“Why?” another voice I didn’t recognize demanded. “Just tell me, after all of these damned years, why you still cower. Why don’t you want to be a part of something bigger? Why shouldn’t we consider her offer? Who says that King Coro is the only king who can command the Hunt, Thassen?”
“My answer is final. You are talking about treason, and I won’t hear another word. Get out, all of you.”
I turned and pressed my back against the wall, breathing be damned. There was only one she he could be talking about. Why did Queen Morwena want control of the Wild Hunt? As the footsteps tampered down the hall and out of the house, I was torn. Should I even mention the prince to my father now? I had been a grown fae long enough to know I didn’t need him for something so simple when he was battling something so much bigger. I took a step from the wall but paused as I heard muffled whispers behind it.
“You know what will happen, don’t you?”
I started at that voice. I didn’t think my mother had ever joined a Wild Hunt meeting.
“You and I both know that we cannot be involved in treason,” my father answered. “We can’t draw attention to ourselves. To her. Do you think I like this, Vi? Any of it? I see more than most people. I know where this cursed land is headed. And now more than ever we must remain steadfast.”
“What aren’t you saying, Thassen?” Her voice was soft.
“We know that King Autus has always favored high fae. I look at you now, darling, with your long, slender body and your beautiful, pointed ears and cannot fault him for the love of his own image. But the suffering of the lesser fae has been so much worse these past years. I think the time is coming.”
My father sounded so incredibly defeated, and it broke me on a level I didn’t know existed.
“We don’t live in a just world, my darling. We just don’t.” I heard him cross the room, moving to be nearer to my mother. “At first, it was only him. The high fae in the Wind Court are held above all others there. All fae creatures, from pixies to the naga, are servants or workhorses. It’s been this way for so long, I think the common folk of the Marsh, Sea, and Fire Courts forgot to care. But, three nights ago, Morwena came to Beltane, where she accepted the marriage proposal of King Autus.”
My mother’s gasp hid my own.
“On that same night, she left the merfolk behind in her kingdom to ravage her own sea. They went into the homes of all the sea creatures and demanded they all join the military or die.” He paused, and I squeezed my hands together, afraid of his next words. “Children, my love. She now has children training in her military camps, and we have so few precious babes. Word arrived today that she left a path of lesser fae through our land as she and her Sea Court traveled to King Coro’s castle. She has killed in our kingdom, and so far, it looks as if he will do nothing.”
I scooted down the wall to get closer so I could hear my father’s tale. If Morwena was murdering fae in our kingdom, trying to steal the Hunt and marrying King Autus, something big was happening.
“Do you know what will happen?” my mother asked as I heard her stand.
“Genocide. Genocide of all the lesser fae. Worse than anything our world has ever seen. And I can only imagine the human army either she or Autus want to build. Why else would they want command of the Wild Hunt?”
Exactly. My father was a genius.
“It’s so easy to sit here and say at least we are safe as high fae. At least we will not be murdered. But to truly turn our backs on the rest of Alewyn? To leave them behind and watch them be murdered out of cowardice is just not something I will do. You know that. I’ve accepted this mission from the start, and I will see it through.”
Long, deep breaths in and out. I needed to still my damn heart. This was war he was talking about. This was exactly what my mother had feared for years while my father and I had trained for it.
“The world is changing,” he said. “I will not let them give the Hunt to her. I will not leave Coro, when he may need us all now more than ever. I’ve written Tolero, but no response. He still hasn’t done a thing since Efi died. No sign of Fenlas yet, either. The Flame Court is strong, but they seclude themselves. They may not even bother with this until the army sits at their doorstep after wiping out the Marsh Court entirely.”
“Not bother? That isn’t true, Thassen. You know Tolero. He wouldn’t do that. He has too much at stake to sit back and let the world burn,” my mother said.
I’d never heard them speak so informally about the Flame Court. I didn’t even know my father knew that king. Other than tutoring me, he’d never mentioned him.
“All of that aside, we still have to send our daughter to the castle as often as she is requested without being able to protect her because we do not want to raise suspicion of rebellion by simply denying an invitation. Do you know how hard it is for me to send her off each time she’s summoned? I watch that carriage roll away and wonder if she will return, knowing Autus and Morwena are in attendance.”
He paused, and I heard my mother take a ragged breath.
“I’ve gone, you know. I’ve followed her and secretly watched from a distance just to make sure she was safe. Because she is so much more important than any of us,” he said.
“Oh, my darling,” my mother’s voice cracked. “She is so lucky to have you. As am I.”
As I heard the soft kiss, I left the room and moved as lightly as possible through the house. I opened the door and slipped out, heading to the training arena, where I pushed the heavy sliding door open and let my shoulders relax as I crossed the room and selected a new blade from the wall of many. I considered working on the dummy in the loft, but footwork was on the schedule this week. I scattered some powder across the floor to make the movements seamless, and dusted my hands.
It was easy to get lost in swordplay when you had an opponent. It was not so easy when you didn’t. I tried running. I tried target practice. I just was not getting anywhere. My unsettled mind was so full of questions I didn’t know where to start, and my father, whom I would normally turn to, seemed to have his hands full. I understood it. The faerie world was far from perfect. But so was the human world.
We used to be able to hide in the human world. Thousands of years ago, all fae had the ability to enchant the mind. They could trick each other into seeing things that weren’t there, they could use magic to make the mind forget things or control the actions of others. Without the ability to enchant, which had faded out over thousands of years, we weren’t able to camouflage ourselves so well. Now, only the royal lines could enchant the mind, and magical fae were rare as bloodlines became diluted with time.
Some fae had other abilities, though. I’d heard the blacksmith in the Wind Court could make anything and charm it. They said King Autus had a golden knife that never missed its target. Imagine never having to practice a skill, but rather be perfect by mere possession.
His commander was said to wear a set of bangles that gave him the strength of ten males. Nadra once told me she heard the Flame Court had a high fae with the ability to disappear completely, instead of only tricking your mind into believing you couldn’t see her. Mother said fae with those kinds of abilities were so rare they were highly sought after by the rulers.