Queen of Light (The Forbidden Fae Book 3)

by Linsey Hall

  Cass shot me a look. “This is the part where I get caught, right?”

  “If you’re going to get caught, then yes.”

  “Right. I’ll try my best.”

  “Let’s go.” I started forward, my steps sure despite my thundering heart. The river rushed beneath the huge stone slabs that made up the bridge, and I could see right through it to the pebbles below.

  We crossed the bridge without problem, stepping onto the soft green grass on the other side. As we neared the stunted, gnarled oaks, the branches began to tremble and grow. They reached for each other, limb twisting around limb to form an impenetrable wall.

  “Shit.” Cass backed up, quickly returning to the other side of the bridge. I glanced back at her, spotting her already on the far side. A frown creased her brow. “They haven’t opened back up.”

  “I’m not sure you’re the problem.” Quickly, I approached the trees.

  Last time, I’d been able to step into the grove formed by the tiny oaks. Now, their branches had formed a sturdy wall that wouldn’t allow any of us entrance.

  With a trembling hand, I reached out and rested my palm against one of the woody limbs. Magic seethed beneath my hand, ancient and powerful. It felt like the golden light of life, powerful and majestic.

  But beneath it….

  “The darkness.” I gasped, stumbling back. “It’s the same evil that inhabits me.”

  “And has poisoned the king and queen,” Iain said.

  “They’ve done this,” Connor said. “They don’t want you returning.”

  “Not them.” I shook my head. The king and queen had never been friendly, exactly. But they’d always been fundamentally good. “This is the evil that pollutes them.”

  I turned to Cass. “You can come here. It’s not you that’s making them do this.”

  She ran toward us, swift and graceful.

  “How do we get past it?” Iain approached the trees, his stride slow and steady, as if he didn’t want to spook them. “Obviously we can’t chop them down or burn them. There’s no way to fight this.”

  He was right. Killing them wouldn’t help anything—it’d just destroy the portal that accessed my Court, then we’d be really screwed. Anyway, the idea of it sat wrong with me. These were the oldest trees on the moor.

  “We have to convince them.” I frowned. “But how? Last time, they reached out for me with their branches. Now, they couldn’t care less.”

  “I’d say they’re actively opposed,” Connor said.

  My newly tattooed arm tingled, and I looked down, spotting the tattoos glowing bright.

  “Uh, sis? You’re glowing,” Connor said.

  “I can see that.” Instinct propelled me to raise my arm. The tattoos glowed even brighter, a nearly blinding brilliant gold.

  “Do you know what you’re going to do?” Connor asked.

  “Nope. Don’t pressure me, bro.”

  He raised his hands as if I’d just told him this was a stickup. “No pressure, no pressure.”

  I drew in a steady breath, feeling the magic surge to life within me. This was my least familiar magic, but it was the one that had defeated the darkness in my nightmare at Aethelred’s house. Maybe it could help here.

  I tried to direct it toward the forest, but the darkness that still crouched in my soul put up a fight, making my stomach turn and my breath grow short. It fought to rise inside me, but it couldn’t.

  Connor’s potion, thank fates.

  Magic surged as I pressed my hand to the closest wooden limb. Calm seeped through me, making my breathing flow more easily and my muscles relax.

  Maybe this was all I had to do…

  I cleared my mind as I had every other time I’d come through here, thinking of my intentions toward the Court of Flame. I’m here to help.

  A powerful surge of energy blasted out from the oaks, sending me flying backward. I crashed to the ground on my butt, skidding backward in the dirt.

  “Ouch.” Aching, I stood. “That didn’t work like I thought.”

  “What if only the first layer of trees is on the offensive?” Cass asked. “Perhaps if we can break through the first layer, the trees in the middle will behave normally.”

  Something inside me rebelled at the idea. “No. Let me try again.”

  My arm tingled just as fiercely as before, the magic inside me clearly not put off by what had just happened.

