Wings of Deception: (Kingdoms of Faerie Book 2)

by Skye Horn

  Thea needed to focus on something besides the way her lips still tingled from the kiss with Kieran. If that meant focusing on unused rooms and the dark magic she’d need to use to open the portal, then so be it. Her eyes still stung from the tears she’d repressed, but everything else was being suppressed for the time being. Plus, it wasn’t as if she could just say something in an ancient language and everything would work out how it was supposed to. Magic didn’t work that way. Every time she used the magic inside her, she gave a piece of herself to it—an exchange for the power she received. Sometimes it was small, like warming the water in her tub or forcing the wind to carry her higher as she flew. Other times it had nearly killed her.

  Like her fight with Malachi.

  That was why Thea needed Amara. Her half-sister was the only one who had been close enough to Malachi to have any idea of what Thea might need to do. Plus, she had also wielded massive amounts of dark magic herself and still been able to come back from it. Iris could research the words she needed to say, but with the actual darkness she’d need to summon, Thea thought Amara would be her best bet.

  “I don’t want you actually practicing any dark magic,” Thea said, eyeing the horrified look that had come over Amara’s face. “I just want you to walk me through it so I don’t lose control.”

  “And you thought I was a good example of control?” Amara asked, looking at her feet as they walked. Her face had become ghostly pale. Long gone was the confident teenager Thea had met only a few months earlier. A strangely timid girl who didn’t seem to understand where she belonged anymore had replaced her. Thea pitied her for that, knowing how it felt to not belong—or to worry you weren’t being good enough to stay.

  “Despite our differences, Amara, I know how powerful you are. I need that kind of power if I’m going to get Ainé back. Our father didn’t open the portal by saying please.”

  Amara bit her lip and walked closer to Thea as they turned into a corridor with a few servants hurrying about their daily tasks. Thea didn’t expect anyone was listening, but she appreciated Amara’s security.

  “Does Kieran know you’re asking me to do this?”

  The sound of his name brought a sharp pain to Thea’s side, but she ignored it as she glanced at Amara.

  “Kieran doesn’t decide for me. This is the only way we can open the portal. We know we need dark magic; we know my blood is the key to the doorway; Iris is getting the rest of the details in order; but I need you to tell me how to summon darkness without an emotional breakdown.” Thea knew that dark magic had only ever come to her when she lost herself in her emotions. This would have to be different.

  “But if you use it, you will leave your soul defenseless against Morrigan,” Amara hissed. “Don’t you remember the things she made me do? If she senses you are weak, she’ll come for you.”

  “She’s already come for me, and something tells me she needs me in my right mind.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “It’s just a feeling…” Thea said, not meeting Amara’s eyes. She didn’t want to talk about all the things Morrigan had told her, because she didn’t want to admit that they had left her second-guessing everything.

  “Great, so you want me to teach you how to use soul-cursing magic based on a feeling…” Amara mumbled.

  “If you don’t, we have no hope of standing a chance against Morrigan. If Ainé dies, do you really think we can take on the Goddess of Death?”

  Thea thought back to everything Morrigan had told her during their last conversation. Thea and her council had been under the impression that Morrigan was planning her attack, but what proof was there of that at this point? If anything, Thea felt compelled to think the Goddess was awaiting her to make the first move. But why? Why wait for Thea to come to her at all? Even with this bond, it didn’t seem to be the most strategic of plans. That’s what made it dangerous.

  “I’m not even sure I’m convinced a Goddess can die,” Amara continued.

  Thea had thought about that too, but she didn’t have time to figure out the answer to how to kill a Goddess. She was still busy trying to figure out how to save one. There had to be another way to make everyone safe from Morrigan. If her life connected to Morrigan’s then death must at least be a possibility.

  The argument was pointless, since Thea had already decided on a course of action, but she allowed it to continue, regardless. It distracted her from the place her thoughts drifted away to in the silence.

