Fifty-Two
I felt instantly small. They had met before they called for me. They had been talking all morning.
Probably about me.
I looked at the Autumn Queen as she continued to eat the scone from earlier. She ate it happily as she made her way in the large patio.
A large pool was down the middle of the room with patio chairs and tables lined up on either side of it.
There were flowers and trees everywhere with a small waterfall in the corner of the room that bubbled quietly.
It was also warm, too warm to keep the jacket on and be comfortable despite what Oren had said about the outside patio.
We were the only ones there. In the corner of the room were the three remaining queens at a large table. The darkest skinned woman waved her hand with a smile. "Chelie, thank goodness. We were beginning to worry."
As soon as she spoke, my cat shot across the room to her and immediately began rubbing against her legs.
Her ebony skin was radiant and seemed to be emitting its own glow.
She was in a white chiffon dress as well with a heavy gold necklace on her neck and light blue eyeshadow.
She was stunning much in the same way as the Autumn Queen.
Her nose was thin, her cheeks round with full golden lips.
Judging from the winged eyeliner and hieroglyphs on her jewelry, she had to be the Summer Queen, Rai.
She laughed as she picked the cat up into her arms. "Hello, Mehnit."
One of the other women at the table picked up one of the pastries and began to smear jam from one of the small jars in front of her.
She was dressed in white with large glass pendants dangling from her ears.
She looked to be the youngest of the group with a small peaked nose and deep olive skin.
Her brown hair seemed to be long and was picked up with multiple golden pins.
Sili, I guessed.
As I approached the table, she looked up and smiled. "So happy you could join us." There was no malice or anger in her voice. She sounded sincerely happy to see me.
The last queen stood from the table as I reached her and looked me over.
I knew who she was, I'd seen her once before as she distracted Robyn while Julian and I spoke at his party.
There was no mistaking the blue-ish hair and her light-toned skin.
Her blue eyes were striking, they seemed to burn through me as she watched me.
She was young like the rest. Had she been human, I would have thought she was in her late twenties.
What struck me most odd about her was not her golden dress or the tattoos that adorned her neckline and arms. It was a delicate scar that ran from her hairline at the top of her head down her left eye then down her cheek, disappearing as it met the corner of her mouth.
Didn't faeries heal?
She had scars on her chest that peeked slightly over her shirt close to her collarbone. She had been in battle and looked like she had fought hard. I could sense sadness from her, could sense that she had to grow up fast during that time.
She didn't smile. "Are you reading my soul, Light Fae?"
I straightened my shoulders. "Yes. Though I mean no disrespect, sometimes I don't realize I'm doing it."
She smiled slightly. "Now that you're here, there is something I must ask."
Something slammed into the table beside us but neither of us looked away from each other.
The Autumn Queen groaned. "Can't this wait, Aira?"
She didn't flinch and didn't look away from my eyes. "Absolutely not. Emylin, Queen of the Underworld, when the time comes, will you stand against the Darkness? Will you fight the Dark Ones?"
I opened my mouth to answer but she continued.
"Will you lead your armies against them, call on your fellow queens for aid if needed? Will you come to their defense when you are called?"
Asmodeus and Damien had told me what to say. "Yes. As Queen of the Underworld, I will lead the forces to drive back the Darkness."
Her gaze intensified. "If necessary, will you give your life in the protection of the faerie realm, the human world and all of its inhabitants?"
I swallowed. For my parents, for Skryen, for the kindness so many had shown me so far- if it came down to it, I would. Breathless, I answered. "Yes."
At this, the Queen of Winter smiled. "Fascinating that you would do all this for a place you've only been in for three months." She winked at me. "The hard part's over, you can relax now."
I frowned as I looked at her. "S-sorry?"
She shrugged. "Protocol." She pointed at a tiered display full of different pastries and fruits. "Muffin? We made sure these are the ones you can have, the kitchen is aware of your special diet."
I shook my head. "I-I don't understand."
