her back, pulled an arrow from her quiver, aimed, and shot at Vale, who caught the weapon in midair before throwing it aside.
“What did she mean by ‘again’?” Valerius asked unsympathetically.
“Devi’s mother and I had, before her birth, agreed to relinquish her to your mother’s care. In exchange, my court was granted whatever nectar we required at a fixed rate, regardless of inflation. Quite the deal, if you ask me. Devi disagrees.”
“Fixed rate?” Vale gasped. “The price of nectar has doubled these last ten years alone! Quite the deal,” he repeated, impressed. “In any case, I’ve passed many comely ladies of your court during my short stay. It is no sacrifice to agree to your terms.”
Devi shook her head in disbelief and realized an alarming fact: Valerius was a younger version of Elden.
“I’m surrounded by opportunistic idiots. And as his royal pain in my ass pointed out, your stupid agreement does apply to any trollop in this forsaken realm. Let me go to Shea. If I portal south, I can join her before she reaches Elderdale.”
The king and Valerius both said, “No.”
“And why, please?”
“You’re handy with a bow. The boy may be decent with a blade, but projectile weapons are important. He’ll need your help if he’s to live long enough to fulfill his side of the bargain,” was her father’s answer. “I pledged to give him power over his enemy; you’re part of that deal.”
Valerius added, “Besides, my mother made both of us head to Wyhmur. I’d wager she intended for you to accompany me.”
The two very logical points pissed her off because she had to concede, begrudgingly, that they weren’t without merit.
“Fine,” she grumbled, still put out. Then, thinking of her own stipulation, she said, “But you’ll send someone along the western borders for me. There’s a male riding a dyrmount alone, heading toward Carvenstone. He would have hair dyed dark and a plain cloak. If I’m not to go that way, you shall grant him help. That’s my condition.”
She’d planned to catch up with Kallan on her way, if she could; but she said that mainly because coming out of this discussion without the king agreeing to one of her demands might have felt too much like losing.
Valerius lifted a brow, impressed she’d thought of his friend, no doubt.
She rolled her eyes. “He’s too pretty to let him die.”
The prince didn’t like that. Good. Another win for her.
“Who’s this pretty male, Valerius?” Elden asked him rather than addressing Devi.
They were getting along.
This was perhaps her worst nightmare.
“My second. He’s indeed pretty, and loyal, too. I’d be grateful if you could lend him a hand.”
“Hmm. Very well. I shall send Kira after him.”
Devi’s eyes widened. “Kira?”
The king feigned innocence. “She’s my fastest rider and the best warrior in our ranks.”
“And she’ll also eat him alive and spit him back out for fun,” Devi added.
Elden didn’t deny it.
Vale asked Devi, “You know this Kira well?”
Elden answered for her. “Kira is the general of my forces in the western woods. Given the unrest, she’s currently at the borders. If your second is alive, she’ll find him faster than anyone else.”
None of what he’d said was technically a lie, yet he’d avoided revealing anything of importance.
If only to rattle her father, Devi filled in the blanks. “Kira is my twin. And she makes me look like a helpless, delicate damsel. A reasonable one.”
While Devi had been raised by their mother, Kira had lived in the Winter Court her whole life. After Loxy’s death, when Elden brought the fifteen-year-old weakling whose only credit was her modest skill with a bow to Elvendale, Kira greeted her with a snort. They were the same age. She had the
same face, although her twin had her mother’s green eyes and flaming red hair, while Devi had taken her father’s hazel eyes and dark hair. But their main difference was that, unlike her, Kira had already been lethal and fierce.
“You, my twin?” The girl grimaced. “Well, we’ll see what we can make of you.”
Devi’s thirteen years of training with the unseelie queen had never troubled her because it hadn’t been nearly as brutal as the one year she’d suffered at her sister’s hands.
Kira already controlled her devastating power by then—better than Devi did, at age twenty-eight. And no game had pleased the elf princess more than making boys do her bidding. At fifteen. Kallan had done nothing to deserve this fate.
Thirteen years ago, when they were fifteen, the age when both fae and elves were called to train for their higher purpose, Shea sent word to Elden, requesting one of the twins. She didn’t say which, but Elden didn’t even hesitate before naming Devi.
Devi cried and begged him to stay. She’d found a home here: guarding the borders with her sister. She was happy. Leaving for a place she knew nothing about was a punishment like no other.
“Listen to me, Devira,” Elden had told her. “You don’t belong here. Kira does. We’ve taken care of you because it is our duty, but you’re not wanted in this court. There is no place for you here. Shea Blackthorn has use for you. I do not. Do you wish for civil war when I am gone? There can only be one heir to my crown, and I have chosen Kira. You will go.”
She’d left with an empty heart and dry cheeks, as she’d already cried all her tears. She’d left cold, expecting to find a darker world.
But the unseelie queen had welcomed her with open arms. Shea, who couldn’t lie, had said, “I’ve always wanted a daughter, Devira. Now my wish has been granted, it seems. We’re alike, you and I.” And other things, such as, “There will always be a place for you in the unseelie realm. No matter what.”
Her loyalty was with Shea Blackthorn because Shea Blackthorn’s loyalty had been with her when no one else's had.
Devi hadn’t seen Kira since she’d left for the Court of Night, but she could only imagine what her sister had become.
