Laughing, I spun on my heel, throwing the note down onto the steps of the dais. “No! We’re going to need a bigger army. King Salvadia is about to rage war on us. He has ten thousand men.”

  “Ten thousand?” Liliya’s hand flew to her mouth. The silver bracelets on her wrist clattered together before falling under her puffy sleeve.

  I narrowed my gaze on her, watching as she automatically reached for Jin’s arm. Ah, the witch had found solace in the arms of my friend. I couldn’t blame her, I had been cruel to her.

  “What do you know of Layanna’s dragons?” I asked my second in command.

  Stepping away from Liliya, he brought out a scroll and unwound it. “My guards have reported seeing a hoard of dragons. Not only that...” He paused, swallowing hard. “The noble-folk have gathered an army of their own. A spy heard them arranging to work together to-”

  “Yes,” I interrupted him, my heart squeezing at the news. “We all know what they want to do to me.”

  Spinning, I returned to Helania. Her head still bowed, like most days. I had allowed her a little freedom to visit the library, but she had preferred to stay in her chamber, which was kept under watch by one of my guards.

  Moving closer, I placed a finger under her chin and forced her to look at me. “Is that the aid you’re talking about?”

  “It is, Sire,” she whispered, her eyes glassy as she stared into my soul.

  Ripping away, I indicated for her to leave. She did, her small feet carrying her away swiftly, followed closely by her guard.

  “Liliya, send me to Layanna.”

  Mouth dropping open, the witch took a moment to absorb my request. “B...but, Sire, she’s got dragons, surely she’ll have you flamed to death before you have a chance to talk?”

  “Are you questioning your king?” My words were sharp, like the edge of the sword I took out of my scabbard. “Do as I ask. Please.”

  Without further protest, Liliya swirled her hands in an intricate dance as she recited a spell.

  My whole body vibrated as she stepped closer, aiming her magic at me. I closed my eyes and allowed it to take me to Layanna’s side.

  “What the-?”

  And there they were, conspiring against me. I had always known the nobles had it in for me, but they had assured me that they supported my claim to the throne.

  “Watch out, Layanna,” I said as they gathered together, staring at me. “They’re not as loyal as you think.”

  “What are you doing here?” Flaya, the leader of the witches, barked.

  All of them, bar the purple haired mermaid and the witch, held weapons in their hands.

  I ignored them, knowing full well that I had to play the game well if I wanted to win.

  “I would like to call a truce,” I declared, slowly lowering my sword to the ground.

  A smirk crossed the fairy’s face. “He’s defeated already.”

  A bolt of something went through me, but I kept my composure. When my gaze landed on Layanna, I smiled gently, remembering her touch, her lips. A shiver moved me, starting from my head and ending with my toes. Luckily, the others were so intrigued by my presence, they didn’t notice the look that passed between the two leaders who felt more than they cared to admit.

  “I’m not here to surrender. There’s a threat greater than you heading towards Althea.”

  Looking at Flaya, I addressed her directly. “I need your help.”

  Layanna scoffed, the sound drawing attention from the others. They turned to her as she stepped through them, her feet bringing her closer to me.

  “I don’t believe you,” the false queen said, her lips pulled into a thin line.

  Cursing myself, I regretted not bringing the note from King Salvadia. In my temper, I had thrown it away in the throne room. Why hadn’t I thought about providing it for evidence?

  “Let me show you,” I whispered.

  Her head inclined slightly, giving me permission to reach for her. I did, allowing my fingers to brush her cheek. The others gasped, the noise echoing around us as I gave Layanna my memory.

  King Salvadia’s visit played in my mind, transferring to hers.

  Her eyes fluttered closed, her lashes brushing her smooth cheek. I knew that she could see every moment of that meeting with the king. A pang of shame made me want to rip my hand away. I had played with the king, circling him and making a mockery of him. Would Layanna understand why I’d done it?

  Watching her, I held my breath. Her face had been in my dreams ever since the night we shared together in the cave. My arms felt empty without her, I struggled to breathe in every dream, unable to reach her. I had no idea what was happening to me, but she would be my undoing.

