22. Keira #2
Drake’s portrayal of the vicious war general is so convincing that my entire body locks up with tension at the sight of him.
His eyebrows slash downward and his red eyes boil with barely contained rage.
His broad shoulders look even more massive in his plate armor and are slanted forward as his long footsteps quickly chew up the distance, like he is about to draw his sword and charge into battle.
He glances at me for only a heartbeat before I am dismissed completely.
He must take in the tension that ripples through my body and the fact that I cower slightly from the imposing figure of the war general, because he scratches his chin in our secret signal to remind me that I am dealing with Drake, not the real Florian.
The dais vibrates under his heavy step and he walks past me, straight to Titania. I follow him with my eyes as he bends down to speak softly to her.
“All of the preparations have been made. I will await your cue.”
“Well done, Florian,” Titania purrs. “I will see to it that you are rewarded with additions to your personal estates from what we confiscate tonight.”
“And we are still in agreement on this list? You have reviewed the names?”
Titania flicks her fingers to dismiss the question. “You are one of the few in my inner circle I actually trust to be competent, but yes, I have approved the list.”
“If you are confident, I will not question you,” Florian grunts. I have to suppress the smile that tries to spread across my lips as he steps from the dais.
Gods, Drake is good.
She has no idea that he is about to read the “wrong” list.
Or, I should say, the names she reviewed are different from this list.
We make an amazing team, Drake and I, as the work of one is suspicious without the other.
Titania would have looked deeply into the names of supposedly disloyal fae if Florian had produced them himself, either distrustful that he merely wanted to weed out competition for his own position, or suspecting him of beginning a coup to take her throne.
With the names coming from me, she mostly disregards them and is using this whole affair as a power play to remind her court of her ruthlessness.
Torin gives orders to the guard then makes his way up the dais. Those blue eyes glitter as they land on me. He slaps my cheek twice, hard enough to sting, then holds my shoulders still as he bends down to speak in my ear.
“I see you have finally found your place here,” he says, and I throw my head back in an attempt to strike him.
It would be so satisfying if I broke his nose.
I narrowly miss and he pulls back, laughing.
“I will break you, little mouse. Sooner or later, I will break you.” Then he is gone, standing at the side of his mother’s throne and slightly behind it.
I don’t know who is more twisted: the mother or the son. Titania crushes people for a purpose, to win power and status over them. To fuel her ego. Torin does it for the pleasure it gives him.
Titania stands and stalks to the edge of the dais, coming to my side. The entire room falls deathly still, as though they fear a single movement could bring the cruel attention of this predator down on them.
“There are traitors in this room, among you, here to dine, dance and drink at my expense. People who oppose my leadership and believe Aldrin can do it better. That this powerless human girl can rule better than I.” She lets out a mocking laugh as she flicks those damned nails at me, almost taking out an eye.
“I have already bent this little mouse to my will, and you want to follow her. ”
I laugh bitterly. The sound rings out through the silent ballroom, echoing off the walls.
“You may have had your guard force me into chains, but it does not reflect my will. Already the citizens of this city gather in their support of my claim to the throne. Aldrin has returned from death itself to lead these people out of the tyranny of your rule. Together we will?—”
Bands of air wrap around my mouth, cutting off my words.
The lazy wield is clear to see, coming straight from Florian.
Titania’s significant look at him, paired with the evidence of his magic, makes it obvious to all with enough power to see that she had to signal another to bind me, because she has no magic herself.
I hate to use this as a weapon against her.
The lack of magic shouldn’t rank a person as weak or less worthy, but these people need to be reminded of the hypocrite she is.
That she strikes down humans and low fae for not having the abilities of the high fae, but that prejudice comes from a place of self-hatred.
Because her blood is more human than fae.
Titania turns back to her audience like I am nothing but a fly buzzing at her side.
“Do not listen to idle threats from a child with no means to back them. She claims Aldrin will return from the dead? Please .” She rolls her eyes.