  Thea had told Kieran about the dark magic, but their conversation had steered its way into something far more dangerous after that. She knew he was set against it, but there was nothing he could do to stop her at this point. They needed to open the portal, and she refused to put anyone else’s soul at risk when hers already felt broken.

  When they reached the inner courtyard of the castle, Thea found Declan chatting with Haven in a secluded corner away from listening ears. Even from the distance, Thea could see the bruising around his eye, but the bleeding had stopped, and the swelling seemed under control. Guilt crept across his features as she and Amara approached. Thea could see the apology forming on his lips, but she shook her head before he could speak.

  “I’m sorry that Kieran acted that way. There is no excuse.”

  “He’s in love with you,” Declan replied as explanation, but he didn’t look upset. He actually smiled as Thea sat beside him to examine the injuries on his face. She wasn’t sure how to respond to that now that Kieran had admitted the words aloud to her.

  “What’s she doing here?” Haven asked. Her eyes were fixed on Amara, but something about the spark of anger behind them made Thea’s wings tense. Amara shrank beneath that weighted gaze, taking a step back from the group.

  “I asked her to come.” Thea’s voice settled into a no-arguments tone, but her gaze met Haven’s with curiosity. Something had happened between Amara and Haven, but there was no time to ask about it right now. She made a mental note to ask Haven about it later.

  Haven didn’t seem happy about the situation, but thankfully, she didn’t argue with Thea either. They all needed to focus if this was going to work. So, Thea took her own advice and pressed the thoughts of Kieran’s confession to the back of her mind. She even put aside the thought of marrying Declan for a moment. That hurdle would come later, but for now, they needed to jump the first one, which was getting into that prison realm.

  “I have a plan, but I need Amara’s help if it’s going to succeed.

  “You know that we need to find Ainé, but my blood isn’t the only necessary component to open the portal. I need to perform some serious dark magic…” Thea looked at each of their faces, happy to see Haven no longer glared at Amara, but was listening to the plan Thea laid out. “Amara will teach me how to control that, or at least talk me through it as I try. Meanwhile, I need you to help me with the physical fighting, Haven.

  “We don’t know what we will face when we get into that prison realm, but I want to be prepared for anything.” She shifted her gaze to Declan, knowing he would not like the next part of the plan. “Haven, Kieran and I will go after Ainé, but I need you and Amara to stay behind in case something goes wrong.”

  “You can’t just leave me behind after everything you’ve told me,” he said, wincing as his eyebrows pulled together in frustration.

  “Actually, it’s a sound plan,” Haven drawled. “No offense, but you aren’t trained the same way Kieran and I are. We will protect Thea on the inside, and if something goes wrong, Amara will be on the outside, ready to open the portal again.”

  Thea hadn’t voiced this part of the plan, but Haven had picked up on it anyway. If they got stuck inside the prison realm, they needed someone who could handle dark magic to be on the outside. That was where Amara came in, even if Thea prayed it wouldn’t come to that.

  “Plus,” Haven continued, “if something goes wrong, someone has to tell Queen Ismara and the councils. None of us are High Fae, and therefore, you are the only one they’d
trust.”

  Declan considered Haven’s words, and Thea prayed he wouldn’t argue. She didn’t have time for arguments at this point. She needed all of them to accept their parts in this plan for it to succeed, or to leave and let the rest of them figure it out. Telling another High Fae that they were breaking into a prison world to save Ainé from death wasn’t an option. They needed to keep this within the inner circle, so if he refused, Thea didn’t know what they’d do for Plan B.

  Thankfully, he nodded his head in agreement. Thea blew out a relieved sigh.

  “Great. So, you all know your parts. Haven and Kieran are my bodyguards. Amara is my backup, and Declan, you’re the messenger of bad news if this plan gets shot to hell.” Thea tried to keep her tone light, but her own fear was creeping out in her words. If they didn’t succeed with this plan, what would happen to Ivandor? Or any of the other kingdoms?

