Page 6 of Chaos and Destiny
After dropping the boy off at the stable, I crossed the bailey and entered the stone castle. Several sea fae gathered near the door, and as I walked past them, they eyed me suspiciously. Unlike most of the Wind Court, the castle’s visitors had not been enchanted to accept me as high fae. I would have hated that before, but I no longer cared what they thought. I had joined the rebellion, and my end goal was to prove them all wrong anyway. I lifted my chin higher and strode through the stone castle that had been my home for so many years.
Somewhere between loving Gaea and losing Oleonis, I’d found myself. It pained me to know Oleo would never see this side of me, but somehow, he had known it was within me, even when I hadn’t.
I walked through the halls and stopped for a moment before I opened the council chamber door. I twisted the ring on my finger and took a deep breath. Though the king would not be able to enchant me, thanks to Gaea’s gift, I needed to sink back into the fae I was before I’d joined the rebellion. I didn’t want the king to grow suspicious.
I hadn’t done anything significant for them yet, and most of the rebellion did not trust me. I’d prove myself eventually. Fortunately, the leader, Rook, knew what he had in me. I reminded myself of that as I pushed the hefty door open and strolled into the most coveted meeting room in the Wind Court as a spy.
I took my seat across from Gaea and kept my eyes down. This meeting was to officially release Thane from the council, and though I’d killed him, only she and I knew that.
I had thought, even hoped, that with Thane gone, the tension in the room when only the council and the magical fae were present would lessen. Instead, Eadas eyed everyone suspiciously as he sat twirling the scruffy tufts of his hair and boring his beady eyes into mine like he always did when I looked in his direction. He could be dangerous. He had always held the king’s ear, and I’d never stopped to wonder why.
Beside him, Bolgan shifted on the chair that was somewhere below him. He used to be the leader of the trolls in the Dregan Mountains, but he had forfeited his title when the king asked him to join the council. It was a political gain without marriage, but as vicious as trolls could be, they weren’t the most intelligent.
I tucked my head low and stared at my hands until the door slammed open, cracking against the wall. The king barreled in, stomped across the room, lifted Thane’s chair, and beat it repeatedly against the wall until there was nothing left but mangled and shattered pieces. He screamed and the call reverberated around the hollow room.
“Eadas!” he shouted. “True or false? The leader of my fucking military has been murdered in broad daylight, and not a single damn fae has any idea how that happened.”
“T-true,” he stammered.
He yelled again, and I caught Gaea’s flinch out of the corner of my eye. I would not look at her. “And how the fuck does that happen?” he roared.
“I-I don’t know.”
The king moved to the head of the council table, sat in his oversized chair, and slammed both fists so hard against the tabletop I thought the ancient wood might crack. “I want some gods-damned answers. By whatever means necessary.”
I knew what was about to happen before he started. I tried to look as mechanical as I could while the magic of his voice saturated the room. Of the seven members left, three of us were going to have to be very careful to keep our secret. Gaea and I were immune to the king’s enchanting, but I’d wager Oravan, the blacksmith, was also.
“I’ve prided myself on having a council that was so loyal I would never have to use magic to extract honesty. I can see now that isn’t the case. In times of war, I must never be too careful.” His voice shifted into song. “My private council now consists of only three members. That is more than enough for a powerful king. But I’ve invited the magic wielders to join us out of the kindness of my heart. Going forward, you will all be considered members of the council and are therefore all required to attend every single meeting that is called. Nod,” he demanded, though I heard a falter in his voice I’d never noticed. A struggle.
I fixed my eyes on the cracked stone directly in front of me and nodded my head as he commanded.
“If you or someone you know has worked against me or are thinking of working against me, stand.” No one moved. A room of blank faces aside from the king’s ire. “If you know why my commander is dead, stand,” he barked. Again, no one moved. “You will find out who did this and bring them directly to me.”
He stood and left the room, leaving us to sit until the magic dissipated. I think I was the only one to notice the sheen on his forehead. I waited until Ragal, the king’s cousin, shifted and then did the same.
I looked up to find Gaea’s beautiful eyes on mine, and I knew she was worried. We would now be hunted.
Later in my rooms, I waited for her to spirit in. The moment she appeared, she plopped down on my couch and raised her legs over the arm as she had done a lifetime ago. “Hey, Tem.”
“So, you’re not worried?”
“There are far more concerning things in the world than the king’s temper tantrum, hun.”
I tried so hard not to look at those glorious legs. So hard. “I’ve told the stable boy he needs a name,” I said, changing the subject.
“Well, of course he does, poor thing. Is he coming to dinner?”
“I believe so, unless Marte piles on his chores.”
“He will,” she scoffed. “Better go down and get him ourselves.”
“The traditional way?” I asked, surprised when she stood and walked to the door.
“I could use the walk.” She shrugged.
We wove our way through the stone castle. Walls I’d seen a thousand times before felt distant until, at long last, I realized why. They didn’t feel like home. Since childhood, they hadn’t brought me peace or comfort in familiarity. Maybe the rebellion was home, because this was not.
“Temir?” Gaea asked before we reached the barn.
