Page 1 of Consort

Prologue

Durin

Four Years Ago

“Where are we going?” I yell as I chase my friend Farris through the forest.

“You’ll see!” he calls back with his long, fiery orange hair trailing behind him like a battle flag.

Deep blue trunks blur together as we race through the trees. I swat at a pixie buzzing around my face but try not to trample the small, lesser fae creatures darting out of our path.

A knot grows in my stomach as we venture farther from our village and draw closer to the edge of the forest. Not because of the golems and ogres that often pass through the area. It’s not even because of the vicious queen, whose castle sits just beyond the trees. She’s not the biggest threat lurking in this part of the woods.

Her nobles stroll amongst these trees, through the markets and villages of fae brave enough to live in this area. I’m convinced their only duty to the queen is to flaunt their powerful magic and use the rest of us for their own violent pleasures.

The fae may be my kind, but they aren’t always the kindest. That’s especially true for the nobles.

“We just need to find Vernan!” Farris says as we get dangerously close to the forest’s edge.

I push forward, grabbing his arm to stop him once I catch up. “Vernan?” I gasp as I try to catch my breath. “Why Vernan?”

Farris grins mischievously and leans in close, his voice barely above a whisper. “I found a new trick with my magic.”

We’ve both just come into our abilities. Magic is everything to a fae. Appearances can be changed at will, and personalities can be feigned. Magic, however, can’t be faked or manipulated. It’s the ultimate test of our true selves.

Finding something new our magic can do is thrilling, no matter how small.

“Okay,” I reply. “But why are we whispering?” My heart is still pounding in my ears from our run, making it hard to hear his hushed words.

Farris’s expression turns serious as he locks eyes with me. “I can layer illusions.”

Farris has illusion magic. There are many kinds, but his lets him make any fae look like something or someone else for a short time. I’ve never heard of layering illusions, though.

“I don’t understand,” I say, growing frustrated.

We’re vulnerable here, and that makes me anxious to get home. Why couldn’t he show me this back in our village?

“Watch,” he says patiently.

He stands tall and waves his hand over us both. I don’t feel any different. But when I look down at myself, I find a little sprite with wings so delicate, they’re almost translucent. He’s given me yellow skin and a tiny skirt made of bright blue leaves.

“To match your hair,” he laughs, amused by my frown. “Covers about as much, too.”

He loves to tease me about my short hair, but not all fae prefer long, tangled manes like he does.

I glare at the green sprite with no leafy skirt to cover him. “Aren’t you afraid of attracting a real sprite? One who might be drawn to your bare cock flicking around? You could have at leastmade it look a little more impressive.”

He laughs and gives me a playful shove with his tiny sprite hands. “I’ll be fine. Alright, on to the next layer.”

He waves his hands, and we’re no longer cute. We’ve transformed into ugly, knee-high gremlins, ready to wreak havoc. Farris beams at me with sharp, yellow teeth that look disturbing against his gleeful smile.

I squint at him, trying to see the effects of the layering. “So, are the sprites still there?”

“Yep,” he says. “I can still see your sexy little skirt. But I can’t seeus.I can always see through my own illusions, but not when I layer them like this. I’m thinking if I can’t see through it, maybe a fae with unveiling magic won’t be able to either.”

“Vernan,” I mumble, now understanding why we’re here.

Vernan is the only fae known to have unveiling magic, meaning he can see through illusions created by other fae. If Vernan can’t see through Farris’s layering, then Farris has a magic that is completely unheard of.

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