  I strode toward the trees and gripped a limb tightly, sending my magic surging into the tree. I forced it out as fast as I could, determined to drive the darkness back. The golden light exploded from me, blasting into the trees. They bent over as if a fierce wind had blown them.

  Magic popped on the air, and the trees’ limbs retreated, untangling and returning to their normal positions. A pathway opened up into the interior of the grove.

  “The darkness is gone,” Iain said. “I can feel it.”

  “Not for long. Come on.” I stepped between the trees, entering the tiny grove.

  “If this works, we’ll be in the realm of the Fire Fae in no time,” Connor said. “We need to take the invisibility potions.”

  “You’re right.” I turned to the others.

  Connor yanked the cork out of his vial and winked. “Bottoms up.”

  He swigged it back and disappeared. Quickly, I pulled my own vial out of my pocket and drank the potion. I gagged at the terrible taste, but got it all down. An icy chill raced over my skin, and a second later, I could see Connor. Iain’s and Cass’s forms shimmered, then turned solid.

  We were all invisible, able to see each other because we’d taken the same potion. No one else would be able to see us, however.

  I turned back to the grove, calmed by the power of the ancient trees that surrounded me. “Imagine your good intentions toward the Court. They’re reading your spirit, but that will help.”

  The tree limbs reached for me, brushing gently against my arms. One began to wrap around my wrist, tightening quickly. Pain pinched. I could feel the hint of darkness in the limb.

  “Crap!” I yanked my arm free. “The darkness is returning.”

  “The ether has me—” Connor’s words were cut off as he was sucked into space.

  He disappeared.

  Iain went next.

  Another tree limb reached for me, trying to twist around my arm. To hold me.

  “Blast it again!” Cass said.

  With my tattooed hand, I gripped the tree limb that had wrapped around my arm and sent a surge of my strange new light magic into it. The limb retreated, and a second later, the ether began to tug at me. It sucked me in, spitting me into the realm of the Fire Fae.

  It was dark in the realm of the Fire Fae, the sun having fully set behind the hills. The city gleamed in the distance. Nearby, Connor and Iain bent next to the fallen bodies of two guards.

  “They’re not dead, right?” I asked.

  “No. We just knocked them unconscious,” Iain said.

  “Good. No killing if we can help it.”

  Iain nodded and bent again, quickly binding one of the guard’s limbs with his belt and shoelaces. Connor did the same with the other, and they dragged the two guards toward the woods to hide them.

  I spun around, searching for Cass. Shit. I thought she’d come with me, but…

  Connor and Iain returned to my side.

  “Where’s Cass?” Concern echoed in Connor’s voice.

  “She’s not here. I thought she came with me.”

  A moment later, the air next to me shimmered, and Cass appeared, bright-eyed and red-cheeked. “I don’t think it wanted to take me at first.”

  “Your disguise didn’t work?” I asked.

  “Barely. I think it could tell something was off about me.”

  “The trees are wise, though. You came with us, and it must sense the darkness that we’re trying to fight.”

  “It sensed the light in you,” Cass said. “That’s what convinced it.”

  I turned toward the hill that led
up to my old village. “I hope it was right about me.”

  Connor slapped me on the back. “Of course it was, sis. Now let’s go.”

  I started up the steep hill, heading toward the cobbled road that led between the gleaming houses made of fire and glass.

  The others joined me, and we moved swiftly and silently toward the massive castle that loomed at the top of the tor. As we neared the houses, I could hear the voices of the villagers. I couldn’t see through the flicking orange glass walls of their houses, but everyone sounded happy. Carefree.

  “Do they have no idea what has polluted the kingdom?” Connor asked.

  “Doesn’t sound like it.” I turned to watch children run down the street, laughing and happy. Parents shouted out of open windows about dinner and bedtime. I’d saved them from the burning curse a little over twenty-four hours ago, and they were all living it up. I couldn’t blame them. Nothing like illness or death to remind you of how amazing it was to be healthy and alive.

