Page 59 of Their Queen

Her mind switched gears immediately, both of us thankful for the change in topic. “Things are going nearly seamlessly. The new arrivals are fitting in and taking to their tasks with enthusiasm. It’s been good to have them here, though we’re still trying to find a system that runs smoothly. It’s taking a lot of coordinating to ensure everyone has what they need.”

“That’s great.” I beamed at her. “If there’s anything you need, don’t hesitate to ask. I’ll do everything I can. Also, use Juniper when you can. She’s a font of information and has experience running things at Cashel Rí, which can’t be too different from this. I’m sure she would love to help,” I offered.

“You have enough on your plate as it is. You just worry about taking down Titania and leave this to us. If I do need anything, I’ll reach out to Juniper,” she assured me.

“I have no doubt that you’ve got this,” I told her, thankful she was here to manage all the little moving pieces it took to run an operation like this. There was no way I could have handled it with as much grace as she had. “Well, I’ll let you get back to it. We’ll speak again soon,” I promised, turning to head back to the Keep. However, as I turned, I was distracted by a pull on my magic.

“Do you feel that?” Brannoc asked, coming to stand next to me as we approached the edge of the shield. I had spelled it to keep out anyone wishing to do us harm, but a part of me still doubted that it would work. My magic was still so new to me that I couldn’t fully trust it had done as I had asked, even though my gut was telling me it had.

“Yes,” I said, puzzled at the sensation, though the answer came to me quickly.

“What is it?” Aurelia asked, peering beyond the shield and gazing into the clear horizon.

“The Ravens,” I whispered. I pulled away from Brannoc’s hold on my hand and walked through my shield to greet the new arrivals.

Chapter Forty One: Rhowyn

I waited just outside of my shield, wondering which Ravens would be revealing themselves. Crossing my arms over my chest and cocking out a hip, I spoke, “Chieftain Revna, what brings you out here to my neck of the woods?” My words were directed to the heaviest concentration of power, though I still couldn’t see her.

She laughed and released her hold on the shadows, her people doing the same to reveal about seventy Ravens in total. I hid my shock at seeing so many of the Ravens outside of their Enclave. “I heard that you would be going into battle soon. That you might need some assistance?”

Side-eyeing her, I couldn’t help but look for some trick in her offer. What was she hoping to gain from helping me? When we had been there, she’d been hesitant to leave the Enclave though we had parted on good terms. The last thing I had expected was to find her here. “While I’m not one to look a gift horse in the mouth,” I started, ignoring her slightly confused look, “I can’t help but wonder why you changed your mind. Last we spoke, it was my understanding that you hadn’t wanted to get involved.”

She winced at that before answering. “May we speak privately?” She gestured to my allowance of her crossing the shield. I looked to Brannoc to get his thoughts on the matter. He nodded. I trusted her, but we couldn’t be certain what the other Ravens were thinking. Looking them over as I weighed my choices, I caught sight of Ramund, who smiled at me mischievously. Somehow, I had a feeling he played a large role in their appearance today.

I nodded. “You and Ramund may join me. We can speak inside the Keep. The other Ravens must wait here until we’ve had a chance to discuss this in further detail,” I said. I couldn’t risk letting them all in, even if my gut was telling me that their motives were altruistic in their appearance here. There were too many refugees and people counting on me right now, and I needed to be certain before I fully let down my guard.

“Of course. I would expect nothing less.” Revna nodded her head in acquiescence. She turned to her people and instructed them to wait outside the shield for now.

I turned to Aurelia. “Have the guards keep an eye on them. I don’t think they mean us harm, but we can’t be too cautious,” I told her. She nodded and raced off to do as I had instructed. Looking around, I saw all the people who had recently joined us standing outside of their tents, mid-task, staring at the Ravens with varying expressions of curiosity and fear. Mothers hustled their children into the tents while the kids did their best to catch a peek at the mysterious warriors who didn’t know they were being watched.

Revna and Ramund finally rejoined us, and I led them through the shield and the gates. The guards eyed the Ravens warily, the same look I had received from the Ravens upon my arrival to their Enclave, but held the gates open without question. Everyone we passed paused what they were doing to gawk at our new arrivals, their appearance exotic even among the diverse fae. Their tattoos glowed a soft blue, which was on display, and their clothing was hiding very little. The fae were more open than the humans on Earth, but even this fashion was a little much for them.

Ramund and Revna walked with their heads held high, shoulders back, and unconcerned by the stares they were drawing, their confidence in their power and abilities were clear to everyone who caught sight of them. We climbed the steps to the Keep, and more guards held open the doors to let us pass. Pausing, I turned to Brannoc, speaking to him in my mind. “Can you find the others? They’ll want to be a part of this.”

He dipped his head. “Of course. We’ll join you shortly,” he said before rushing off to do as I asked. When I turned back to Revna, it was to find her smiling.

“I can’t tell you how refreshing it is to see another True Mate pair. I had begun to fear that Ramund and I were the last. Just when we had started to despair, Avalonia answered our prayers,” she said as we continued toward the throne room.

“It’s been a blessing to have Brannoc by my side. He’s been invaluable to me and has shown the fae that they have nothing to fear from him, a credit to his race,” I told her, a slight sting to my words indicating that I hadn’t forgotten how he’d been snubbed all these years. He’d pretend that it didn’t bother him not to have the same coloring, his tattoos black instead of the blue they all sported, or to know his history, but I knew the truth. What person didn’t have a child inside them that constantly yearned for acceptance? If I could make that happen for him, I would.

“An unfortunate oversight.” Revna sighed sadly, her words quite the understatement. She paused just before the throne room doors, a hand going to my forearm and halting my progress. “Once this is all over, I promise he will be granted full rights to the Enclave. He’ll be allowed to undergo the ceremonies he was denied all these years and the opportunity to learn from us,” she vowed.

I eyed her, looking for any sign of dishonesty or half-truths, but I found none. “I’ll hold you to that, but in the end, it will be his decision whether or not he partakes or chooses to be a part of the Enclave.”

“I’d expect nothing less,” she said, withdrawing her hand, that part of our conversation over with.

We entered the throne room then, and I glanced around to spot a few lingering fae. Looking at them, I said, “Leave us.”

They eyed me, uncertain, one guard speaking up. “Your Majesty, it’s our duty to ensure your safety.”

I interrupted him. “I assure you, I’m safe with these two. Please, we must discuss some sensitive matters.” The guard nodded, though it was clear he wasn’t happy with leaving me alone with the two Ravens. I stopped him before he exited. “No one is allowed to enter unless it’s my consorts or a dire emergency.” He nodded before closing the doors behind him and granting us the privacy I had requested.

“You honor us by this trust,” Revna spoke, her expression pleased by my actions.

“I like to think that we’d come to an understanding during my time among your people. You showed me the same honor and courtesy. It’s only fair that I return it,” I told her honestly. She dipped her head to acknowledge my assessment of the matter. “That said, I was surprised to find you here. While you and Ramund have earned my trust, I can’t say that there weren’t some on the council who were not in favor of becoming involved. So how is it that you show up on my doorstep with a contingent of highly trained warriors?”

Before she could answer, my consorts all entered, bringing chairs for us all to sit in from the tables on the side of the room. It felt wrong to take my throne at this moment. I didn’t want to lord my position or power over these two, not when they had come offering help. They were both powerful leaders of their people and deserved equal footing as we discussed the matters before us.

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