Page 4 of The Maleficent Faerie
“Then don’t make me. Take off your clothes.”
She should know I wouldn’t kill her cantankerous pet—though I did yell at him once, when he snarled and lunged at me. I felt bad afterward and fed him a slab of beef, after which he and I secretly became friends. But perhaps that incident is fresh enough in Dawn’s memory to convince her, because she begins to slide off her dress.
We swap clothing swiftly, clumsily. Dawn’s gown has a plunging back that accommodates the telltale sign of my Fae nature—a pair of crystalline butterfly wings, veined with purple. They’re flexible enough that I can sit or lie on them comfortably, but they stiffen when I’m ready to fly.
I screw up my forehead, casting a glamour to make my wings both invisible and intangible. The effect should last for at least an hour—I hope. I shift the color of my hair from blue to gold. Then I add Dawn’s royal signet to the rings decorating my fingers. My eyes are already blue, and a swift glamour hides the pointed tips of my ears. With my wings invisible and my hair matching hers, the resemblance should be close enough. Especially since no one from Daenalla has been granted a close look at the Caennith Crown Princess in years.
The Princess dons my tunic and leathers, and I color her hair a dull black. The glamour won’t last long, but it might be long enough to give her a chance.
I’m breaking another rule by doing this—a promise I made to my mothers, that I would never trade places with the Princess. That I would let Etha do her job, and that I’d stick to my role: the defense of Dawn’s life and my own.
But I don’t have a choice. It’s my fault Dawn is in danger now. My mistake—one I must rectify.
“I don’t think you’ll pass as a convincing bodyguard,” I whisper to Dawn. “So I’ll keep the sword. We’ll pretend you’re my maid. First chance you get, grab a guard’s horse and ride. Or head into the forest and keep running until you lose them. If we’re lucky, they’ll focus on me.”
“Aura, please don’t do this.”
“This is my duty. It’s what I’ve been trained to do. With Eonnula’s blessing, I’ll be able to fight them off, and we’ll continue the journey together. But you have to try to escape. Please.”
She nods, her blue eyes wide. “Damn my father for not letting me learn to fight.”
“I wish I could have taught you more. You remember the moves for breaking a chokehold?”
“Yes.” The carriage jostles so horribly I can barely hear her answer. Something is happening outside—the guards are shouting, and there’s a thread-thin whining sound, faint yet insistent, like wind through a crack in a wall.
“Goddess preserve us and help us, goddess be merciful and save us,” whispers Dawn. She keeps chanting as I lean forward and peer between the carriage curtains.
Suddenly the entire front of the carriage lifts up. The floor slants dramatically, sending Dawn tumbling off her seat as our vehicle slowly shifts until it’s perpendicular, balanced on its two back wheels, the front pointing straight up. The horses shriek wildly in terror.
The carriage slams down to the ground again, a bone-jarring crash. I hear at least one wheel splinter.
The door bangs open, and Dawn shrieks, clutching me. I hold onto her too, trying to maintain the mindset that I’m a coddled human princess, not a fighter. If our enemies think I’m helpless, they’ll underestimate me; and then, once Dawn gets clear of this mess, I can turn the tables on them.
Tendrils of shadow undulate into the carriage like questing snakes.
“It’s him, isn’t it?” Dawn breathes. “It’s the Maleficent One, the Void King. He wants—”
“Me,” I say firmly, loudly. “He wants me. I am the Crown Princess, after all.”
The smoky tendrils swerve, nosing toward me. Suddenly they whip out, lashing around my body while Dawn screams. They’re cold and filmy, vibrating with latent power.
“Go,” I snap at her. “Run.”
And then the shadow-tentacles yank me through the open door of the carriage. I’m held aloft, halfway between the dirt road and the canopy of dark green leaves.
If I wasn’t used to flying occasionally, this would be a lot more terrifying.
The Princess’s two burly guards lie on the ground, unconscious or dead. Neither their mounts nor the carriage horses are anywhere to be seen—they must have fled.
Nearby are seven figures on horseback, wearing black armor shot through with veins of gold, emblazoned with the crest of the three suns. The Daenalla claim to worship Eonnula, too, but they do not know the true path. They are darkness, and we are light. We follow the God-Touched Royals, while they follow the black-winged monstrosity standing by the carriage, wielding the shadows that bind me.
I could break free, I think. But I’m pretending to be a helpless human. Best to keep my magic and my strength hidden, for now.
Out of the corner of my eye I see Dawn scrambling from the opposite side of the carriage, heading for the trees. I need to keep their focus on me so they don’t notice her.
I turn my full attention on the Void King. “Unhand me at once!”
The Edge-Knights chuckle at my demand, but the Void King’s mouth doesn’t so much as twitch.
