Page 128 of Wolf Caged
I moved one of the pieces, placing it near the southern border close to Belkarthen.
Saphira reached over and picked it up, toying with the carved piece of black wood. “What are all these?”
Her gaze lifted to mine, curiosity brightening it now.
I took the piece from her, a shiver bolting up my arm as our fingers touched, and carefully set it back where it had been. “The black ones are markers for the Shadow Court forces. Shields for the legions. Swords for the undercover operatives I have in other courts.”
“And this one?” She picked up a winged wraith from the mountains bordering the Summer Court.
“My spymaster.” I took it from her, weighing the piece in my hand and staring at it.
It had never felt so heavy.
It was only a matter of time before Malachi returned to the Shadow Court, and each day closer we grew to that fateful moment, the heavier this piece felt in my palm.
“It all sounds very intriguing.” Her gaze darted over the map, studying each kingdom, and settling on the Twilight Court. “I’m glad there’s a whole sea between here and there.”
I almost smiled at her fear and dislike of that court, all based on what I had told her about the source of the wood she so admired.
“Do you station your legions along the borders in case someone dares to march into your lands?” She toyed with one of the Nightmare Court legions that had recently been posted close to the Dusk Court.
“We do.”
“And these legions?” She touched two shields close to the border between the Nightmare Court and the Dream Court, one of which was white and the other inky blue.
“The white belongs to the Dream Court, a seelie kingdom. The Nightmare Court keep a legion permanently posted there to keep the peace between the two sides of Lucia.” I swept my hand out across the left hand side of the map, where few pieces had been placed. “I rely on an exchange of intelligence from other unseelie courts to know the whereabouts of the legions within the seelie courts, and even then it is rare to discover the locations or sizes of their armies. It is dangerous to insert operatives into those courts, but not entirely impossible. I have managed to embed several non-fae operatives in various courts.”
I pointed to the most westerly island of Lucia—the Aurelian Court, close to the seelie high king’s island home of Aurien—and then the mainland south of there, to the densely forested SpringCourt, and its neighbouring court in the centre of the seelie lands, next to the Black Pass and just north of the Dream Court—the Golden Court.
I had not dared risk attempting to embed an operative into the Summer Court in the north of the mainland. I left that task to my spymaster, since he couldn’t be easily traced to my court if he was captured.
“Do the two sides of this world ever go to war?” Her gaze lifted to mine again.
“Rarely since the accord between the two high kings was written in blood and signed. It is an offence to march into another court, and one punishable by death if that court belongs to the other side of this land. No unseelie can march into a seelie court without breaking the accord and the peace between our peoples. So as long as no court marches into another, whether that is seelie or unseelie, and no king crosses a border without permission, the accord stands and peace reigns… at least on the surface. We are all civility and smiles as we plot each other’s downfalls.” I grinned at her.
She rolled her eyes. “It doesn’t sound too different to wolf packs.”
I lowered my gaze to the Black Pass that separated the Shadow Court from the Summer Court, my shadows growing restless as hunger to cross that broad strip of land and the mountains beyond it stirred within me. I curled my fingers into tight fists and drew down a steadying breath, clinging to my control and my calm.
Malachi would return soon with news of the Summer Court. This time he might bring me the information I needed to take down that court once and for all.
Saphira followed my gaze to the Summer Court, a crease forming between her brows. “You don’t like the seelie, do you?”
“No unseelie likes the seelie. No seelie likes the unseelie. We are two sides of a coin, sharing many traits, but we could not be more different, or hate each other more violently. The seelie are treacherous, wretched beings, and if I had the power, I would wipe every single one of them from the face of this map,” I growled, shadows twining around the sturdy legs of the table, snaking tighter and tighter as I thought of the seelie, of the lies they spread and the false airs they used to deceive and ingratiate themselves to other breeds, making themselves appear the noble and gentle beings of Lucia while they painted my breed in shades of darkness and horror.
As monsters.
The room closed in on me, the shadows turning inwards, pouring through my veins to stifle what little light existed within me.
I would show them a true monster.
One day.
“Where does your high king live?” Her tone was soft, distracting me from my dark thoughts and pulling me back to the room as light seemed to pour into it again.
Her focus shifted to me again, eyes tracking my hand as I placed Malachi’s piece back where she had found it.
“Ereborne.” I pointed to the island nestled in the heart of several courts south-west of here, a castle city like no other in the unseelie realm.