  They’ll be subjected to Morrigan’s reign, unless you die and take her down with you, the little voice of logic returned. Thea had no choice left. Her council had lied too many times for her to trust them with this information, and Thea didn’t trust Queen Ismara not to report their mission to her own High Council. It appeared they were on their own, at least for the time being. It relieved Thea that at least this time she had a team on her crazy suicide mission.

  “What about Ethel and Mica?” Haven asked, looking at Thea with curiosity.

  “I’m leaving them out of this one. I can’t put them at risk anymore; they’re just kids.”

  “Don’t let them hear you say that.” Amara smirked a little. She was clearly happy not to be grouped with them.

  “The fewer people know, the better. I’ll tell Iris what is going on, and she can keep them out of it. If it all goes wrong, well, Declan, you’ll have a lot of explaining to do.” Thea cast a slight smile in his direction, but it hardly felt real. This plan had so many potential ways of failing, and yet, she couldn’t think of a better way to proceed. “In the meantime, we need to find a more secluded place to work out the details. We can’t just keep talking about this in the courtyard.”

  “I know a place,” Declan said, standing up. He reached out to grab Thea’s hand, surprising her, and tugged her toward the castle gates. However, he didn’t head for the hallway she knew led to the throne room. Thea glanced over her shoulder at Haven and Amara, watching their amusement grow.

  “Don’t worry, we’re coming.” Haven nodded for Amara to go first as she laughed, but Thea didn’t have time to see if they were actually following her. Declan pulled her down another corridor to a side of the castle she hadn’t explored yet. It didn’t look any different from the other stone-lined walkways to her, though.

  Finally, he stopped in front of a solid wood door, dropping her hand and mumbled, “Wait here.”

  The door shut behind him with an echoing click as Haven and Amara’s footsteps approached from behind. Thea tilted her head to the side, listening to the sound of objects being moved behind the closed door, and lifted an eyebrow.

  “He’s kind of weird,” Amara murmured as the three of them listened to Declan’s tornado movements inside.

  When the door reopened, he looked nervous and disheveled, but Thea saw that this was not just any room in the castle. It was a bedroom. His bedroom, she assumed.

  “Come on in,” he said, a bit breathlessly. “Sorry, it was a mess.”

  He reached up to rub the back of his neck as the door swung completely open, but Thea stayed where she was as Haven and Amara walked into the bedroom.

  “This is the safest place you could think of for us to talk?” Amara asked, eyeing the large room.

  “I’ve lived here my entire life. The guards know not to bother me here, and the servants only come when I ask them to. Plus, it’s big enough to practice magic, and secluded enough not to get caught. No one will look for you here.”

  He ran one hand through his blond hair as he watched Thea in the doorway, but something about entering his bedroom kept her feet glued to the spot—even with Haven and Amara there, it felt too intimate to be appropriate.

  “I don’t know.” Thea tried her best to hide the nervousness that penetrated her tone and stared around the room through the open door.

  He was right. It was big enough for them to practice not only magic but also the physical training that Thea needed. Even with their wings, she could picture Haven and herself sparring in the privacy of this room, at least until they could go back to Ivandor.

  “Thea,” Haven said, meeting her eyes. “It’s okay.”

  Despite Thea’s hesitation, the look on Haven’s face coaxed her through the door. One step at a time, Thea entered the room, taking in the bookcase-lined walls and large, satin-covered bed. There were journals stacked chaotically on top of a large wooden desk, and candles he’d clearly just lit cast shadows across each of their faces. As Thea shut the door behind herself, it surprised her to see that Declan looked as nervous as she felt. By his reputation, Thea was sure she was not the first girl he’d kissed and brought back to his bedroom, but something about his unease just enhanced her own discomfort.

  Across the room, Haven looked impressed with Declan’s quick thinking. She walked to the window, opening up the curtains to let the light from outside in.

  “Enjoy your privacy much?” She laughed as they all looked at the enormous tree blocking the window. Declan just smiled.

  “Easy to sneak in and out of the castle when you have at tree to climb down,” he said in explanation. “My aunt was kind of strict growing up, and not all of us have wings.”

