Chapter 20
Twenty
The morning had us at the edge of where the Forest Fae lived in no time.
It was known as the Prasuma. The trees looked different in their lands; the sounds of the wind flowing through them were of whispers floating through the air.
The deeper we walked, the larger the trees became until there was no more sky visible.
It was a world of its own, cut off from the rest of the world, even though it was nestled in the heart of Maureia.
The alliance meant we would leave them be to live as they pleased and we would afford them protection should they need it.
It wasn’t the most ideal or fair arrangements but it was the magically sealed deal struck by my mother and I was too early in my reign to renegotiate.
The Forest Fae knew we were here. They were watching us silently, observing our every move and word.
No one could step foot on the grassy lands that connected to their magic without them knowing.
We came to a small clearing in front of a fence woven from branches and vines.
Beyond, I could see their city. Homes made from hollowed out trees that towered higher than my own castle.
Bridges that connected every natural building.
It was breathtaking. It was no wonder the Forest Fae did not want to leave their lands.
It was lacking nothing. There were a select few from the younger generation who worked with us as scouts and soldiers.
They were outcasts, similar to Cain. The Forest Fae had archaic standards for their people, and those who did not conform were considered unworthy.
Less than. So there was no place for them, but Cain and I had found a place for them among my people, and they had formed their own family when their blood had cast them out.
The city before us was quiet, not even the wind rustled the leaves. They were waiting, watching. Sienna kneeled beside me and lowered her chin casting her gaze to the ground in a show of submission. I stood taller. I could not and would not kneel for anything or anyone in my position.
The vine wrapped gates opened, and there stood River, leader of the Forest Fae.
A truly ethereal beauty with silver hair, translucent skin, and light green eyes.
Her small features marked her bloodline.
She was descended from old blood that had never mixed with the likes of the Skin Seepers or anyone outside their species.
On either side of her stood two male guards with wooden shields and spears.
Like River, they wore clothing made of leaves from the very forest in which they lived.
They believed their magic was strongest when they were most connected to the land.
River did not bow to me. In these lands, she was a queen in her own right, even if she technically came under my purview.
The alliance my mother struck was magically bound, and there were certain lines neither of us could cross without severe repercussions and great loss.
She inclined her head, beckoning me to speak and explain my presence, but I refused to open my mouth.
This was a show of dominance, and the first to break was the losing party.
She would not bow, but I would make sure she fell into line in all the little ways that mattered, that showed her people here I was the greater power, and that she would be guided by me, as they still were at the root of it, on my land.
‘Sienna, get up,’ I said, looking away from River. Without hesitation, she listened to me and drew her shoulders back. I knew she was nervous, as the Forest Fae were an erratic bunch, but she oozed confidence—confidence in me as her leader.
I stepped forward, trailing my hand along the gate with a wicked grin on my face.
In an instant, every window, bridge, and doorway that was visible filled with Fae, weapons drawn and aimed directly at me.
I chuckled as I continued forward. I had no respect for those who cast out Cain and others who were different, who challenged my reign when I first ascended and only conformed once they witnessed my brutality.
They wouldn’t be so foolish as to harm me, but they would try to intimidate me. Reckless thinking.
I drew closer to River and her guards until I was only a few feet away.
As soon as I tried to step closer to her, the guard on the right drew his spear and held it to my throat as a warning.
I never took kindly to threats, so locking eyes with River, I stepped right into the tip of the spear.
I felt the sharp point break skin as I pressed against it.
Her eyes widened ever so slightly, her surprise fuelling me as I pushed harder against the spear.
Drops of blood began to pool and drip down my neck, my smile widening.
Knowing she was beat, River raised her hand to the spear and lowered it, with every Forest Fae in the vicinity following suit.
‘What might you be doing here, Queen Skylar Azdaja of Maureia?’ she asked, breaking the silence first.
‘River, where is your sense of hospitality? We’ve been travelling for some time now.
We were passing through on our way to the mountains, and I thought I would check in to see if you or your people needed anything while we were here, as well as to see how you were settling into our alliance,’ I said, not quite divulging the whole truth.
That we were, desperate for answers and couldn’t afford the detour around their forest or the fact Cain’s note urged me here for one particular reason.
River bit down on her lip, visibly annoyed and trying to contain herself, knowing she had been made to look like a fool in front of her people, and that the grasp on control she thought she had did not exist. It was only out of my generosity that she did not come under my thumb the way I could have made her.
‘We are fine. Now, why are you really here?’ she pressed.
I couldn’t help but smirk. My unexpected visit rattled her. She likely thought I was here to encroach on the freedoms I had given them to a degree. ‘Where is your brother Jasper?’ I asked.
River couldn’t hide the shock on her face at my question. She likely didn’t think I even knew she had a younger brother. He was her weakness and her blind spot. During our talks when I had first come into power, she had hidden him from me, and no one knew of Cain and Jasper’s friendship.
‘He’s indisposed at the moment,’ she said sharply, not giving anymore away. However, I knew far more than what she gave me credit for thanks to the latest report Cain had sent just before our departure.
‘By “indisposed”, do you mean locked away somewhere for helping to get your outcasts to the safety of my walls and defying your orders?’ I asked condescendingly.
The surrounding Forest Fae began to whisper; this was a surprise.
It seems she had been punishing her brother for his crimes behind closed doors because she knew what his actions would require of her, and she could not oust her own blood.
‘Let us speak inside.’ Her eyes darted around at the whispering voices surrounding us before she turned on her heels and walked away.
I grinned at Sienna while she shook her head at me for poking and prodding the one person who could give us safe passage through these lands.
My title only meant so much here; she would let me live, but she might not let us through, and that is what I needed most. There was no time to go around; it would add days to our journey that we did not have if we wanted to stay ahead of Morgad.
The inside of her home looked more elaborate than anything I had ever seen.
Creatures, both old and new, were carved into every inch of the wooden walls and ceilings.
We walked up a staircase that wrapped around the inside of the tree’s trunk until it took us to a room that expanded across the entire level.
Large glass windows that led onto a balcony showed us we were above the treeline, sitting amongst the clouds.
Jasper sat on a couch, chained by his ankle, reading a book as he raised his gaze to see who had disturbed his gilded prison.
He smiled a genuine smile with the brightness of the sun pouring through the very windows behind him.
His hair was a warmer blonde, unlike his sister’s, and his eyes were the same light green.
His facial features were small and soft, reflecting his bloodline, but he towered over River in size.
‘Sister, you bought friends to keep me company,’ he said, rising to his feet and extending a hand in greeting. ‘And who might you two be?’ he asked, moving on to greet Sienna.
I had never met Jasper in person; every time I had come to these lands, he had been away.
Cain had not told him anything about me aside from the necessities; he likely did not know who stood in front of him.
I, on the other hand, had forced Cain to reveal every detail about the man who would be supplying the outcasts and runaways that would build our own force of Forest Fae.
He was exactly as Cain had described: a massive man who oozed innocence and childlike wonder, yet was firm in conviction.
‘Prezivyelima,’ I said. A call to the survivors, Cain and Jasper used this as their code word. Jasper’s eyes brightened as he scooped me up and hugged me in an embrace. Sienna drew her sword at the ready, as I pulled free and pressed my own dagger to his throat.