Page 5 of Magic Undaunted

Stryker’s blood simmered. He fought to keep his temper in check, but Oberon’s words stung. “This isn’t just a case of jumpy lesser fae. I saw it myself, Lord Oberon. The land was drained oflife. The magic was... wrong. It felt like a curse. It’s only a matter of time before it reaches deeper into the fae realm.”

Oberon’s icy eyes flickered with something close to annoyance, but he still didn’t rise from his throne. “You’re overreacting, Stryker. We have measures in place to protect the realm. Lesser fae are expendable. They serve their purpose, but we cannot allow ourselves to be swayed by their panic.”

Expendable. The word grated on Stryker’s nerves. He knew how many of the fae council felt, but Oberon was blatant in his disdain for those he didn’t consider his equal. Biting his tongue, Stryker fought back the urge to shout. “This isn’t just about them,” he said, his voice hard. “If this dark magic grows stronger, it could threaten all of those in the fae realm, not just the lesser fae. We should be investigating it, not ignoring it.”

Oberon’s eyes gleamed, and a cold smile tugged at his lips. “Investigating, you say? Elyria Knightshade was spotted just outside our borders. Were you planning to take her back to your bed while you investigated?”

Stryker’s heart skipped a beat, but he kept his face carefully neutral. “If you have people spying on me, why not ask them to either help me or do the work themselves? I did spot Elyria, but we didn’t speak long. I handled it.”

“Handled it?” Oberon’s voice was sharp now, his smile fading. “She is banished, Stryker. Her presence in Celestia is a violation of our laws, and yet you let her walk freely?”

“She was in the bayou; she did not violate your laws.”

“You’re allowing your... history with her to cloud your judgment.”

Stryker felt his simmering anger begin to burn. “My history with Elyria has nothing to do with the threat I found. Whatever this magic is, it’s a danger to all of us. We can’t afford to ignore it.”

Oberon stood then, his tall frame casting a long shadow over the chamber. His eyes bored into Stryker, cold and calculating. “Be careful, Stryker,” he said, his voice dropping to a dangerous whisper. “You tread a fine line. Your loyalty to the fae has never been in question—until now.”

Stryker bristled. “My loyalty is to this realm. It always has been.”

“Is it?” Oberon stepped closer, his expression darkening. “Or is it to Elyria? You forget, I know what the two of you once shared. And I also know how dangerous emotions can be, especially when they involve a traitor. Perhaps you’ve grown soft, letting your feelings for her cloud your reason.”

The accusation hung heavy in the air, and Stryker’s fists tightened until his knuckles turned white. The truth was far more complicated than Oberon could ever understand. He had loved Elyria once—deeply, fiercely. And part of him still did, even though they had parted after a bitter argument. But his duty came first. It always had. When he’d been found at the gates of Celestia on the brink of death, the fae had healed him, binding him to their service through a debt of honor and a sense of moral obligation.

“Elyria and I share nothing but a brief past,” Stryker said, the harsh tone denying what he knew to be a half-truth. “But I won’t turn a blind eye to the threat out there just because it’s convenient for the Council.”

Oberon’s expression turned colder, his gaze like a blade poised to strike. “You are dangerously close to insubordination, Stryker.”

“And you’re dangerously close to letting something slip through the cracks that could destroy the fae,” Stryker snapped back before he could stop himself.

The room fell into a tense silence. Oberon stared at him, unblinking, and for a long, terrible moment, Stryker thought theHigh Lord might call for his arrest then and there. But then Oberon’s lips twisted into a cruel smile.

“I could have you stripped of your rank for your insolence, banish you as we did your tainted lover,” Oberon said, his voice smooth, yet lethal. “But we may have need of your skills. Besides, I think the weight of your own past may well serve us better.”

Stryker’s stomach turned to ice.

Oberon’s eyes gleamed. “You see, should Elyria violate our borders or ignore the conditions of her exile, I would have every right to bring you before the Council to answer for it. Your affinity for her could easily be seen as complicity.”

The threat landed like a blow to his gut. Oberon was ruthless, willing to use his past with Elyria against him, and they both knew it.

“You wouldn’t,” Stryker said, his voice low, dangerous.

Oberon chuckled, his eyes glinting with satisfaction. “Wouldn’t I? Don’t test me, Stryker. You may be the best warrior Celestia has, but even you aren’t untouchable.”

Stryker glared at him, his heart pounding with rage, but he bit back any further retort. He couldn’t afford to lose control now. Not with Oberon watching, waiting for him to slip.

“Dismissed,” Oberon said, turning away as if Stryker were nothing more than a minor inconvenience. “And Stryker... remember your place.”

Without another word, Stryker spun on his heel and stormed out of the chamber, fury and frustration surging through his veins. Oberon’s smug voice echoed in his mind, along with the dark, unshakable reality: the High Council was crumbling from within, and his past with Elyria was now a weapon that could be turned against him.

But worse than that—he couldn’t shake the fear gnawing at him, the certainty that the dark magic at the borders wasn’t just a threat to the realm. It could be a threat to Elyria. The protectivelover reared its head. What had happened to her had made his blood boil, but he couldn’t deny the revulsion he’d felt knowing she’d been violated.

No matter what Oberon said, no matter the consequences, he wasn’t sure he could walk away from her.

Not again. Not when the danger was this close. Not when his heart and soul had never truly let her go.

Chapter

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