Night Fae by Meg Xuemei X.
Chapter 3
A frisson of goosebumps crawled over my skin, reacting to the sound of pure evil.
The usurper queen regarded the entire universe as her personal playground, and she’d just claimed that my kings were her darlings. I had no doubt that she was still hellbent on making them hers, as she’d tried to for centuries. It was one of the reasons she was so desperate to get rid of me.
Yet I was still here. I wasn’t going anywhere, and my two kings would stand with me to the end.
Brigantia swept into the grand hall, a vision of radiant dawn light and beauty. The room brightened as if the morning sun had just dropped into the center of it. The glow was so blinding that the warriors brought their hands up to shield their eyes. Only the kings, the mage director, and I remained untouched, though the kings and Northton narrowed their eyes for a nanosecond at the brilliance in the room.
I was the true Dawn Queen; the usurper’s dawn light had no effect on me.
The warriors of lesser power and the serving members wheezed in awe at the Dawn Queen’s display of power; even the elite knights and top mages widened their eyes with wonder at her radiant beauty.
For a few long seconds, everyone was under her spell, except the Fae kings and the mage director. And yet, even they couldn’t peel off her glamour and see her true form.
Her power reverberated through the hall. No one but me was able to see her deformity and detect her foul, black magic coiling beneath her lovely, brilliant light like a rattlesnake.
I hadn’t told Rydstrom and Baron about Brigantia’s true form. No one would believe me about what they couldn’t see or saw differently, not even my kings. You can’t force someone to see the truth before they see it for themselves. All they could see was her glamour, which she had held in place for centuries—gorgeous creamy skin, bright moss-green eyes, and sensual red lips.
I had no intention of allowing my kings to think that I was so blinded by my hatred for my evil sister that I started to make up things before I could present solid evidence to them.
The only one I knew who could also see through her veil was Asmodeus, the dark prince of Hell.
An uneasy feeling brewed in my gut again, Asmodeus’s words buzzing in my ear. “…drag you to the realm of Hell and test your true bloodline.”
I shuddered, not from a sudden chill slinking across my skin but from the possible, terrible truth of what I really was if the archdemon hadn’t lied to me. I shook off the dark, disconcerting thought and told myself that I had no time for that.
Brigantia glided forward in an elaborate gown, diamonds sparkling at the hem of her long skirt that brushed over the marble floor. She also wore a pair of diamond-adorned arm-length gloves, showing off her obscene wealth. I never understood what people meant by a million-dollar dress until now. The usurper queen projected a stunningly beautiful, regal image, but only I knew it was all a fucking lie.
The only comfort I had was that no matter how absolutely lovely she appeared to everyone, my kings hadn’t been ensnared by her “beauty,” unlike Rowan, who had been ensorcelled. I didn’t want to risk a glance at the Winter King, afraid of seeing the besotted look on his face for her, for fear that my stomach would turn and fail to contain my breakfast.
In stark contrast to my sister’s exquisite and regal appearance, I didn’t look like much. I surely didn’t look the part of a fairy queen in my mint-green dress shirt and daisy pantsuit. It didn’t help that I also wore a black leather jacket that concealed many weapons, including Netherbane. I didn’t dress to impress, but to kill, literally. I would have to be a fool to believe that we’d go home without getting covered in blood.
Two dozen Dawn guards strutted after their queen, their mousy-blond hair flowing down to their armored shoulders, their pointed ears proudly showing their Fae heritage.
I thought the mages would give the Dawn Queen special treatment, as most seemed to be spellbound by her lavish style and intimidating power, but then an older mage with hair the color of dark honey pushed off from a sidewall and blocked the Dawn knights.
Two younger mages flanked him, their hands lingering near the openings of their unbuttoned trench coats. If a fight broke out, the first thing the mages would do was fling potions and spells at their opponents. I hoped none of them missed when they hurled their lethal contents into the eyes of the haughty Dawn knights.
“Only a maximum of three knights from each court will be allowed to remain in the hall and attend to their sovereign,” the older mage said unflinchingly, even though the giant Dawn knights towered over him. I respected a man who didn’t back down from a bully. I shifted my weight from foot to foot, ready to go to the mage’s aid should he need it.