“Perhaps he will be a better king as a corpse. Do not forget that Aldrin ran this court into the ground.”
She spends a long time listing off his many faults, some of which contradict each other, others issues that have only gotten worse under her reign of terror.Every time I hear this speech, it changes.
“I will not tolerate treason in this court,” Titania roars.
“Disunity could tear us apart, when the Winter King is already trying to do just that. The treachery of the few could throw us all into war, and I will not allow it! This is why drastic action must be taken. You all know by now what happens when a person tries to stab me in the back. I discover their intent and strike first, before they land their blow, because my eyes are everywhere. But tonight, your very own rightful queen offered up the names of her supporters gladly. Do you see what happens when you support this weakling?”
A chill of anticipation runs down my spine as she gestures Florian forward, a dark smile that is all pointed teeth growing on her face. The guards lining the hall take a step forward in unison, the clash of their armor reverberating through the room, and the guests shrink back from them.
My heart races violently, because I know what comes next.
It is going to be so much more brutal than Titania is expecting.
She wants a show? We will give her a show, and lay the blame for the carnage at her feet.
Titania uses these displays as a fear tactic. Anyone she doesn’t like or trust, for even the slightest reason, is wiped out from this power base. Some are placed under house arrest in their own estates, others banished from the court, and a few disappear completely.
Every single time, she attacks the traitor’s wealth, reclaiming the majority of it for the throne.
For herself. This alone puts enough fear into the people that it keeps them in line.
What will they do if they think she has started to slaughter the nobility?
Will it make them act, when it is not just the low fae and Winter fae who die at her hand? When they become vulnerable too?
Florian pulls out his list and takes a few moments to examine it. The crowd shuffles nervously. When he looks up and his eyes scan over the people, many shrink back a step. I regret the terror we must inflict upon them, and hope they are not caught in the crossfire, but this is a necessary evil.
“Senator Ivy Nodorin. You have been condemned as a traitor to the Spring Court,” Florian declares, and a ripple runs through the courtiers.
Jasper and a handful of his Royal Guards tear their way into the crowd.
There is a crush as the onlookers rear back from the onslaught and all but spew the accused senator from their masses.
Jasper places his large hands on Senator Ivy’s shoulders and tries to guide her out.
She shrieks, spits and kicks, forcing him to lift her around the waist and carry her.
“There is no way I am a traitor!” Ivy bellows. “I have done everything the High Chancellor has ever asked of me. The human trash queen is lying if she claims I collaborated with her!”
He drags her to the vacated center of the room and locks irons onto her wrists and ankles, connected by a chain. A ring of both Royal and Wildrose Guards swarms around her, not to be outdone by each other.
I glance at Titania from the corner of my eye. There is a slight frown pinching her brow. This accusation definitely wouldn’t have been expected.
Florian waits for the drama to come to an end with a self-satisfied smirk, which is probably a genuine response from Drake. Elation rolls through me. The names on our list belong to the senators who supported Titania in her most base acts.
Florian crinkles his list as he returns his attention to it, and every fae in the room flinches. “Senator Flint Galrandir. You have been condemned as a traitor to the Spring Court.”
A middle-aged fae is dragged from the crowd by two guards gripping him under the shoulders. “You are mistaken, Florian! I am far more loyal than you!” Flint screams, his face turning purple as he struggles.
Titania’s fingers dig into the armrests of her throne as she shoots a dark look at Florian. The third person is named and arrested, and Titania almost launches out of her seat. With the fourth, she is staring daggers at Florian and gesturing wildly at him to stop. He purposely doesn’t look at her.
I can’t help the smile that splits my lips.
Titania blamed me for providing the names for these accusations of treason, but it is clear to all that some of her closest supporters are being attacked.
That I pulled the strings here. The High Chancellor is too damned proud, too concerned with appearing powerful and in control, to stop the proceedings and admit she made a mistake.