  I just had to drive the evil off entirely before they figured out that the battle hadn’t been won yet.

  My mind raced as we strode silently up the main street. I made sure to keep my magical signature under lockdown just in case anyone might sense my presence. My companions did as well, and there was no hint of their signatures. I dodged around several people, and none so much as turned to look at me.

  It was so different than my recent journeys up this hill—once in shackles and once in a royal carriage.

  I found I preferred it.

  I shivered and looked up toward the castle. It flickered orange in the darkening sky, still so beautiful that it hurt to look at it. We were nearly there, and I could spot movement behind the glass windows.

  Cass whistled low under her breath. “This place is impressive.”

  “Wait until you see the inside.”

  Together, we climbed the steps to the main castle doors. They loomed tall above us, dark magic rolling out from them. I shivered, then turned to my companions, speaking quietly. “The king and queen are likely in the throne room across the foyer. But Cass, if you get a sense of where they are, let us know.”

  She nodded. Her FireSoul ability would come in handy here.

  Connor spoke quietly. “As soon as we’re in, I’ll freeze the entry hall so no one new can enter. Be on the lookout in case I toss you something.”

  “Let’s go, then.” I pushed open the great doors, stepping into the enormous entrance hall. The space was octagonal, with glass rafters and a clear ceiling that revealed the night sky above. Right inside the entrance, two palace guards stared in shock at the doors that seemed to open entirely on their own.

  “Who goes there?” demanded the larger one as he blindly searched the area around the doors.

  Both guards raised their flaming spears, but it was their eyes that caught my attention. They were so darkly shadowed that they looked exhausted. No doubt they were feeling the influence of the evil that had polluted the king and queen. They hadn’t slept in days, from the look of it. I couldn’t blame them. If I were worried that my king and queen were possessed by evil, I’d be losing sleep as well.

  Hell, I was.

  With time, the villagers would feel it as well.

  “Who goes there?” the guard demanded again.

  Connor darted quickly into the atrium, moving past them as he dug into his potions sack.

  Iain lunged for one guard, putting him into a sleeper hold that had him unconscious in seconds. The other guard gaped, his senses no doubt slowed by exhaustion.

  While Iain dealt with one guard, I pulled my potion bag from the ether and drew a stunning potion from it. I hurled it to the ground at the gaping guard’s feet. A pale blue smoke billowed up from the broken bomb, and the guard breathed it in, dropping immediately to the ground.

  “That wasn’t so hard,” Cass said. “I didn’t even have to get my hands dirty.”

  An alarm sounded, blaring through the palace.

  Ah, crap. The entire palace knew we were here.

  5

  As the alarm blared through the castle, a powdery dust sprinkled down from the ceiling, coating me lightly. A chill ran over my body.

  “We’re visible again,” Connor said. “The alarm triggered a spell that released the powder. The guards will be able to see us.”

  Shit.

  Shouts and footsteps sounded from deeper in the castle, headed right for us.

  “Everyone in the castle is headed this way,” Iain said.

  Connor, who was already on the other side of the atrium, turned to us. “Catch!” He tossed three potion bombs into the air, one for each of us. “These hallways need to be frozen so that no one can enter. All but the one leading to the king and queen. Which one goes to them?”

  “Behind you.” I pointed to the hall on the opposite side of the atrium, the one nearest him. I could feel the darkness coming from there. Without a doubt, it was seeping from the king and queen. “They’re down that one.”

  There were five hallways leading into the huge space that made up the atrium—including the one containing the king and queen.

  Connor nodded sharply. “Everyone pick a hallway. Use the potion to draw a line in front of the hallway where it enters this room.”

  “Gotcha.” Cass ran to the right, choosing the hallway closest to her.

  Connor sprinted left, headed for another. Iain chose the one farthest away, and I sprinted toward the one closest to me.