  Thea almost caught herself smiling at the image of him trying to shimmy his way down a tree. They weren’t high off the ground, and if he’d been trained like most Fae, jumping from the window would have been easy, but he’d admitted his physical training had been lacking. For the first time, Thea wondered what his magical training had been like. They hadn’t talked about it that night in the gardens, but she wondered which element he’d specialized in. So far, he hadn’t shown any interest in displaying his magic. The only indication she had that he was even a Fae were his pointed ears.

  “So, what’s first?” Amara asked, pulling Thea out of her thoughts. She returned her attention to her three companions.

  They were looking at her for direction, which left her a little dry-mouthed. A year ago she never would have imagined herself as a leader, and yet, over these past six months, wasn’t that what she’d turned into? And it wasn’t just because she was a princess. Kieran being gone had left Thea in a position where she couldn’t hide beneath his choices any longer. She had to make them for herself. Now, she needed to not only lead this strange group of individuals, but she also needed to lead a kingdom.

  She’d definitely gotten herself in over her head.

  “Well, I don’t know about the rest of you, but I’m curious if the rumors are true,” Declan said when it was clear Thea would not speak. “I’ve heard that the princess here can control all four elements.”

  Out of all of the questions Declan could have had, this was what he wanted to know? Thea hadn’t even been aware there was a rumor going around about her abilities and wondered where Declan had heard it from.

  Haven looked just as intrigued as Declan.

  “Oh, it’s true,” Amara said plopping down on Declan’s bed. She nearly slid off the satin edge, but steadied herself by leaning back on her hands. “She kicked some serious ass last time I saw her.”

  A slow burn crept up Thea’s neck to her cheeks. Amara hadn’t even seen the half of it. She’d been on her way to safety by the time Thea had discovered any of her actual power, but she wasn’t about to tell her new friends that. Nor was she about to point out she’d actually been kicking Amara’s ass the last time they’d seen each other. She wanted to save those bragging rights for a more appropriate time.

  “Well, show us then,” Haven said, eyeing Thea. The spotlight was not Thea’s favorite place to stand, but she nodded her head anyway, knowing that the thre
e of them were not about to let her get away without proving or disproving the rumors.

  She started with the one she knew the most about: air. Focusing her attention in Amara’s direction, Thea felt the familiar sensation of magic igniting within her veins. She felt the warm burn beneath her skin, etching its way toward her fingertips, and with a flick of her wrist, she sent a gust of air out in front of her. The satin comforter rippled out around Amara in response.

  Amara swatted at the material, laughing as Thea allowed the wind to die down and whispered, “Air.”

  Haven and Declan watched her with curious intent as her gaze drifted around the room, back to the large wooden desk. Next to the stack of journals was a dying plant that Declan clearly hadn’t taken care of. The leaves drooped, and the soil appeared dry as Thea approached it, but when she pressed her fingers to the dirt, the sickly branches rose and murky brown leaves faded into olive green.

  “Earth,” she said.

  Thea didn’t dare look at the other faces in the room, already feeling the blush on her cheeks grow darker. Instead, she focused on little bits of water that remained in the plant’s soil, closing her eyes to call them out of the pockets where they hid until a small puddle had formed within her palm. It wasn’t until that point that she returned her gaze to her friends.

  Meeting their wide eyes, she bit her bottom lip and inhaled one sharp breath. She hadn’t tried this next bit of magic before, but something inside her told her she could do it. She focused the magic to the palms of her hands where the water sat, imagining the warmth of a fire within its coolness, and then closed her eyes tight.

  “Water,” she whispered, focusing every thought on the water in her care before murmuring the last element. “And fire.”

  With the word came one last burst of magic. Flames exploded in the palms of her hands, bursting as if the water had become gasoline. It didn’t burn her skin, but it excited her as they danced across the reflections of the three sets of widened eyes staring at her. Amara had been long gone by the time Thea had conjured fire in Ivandor. So even she looked impressed now.