Wings of Deception: (Kingdoms of Faerie Book 2)

by Skye Horn

  However, she took it every single day without question. An entire kingdom was counting on her to be strong, and if she intended to prove to her High Council that she didn’t need a man at her side to rule, that would start with getting over Kieran. Like Ethel had said, she needed closure, and she needed it before the council married her off to a stranger.

  “How’s it looking up here?” Derek’s voice came from a distance behind her as he rose to catch up.

  She glanced over her shoulder at him, hiding the disappointment that someone had cut her alone time short, and circled back around to meet him halfway.

  “Everything looks quiet,” she answered. “You’re finished eating?”

  “I thought it didn’t seem fair that you and the kid were patrolling while we ate, so I scarfed the stew down and burned the top of my mouth for you.” He grinned.

  “Oh, how valiant of you.” A slight laugh rumbled from her throat as she fell into a comfortable glide beside him. Flying was easy, but talking with people wasn’t. An uncomfortable desire to say something boiled beneath the surface, but she didn’t know what to say. Thankfully, Derek spoke first.

  “I also wanted to apologize,” he said, surprising Thea for the second time. “We shouldn’t have acted like that earlier.”

  “Oh? You don’t think women aren’t fit to stand beside you in battle?” Thea looked at him with a raised eyebrow, watching as the wind tossed his blond hair back from his face. There was a pink tint to his pale cheeks.

  “It’s just not how things have ever been,” he said, and Thea swore she might have even seen shame in his eyes. She appreciated his honesty, even if she disagreed with his opinion. “That doesn’t mean it’s wrong, though. I don’t really remember the time before the Dark War, but something must have gone very wrong for us to end up how we did.”

  Thea nodded in agreement. She had figured Derek wasn’t much older than herself and therefore had no memory of anything besides the miserable life her father had made for everyone. She reminded herself that Derek was one of the good guys, one of the Fae who had not joined her father’s army. That counted for something.

  “I guess what I’m trying to say is that I support you wanting to change things,” he said, looking a little flustered.

  “This wouldn’t have anything to do with you wanting a spot on the Queen’s Guard, would it?”

  Derek laughed a deep, chest-rumbling laugh that caused the feathers of his wings to quiver.

  “I’d be a liar to say I didn’t want that position, milady.” His eyes met hers and for the first time he seemed to actually see her—not just the princess he was here to protect, but the actual Thea. “But I’ve seen the way you interact with the human girl and the half-Fae boy. You’re a truly kind person, and few of those exist anymore.”

  Now, it was Thea’s turn to blush as she looked away from Derek. She didn’t know if she was actually that person, but she tried to be. She tried to make decisions that benefited everyone, rather than just herself. But wasn’t it her fault that Morrigan had returned in the first place? Hadn’t it been her selfishness that allowed the Goddess of Death to walk among them again? She knew the answer, but Derek didn’t.

  “I appreciate your confidence,” Thea said after a moment. “It takes more than a good person to bring a kingdom like Ivandor back from the ruins, though. No one trusts me because of my father, and no one believes that I know anything about being a queen, which I must admit they are semi-correct about.”

  “That makes you the perfect candidate, then,” Derek said with ease. Thea could almost hear him shrugging his shoulders without looking at him. “Ancient laws and opinions don’t shadow your decisions. You don’t see the class differences. Your view of our world is pure, and that’s why you can make it better.”

  Thea thought about what Derek was telling her, appreciating his blunt honesty, and for the first time, she actually considered him for her guard. It would be nice to have someone who was not afraid to be honest with her by her side—someone who could challenge her views with his own. Her council too often treated her like a child who needed to be taught everything from scratch; they didn’t trust her to make her own decisions. Derek, Thea realized, trusted his instincts, and his instincts were telling him to trust her. That was something she needed in the people she surrounded herself with.