Rai sighed. "You should have waited Aira, you came off too strong now she won't be able to relax."
As I looked around the table, I noticed that they had all sat down at the table. Five cats circled each other under the table then scampered off in play.
"They're all siblings," Rai explained as I watched them. "Mehnit has been waiting on a queen for decades. She's the youngest of them all. She will protect you from harm, will not leave your side unless you ask her to."
I frowned. "Protect me from harm?" I wondered how vicious the little cat could be.
Sili nodded as she began to eat her fruits. "Yes. They turn into lions at the first sign of danger and will give their life to protect you."
"Sit!" Ix Chel was giddy, she waved her hand and a chair appeared behind me, pushing in my calves forcing me to sit. As soon as I sat down, she extended a hand towards me that I took. "I am Ix Chel, Autumn, but, please, call me Chelie."
Sili waved her hand from across the table. "I'm Sili. Spring."
The ebony colored skinned woman smiled as she extended a hand. "I'm Rai, Summer."
I nodded as I shook her hand.
Sili nodded towards Aira who sat on my right. "And that wet blanket is Aira, Winter."
Aira shook her head and spoke despite her mouth being full of food. "I wanted to get all of the formalities out of the way before we got to know her better."
Rai scoffed. "Didn't your parents tell you it's rude to speak with your mouth full?" She threw a muffin at her.
Aira caught it mid-air and placed it on her plate. "They did but I don't care when I'm around you." She took another bite and spoke around the muffin. "I love getting under your skin, Rai."
Rai scoffed again. "Pig."
I shook my head. "I'm so confused." I turned to Aira. "What about the Dark Ones?"
Aira turned towards me. "What about them?"
"Is there a threat?"
She shook her head. "The Valkyries at the border have not reported anything. They seemed to be still asleep behind the Seals. No threat."
I felt a sudden weight lifted off my shoulders. "The letter suggested there could have been."
Aira shook her head. "Don't get me wrong there is no immediate threat but should that change I want to make sure the queen can carry out her duties.
" She set down her silverware. "You have no royal blood, you did not marry into royalty - you are a queen like none before you.
What is most amazing to us is that you are the queen of the people that killed your kind.
It because of the dark fae that you are the last of the Light. And you defend them. Why?"
I swallowed. "Robyn was a Silvertongue- they couldn't help themselves. Most have been trying to make up for it since."
Sili set her own silverware down. "Where is Robyn? Rotting in a cell somewhere in the dungeons?"
"Dead." I didn't flinch even as she looked at me surprised.
"How?" Rai asked.
"I crushed his soul with my hands."
The silence that followed was deafening. Sili broke it. "Remind me to stay on your good side then."
Chelie smiled as Rai said, "He doesn't deserve the afterlife. Not after everything he's done."
Aira reached across the table and placed her hand on mine. "And how are you?"
I was perplexed by her question. Why would she ask?
Aira shook her head. "You don't have to answer that." She reached for one of the breakfast pastries and began to smear jam on it. "I'm sorry if our letter alarmed you. It wasn't our intention. We wanted to meet you, get to know our new ally better."
"Don't you know Damien?" I asked curiously.
Sili sighed, placing her chin on the palm of her hand as her elbow rested on the table. "The Dark King, I'd love to get to know him."
I raised an eyebrow and began to reach for a scone.
She cleared her throat and looked over at me quickly. "If he's available, that is." She stopped dead. "Wait, are you two actually together?"
Rai interrupted. "Yes but they're not meant to stay together. Neither Damien nor the girl are ready. It's not time."
I nearly dropped the scone in my hand.
It felt as if someone had knocked the air out of my lungs.
I shouldn't have been surprised. I really shouldn't have been. But I wasn't at all prepared for someone to tell it to me to my face.
Cheli forcefully banged the palm of her hands on the table making everything shake on it. "Gods, Rai. We've talked about this."
Rai didn't seem at all disturbed by her outburst. She shrugged nonchalantly. "Well, it's true."
