Page 7 of Midnight Kingdom

As the fading daylight filters through the cracks in the walls and the missing windows, I find a picture that causes my heart to race. I nudge Flumph and he climbs onto my lap.

“Does Pyre have pointed ears?” I ask, not able to remember the answer to my question.

“Not that I remember.”

I look around and tap my finger on the picture. “I don’t remember seeing pointed ears on him either. Most Fae and creatures of the realms have pointed ears, but not Pyre. And neither did the humans.”

Flumph hums a little and scratches the top of his head. “Well if he were one o’ them humans, he ain’t no more. They long dead an’ them spirits changed him a lot. He say he gave up his soul anyways, right? That means he ain’t alive soze he ain’t no human, right?”

“If Pyre was a human before the Singularity, did he draw on the shift in power to become a necromancer?” I ask, more to myself. Flumph just shrugs his little shoulders. He doesn’t have the answers I need. Only Pyre can give them, but I have no right to ask.

Maybe the Midnight Queen knows what and who Pyre was before the Veil changed him. I know he made a sacrifice to save the woman he loved… Maybe he made that sacrifice to save that same woman from the Singularity?

CHAPTER TWO

BARON

The Castle in the Sky

I walk softly on the rotting wood of the stairs, inching my way through the library without alerting my companions. There’s more going on in the castle limits than any of us truly knows—I can feel it deep in my bones. A thick, heavy facade covers the whole of the capitol. I ease open a broken window and climb onto a small balcony before shimmying down the side of the building. I land with a soft thud and I hurry through the alleyway. Citizens flinch at the sight of me and I remember I’m dressed as one of Variant’s men.

I slow my pace, watching the citizens with the same arrogance I’ve seen from the soldiers—it’s important I fit in and not draw undue attention to myself.

I join a cluster of Variant’s men, walking in their formation and observing their actions. The armor allows me to blend in perfectly without having to worry about being discovered. Variant has recruited enough men that my presence goes entirely unnoticed.

The commandant points to several Fae citizens who appear to be prisoners, owing to their coarse garb and the fact that each of them is restrained by roughly hewn rope, wrapped round their wrists. The soldiers shove the Fae to their knees before binding them and clapping them in irons.

“Take this lot to the gateway,” the one in charge announces to the other soldiers. “The rest of you are to patrol the castle limits. Any slander against the king’s name will be viewed as treason. Search for the usurpers and report to me immediately if you see anyone or anything suspicious.”

Variant’s soldiers pound their right fists over their hearts and move through the streets to do his bidding. This whole situation doesn’t sit well with me, especially the part about the soldiers arresting citizens. These citizens were mostly women and children and all appeared to be in a lowly state.

I walk at a brisk pace and catch up to the soldiers heading for the gateway. They throw a few small faeries into cages before disappearing through the door. Why is Variant arresting Fae women and children? A strange sinking feeling settles in my stomach. I can’t follow the soldiers through the door without tripping the wards that are spelled to identify our magical signatures.

I have no choice but to return to the library, hopefully without drawing attention to myself in the process. That hope proves unfounded as one of the soldiers takes notice of me and grabs my arm, asking, “You hear me?”

I just nod.

“Then why the fuck aren’t you out looking for the usurpers?”

“I… I got confused,” I answer, hoping I can defend myself by means of idiocy.

The soldier points toward the south end of the castle limits. “Head that way and you’ll find a pub most stowaways and mercenaries frequent. That’s the easiest place to start your search. Don’t get caught wandering again.”

He leaves me and I head south for a few paces before checking that the coast is clear and taking a sharp turn in order to circle back toward the library. Once I reach the dilapidated structure, I bust through the door and slam it behind me.

“This place is crawling with soldiers,” I announce as I pass Dragan.

“How do you know?” he demands.

“I just did a quick reconnaissance mission along the streets, and the soldiers appeared to be rounding up Fae people and imprisoning them, taking them somewhere called the gateway.” I pause for a second or two. “Mainly Fae women and children.”

“Why?” Cambion asks, eyeing me with interest.

I shake my head. “I don’t know.”

“What the hell were you doing out there?!” Dragan demands, his eyes narrowed and fuming. “You could have led Variant’s men back to us!” His anger is palpable and I’m more than sure it’s merely a result of the hatred building up within him—hatred he harbors for me. I’m sick of all of them, it’s true, but I’m sick of Dragan the most.

“Didn’t you hear what the fuck I just said?” I snap as I glare at him. “Last time we were taken to the palace we were unconscious.”

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