  Thea had been about to tell him as much when a searing pain shot through her head. She screamed, clawing at her temples, where she was sure something was cracking her skull open from the inside. Her wings tucked against her as her muscles went rigid, tightening into knots all over her body. Within seconds she was falling, with only the sound of her agonized screams and the pain in her head blazing through her as the ground rushed toward her.

  Chapter 6

  Kieran had spent most of his night in the tavern, drinking one ale after another while Amara stared at him from across the table. He figured if the queen had wanted to execute him for his explosion of emotions back in the throne room, she would have done so by now. Instead, she’d left him to the comfort of his own self-pity, while he contemplated an existence that didn’t involve Thea.

  For the past six months, Kieran had been trying to convince himself that he’d done the right thing in leaving Ivandor behind—that he’d been right to stop what was happening between him and Thea before it was too late. However, if that were anywhere near the truth, he wouldn’t have been feeling so miserable upon hearing his princess was planning to marry someone else. He’d been preparing for that scenario for his entire life, and yet, it had still felt like a slap to the face.

  “I think you should head up to bed,” Amara said, frowning when he finished yet another ale. His vision blurred as he tried to focus on her face, and every limb in his body felt heavy, but he didn’t care. He wanted to forget the pain.

  “Why?” he groaned.

  “Because I assume you want to leave before Thea arrives in Gimmerwich.” Amara spoke slowly, but each word still felt like the tip of a dagger in the soft spot between his ribs.

  “Don’t,” he warned. A low growl rumbled from his chest, and Amara sank back into her chair. The logical part of him knew that she was right. He couldn’t be here when Thea arrived. Who knew what might happen if he was, and yet, did he really plan on missing the only chance he had to see her before... He couldn’t even finish the thought. Even drunk, he had no intention of running away from Thea again. Not when he obviously had no reason to—she was moving on.

  “Go to bed, Kieran.” Amara pressed her fingertips to her temples, rubbing as her eyes closed. “I don’t want to babysit you anymore.”

  Kieran glared at her. If anyone was babysitting, he was babysitting her, but he didn’t have the energy to argue with her anymore so he stood from his seat and lumbered unsteadily toward the stairs of the tavern that would lead to the rooms the queen had promised them.

  Before he went, though, he blearily eyed the remaining customers and said, “If any of you touches a hair on her head, I will hunt you down and slit your throats.”

  Suddenly everyone appeared more interested in the ceiling or their tables than they were in Kieran. Amara only rolled her eyes as if to say she’d be fine without his drunk self watching over her. So he huffed and headed up to bed, trying not to stumble on the steps.

  Without bothering to undress, Kieran threw himself across the small bed and closed his eyes. For a moment, the world behind his eyelids continued to spin, but it didn’t take long for him to drift into the waves of nightmares that often plagued his sleep. Even with the blanket of alcohol on his system he could not escape their grasps, and he had to admit that tonight’s nightmares felt more real than any he’d experienced yet.

  As usual, Thea was in them, but now he saw her falling from the sky while his feet remained glued to the forest floor. He could hear her terrified screams, but no matter how hard he fought, it forced him to watch as her body neared the earth.

  Just a dream. Just a dream. Just. A. Dream, he repeated ov
er and over in his head. But something about this dream differed from the others. He’d been scared before, but there was a bone-deep chill coursing through him now.

  “Don’t worry, he’ll catch her.” The melodic voice startled Kieran. It sang across the wind as a figure that had not been there moments before appeared to stand at his side, but he didn’t dare look away from Thea’s falling body. He watched as a winged savior swooped down and scooped her up into his arms just before she hit the ground. She was still screaming and thrashing against him as he set her on the ground. Kieran didn’t recognize the man, but the fear on his face was enough to make Kieran feel as if his heart had stopped.

  She’s safe. She didn’t hit the ground. She’s safe, he told himself, but her thrashing body told him something else was wrong. He turned on the figure beside him, free of whatever had bound him to his spot while Thea fell, and then reached for a sword that wasn’t there, because this was not real life—not quite.

