Page 94 of Royal Lies

"Anyways your sister’s done countless violations against me. Surely you understand my venom against her LuLu? But fear not, I will return her to you once she tells me where they are andyouwill get your court back, after just atinybit of interrogation. That's all. Don't you want your kingdom back LuLu? All I ask is that in return you help me find one of my children, and I in turn will aidyouin conquering back your court. Is that a deal?" Lucarious eyed the outstretched hand Evie offered. For a moment I thought his love for Luna might make Lucarious change the details of the bargain but Evie must have known. The specific phrasing of the honey-coated words Evie sowed into hersentences was all the bait Lucarious needed. He wanted power more than anything, he wanted his court.

"Deal, but I want my sister back unharmed." Lucarious spat as Evie smiled her Cheshire grin as if she agreed.

Standing Lucarious walked over shaking Evie's offered hand to seal the bargain. Two brackets of gold formed on their wrists.

Suddenly, Lucarious was yanked down.

In a grip even I didn't see coming Everetta pulled Lucarious towards her. Sharp eagle eyes threatened golden vengeance against blackening red eyes, “If you back out of this bargain may the realm curse you for all eternity until you suffer an agony far worse than anything you have ever experienced before. Until you claw at your own heart out to seek relief from the realm and even then your soul will burn for eternity. Understood?" Everetta growled as Lucarious grinned, hiding his fear as it oozed out of him.

Hair a glow and eye bright Evie stared back emotionless, her mask off as Lucarious smiled back, “Of course. We both know this body isn't made for such unseemly things." He answered winking back at her as I watched Evie smile back, releasing the man. He didn't waste a moment before backing away until there were at least two feet between them.

Lucarious had never been one to just pee his pants. No, he was like any other fae, hiding behind a pleasant smile even when looking down at doom herself.

"Good, now then. I'm fucking tired. Leave us Lukie. I wanna take a nap before I call everyone else back for a meeting. Magics I'm drained." Evie once again dawned her playful mask as she plopped back in bed. The pillows behind her cushioned her lazy slam against the bed frame.

Lucarious chuckled as he popped himself out.

Once he was gone Evie turned over to me her weak smile telling me all I needed to know. She was drained but she also knew what we had to do.

Chapter 28

Eli

It wasn't easy taking care of her after those days.

After the chaos that ensued in the gardens of the Griffin Court.

The lands of the Fae Realm were getting better. After Everetta's power was released from her body everything burned, seared into the ground. Nothing remained in the wake of her light. Most humans think light magic is a blessing as opposed to dark magic, in a way it is. However, that didn't mean it wasn't just as dangerous. Wherever Everetta’s enraged light touched the object would be disintegrated. Unlike Lucarious?’ ?gift where flames could be seen and spread, Everetta's light magic burned without smoke, it seared without flames.

I can't even sense Lucarious anymore. Which made sense as Luna also perished in the blast of Everetta's magic. Honestly, if I hadn't reached out to save Akasuki, I don't know what might have happened to her too. No, I knew she might have also perished in the light. Perhaps it was because I had half her magic that I survived despite being so close to the impact. I suppose having half her soul attached to mine was a good thing after all.

Soulmates.

She always loved to joke about that. In a way, I suppose we were. Friends who are linked together by the same soul, soulmates.

I don't know why, or how but some fae managed to survive. Most had just come from underground. I sent countless scouts, the fae I had found, to gather the remaining fae.

Five thousand.

That was all that remained in the lands when once there had been millions. I stared back at the placid girl before me as shestared hollowly back out the window. Her eyes glazed over the desolate landscape of our realm as if she couldn't see anything. Not the ashen orange hue of the sky despite it being night. What had once shown a dark nightmarish midnight blue was now tinged with the color of an autumn fruit pumpkin. It was as if the sky too was impacted by her magic, by her light.

Tonight was one of her better days, sometimes she would scream out in a rage-filled with fury and I would have to subdue her. I'd have to go into her mind and physically freeze her brain cells so that she'd pass out. She used to be able to prevent my magic from touching her but in her current state, she couldn't do anything.

I'd learned I could easily overpower her right now, even with my inferior magic. Of course, I would never admit it to anyone. It was still far greater than any regular normal fae, but I knew who was actually supposed to take my place as aROYAL, as Everetta liked to call it. Gritting my teeth, I tried not to think about it. Tried to forget how everyone knew whose place I had taken. Closing my eyes I shook off the thought before approaching Everetta, if at all, slightly hesitant. You never knew now with her.

At first, it was hard to do it. To mess with her mind using my magic, but I had to. It got easier as time flew. Eighteen years to be exact as I watched her crumble slowly as our realm grew more and more each day. Before long I'm sure this one court will turn back into four, just as it should be. The cool frozen lands of the Wolf Court will once again be the icy wasteland it was supposed to be and not the desert of green it was now. As for Lucarious, I'm sure he'd return with that witch. They were Phoenix es, they'll reincarnate. But my brother. I gripped my hands into fists. My nails pierced through my skin as I remembered the events that had transpired eighteen years ago in the gardens. Now we were all huddled in this corner of the realm that had survived Everetta's sorrow. The only area of the Fae Realm thatstill held enough magic to be used and recycled. For everything comes at a price in this realm.

I gripped Everetta's hands in mine as I passed her one of hergems. Just like how her magic has saved me and Akasuki, hergemsalso survived. I do not doubt it. They were the books Everetta had written and imbued with her own magic. She'd gifted me one. Since then, I'd only been able to find this one, her first book, the one that contains the most basic of all magic. One with the skin and tissues of her enemies or monsters that once plagued the land. Now even creatures of the night were hardly seen.

A few days ago Akasuki and I had finally found this book in one of the Griffin Court's ruined and burned great libraries. I was hoping to ask Everetta if she might be able to cast spells again. She hasn't since that day but I could read that her magic was back to the same strength that it was before the events of the garden.

"Look, it's one of your books. Remember? You used to love working on them. You'd dragged me across half the existing realms for this." I hesitantly poked at the bubble of grief surrounding her, smiling softly. I didn't know what would trigger her meltdowns at that point. Lords, I just want her vibrant golden eyes back. I didn't want her to look at me like she was now. Her eyes that seemed to look past me. Her radiant smile nowhere to be found. Her whimsical laughter and childish antics a thing of the past as she stared down at the book in her hands.

"Where is he?" She asked as I stiffened not completely knowing what to say. If I said he was dead would she have another meltdown? Would her magic pulse out again? I would be lying if I said I wasn't scared, and fae can't lie, but we can evade.

How should I approach this? I didn't want her to scratch out my eyes again when she remembered what had happened to Flynn. Or worse watch as tears slipped down her placid face, as she turned back to stare blankly out the window without really seeing anything. Lords, I hated that.

"Umm, he-" I began, clearing my throat whether it was from my own grief or my lack of answers I wasn’t sure. Maybe it was from both. A voice behind me spoke before giving me the out I needed. Her voice was a calm soothing wave of peace as she spoke.

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