“What’s the matter?”Brigantia demanded, irritation flickering in her pickle-green eyes. Without her glamour, her eyes would be like a pair of black holes that held no pity and sucked in all light.
She transferred her possessive, lustful gaze from my kings to the clash between the mages and her guards, then turned to stare at Jett Northton, trying to bend him to her will.
The Director of the Silver Circle arched an eyebrow, his eyes cold and uncompromising. The warmth he’d shown me earlier was nowhere to be found. In a heartbeat, he was steel that never bent or melted—the cornerstone of the guild.
He might be the only mortal who could hold his own against the formidable Dawn Queen, and my approval rating of him soared sky high. Jett Northton, after all, was the leader of the supernatural community in the human world, and this was his territory.
“Rules are rules, Queen Brigantia,” Northton said in a level, cultured voice.
With a sinister sneer, Brigantia shook her red hair down and let it spill down to her ankles. Her power lashed out; her incandescent light sucked the air out of the room. Gagging sounds rose all around the room as mages and knights fought to take air into their lungs.
The bitch thought she owned the free air itself.
Yet cold sweat beaded on my forehead. I’d thought her power couldn’t touch me, just as I was immune to her glamour. My chest tightened as the air pressure kept increasing, unbearable weight about to crush my lungs.
Rydstrom sent me a concerned, tight look, but he restrained himself from coming to my rescue right away. Baron clenched his fists, but he didn’t pull me into his arms to ease my suffering either. We’d talked about this. Unless I was in mortal danger, my kings wouldn’t make me look weak in public, especially not today when I was making my debut in the mortal realm.
The Winter King watched with icy indifference. He wasn’t going to lift a finger to help his own knights in their struggles. Brigantia might have initiated the power play, but the Winter King proved to be heartless once again.
How I detest that male!
Rydstrom stood motionless like a statue. No mortal could stay that still and graceful and lethal like a Fae. He was waiting for Baron to drive the first blow, as they’d agreed, and he would make sure to deliver the last fatal strike.
I acted first. I summoned my Dawn magic to counter Brigantia’s, but the magic didn’t answer me. I might have a legitimate claim to the throne of the Dawn Court, but I hadn’t initiated it, so my evil sister still owned the court power. From the astounded expressions passing over the Fae kings’ faces, I surmised that they hadn’t expected her to be this powerful outside faerie.
Cold dread gathered in my belly like lead. What would my brother’s fate be if we couldn’t defeat Brigantia?
My throat closed in panic.
“Easy, babe,” Baron mouthed, his eyes burning with the fire of the desert sun.
Then he flicked his wrist and struck.
The Summer and Dawn courts were both Seelie courts, and both courts carried similar powers of light. Baron’s golden light spread to every corner of the room, canceling out the suffocating dawn light. It was interesting to see that Baron could counter the powers of all the other courts. I had expected Rydstrom to use his nocturnal power to shield everyone from the Dawn light, as he’d done in his club when the Dawn knights trespassed at Claws, Fangs, and Fiends.
The Night King was probably waiting for his turn to shine later.
Air returned, and I drew it in greedily, like everyone else. Only the Fae kings and Director Northton hadn’t succumbed to my sister’s power. For a breath, I felt both embarrassed and stupid for falling under the influence of the usurper’s power, but then I wasn’t in the big leagues yet, at least not before my Turning, when my true power could finally be unleashed.
The Director of the Silver Circle watched the last swirl of golden sunlight vanish at the command of the Summer King.
“I believe everyone agreed to the ‘No Magic’ rule during the peace talk,” Northton sighed, “but obviously, I overestimated everyone’s ability to stick to the rules. So, my good faith ends right here. I’ll raise the ward and make this hall a null zone.” His eyes glowed as he ordered, “War mages, raise the shield!”
The mages started to recite and cast spells into the air. Northton led the chanting, and a glowing silver circle shot out from his fingers. The circle rippled forward and expanded until it was joined by other smaller silver circles generated by the collective mages. All the circles then wove into a shimmering dome and covered the hall.
When the vast shimmer turned invisible, Northton declared, “It’s done.”