  “Morrigan,” he growled, bracing himself for whatever the Goddess of Death had brought him here to see. He had been unconscious the last time they’d been in the same room together, but he didn’t need to have seen her face to know who she was. Her black hair poured down her body in waves of darkness. He did not let his eyes linger there for long, meeting the smirking Goddess’ gaze as she examined him like a piece of meat she wanted to taste.

  “Hello, Kieran.” She reached out a long, white finger to brush the hair away from his face and he shuddered.

  “Why are you here?” he asked, forcing himself not to look away from her. She was beautiful—a fact he couldn’t deny—but the sight of her made everything inside of him crawl with terror.

  “I didn’t come to see you, but it is a pleasant treat.” Her eyes drifted to where Thea lay thrashing on the ground, and now that Kieran looked closely he could see the dark magic twisting around her body—dark magic that was coming from the shadows that surrounded him and Morrigan.

  “Stay away from her!” Kieran growled, pushing himself to stand between the Goddess of Death and the Princess of Ivandor. Although he knew he was asleep, Kieran’s subconscious was aware of the actual danger that lurked in this nightmare. Somewhere, Thea was in trouble. He could feel it in his bones, and he’d come to protect her. Even drunk and asleep, he would protect her.

  “I have no intention of harming her, Son of Darkness.” Morrigan spoke as if he were a child she needed to reprimand, but the way she’d said Son of Darkness chilled his spine, raising the hairs on the back of his arms and neck. “I want to remind her where her loyalty should be.”

  With a flick of her wrist, Morrigan sent Kieran flying away from Thea.

  “Your soul bond is obviously strong,” she said, sounding amused. “But she is mine tonight.”

  The Goddess of Death licked her lips and was in front of Kieran before he could blink. He tried not to recoil, but her cool hand gripped his chin, tilting it upward until their lips brushed.

  “I taste darkness on you,” she murmured, dragging her tongue across his bottom lip in a way that made his entire body stiffen. “When you understand the truth, you’ll come to me too.”

  His eyelids fluttered closed as she kissed him and his mind faded back into a dreamless slumber.

  It took Derek only a moment to recover from the shock, and as she clawed at her eyes where the invisible iron threatened to burn through her forehead, he dove at lighting speed to catch her.

  Unconsciousness overpowered Thea before she ever hit the ground. She slunk into it against her will. The taste of rust lingered on her tongue as dark magic trickled through her veins. She fought to escape its icy grip with no success and found herself trapped within the endless swirl of darkness.

  “Stay away from her!” She heard the scream bounce off the magic around her and stiffened.

  Thea knew that voice, even muffled by the darkness surrounding her. She tried to scream for him, but the shadows drowned out the sound until there was nothing but an endless buzzing in her ears. Thea didn’t know how much time had passed, but the pain in her head was growing again—it was like someone was trying to claw their way out… or in.

  As soon as the thought crossed her mind, Thea felt herself being pulled from the darkness. She rose through the biting cold until it dropped her upon the stone ground of a place she did not recognize. Black ash coated the crumbling walls and the ceiling was half-caved in, but the layout was one she recognized.

  She was in a scorched throne room, and the throne was not empty.

  “Morrigan,” Thea said no louder than a whisper as the Goddess smiled exposing a row of sharp, pointed teeth at her. She wanted to turn and run, but there was nowhere to go. Her body was likely still in the clearing where she’d fallen from the sky, but her mind was in this place with the Goddess of Death. Thea swallowed back the bile in her throat as the Goddess rose from her throne and neared her. Morrigan’s eyes and hair were the color of coal, but her skin was no longer coated in black mucus. Instead, there was color in her cheeks now, where once they’d been pale as a ghost’s. Her hair fell in shadowy waves against the silken red dress that clung to her feminine curves as she floated toward Thea on a cloud of shadows.

  “Princess Thea,” Morrigan’s voice resounded against the trembling walls as she bowed low to Thea. “What an absolute honor to see you again.”

  Thea felt the venomous mock behind the Goddess’ words, but she managed not to shrink away from it. She hoped the Goddess couldn’t hurt her in this dream-like state, or rather nightmare.

