for Lochlan. But when her greatest friends died, our queen seemed to have lost her taste for war.”
Tears hung in Brea’s lashes. “I need to go.”
Fiona called a goodbye, but Brea barely heard her as she rushed out in the blazing Eldur heat.
Sweat dripped into her eyes, but she kept going, barely registering that she’d left the Eldur beans behind. She clutched the humantale book under her arm and rushed through the busy streets, wishing she wasn’t so far from the palace.
All she wanted to do was collapse onto her bed and hide in her room. Because she now knew without a doubt that Lochlan’s parents were dead because of her.
Fae’s Defiance: Chapter Two
Brea
“Lady Brea, rushing back to the palace already? It’s hardly mid-day.”
Brea paused at the sound of her name, blinking at the exotic woman dressed in free-flowing silks outside the magic shop. That’s what Brea called it anyway.
“Mrs. Moran. I’m sorry, I’ve got to get back early.”
“Come by later today. I have some new herbs to show you. They arrived today from the fire plains. I can teach you all about their mystical properties.”
For a moment, Brea was tempted to join her. She was fascinated with Mrs. Moran’s apothecary shop. Everything she stocked held magic of one kind or another. It wasn’t the kind of magic she was supposed to be learning, but it was definitely more interesting considering Brea hadn’t felt her magic in weeks. Something had her blocked, and she wasn’t sure how to move past it. No one seemed too concerned about it so she went along with it.
“I’ll try,” Brea called over her shoulder.
“Go have a nap, dear, you look a bit peaky. And have a cup of that tea I gave you yesterday. It will help you rest.”
“Thank you, Mrs. Moran.” Brea picked up her pace. Some of her favorite shops were closer to the palace, but they knew her as Lady Brea there. She much preferred the anonymity she had at the marketplace across the river in the lower city. It was like a different world down there. The merchants in this part of the city catered to the nobility and wouldn’t dream of calling her or anyone else a ‘richie’, at least not to her face.
By the time Brea reached the bridge entrance to the palace, sweat poured down her back, and she was anxious for a cool, quiet afternoon in her grotto. She might actually take that nap if her mind would quit running in an endless loop of worry and regret.
Shouts and commotion interrupted her thoughts. Sneaking into the courtyard wasn’t going to work this time. Both queens and half the palace swarmed the entrance, shouting and issuing orders. Soldiers and horses stood by while a distinguished looking man gave a report to the queen.
“Brea, darling.” Tierney spotted her before she could creep up the stairs. “There you are.”
“I was just exploring some of the shops.” She inched closer to the woman who called herself one of her mothers. “Have you had news of Alona?” Brea eyed the distraught Queen Faolan, still unable to fathom her as the woman who gave birth to her. Both queens were wonderful people, but with Alona’s disappearance and now no news from Lochlan and Finn, they were distracted. Most of Brea’s interactions with her mothers were awkward in the extreme, none of them knowing quite how to act around each other. Brea tended to avoid them.
“We’ve had a disturbing report.” Tierney put her arm around Brea. She was the more touchy-feely mom. “One of our scouts found the remnants of a battle. All of Lochlan’s men were slaughtered.”
Brea took in a sharp breath. “Loch and Finn too?” It surprised her how much it hurt to ask the question. Lochlan was a self-righteous pain in her butt and Finn was more of a stranger than a true friend—not like Myles had been. But that they both might be dead had her feeling all sorts of terror she hadn’t expected. Like she couldn’t possibly face this life in the fae realm without them.
“No, thank the heavens. There was no trace of them, so we must move forward hoping they made it to safety.”
“But?” Brea braced for the bad news.
“It’s been more than a week since the battle. Lochlan would have sent for help if he was able.”
“So, they might not have made it?” She couldn’t imagine Lochlan in any situation where he didn’t come out on top.
“We can only hope news of their whereabouts will