  It was papered in fine blue velvet, with golden chandeliers hanging from the ceilings, sending glittering light sparkling over the walls. On a normal day, gorgeous Fae in fine dresses would be strolling down the hall. Instead, a dozen palace guards raced toward us, their spears at the ready.

  Three guards had already exited the hallway, but I sprinted past them, quickly uncorking the potion. I poured the liquid in a line straight across the exit, just like Connor had said. The liquid rose up as a cloud of shimmering mist, then rolled down the hallway away from me, freezing the Fae who hadn’t yet exited into the atrium. I darted back from it so that I wasn’t caught, and watched as more Fae ran into the mist, stopping stock still, unable to move.

  The sound of fighting echoed behind me, and I spun around to face the huge room. All around me, a fight had erupted.

  The three guards that had made it all the way into the atrium ran right for me. They wore the nearly impenetrable black armor of the elite forces. One powered up an enormous fireball, hurling it in my direction.

  My heart leapt into my throat. The fireball roared, bigger than a car and flickering with huge tongues of flame.

  I called upon my shield from the ether, ducking behind it as the fire slammed into the insulated metal. The impact made my arm shake and forced me to my knees, driving me back along the ground. I struggled to stay upright.

  My companions raced around, fighting off some of the guards and trying to pour their potions at the boundary of the atrium and the hallways. They were fast, but some of the guards were faster, sprinting into the atrium before the hallway froze entirely.

  Out of the corner of my eye, I caught sight of Puka, bloodlust in her eyes.

  Quickly, I dug into my bag and drew another stunning potion. I peeked out from behind my shield to see a guard almost upon me. His eyes blazed with fury and determination, and his flaming sword was raised high over his head. I slammed my shield into his face, sending him flying to the side. Then I hurled the potion bomb at the other two guards. It exploded at their feet, the smoke wafting upward. They collapsed.

  The guard that I’d hit was scrambling to his feet about five feet away. I sprinted for him, kicking him in the chest and sending him sprawling onto the ground. I leapt on him, straddling his armor as I punched him hard in the face.

  He collapsed, unconscious.

  I scrambled upright, spinning around to assess the fight.

  All around, the hallways leading to the atrium shimmered with pearly white light. Fae guards were frozen inside, t
heir bodies stopped mid-run as they tried to enter the atrium. I could feel their burning gazes on me.

  They were still conscious.

  And they were looking at me like I was an invader.

  Discomfort shivered across my spine. “I’m trying to help you!” I wanted to yell, but there was no point. Maybe they knew that their king and queen were possessed by evil, maybe they didn’t. Either way, they were determined to stop me, and that was all that mattered.

  Inside the atrium itself, unconscious bodies sprawled all around, the black armor indicating that none were from our side. Connor delivered a fierce punch to the jaw of one of the last standing guards, making him collapse like a rag doll. Cass was sprinting around the room, tying up the guards with whatever she could find.

  Iain strode toward me, concern on his face. “Are you all right? That fireball was huge.”

  My shield arm still ached from the blow, but I nodded. “Let’s find the king and queen.”

  Cass stood and dusted off her hands. All of the guards were bound. Connor finished inspecting each of the frozen hallways that led to the atrium. “We have about an hour before that wears off.”

  “Let’s make the most of it.”

  I strode toward the hallway that led to the king and queen. When I reached the huge wooden doors that closed off their throne room from the hall, the darkness nearly sent me to my knees. I couldn’t see it like I normally could, but I could feel it. My insides roiled as the evil tried to rise inside me, and I gasped, reaching out to grip Iain’s arm.

  His hand covered mine, squeezing tightly. “Are you all right?”

  I swallowed hard, stomach still turning. It was getting better, though. Something about his touch settled me, helping me find the strength to fight off the darkness. “Yeah. Just give me a sec.”

  Iain turned to Connor. “How long will your potion last?”

  “She should have days. It shouldn’t be wearing off so quickly.”

  “It’s not.” My insides finally settled, and I let go of Iain. “It just likes being near the king and queen, I think. But I’ve got it under control.”