Aldrin watches her closely through my eyes. Titania will snap soon, and there is no telling what chaos she will unleash when she does. We must time the second part of our plan perfectly.
Florian reads out the names of two more supporters, who are torn yelling from a very confused crowd. Some snicker and point at Titania’s greatest followers receiving the same treatment as their own loved ones for minor digressions. Others stand as still as statues, eyes wide and faces pale.
Titania grabs her son by the tunic and drags him down toward her, snapping a series of commands in his ear. Torin stalks to Florian, tearing the list from his hand and shoving him in the chest. I hold my breath as I watch, waiting to give my cue.
“What the hell do you think you are doing?” Torin hisses.
“I am reading the fucking list the High Chancellor approved,” Florian booms back, voice far louder than professional, showing discord in her inner circle before all.
“This is not the list she approved.” Torin waves the parchment in the air.
“Those names should never have been on it! Their loyalty and usefulness has been proven time and again, and we need them.” His voice is a low growl, and I can only just make out his next words.
“Admit you made a mistake and fix this.”
“By the Soul Ripper, Torin, the mistake is not mine to admit! I will do no such thing,” Florian snarls back.
“You say the mistake was yours , if your mother doesn’t want to admit fault.
She is good at using you as a scapegoat.
Surely you are used to it by now. It seems to be the only value you bring around here. ”
Torin looks ready to explode and Titania is gesturing madly at her Wildrose Guards. This situation will spiral out of our control if we leave it any longer. Shame. There were more senators on that list.
Aldrin, move our forces in now! I shoot the command to him, and he responds with a caress of acknowledgment across my awareness before barking orders at his amassed Assassins of Belladonna.
The shadows at the corners of the room billow like smoke, expanding rapidly with tendrils that reach out across the light, consuming it.
Within them, Nightmares form. Beasts with claws as long as my forearm instead of fingers and great, branching antlers or horns.
Black bodies covered in spikes or scales.
One unhinges his huge jaw like a viper, displaying rows upon rows of needle-like teeth.
Razor-sharp tails with spines lash out and leathery wings unfurl.
The crowd rushes away from the Nightmare assassins, colliding into each other in frenzied panic. There is nowhere for them to go. Titania barricaded the doors. Royal and Wildrose Guards pull their blades from their scabbards, but hesitate with confusion.
“Hold fast!” Jasper bellows over the screams of the crowd. “We were warned that Titania had a new punishment in mind for these traitors. Allow the beasts to do their work and make sure they do not attack any innocents. Form protective barriers around the guests!”
They move in quick formation, trusting his position as Captain of the Royal Guard.
My breaths come in short pants. I know these are highly trained and disciplined assassins, but they sure look like wild beasts that would tear into any flesh displayed before them. I hate how vulnerable I am in these chains, but there are too many eyes on this dais for me to break them with magic.
Titania remains paralyzed in her throne, her entire body taut as she grips the arms tightly.
Tendons show along her throat and her eyes of swirling fire are wide, fixed on the Nightmares flooding the ballroom.
Torin speaks rapidly at her side, trying to extract orders from her, to work out if this was planned, but Titania has completely frozen up.
We had arrangements in place to deal with her if she got in the way, but she has incapacitated herself.
Then every window in the room shatters and more Assassins of Belladonna leap through.
They are high fae, wearing those signature indigo robes that billow around them, hooded and hiding their faces for further effect.
They create silver blades of sparking lightning or the purple-black glow of a dying star, and converge on the Spring fae.
A single Assassin of Belladonna stalks to the center of the room, drawing all eyes with his magnetism, dozens of bolts of lightning crackling and zapping across every surface of his body.
The magic reminds me of my grandmother’s abilities.
He is hooded and masked, but enough of his blue-and-black hair escapes for me to recognize it from Aldrin’s experiences, along with his voice.
“High Chancellor of the Spring Court,” Valentine announces. “For the crimes of treason, corruption and abuse of power, we are here to enact violent vengeance.”