  “Look at the way he’s watching her,” one of the nobles muttered.

  The sound of shushing reached my ears as I tried to look away from Layanna. My eyes betrayed me, staying glued to the beauty in front of me. When the memory of the letter finished, Layanna unconsciously bought her hand up to cover mine before she pulled away, leaving me cold.

  “Thank you for showing me,” she breathed. “He’s telling the truth.” Turning to the others, she clasped her hands together in front of her. “An army of ten thousand Unseelie are gathered on the border of Falonia. We saw a band of Unseelie, friends of Jordeek, I think.” Glancing at me, she smiled briefly when I nodded. “So, I know that the Unseelie have had free rein of Althea. This has to be stopped.”

  Wait, what was she talking about? That had nothing to do with her. Althea was still my kingdom, my domain. I wouldn’t allow her to dictate what happened in my realm!

  “If you want our help, Jordeek Glyneria,” the elder witch said through clenched teeth. “You must promise to stop trying to unite the Seelie and Unseelie Courts. It is not your place to do such a thing, it goes against Mother Nature.”

  Opening my mouth, I quickly bit my tongue before a tirade of insults left my lips. I had to be calm and diplomatic.

  Layanna watched me, her eyes squinting slightly. What was she thinking?

  This doesn’t have to end in bloodshed for us all, her voice whispered in my mind.

  My pesky heart sped up at her words. I didn’t want the bloodshed, but I was about to lose everything. Two enemies, coming from different sides. Who would win?

  Looking at the witch, and the other remaining nobles, I frowned. “Am I an awful ruler? Did I not give you what you wanted?”

  “You might have given us what we wanted,” Trenton said. “But, you took away what we needed. The Fairlings are the true rulers of Althea. Without them, the shroud has continued to spread, killing our earth and our people.”

  These people really did hate or dislike me at best. It was no wonder they had rebelled against me to form an army. If I didn’t have to worry about the Unseelie, I would obliterate- no, I had to stop being the tyrant. I wasn’t my father; I was my own man. A man who wanted to rule a fair kingdom.

  “I shall not speak of that right now, I am the King of Althea, and I want to protect our land from the Unseelie army that approach us, even now.”

  Layanna stepped towards me. “Give them your word that you’ll stop trying to unite the courts.”

  Holding my hands up in surrender, I backed up. “Very well, you have my word. Now, can we talk about how to defeat King Salvadia?”

  They glanced at one another, their eyebrows raised. It was a risk asking them to help me. Not only that, my pride sunk to my feet and ebbed into the earth beneath my boots. I kept it all inside; the frustration, the urge to allow my temper to overrun me, the desire to pull Layanna into my arms and carry her away to somewhere secluded. I had to keep control in all that I did.

  “How many do you have in your army?” Layanna asked.

  “Seven thousand. You?”

  Her eyes narrowed on me at the same time as I studied her. A flash of something in her eyes made me swallow hard. Had she decided to confide in me? Or lie to me?

  Turning to Flaya, she nodded. The witch came forward, her arm extended. Before I could react, she cast a spell on me, forcing me to my knees. Trying to fight her, I attempted to push my arm forward, reaching for my sword, but her magic was too strong.

  “Will you take a truth potion?” Her words were shaky, her fingers trembling as she lowered them.

  Gritting my teeth, I stared at her, debating whether to execute her for daring to spell her king.

  “Why do you want me to take a truth spell? I’ve shown Layanna the truth.”

  “You may have left something out.”

  Shaking my head roughly, I took several deep breaths before Layanna put a hand on Flaya’s arm and asked her to drop the spell.

  “This is his chance to prove who he really is. His father’s pet or his own man.”

  Her voice sunk into my skin, warming my bones. It was a challenge, I could tell from the flick of her eyebrows when the others watched me. She was daring me to rise above others opinions and prove my worth.

  Dropping her hand, the witch sneered at me. “He needs to do a lot of work to convince me that he has Althea’s best interests at heart.”