Brigantia thinned her lips, but she waved a hand for her guards to back off. She might be the ultimate ruler in her court, but this was the headquarters of the mages in the mortal world.
“Let’s pay respect to the Silver Circle, our host,” she said with a tight smile. “Knight Wendell, Knight Seawall, and Mage Sinn, you three come with me.”
Three big males stepped out from their ranks while the rest of the Dawn guards retreated. They’d be waiting right outside the hall. If a battle ensued, the mages by the door would be the first defense line.
Worry bubbled up in my mind. I hoped there were enough mages to counter the hostile force. But that was a worry for later.
I fixed my attention on the dark mage who strutted along with the queen’s other two guards. Brigantia called him Mage Sinn. He had mean eyes, dark beer-colored eyebrows, and a hooked nose. His nutmeg hair was tied at the base of his skull.
He didn’t wear a trench coat, unlike the light mages, but he had a jacket that probably concealed nasty potions and spells. I made a mental note to keep an eye on him and find a chance to kill him. Brigantia had sent dark mages to hunt me, along with a host of demonca and a troll. My kings and I had slain some mages, but not all of them. In the last battle, a team of dark mages had helped the darkfae bring down K, a bear shifter, and the demonca had eaten his face. I had yet to avenge him.
By bringing a dark mage who was marked by the light mages as an enemy into the headquarters of the Silver Circle, Brigantia was here to stir up shit.
Northton’s expression darkened, hard lines marring his face, and his war mages all looked angry as well as Sinn swaggered in their territory.
“You brought a dark mage into my Silver Circle, Queen Brigantia?” Northton asked.
“Oh, don’t be petty, Director Northton,” Brigantia said with a smirk, as if she were at a picnic. “This isn’t the time for that, is it? As this Summit in the mortal realm is called the Peace Summit, we should all get along. Mage Sinn is the head of the Black Circle, as opposed to the Silver Circle. And who is to judge which guild is legit? It’s all about no judgment, right? After all, this is the Peace Summit.”
She’d found a loophole. While the Director of the Silver Circle hosted the convention between the Fae kings and the Dawn Queen, he couldn’t deny the entry of the leader of a rogue guild when the dark mage was the queen’s escort.
Brigantia wheeled back to the Fae kings, a ravishing smile plastered on her red lips, her eyes leering at the Night King. I restrained myself from lunging at her to mar her face.
“Rydstrom,” she said silkily. “I thought you’d prefer a more private setting. But it seems you’re inclined to announce your intention toward me in front of many witnesses.” She gave Rowan a meaningful, sultry look, as if they’d shared a thousand hot kisses, then winked at Baron. “All my kings have gathered for me in the mortal land. How delightful!”
“Queen Brigantia.” Baron smirked. “I guarantee you, this isn’t The Bachelorette.”
I blinked. The Bachelorette was an American reality television dating game show. Baron must have watched the old recordings when he researched human dating rituals in order to court me. The effort was there, but he might not know that the show had been out of fashion for decades.
Brigantia narrowed her eyes and extended her gloved hand toward Baron for him to kiss, but he didn’t take it. My Summer King never minded being appallingly rude, even if it would start a war. If he weren’t my darling, I would say his air of supremacy matched hers perfectly.
“Aren’t you naughty, Summer King?” Brigantia hissed out her displeasure and dropped her hand. “I heard you’ve barely been at your court while chasing mortal whores.” Her voice dripped with spite. “No wonder you now talk like a human.”
Baron only grinned wider. “Are you jealous of the mortal whores I’ve been chasing, Queen Brigantia? That’s quite beneath you, isn’t it? But then, everyone has a low point, including a queen.”
“In the human world, it’s called an inferiority complex,” I offered to back up Baron.
I wasn’t going to put up with how she tried to stake a claim on my men. She could have the Winter King but no one else. I wouldn’t allow her to lay her claws on my kings.
Not here. Not now. Not ever.
I turned to my sister, fury burning in me, and she looked straight at me for the first time since she swept into the hall.
Our stares clashed.
Her eyes widened before she seethed. “You—it’s you! The Winter King’s ex-whore!”
