Page 80 of Fae Reckoning

“Because you,my mate, are the queen the land itself has chosen to lead us.”

Shifting Saff to my other hip, I reminded him, “Which makes you the king.”

“Aye, it does. But not of the bloodline. Only you carry the blood of Elven King Spiro of Faerie and of Elven Prince Borromeo of the Mirror World. We will rule as partners, certainly. I will be at your side always to help you however I can and you wish. But ultimately you will always be the most powerful. It is your magic, your essence, that the land seeks to speak through.”

“Well, uh.” I harrumphed. “Okay…” Was I really up for the responsibility of ruling an entire realm? At least I was guaranteed to be a better queen than Talisa fucking Zafira Tatiana, right?

“All hail the dragon queen,” someone shouted in a squeaky voice I didn’t recognize.

Every single one but Rush, it seemed, repeated the prompt. A cacophony of creature calls conveyed the same, though I didn’t understand their nuances. Then, in a sweep of those gathered, people and creatures alike bowed to me. Rush’s ensuing grin was bright enough to match the swirling luminosity of his eyes, the slow crawl of glowing tattoos across his neck and jaw.

When he spoke, his voice was husky and proud: “All hail the dragon queen.”

I shifted from foot to foot. “Ah, thanks? But I’m not the ‘dragon queen.’” I laughed nervously.

“Don’t be daft, lass,” Roan’s unmistakable gruff said on a chuckle. “Ain’t none more connected to the dragons than y’are. Ye’re the perfect dragon queen.”

Rush’s smile stretched wider, prouder. “Absolutely.”

“Um,” I said, but then glanced down into Saffron’s cute, lovable, little dragon face. I couldn’t deny the obvious evidence of my relationship to the dragons, and that was without glancing up at Einar, or considering the sapphire-blue dragon I’d spoken with in the palace’s throne room.

Einar’s deep, unhurried voice said as it slunk into my mind.

I said in a final protest.

His statement fluttered like a victorious banner for several seconds beforehe added,

How could I argue with that?

Einar said with undiluted arrogance.

was his enigmatic response.

So I steeled myself for the seemingly insurmountable task before us and called out, “Thank you all for your faith in me. I will treat it with the utmost respect.” Then, looking to my first companions, “What will we do with those who are too weak to travel with us?”

“I’ll stay with them,” Larissa said.

“She shouldn’t stay alone,” Xeno said immediately, making me spin to find him a mere few feet behind me, as if he’d been guarding my back. “I’d stay with her, but Wyn, my place is at your side.”

I peeked at Rush, who frowned, tutted, then finally told my friend, “Thanks, Xeno. Glad to have you helping me keep her safe.”

Xeno’s eyelids lowered partially. “It was my job before it was yours.”

“I know.”

I waited for more. When it didn’t arrive, I hurried to ask, “Will anyone stay with Larissa and the convalescing fae to help keep them safe? Edsel?”

“Not me, girly,” Edsel answered. “There’s not much else I can do for them now that someone else cannae do just as easily. And I ain’t gonna miss my chance to see justice befall the false queen.”

“Very well. Then who?”

A few of the ranucus croaked in what I assumed was a volunteer effort. A handful of goblins also said they’d remain with them.

“Excellent, thank you. We’ll make sure you’re safely hidden far enough away from here to avoid detection. Do we have food to leave them?”

“There’s enough grain and meal in the sacks and crates inside to feed them for a year,” Reed said. “It won’t be tasty, but it’ll do.”

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