Page 37 of Chaos and Destiny
“Precisely. The Wind Court could use that devotion in other areas as well,” I answered blandly. I enjoyed the red tint to his face as I barely responded.
“All members in favor of Eadas taking over as general of my army, raise your hand.”
Confused, Gaea and I looked at each other. Evin timidly raised his hand, and Autus slapped him in the back of the head.
“Don’t be an idiot, Evin. We don’t fucking vote around here. You do whatever the hell I say, and that’s it. Eadas, you start with the soldiers tomorrow morning.”
The twins ducked their heads, snickering, their wings shuddering behind them at the movement. It was strange. When I went to the meetings at the castle, we sat in the largest, most hollow room where only Autus had a voice and the rest of us were really there to fluff his feathers and do as we were told. The room was quiet and cold, and each person sat a million worlds apart from the next, apart from them.
Later, I sat crammed in the rear corner of the rebel’s compound surrounded by so many fae I couldn’t count them all as they shifted. Each one with their own stories—their own memories of Autus and his hateful court. I didn’t matter here, and I was okay with that. I was one more male. One more person with one more set of painful memories. It was hard to see the rebellion as anything but strong and united when the king sat in his giant castle, surrounded by fae that feared him, but each of these faeries had made a decision to be here.
The hushed tones of the crowd grew silent as Rook stepped forward, placed his hand to his chest and thumped his fist. The crowd did the same, and you could have heard a pin drop as he began. Although his voice was quiet, the cave carried it through to everyone easily.
“I’ll start by asking anyone with news to raise their hands.”
A few scattered fae raised their hands in unison with my own. Some looked surprised, but no one said anything. I was new. Even though I had done a mass healing in front of nearly everyone here, even though I’d revealed a secret that I carried from my childhood, they still hadn’t accepted me yet.
“You, please come forward,” Rook said, gesturing to a female in front.
She stood and faced the crowd. “I’ve news of a distant cousin to share. She lives within the Marsh Court, but her mother writes to me that she has shown signs of magic.” The crowd gasped, and Rook raised his fist to silence them. “We believe she manipulates the air somehow. She’s had no proper training, but her mother has agreed to send her to the Weaver.”
The fae in the room waved their hands in silent applause at the potential win for the rebels as it was still necessary to keep our volume low. The kingdom functioned above us, even if the main hall was somewhere below the outside of the battlements based on my quick estimate.
Magic was so powerful. Anyone who we could bring to our side was a great leap forward. The female melted back into the crowd, and Rook asked for raised hands. Again, I raised my own.
He pointed to a fae in the crowd with great stag horns like mine should have been. My heart leaped as I wondered if he was of any relation. I had no idea who my parents were. I had grown up in the stables as a discarded lesser fae.
The male stepped forward and bowed his head. The silence grew thick in the air as the crowd anticipated bad news. “My boy,” he said as his voice cracked. “My boy was summoned by the king.” He began to shake with sorrow or anger, I wasn’t sure. “The king accused him of stealing from the village and ordered him killed. Not just killed, he was slaughtered.”
A cry rang out from the crowd, and the male stepped back to comfort a wailing female. The rebels reacted in a way I hadn’t seen before. Surrounding the couple, they reached for them, and then the next layer around touched for those in front of them, until the act stretched all the way to me along the rock wall in the back. I lifted my hand to the fae in front of me, and as one, we were all connected. It was a powerful statement. Possibly the most moving thing I had ever been a part of. We shared the loss of the boy with the male and female and sent our comfort forward, as though it were a palpable, tangible thing.
After several moments, the crowd dropped their arms and again Rook stepped forward. This time he called on me, and the rebels parted so I could step to the front of the room.
Before I addressed the crowd, I leaned into Rook’s ear. “This will be heartbreaking. Do you want me to tell you first?”
“No. Address the masses. We are one.”
I nodded and turned to face them. At least a thousand fae eyes were glued to me as I pulled off my hood and took the deepest breath I could muster. “Three nights’ past, the king forced the council to stand on a hill just above Reith. We were made to watch as the soldiers poured in around the town and killed all but one old fae female.”
The cries throughout the room were so loud, Rook had to raise his fist and then clap his hands to quiet them down.
“We were recruiting in Reith,” Rook said quietly behind me.
“I know. But I can assure you, no one is left, and if you send anyone there, he will be watching. Waiting for them.”
“What happened to the old female?” someone asked from the crowd.
“After all the others had left, another council member and I went down the hill to create a pyre for the citizens of Reith. She searched the houses while I—” I stumbled over the words, and Rook put his hand on my shoulder. “I moved the fallen bodies to a pile so that we could release their souls to the Ether. It was not pretty, and I’m not proud.” I steadied myself. “The other council member found the female hiding inside of a home. She said she had spent her entire life hiding her magic from the king. I can’t say I blame her. She wanted her life to end on her own terms, and I could not deny that to her after she had witnessed the death of everyone she knew.”
“That could not have been easy,” Rook said.
“But I have relations in Reith,” a male called from the crowd. “This cannot be. Surely we would have gotten word by now if this was three nights’ past?”
“How? No one is left to speak of it but the soldiers who would kill you for that knowledge. You must be careful to speak of it even now,” I told them. “One other thing.” I turned to face Oravan in the crowd. “He has enchanted several others to kill you and your family on sight. You must be extra cautious.”
He nodded graciously as he buried his hands into his beard.
“Come see me after the meeting ends, Temir,” Rook said in a hushed tone behind me.
