Page 12 of Chaos and Destiny
Inok and I exchanged glances as Madu continued.
“As you all know, I represent the borderland owners. We have all witnessed the fair amount of lesser—forgive me—fae,” he corrected, “entering the Flame Court. If you would, my king, what happens when a fae of the lower class, according to the north, is killed in the north?”
“Madu, enough with the dramatics. You know the answer, spit it out.” I was far too old and impatient for his ways. He held a council member position on a rotating schedule with the other border lords, but I appreciated his input the least. Still, it was fair to give everyone a voice.
“Right,” he said, rubbing his hands together. “The answer is nothing. No one in the north cares if another dies. I’ve attended a ball where three deaths happened, and the music didn’t stop. I only say this to point out that it is possible the fae filling our lands for safety may not know what is expected of them in the south.”
I looked to Sabra. She did not wear her emotions well. She clutched the table with whitened knuckles and was biting the inside of her cheek to keep herself from speaking out of turn.
“Sabra?” I asked, giving her the floor.
She flew out of her chair. “Your Grace,” she bit out. “I would like to remind the council that fae who come into this kingdom are coming here to avoid death. I make it my personal mission to welcome most of them and make sure they understand the way the Flame Court treats each other. I cannot sit here and let fearmongering,” she twisted her lethal gaze to Madu, “convince this council, or anyone who will join us later, to believe they are to blame. Unless you have proof, Madu, I suggest you sit down and mind your tongue.”
Madu held both hands in the air in submission. “I only mean to submit a possible guilty party. I think we have to call out everyone to narrow down the suspects.”
“Thank you, Madu. Please take your seat.”
I stood and nodded to Inok. He went to the doors as I addressed the council. “For the current meeting, let me address my people. I will not allow questions at this time, since we don’t have answers. I would ask that you also avoid answering questions with your suspicions. I expect your support in silence until we have more information.”
They would do as I asked. My council was granted more freedom than most other councils, and they knew it.
Inok opened the main doors, and fae of all shapes and sizes filed in. I looked in the eyes of Favic’s widow, and for a brief minute, we understood each other. Our losses made us the same. In only a short time, the room was full of grieving and concerned folk, each bowing before taking their seat. Many had come. I was not surprised.
The room went still and quiet, and even the sobs vanished. The power of a king was immense. “It is with the greatest sorrow that I have to tell you that we have lost a great warrior today. A faerie of honor.” I paused, bowing my head.
It was so hard to look at them all. The pressure to give them peace when I didn’t have it myself overwhelmed me. I was reminded daily, with the loss of my mate, that peace was only a fragile state of mind. Rarely attainable.
I walked down to the people and leaned heavily on my staff as I stood before Favic’s widow. “Favic was a good fae. I have many fond memories with him. I am sorry to report we do not have answers.” The murmuring began. “I am sorry for your loss.” I looked in her sorrowful eyes. “The council has met already this morning. We do not believe anyone has a reason to fear for their safety, but we also do not know what happened. If anyone saw anything suspicious, please see Inok, so we can investigate. We will say our final goodbyes tonight at sunset.” I paused, looking down. “As is tradition, you may all now rise and pay your respects to Favic’s widow.”
She burst into tears at the word, and I reached for her trembling hand. I knew how much that title hurt. She rose from her seat and bowed before me.
“I am sorry for your loss,” I said before leaving the room. Inok trailed behind me, and I stopped, facing him. “I need a moment, brother. Please see the people out of the council room, and for the sake of everyone, get Madu out of there before they start asking him questions. We don’t need him staining the minds of the people with his bullshit.”
“Yes, Your Grace.”
It was rare that I didn’t open the floor for questions or comments from the folk, but I knew where it would go, and I needed to keep everyone unified. A divided kingdom was a weak kingdom, and this was not the time for that.
I wanted to crawl back to Efi’s Isle, lay in the sun, and wait for my soul to leave me. To finally find her again. I knew that was not how it worked, but as the days passed, I found myself more distant from the demands of the crown. With my son gone, I realized I was slowly losing my will to live, and for the sake of everyone, I needed to find it. I didn’t know how the soul was supposed to go on when half of it was gone forever, but I needed to find a way for the legacy that I would one day leave my son.
Before I realized, I’d found my way into the kitchens.
“I heard what happened, and I knew you’d be torn up by it, my king,” Loti said, setting a plate of chocolate cake in front of me. “Don’t start thinking you’re anything special.” She smiled.
I lifted the small fork and let it glide through the creamy chocolate frosting. I didn’t say a word for fear of revealing my true emotions. Instead, I let that chocolate cake take me back. Back to the first time I’d ever tasted it. To my mother’s laughter and the shadows of my childhood. Where the world seemed much smaller and far less complicated. I’m not sure what kind of magic Loti hid from the world, but she poured it into that chocolate cake with such perfection, I counted my blessings that she knew me so well. Better than I knew myself, it seemed.
Chapter 5
ARA
Emerald eyes watched me. I ran through the fields as fast as I could, trying not to look over my shoulder, but no matter how far I got, I could not escape them. The blades of grass turned into sharp knife edges and ripped my legs to shreds as I continued to run. I called out, but to no avail. I’d lost complete control of my body. I could feel the daggers, and then suddenly they were snakes, each single stem a poisonous serpent biting into my already damaged legs. I forced myself to look down, only to see blood and sinew pouring from me. When I reached the edge of the field, I skidded to a stop atop a cliff, tumultuous waters slamming the rocks below. Panting, I looked over the edge, and I heard her. That smoky voice dipped in death.
“I know what you are, girl. Come. Swim.”
I tried to turn away, but couldn’t. A gale blasted me, and before I knew it, my body was hurled off the cliff. My scream was the only thing I could hear as I fell until my body shattered against the freezing water. The giant waves hurled me like a tumbleweed, and the water burned my empty lungs. I tried to break my arms loose of the spell that held them at my sides. Again, I failed. I watched the sun grow darker and darker until I was sure I had drowned in the sea.
I blinked my eyes in the water a final time and within that fraction of a second, the water became flames. The ground, solid beneath me once more, rattled as the flames licked up the sides of my tattered legs. I watched the flesh melt off my bones until I lifted a single hand and realized bone and ash were all that was left of my broken, lifeless body. I shuddered, convulsing so hard, I collapsed screaming.
Somewhere in the distance I heard a loud crash and my eyes flew open.