Aira pinched the bridge of her nose. Frustration laced her voice.
"Forgive Rai, the Summer Queendom is known for their prophecies and truth sayers.
She lacks the morality to keep her mouth shut to spare others' feelings.
" She looked at Rai sharply. "He made her queen and lovers or not it is none of our business. "
Rai shrugged her shoulders again. "It's the truth."
Aira turned to me, looking over my stiff posture. "I'm sorry about Rain and if the letter gave you a false impression of us. Outside of this group, we try to show a different front." She turned back to her plate. "So, what did the men say? That we never agree? That we always fight?"
I cleared my throat. "Something like that."
She shook her head. "We're nothing like that. In fact, we're very close. Our predecessors, not so much. Except in our political affairs, that we stay out of like they did. It keeps the peace within our Queendoms."
Queendoms, funny how I never thought that it would be called that rather than Kingdoms.
"How did you become so close?" I grabbed the scone from earlier and began to eat it.
Sili shrugged. "Instagram."
I nearly choked on my scone as I laughed.
Sili looked over my hair. "I've never met a Light Fae before. Is it true you can hold life in your hands?"
Slowly, I nodded. "I don't like to." I frowned. "Was there a Queen for the Light Faes?"
Rai shook her head. "No. They didn't believe in a monarchy, they shared their power amongst themselves so no one had more power over the other.
" Her accent was heavy, I couldn't quite place it.
"That power is very different from everyone else's.
I always believed it to be that the power of Life couldn't be held by just one person.
Magic has a mind of its own sometimes." She shrugged. "Sometimes we can't explain it."
I wanted to ask why they didn't help the Light when the time came. But couldn't find the courage, not in front of four powerful faes whose respective powers I felt radiating from them.
I wanted to so badly embrace them as they were embracing me at the moment.
But I couldn't.
I was no queen. I was playing pretend, after all.
I cleared my throat. "What about Tianna, did you ever meet her?"
Chelie shook her head. "Never. I think she thought she was too good to meet us."
Rai scoffed. "Stop spreading lies, Chelie."
Aira shook her head. "She had her own things to worry about, especially towards the end."
Chelie grabbed pastries from the tray she had brought in with her. "Thanks for helping me with this, by the way. You passed the test. We just wanted to see how you'd react."
I raised an eyebrow. "I passed?"
"You're kinder than we thought you would be," Chelie smiled. "That's a good thing!"
Aira tilted her head as she looked at me. "You need a break."
I laughed. "A break?"
She nodded. "There is no immediate threat, Emylin. You can take a small break to yourself. Don't you have a Council to oversee your affairs?"
Slowly, I nodded. "Yes."
Chelie clapped her hands. "You can go to Chichen Itza! Say you'll go! We'd love to host the Underworld Queen, it's been so long!"
Rai interrupted. "With a Council in place, you can show up from time to time to put certain affairs in order. You don't need to be there all the time."
I shook my head. "Won't the people care if I'm there?"
They laughed.
"They won't even know you're gone," Sili smiled. "If there is an issue, your Guard will alert you. That is all. That's what I do."
Aira sighed deeply. "You need it Emylin. Find out who you are, how you fit in with us, with all of us. Only then will you be a better queen, better equipped to protect your new queendom."
"You and Damien need time apart."
We all looked at Rai as she spoke. Her dark eyes looked at me and I saw the truth in them. Prophecies and truth sayers, Aira had said.
"That's the only way you will grow. How he will heal." She paused and smiled. "And he's just realized this too."
Aira placed her hand on mine. "Your magic is tied to your emotional state. Broken faerie, broken magic. Take a break, do this, get your magic under control or ..."
I looked at her expectantly.
Aira looked at the other queens. "If it comes down to you losing control or unable to perform your duties- we will take matters into our own hands."
So nervous about this update, goodness. It still needs more work, I think, but I hope you've enjoyed it.