Dark Promise by Annika West

13

Iwasn’t ever under the impression that Adair had brought me here for family bonding. He wanted something from me, and he had a plan. There was no need to pretend otherwise.

He sipped from his elegant cup and flicked his elegant hair over an embroidered shoulder. “Even against the approval of my brethren, the Spring Court is a haven for all halflings. It has always been this way.”

“Cool. High-five for you. Again, why are you now wanting to change shit? You could have done this years ago. What’s different?”

Adair shook his head, a bemused smile on his lips. “Marigold spoke truly of your intelligence. Well done, Aster. Did you know that I have over one hundred and fifty children?”

“This is taking an unexpected turn,” I said under my breath.

“In the beginning, around two thousand years ago, magic was strong in Faery. In that time, it was common to pass down several magical powers to my children, all of whom bore my mark as you do. Only a few of my children inherited four of my powers, but that is a very rare occurrence. However, dear Daughter, in the last eight hundred years, that has changed. Drastically.”

“Are you running out of dick magic or something?”

Oz choked on his food.

I glared at him while he wheezed and banged on the table. “Contain yourself, Fake Hux. The adults are talking.”

Adair answered smoothly, “I’ve fathered nineteen children in the last five hundred years. Can you guess how many were born with my mark?”

He settled his blue-green eyes on me, allowing the weight of his power to intensify the stare. “One.”

All eyes in the room zeroed in on me. Even the servants flicked their studious gazes in my direction. Willow was staring in shock.

“Awkward…” I whispered.

“You. Among those who have inherited my powers, you are the only one to inherit two in the last eight hundred years.”

A funny sensation came over me. It was half-fear, half-thrill.

Adair continued. “I believe shutting the portals and passageways between our realms has harmed our powers. Magic is dying in Faery, Aster. By cutting ourselves off, we have poisoned the well of our power. I am not the only one who has seen this. Each and every fae lord and lady has suffered in the same way. However, only a select few are willing to admit to the true reason. Only a few are interested in doing what is necessary.”

Now, this made more sense.

Adair’s power was dying. Everyone’s powers were, if he was telling the truth.

He wanted to open the portals to change that.

See, I understood selfish motivations. Everyone had them, and they weren’t always a bad thing. I didn’t see anything wrong with wanting to rebalance power if the whole world was draining of magic.

At the corner of my eye, I caught Willow squirming in her seat. Her eyes flicked to Oz.

Right.

“How does he play into all of this?” I asked, jerking my chin toward Hux’s twin.

Adair’s eyes flashed. “He doesn’t.”

“Hey!” Oz protested playfully. “After all we’ve been through, gramps? You’re not going to give me any credit?”

Adair laughed coldly. “If you learned to behave yourself, Ozais, then perhaps you would be able to earn some.”

“Ouch,” Oz and I said simultaneously.

“Come with me,” Adair said, standing. “All of you. I have something to show you.”

We walked to another room where a large mirror leaned against the wall. It was the only thing in the room besides the unlit crystal chandelier above.

Despite the warmth, chills ran over my skin.

Adair waved a hand, and an even more chilling image met us.

A dungeon packed with beds and people. Old people. Young people.

Adair explained, “All halflings. This is the Summer Court, as you can see.”

He waved his hand, and the magical feed zoomed out to show that the dungeon had been beneath a gorgeous seaside castle beside a turquoise bay.

Oz said, “Those bastards are absolute scum who can all drown, if you ask me.”

Tough words for a dude who might have killed his parents, I thought.

Oz looked… serious for the first time. He had a frown and a hateful glint in his eyes.

What had the Summer Court done to him?

“This is the norm throughout the land. The longstanding truce we have between the Courts is vital to the peace of Faery, and the lives of millions. I could invade the Summer Court in the name of halfling rights and shatter this rising tension, but at the cost of slaughtering far too many to make anyone comfortable.”

“So, what’s the solution to this, Lord Adair?” Willow asked, speaking directly to the faery for the first time.

He met each of our gazes. “We open the pathways between Earth and Faery once more.”

She pressed, “At what cost?”

He glanced at her, surprised as the rest of us. “Do you think we intend to take over Earth?”

She didn’t reply.

She didn’t need to.

“That is out of the realm of my interest,” he reassured her.

Her frown deepened.

That’s when I realized why she looked so strange. In the bathroom, I wasn’t able to focus or care enough to understand it.

No makeup or black lipstick. All of her makeup was back at Vulcan Corp.

Willow tucked her dark hair behind her ears, the most self-conscious she’s ever seemed since I took her to the club way back when we were hunting Hawk.

She seemed so much younger without it on, and I think she felt a little naked without it.

“You already said you don’t speak for all of Faery. If you open the portals, what will the other leaders do? How will they be regulated? Are you saying you are too weak as a realm to be feared?”

Woah, go Willow!

Adair adjusted his pastel waistcoat and lifted his chin as anyone would do to a formidable ally.

“Faery isn’t interested in conquering anyone.”

Willow shot back, “Again, you don’t speak for all of Faery.”

Adair smiled. “Not everyone. But all will profit, and therefore, they will fall in line. No one would be interested in going to war with Earth.”

Adair was totally not doing this for the sake of his bleeding heart. He wanted his powers back. He wanted to restore Faery to its former glory, and therefore, himself.

Sure, he seemed to care about the Cuts locked up and abused. But I was pretty sure he was using that as a talking point to convince me to help him.

“Say I agree,” I told him. “Why are you telling this to me? Why are you asking me to join you at all?”

“It has to be you,” he answered simply. “You, a Cut girl, as you call yourself, saving all of Faery. Liberating your people.”

“That makes no sense.”

“Think about it. Oz, please entertain our lovely vampire guest, Willow, while I discuss powers with Aster. Come, Daughter.”

“No, I think Willow should stay —”

“It’s fine,” she snapped at me, but she was looking only at Oz. Like he was a viper ready to strike. “We’ll talk later.”

I shrugged. Poor Oz.

Adair gave me a very, very surprised look. “I must admit that I was expecting you to protest. You both must have realized the suspicious circumstances in which Ozais has come here. You are not concerned for her?”

I gave Willow a bored, “Do I need to be concerned?”

She curled her upper lip at me. “Enjoy your chat. Try not to die.”

Adair watched the interaction with a new understanding. “I see. Let us be off, then.”

I said, “If you hear me banshee-shriek, Willow, come find me.”

Adair led me outside and into a large garden. Waterfalls trickled down from granite and volcanic lips. If all of this was arranged, it was really hard to tell.

Everything was beautiful. The greens were more vibrant. The flower petals looked so saturated with color that I wondered if they were painted with dye.

“What did you want to —”

Adair seized my shoulders. His eyes glowed a scary yellow, and the world disappeared.

Fucking hell, he was going to kill me, wasn’t he?

“Look.”

I’d realized I’d squeezed my eyes shut. Peeking open, I let out a sigh of relief.

But it quickly turned sour.

“What… what is this?” I demanded, nervous.

A nightmare stretched out before me. The fae garden was rotted and oozing with putrid water and black tar.

My blood went cold as I laid eyes on the shadowy wraith that perched on top of the grand manor.