  Slowly climbing to my feet, I took up my sword and placed it in its scabbard. “I’ve always wanted the best for my kingdom.”

  “Our kingdom,” Trenton muttered. “Are we really trusting this fool?”

  He aimed his question at Layanna, who looked to the others. Each one of them appraised her, looking for her order. Really? I was the King of Althea, they should be ready to serve me. But, no... they looked to the phoney queen, who licked her lips and pulled her shoulders up.

  “I will survey the land,” she said to me. “...to see how real the threat is.”

  “How will-?” My sentence ended when she raised her eyebrows.

  Of course, she had the dragons now. My chest pounded with the rhythm of my heart as she swung away.

  Before she walked off, she looked over her shoulder at the nobles. “I will send word soon. If King Salvadia wants to invade Althea, we shall be ready for him. Once I have confirmed the threat with my own eyes, I’ll request that we bring our armies together. Jordeek...” She deigned to glance at me. “You shall instruct us on where to meet for maximum impact.”

  Bowing my head an inch, I quickly lifted it and watched her walk away, her cloak swinging behind her. She held herself differently from when I had seen her last. A girl finally grown into a woman. My blood boiled for her even more, but I had to resist. She was getting too close to overthrowing me, and I had no idea how to stop her.

  Chapter Twelve

  “I can’t believe you’re trusting him,” Larnika murmured as he jumped down from Peeras’s back.

  Climbing down a little more elegantly from Cerys, I patted her nose when she nudged me in support.

  “You’ve just seen what Althea is up against. I’m not doing this for pleasure.”

  We had flown close to the border of Althea, right where it met Falonia.

  Sarsia had cast an invisibility spell over us so that the Unseelie couldn’t see us flying above. It had only taken a moment to see the mass of men and women gathered around a plush black tent, erected on the very edge of Falonia.

  King Salvadia had addressed them as we flew past, riling them up for a fight. His orders had been to cross into Althea right away. Which gave us no time to argue.

  “It’s a shame you won’t just let us grill them all,” Trenton said, packing his satchel and tying it to his dragon.

  I had asked him to take a message to Jordeek and the nobles to rally the armies to meet on the flatlands below the palace. He had just arrived back, flustered but ready to fight.

  “My fight isn’t with the Unseelie. We’re merely there as back-up.”

  We will do whatever is needed to keep you safe, Cerys thought in my mind.

  Patting her again, I moved away and faced the dragons. “You have all been so loyal and for that, I owe you everything. What I’m asking of you today goes against what I brought you here for, but I hope that you’ll trust me.”

  I am a little baffled that we’ll be fighting alongside the king you wanted to defeat, the grey dragon moaned, his big eyes blinking down at me. But like Cerys said, we will do what’s needed to protect you.

  “I would like to use you to scare the Unseelie only. It is not my fight, not really. Jordeek has brought this upon himself. However, I am the true queen of Althea, so I cannot let my land be taken.”

  They inclined their huge coloured heads, the sun reflecting the colours of their scales. It felt satisfying to have the dragons at my side, preparing to defend Althea. Hopefully, I could make it up to them one day.

  “The dragons are ready,” Sarsia announced, joining us at the front of the group.

  She had checked that each one had their armour fastened tightly and magic proofed; her magic adding an extra layer of protection. I did not want to risk the lives of the dragons, not after the sacrifice they made for me.

  “How are you feeling?” Sarsia whispered.

  Tugging on the metal armour breastplate she’d made me, I raised my eyebrows. “I’m preparing for a battle different to my original plans. I’m feeling a little side-tracked, but we’ll get through it.”

  Trenton joined us, followed by Larnika. We stood together, in a group, looking at one another. It had been a long journey. One that had been full of trials. And yet, the end of our journey had been pushed further away.

  “Jordeek, spread the word through the lands, calling on all Seelie to join our cause. No matter what differences we have, we’re all from the same court, which means, we’ll do everything in our power to prevent the enemy taking Althea.”

