Page 47 of Lady of the Lost Fae

Icy chills prick my skin as he says the words, and it feels like a sign from the gods. A sign that I’m doing the right thing and this is exactly where I’m supposed to be right now. These aremypeople, and they’ll follow me anywhere.

I step forward, holding my breath as I step off the ledge. The life I built in Fire Court was temporary. I’m moving forward, ready to build a life not only for myself but for all these people putting their trust in me.

Our journey to Northford will take several days. We’ll set up tents each night to rest, then travel by foot all day long. The legion will be with us for protection, and nothing should go wrong with them there. The Wychwood Forest poses far less of a threat now that the castaway creatures have gone into Sky Court.

My entire plan runs through my head as I follow Dreyden across the field to the front of the legion.

The first decision when it came to leading Sky Court was clear: Lyra would be my second in command. There’s no one more deserving or loyal than Lyra, and I can’t imagine a better duo than the two badass women who took the Tartarus monarchy by surprise. Since the war, we’ve tirelessly trained together, and we know each other better than most. She squealed with excitement when I asked her to take on the role, immediately accepting my proposition as she threw herself around me. I’ll lead my court with my best friend by my side.

Once we arrive in Northford Alaric will have compiled a list of vacant homes, and we’ll get them assigned to each of the lost fae. The land will be divided and a community food plot will be prepared where the previous crops were grown. Lord Weylin from Land Court has agreed to temporarily lend us a few members of his agricultural team. They’ll be in Sky Court for a while, teaching the lost fae how to properly prepare the land for farming. He also mentioned they recently created a dense fertilizing solution that we’ll be able to spray over our crops to increase the yield by triple.

The lost fae don’t have any skills or trades, so everything will have to be self-taught or learned through volunteers from other courts. The few remaining original villagers in Northford will hopefully have a few tricks and trades of their own to help us get set up.

After we’ve arranged housing, we’ll begin to train the new Sky Court legion while simultaneously working to secure the eastern border, the Wychwood Forest. Land, Wind, and Water Courts have already sent teams into Sky Court to begin clearing out the loose creatures. The show of force will hopefully scare looters into hiding, or to at least stop what they’ve been doing. Our prison will be up and running shortly after we get there, and looters will be placed there appropriately.

More jobs will be created over time. It will be a long, grueling process of trying to fit everyone into an appropriate job that will keep them happy while also making Sky Court self-sufficient again. With time, we’ll get there.

A few wildfires were spotted by the specialized teams when they entered Sky Court, and Lady Hali didn’t hesitate to send in two more Water Court teams to get the fires put out.

We’ve worked quickly over the last few days to prepare Sky Court for twelve thousand fae. The Archai courts are working as a unified team to get us in there, and it’s all coming together.

It’s happening.

Chapter Nineteen

ADEENA

It took us three days to make the journey from the castle in Fire Court to Northford. By nothing short of a miracle, it was uneventful and everyone kept themselves in line. The three boys put on dish duty earlier this week went as far as volunteering to walk at the back, cleaning up as they walked, ensuring sure we didn’t leave a trail of trash behind us.

There were no loose or feral creatures to be found. I’m not sure if that’s because they’re all running amuck in Sky Court, or if it’s because they’re hiding from the Archai court teams we sent in to round them up. Either way, I was relieved to have a smooth and relatively quick trip.

Dreyden behaved himself the entire way, which took me by surprise. There were several times I caught him trying to take control of what we were doing or what route we were taking, but he promptly self-corrected when he realized what he was doing. Not only that, but he apologized each time.

And he genuinely meant it.

These are my people, and his legion is here to aid us. That puts me in control, which I know is a hard concept for him to grasp, but I think we’ll get there eventually.

“So youarereal,” Alaric jokes as Dreyden and I arrive at his family home.

It’s such a simple little home, reminding me of the one I grew up in. I don’t know if I’ll ever be ready to return to Astrari, but I’m sure it’s bound to happen someday now that we’re back here.

“And so are you,” I smile as he takes my hand into his, respectfully bowing to me. “Dreyden spends an awful lot of time here, and I was beginning to wonder if it was a woman drawing him here, but he assured me it’s your wife’s cinnamon rolls.”

Alaric rubs his hand over his stomach in circles, chuckling as he says, “He eats more than his fair share of them when he’s here.”

Dreyden licks his lips, looking toward the house. “Does she have any?”

Amusement dances in Alaric’s eyes. “What do you think?”

Taking off across the yard, Dreyden sprints toward the house, leaving me alone with Alaric.

“He’s quite the character,” Alaric shakes his head. “You’d think he’d be more mature if he’s really four hundred years old.”

“Perhaps it’s his way of maintaining his youthful appearance,” I shrug with a grin. “Do you have the list of vacant homes so we can begin assigning housing to the people?

Reaching into his back pocket, Alaric pulls out a rolled stack of papers. “Of course. I prepared it as soon as I could. I made a copy for your second in command as well.”

“Thank you. I’ll get them to Lyra so she can begin placing people,” I say as he hands me the list. “We were planning on using the old manor house her grandfather owned. She mentioned it overlooked a lake. Do you know if it’s salvageable?”

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