  “What do you want?” Thea asked, her voice shaking. There was no point in trying to convince herself that this was impossible. Ainé had spoken to Thea in dreams before. This appeared to be a similar approach, but Thea had not been asleep. Morrigan was growing stronger.

  Her wicked smile sent a shiver crawling across the back of Thea’s neck as she said, “To chat.”

  She motioned for Thea to follow her and headed back to the throne.

  “How did I get here?” Thea asked, glancing around. The last thing she remembered was speaking with Derek before the excruciating pain had begun. Then she’d been falling. If Morrigan had done that to her, what did that mean for how safe her location was? She needed to get back to the group to warn them.

  “Magic, of course.” Morrigan looked and sounded bored with Thea’s question. “That’s not what we are here to discuss though.”

  The Goddess tapped her fingers against the throne and the shadows below Thea’s feet pushed her forward as Morrigan added, “You are aware of our little predicament.” Her voice was a low drawl that crept over Thea’s chilled skin. “And yet, you’ve told no one.”

  Thea wasn’t surprised to learn that Morrigan knew she had told no one aside from Iris and Ethel about their connection, and apparently, they didn’t count. Kieran was the only one whom Thea really wished she could tell, but he had been long gone by the time she’d woken up.

  “Ah yes, I heard your lover-boy left,” Morrigan said, smiling at Thea, who failed to hide the shock on her face. “You’re in my world, Princess. No one has taught you to keep me out of your head yet. I’m sure they will now.”

  Bitter dread tightened the muscles between Thea’s shoulder blades, pulling her wings up in tension. Morrigan was right. No one had taught her. She hadn’t even known it was something that she needed to be taught until this moment. Somehow, everyone had forgotten to mention this shred of important information. She wanted to scream at her council now more than ever.

  “I’m sorry I didn’t just kill him for you,” Morrigan laughed, ignoring the rest of Thea’s thoughts. “It would have saved you all of this silly heart-ache to know that soulmates are nothing but a punishment.”

  There was a haunting look in Morrigan’s eyes that made Thea want to ask more questions about soulmates, but she bit her tongue. Now was not the time to talk about her love life.

  “Tell me what you want,” Thea demanded. Her voice trembled with impatience. She wanted nothing mor
e than to leave as she watched the look she thought she’d seen disappear from Morrigan’s face.

  “All right, then,” the Goddess of Death replied, looking annoyed once more. “As I’m sure you must have figured out by now, I am in Blackmire.”

  Thea had figured as much, but wondered why the Goddess was choosing to reveal her location to her now.

  “And?” she asked when it was clear Morrigan was awaiting her answer.

  “And,” she continued clicking her tongue against her teeth, “I brought you here to request that you join me.”

  “Why in the hell would I do that?” Thea heard the laughter in her voice, bordering on hysteria, but Morrigan’s face was nothing but serious. “You killed my ex-boyfriend; you killed my father; you tried to kill me and Kieran; and we tried to kill you—so why would we trust each other?”

  Each death weighed on Thea’s conscience, even her father’s, though she’d never admit that to anyone.

  “Because I need you alive,” Morrigan said, rolling her eyes as if this were the most simple explanation she could offer. “Plus, I can make you more powerful than your father ever was. I can make Kieran love you. You will have an actual choice with me, rather than being bound as you are now.”

  Thea didn’t understand how joining the Goddess of Death would offer her a choice. Nor did she understand how she didn’t have a choice now, unless Morrigan was referring to the soulmate bond. None of it made sense, so why was she even trying to convince her?

  “You want to destroy Faerie,” Thea said, instead of trying to decipher what Morrigan had said. “You want to kill humans.”

  “I only seek to return my lands to what they once were,” Morrigan said, her black eyes glittering at the prospect. “You see only light and dark, but magic is so much more than that. Your father was too focused on the purity of blood. No one, aside from my sister and I, are pure—least of all your kind.”