  A smile bloomed on my cheeks when he reached into the circle. It had been a while since we had sworn to protect one another, but as our hands joined in the centre, a warmth that thrilled me exploded in my chest. These people were my family, and I would do anything to keep them safe.

  Before we could move away, Trenton clutched Sarsia and Larnika, pulling them into a hug. He gestured for them to get hold of me, which they did, until we were squeezing each other in a group hug.

  “Let’s go,” Larnika ordered, pulling away. “We have a battle to plan.”

  Taking one last look at the people who had been beside me since I found out that I was a fae princess, I held back the tears that forced me to swallow.

  My Queen, Cerys whispered. We’re ready.

  Tapping the handle of my sword, I righted it on my hips before climbing up onto Cerys’s leg. She tipped me slightly, helping me to grab the seat and get into position. My skirts flew around me as my legs tightened on the cushioned saddle. The purple glint of my dress reminded me of Althea’s palace. I would restore its beauty one day, and perhaps daub a ton of purple within its interior, seeing it was my favoured colour.

  “Let’s go and save Althea!” I shouted, pointing towards the sky.

  The dragons took off, one by one, each moving into a formation in the sky. Larnika was beside me on Peeras, his gaze watching for danger from the ground below.

  Urging Cerys up, I took them high above the trees.

  The wind blew my hair back from my face, the cold bite of it stinging my cheeks. And yet, I felt more alive than ever.

  From up here, I could see the palace high on the hill. The border to Falonia was to the west of us, not quite within sight. Ahead, there was a patch of darkness in the fields below Althea. Ah, the movement of bodies made the army stand out from the shroud. My gaze traced one of the trendles of black earth that stretched to the west, just below the thousands of men who had gathered to defend Jordeek.

  As we drew nearer, I brought the dragons lower. A shout from below echoed up to us as the men and women of the Seelie Court turned to stare.

  Gasps sounded as I circled Cerys above them, bringing her to land by the flying flag of the Glyneria family.

  Jordeek’s green eyes almost popped out of his head as I descended Cerys’s leg again. He came forward, trusted up in his metal armour, minus his helmet.

  My heart played a tune in my chest as he came forward to admire Cerys. He wasn’t paying attention to me, so why was I fawning like a young girl? Also, he was my enemy.

  “This isn’t how I expected things to go,” Jordeek whispered as he reached for Cerys.

  The dragon snorted smoke, blowing it all over the fake king.

  He coughed as he backed up, taking the hint from the beautiful beast.

  “I certainly didn’t see this coming.” My reply was met with a smile.

  Dropping my gaze, I swallowed hard. He had now seen my army; he knew what I was capable of. A part of me hoped we would be able to reach an agreement before our own battle. Would my dragons scare him into giving me back the throne?

  “Jin,” Jordeek called to a solider dressed in the Althea Guard armour. “Update Larnika on our plan of attack while I show Layanna the map.”

  The guard grunted as Larnika joined us.

  With a swift turn on his heel, and a snub of my own second in command, Jordeek marched over to the temporary tent that had been hastily set up. I followed at a slower pace, refusing to allow him to intimidate me.

  Sarsia was suddenly by my side, her hand on her sword as she took it out. Watching the guards who surrounded Jordeek, she narrowed her gaze.

  “I think I’ll be safe,” I told her, putting a hand on her arm.

  As we stepped under the canopy of the tent, we both became motionless. Standing to the side of a table stood two women. One had long black hair, her eyes as dark as mine. The other was fair, her skin almost translucent.

  “Liliya,” Sarsia breathed, swallowing as she put her sword away. “Are you well?”

  The concern in my friend’s voice made me study the other witch. Marli’s sister looked well. Her cheeks were flushed and her dress made of fine silk. She must have enjoyed being part of Jordeek’s entourage.

  “I am well, Sarsia, thank you.” Smiling, Liliya glanced at Jordeek, almost in dismissal.

  “Layanna,” a voice whispered.

  Looking over to the light-haired, pale-skinned girl, I froze. Another figure stood. She was thin, her body barely visible under her own white gown. She didn’t look much like me, but the feeling that rose in my chest told me exactly who it was.