Page 55 of Crown of Roses
A shadow darted from the edge of her vision and panic slicked Maeve’s hands. There were two of them. Pounding sounded outside of her door, and a muffled voice called her name.
“Lir!” she screamed, refusing to take her eyes off both of her enemies. “Lir!”
The dark fae with both of its hands attached lunged for her, its disjointed mouth gaping open. Spiders crawled in and out of its mouth and eyes, and bile burned in the back of Maeve’s throat. It lurched for her, its claws outstretched, ready to tear apart her flesh. She dropped low and kicked its legs out from under it.
The door to her chambers burst open and Lir exploded into the room, all wrath and fury. His silver eyes widened. “Fuck.”
“Tell me about it.” Maeve popped up off the ground, then struck hard and fast. The tip of her blade pierced the flesh of the dark fae at the base of its throat. Black blood that resembled tar oozed and bubbled from its neck. The creature howled, its white eyes going dark, before it turned to dust.
Lir slashed the other one clean through. His curved sword ripped its torso in half and black blood splattered all over the bed, speckling his face. He tore through the rest of the room and slammed the doors to the balcony shut. “Are you alright?”
“Yes, I think so. But there were spiders, and…” She shuddered, not wanting to remember. Those images would haunt her dreams for many moons to come.
“I know.” He nodded to the dagger in her hand. “What sort of blade is that?”
“It’s an Aurastone.” She didn’t offer any more of an explanation and if Lir knew what it was, he made no point in saying as much. “I think we should tell someone what happened.”
Someone meaning Tiernan. But he was the last person Maeve wanted to see.
“I think—” A siren wailed through the early dawn hours, cutting through the calm of the night. Lir muttered a swear. “I think he already knows.”
The siren continued to sound, shattering the silence. “What does that mean?”
“It means we’re under attack.” Lir glanced over at her. “You should stay here. Where it’s safe.”
Maeve gestured to the severed fae still leaking black goo onto her bed. “Are you serious?”
“Right.” He wrapped a steadying arm around her waist and pulled her into him. “Hold on tight.”
Maeve gripped the leather armor of his vest and the bedroom suite faded away. The world around her shifted and blurred, crushed her lungs, and spun her in a dizzying spell of darkness and smoke. Tears slid down her cheeks, and when her feet finally landed on solid ground, her knees softened, and if it wasn’t for Lir keeping a firm grip on her arm, she would’ve collapsed.
She flung her arms out to regain her balance. “What the hell was that?”
“I’ll explain later,” he muttered.
“What the fuck is she doing here?”
Maeve knew that voice, the one that dripped with disdain. She looked up sharply and saw Tiernan glaring down at her. He was in full armor; cobalt leather with gold stitching protected every inch of him. There were other faeries surrounding him, many of whom she’d never seen within the walls of the Summer palace. They wore armor of the same colors, but each one reflected a personal style. Large shoulders studded with gold metal spikes. Leather vests etched with mountains and swirling suns. Cuffs bound with whorls. They were terrifying. Powerful. The dense scent of orange blossom and cedarwood overwhelmed Maeve, and she stared at the beauty of the fae before her. Brynn stood off to Tiernan’s right and offered a small wave. Merrick cocked his sword over his shoulder and winked, his dimpled smile devious. But if they were here, then where were Saoirse and Casimir? Had they been attacked in their rooms as well?
“They’re fine,” Tiernan snarled, intruding upon her thoughts once more. Her fist clenched around the hilt of her Aurastone. His gaze flicked to it, a shadow of something flashed in his twilight eyes, and then it was gone. He pointed his sword at her and Maeve stumbled backward into the solid wall of Lir’s chest. “She’s in a fucking nightgown, Lir.”
Maeve glanced down and warmth bled into her cheeks. Sure enough, her cotton nightshift skimmed her thighs and the ballooned sleeves barely kept her cuffs hidden from view. It wasn’t much, but it was better than those sheer bundles of lace Deirdre had originally left out for her.
Lir stepped up beside her. “She was attacked in her quarters. Two dark fae.”
Brynn looked stricken and even Merrick blinked in surprise.
“How’d they break past the wards?” Tiernan shook his head. “Never mind, we can figure that out later. Brynn, take half the guard to the northern border. Merrick, take your forces and protect Niahvess, and our people. Lir and I, and the rest of the guard, will take the palace grounds.”
Nobody questioned him. Nobody doubted him. She watched as every fae moved with purpose at lightning speed, rushing to their posts, and taking control of their commands, while dark clouds churned above them and the crackle of lightning splintered through the sky.
“And as for you,” Tiernan warned. “Stay out of the way.”
Maeve stalked toward him. “You son of a—”
Lir snatched her up by the waist and set her down behind him. “Not worth it, Your Highness. Quarrel with him another time.”
She opened her mouth, ready to spout off a number of reasons as to why she shouldn’t have to wait to punch Tiernan in the face, but then a shrill cry pierced the air. She looked up to the overcast sky, where the clouds moved like smoke, and the shadowy outline of a beast took form. It was monstrous, and it dove through the air like a bird of prey. The screech broke out again, drowning out the clang of swords and the cries of battle, and as it swooped closer to the palace, Maeve could discern the true shape of it. Long, curved horns were set atop three eagle-like heads, and they snapped and shrieked. Its body was overwhelmingly large, an armor of glittering dragon scales. Sharp talons plucked dark fae from the ground and tossed them into the sea like they were toys.
