Page 8 of Kingdom of Briars and Roses (Cursed Fae Courts #1)
Chapter Eight
Rydian
T he princess didn’t bother to watch me walk away. I would’ve known if she had—because every sense in my body was attuned to her awareness. Not that I welcomed such a reaction. She was entitled and haughty and irritating as Hel. Exactly what I’d expected of the pampered heir. But worse than all of that, she seemed clueless about her destiny. Unfortunately, meeting her confirmed my fear; that her kingdom wasn’t likely to win in a war against Heliconia. Even now, they seemed to have no idea how close that war was to their doorstep. Talking to the princess had been incredibly reckless. I hadn’t planned to get so close tonight. The objective had been recon. Nothing more. And yet, something about her had drawn me in.
Now, it was all I could do to make myself leave.
Callan had nearly spotted me. I wasn’t ready to let my half-brother discover I’d found a way out of the cage our father had put me in so many years ago.
No one stopped me as I descended the stairs and strode out of the castle. Guards had been stationed at regular checkpoints, but they barely glanced at me as I left, wrapped in shadows.
Outside, torchlight lit the path through the castle grounds. I followed it only as long as the guards could see me then veered off into the gardens, shoving straight through hedges to make up time.
I pulled my own shadows in tight around me, using them for cover and as a shield against the thorns from the queen’s favorite rose bushes.
“There you are,” came a male voice in the darkness. “What the fuck were you doing in there? Moving in?”
“I got caught up,” I said in a clipped tone that hopefully wouldn’t invite more questions.
Slade, my second, snorted as his shadow-wrapped form peeled away from moonflower bushes that stood taller than any I’d ever seen. He fell into step beside me as we made our way toward the eastern corner. Our footsteps made no sound on the soft grass, but even so, I pulled my shadows in more tightly around us. We were almost done; best not to get careless now.
“Well?” he prompted when I didn’t speak. “How’d it go?”
“She’s a piece of fucking work,” I said darkly.
“What the Hel does that mean?” Amusement laced his voice.
I shot him a glare, and his smile vanished. “If she’s the Chosen One, we’re all fucking doomed.”
“That bad, huh?”
“Pampered, entitled, na?ve. Completely unaware of her destiny or the extent of her power?—”
“Well, did you tell her?”
“Tell her what?”
“About Heliconia’s plans to attack? Our scouts say they have less than two months?— ”
“Our objective was recon,” I said. “Why would I tell her anything?”
A boom thundered across the sky. I whirled, drawing my sword as I looked for the source of the noise. Magic—dark and rotten—filled my nostrils, and I tensed as understanding dawned. I knew that scent. Heliconia. She’d come early.
“What was that?” Slade whispered.
“Magic.”
A beat of silence passed.
“I don’t see anything,” Slade finally hissed.
He’d drawn his own sword and looked ready to tear something to ribbons. But after a long moment of scanning the empty courtyard, I realized the threat wasn’t on the ground.
In the night sky, smoke roiled as three winged Aine tried and failed to penetrate a large shield that smelled of brimstone straight from Hel. And on the edge of the castle rooftop, among the lights and the fae and the princess’s party guests, stood the dark fae queen herself.
I tightened my grip on my sword, warring with myself.
Another figure shoved through the hedge line. Daegel, my third, was a broad-shouldered fae male with a thick beard and a softer heart than most realized. His eyes were wide as he stared up at Heliconia.
“Seven Hels,” he breathed. “I know I was supposed to wait for you, but…” He stared at the sight of the chaos above us.
People screamed and scattered as Heliconia shot a bolt of magic from her hands.
“We have to help them,” Daegel finished, taking a step forward.
“No,” I said grimly, hating myself more than I’d ever thought possible.
They both turned to look at me, fury and determination in their eyes. “Ryd—” Slade began, his stubbly jaw hardening .
“If she’s not enough to save herself, we need to stay hidden until we find the one who is,” I snapped.
“The prophecy named her,” Daegel argued. His cheeks had flushed red. He was angry at me. I didn’t blame him.
More screams sounded.
I gritted my teeth and stared my men down. “The Fates named her,” I corrected. “That’s not who we serve.” It wasn’t entirely true. Even the one I served agreed she was the key to stopping what was coming—if that’s what she chose to do. The fact that he’d insisted she should have a choice in the matter kind of negated the whole prophecy thing.
“Did you forget your brother is up there?” Slade demanded.
Something hot boiled up inside me. “Half-brother. He’s not my concern.”
Slade stared at me then shook his head.
Daegel, however, continued to push. “You can’t just expect us to stand by while?—”
A scream rent the air. Her scream. I wasn’t sure how I knew it, but I did. And then my feet were moving, and my entire being was focused on getting to her.
I raced back through the gardens, vaulting over low hedges and ripping through the middle of the taller ones. My chest tightened with the knowledge I’d never make it in time. Not to mention I was outing myself by even trying. But I didn’t care. All that mattered was the spoiled princess. The beautiful, sharp-tongued, possibly Chosen princess I’d taken one look at and hated on sight.
The thunder boomed a second time, this one powerful enough to shake the earth. My feet came out from under me as magic split the air with a force unlike anything I’d ever felt before.
My body absorbed the blow like a hammer strike. My breath whooshed out, and pain exploded in my ribs. I groaned, or tried to, but sound proved impossible.
The last thing I saw before my eyes slid shut were three winged Aine, their eyes alight with the Fates’ fury, descending over the rooftop. No one moved but them, and a sense of utter loss sank into me, bone deep. The princess had fallen. And now we would too.