Queen of the Fae (Dragon's Gift The Dark Fae #3) - Linsey Hall Page 0,18
his orders to the death—that was obvious. As for the respect or fear that glinted on their faces, I had a feeling it had to do with whether or not they knew the truth about his brother’s death and Tarron’s ascension to the throne.
I wished they knew the truth about him. The self-sacrifice astounded me.
But that was exactly what Tarron didn’t want.
So I kept my mouth shut.
Luna strode forward, her blue hair tied up in a complicated braid and her pink eyes keen. I hadn’t seen much of Tarron’s right-hand Fae since the competition where we’d first met, but from the tired look in her eyes, she’d been hard at work.
Luna met Tarron at the edge of the table. “We’ve been shoring up the entrances to the realm and the weak spots in the ether.”
There was curiosity in her voice. Tarron must not have told them why.
I joined them at the table, Aeri at my side. A closer inspection revealed that this was a three-dimensional map of the entire kingdom. Certain parts at the edge were marked with blue crystal.
“What are the crystals?” I asked.
“Weak spots in the ether or entrances to our realm.” Luna met me with an assessing gaze. “Sometimes both.”
“Why are there weak spots?”
Luna shrugged. “It’s the nature of the ether. It’s how we built the portals to our realm, so no complaints from us.” She looked at Tarron. “Until now. What’s the deal?”
“The Queen of the Unseelie—the same one who launched the attack on the King’s Grove—is planning to invade with Eternal Flame.”
A series of low gasps sounded throughout the room.
Luna paled. “That can’t be right.”
“I’m afraid so.”
“She’ll likely bring demons,” I said. “She hires them as mercenaries. Her forces could be impressive.”
Another guard stepped up, this one tall and pale, with brilliant blue eyes and magic that smelled of dew and dawn. “We can’t possibly guard all the entrances against a Fae queen with Eternal Flame.”
“You’re going to have to.” Tarron’s voice was cold, brooking no argument.
“We’ll need backup,” Luna said.
Tarron nodded sharply. “We’ll find it.”
“I can help with that,” Aeri said. “We have friends who will help.”
Again, I was grateful for my years in Magic’s Bend. I hadn’t set out to make friends who would have my back, but somehow I’d managed it.
Arrowen leaned forward. The seer was ancient, though she possessed a timeless beauty. Her white hair was a halo around her head. Sharp blue eyes assessed the map and then Tarron. “Does the Unseelie Queen have the flame yet?”
“We assume not,” Tarron said. “Or we’d already be on fire.”
I bit back a huff of laughter.
That shouldn’t be funny.
But it was.
Arrowen even gave a wry, dark chuckle.
I stood by, listening as Tarron discussed the various entrances to the Seelie kingdom with his guard. They debated which soldiers to place where, how long it would take reinforcements to move from portal to portal, and which allies could be called upon from the outside world.
They were preparing like this would happen—like the queen would make it into the realm.
If she did, it would only end with their king’s death.
I shivered and shoved the thought aside.
“If the dark queen enters the realm, it will be nearly impossible to stop her,” Arrowen said. “Eternal Flame takes almost nothing to ignite. All she’ll have to do is throw it.”
Tarron nodded, face drawn. “We’ll call on mages to help us lock the entrances more tightly.”
It was no guarantee. Even I knew that.
But it was all we could do.
“Nothing can douse an Eternal Flame?” Aeri asked.
“Nothing that we know of,” Arrowen said.
Except for Tarron’s death, though that made no sense to me.
“We need to stop her before she gets here,” Luna said.
“Agreed.” Tarron nodded. “Mari and I will be focusing on that.”
I appreciated that he used the name Mari, which is what I’d used in the tournament. I liked that he remembered that was the name I’d chosen to go by in his realm.
“Could you infiltrate her realm to take her out?” asked the tall, pale Fae guard who’d spoken earlier.
Tarron shook his head. “When we entered just an hour ago, there were so many guards that we would never make it to her.”
“Not to mention, I don’t think they were acting of their own accord,” I said.
Arrowen frowned. “What do you mean?”
“I believe that my mother’s mind control magic has influenced some of the Unseelie to act in her stead. Otherwise, they might not.”