“Good,” I laughed.
The knock sounded again.
“Get dressed!” Ristan’s angry voice shook the door.
We both paused, and then Ryder growled enough to shake the entire room.
“He’s wounded,” I whispered as I stood and looked at Ryder as I waited for him to glamour my clothes on.
“Fine, but I’m not finished with you, Pet,” he warned as he glamoured clothes on us both.
Ryder opened the door, and I gasped as the rapidly healing wounds on Ristan’s face told some of the story of his torture. “Where is she? I wanted her in my quarters,” he bit out.
“I put her in the dungeon until you heal,” I answered him and then ran to him and threw my arms around him. He didn’t hug me back. Instead, he tensed and gently pushed away from me which Ryder noticed.
“She isn’t a part of this, and she’s shown the girl no mercy, Ristan. She told the guard to hold her in in a cell, without water and food, as you yourself instructed.”
“No one has fed her?” he asked as his demeanor took on a coldness I didn’t recognize.
“She’s yours to kill,” I whispered even as I felt a little part of me die inside. “That is, if that’s what you think she deserves.”
“Oh, I have no plans of killing her, Synthia. Not any time soon,” he seethed, his skin turning red as he allowed his Demon to take over. “I want to find out everything she knows and she will suffer for what she has done, but she won’t die anytime soon.”
I took a step backwards, away from him. “Alden lives,” I said and then watched his eyes move to mine.
“And I care, why?” he asked blandly.
I swallowed my retort and watched as he turned and left me standing in the doorway. “He isn’t Ristan.”
“That is Ristan, the one Zahruk and I knew for many years. That’s the Ristan my father created. It will take some time to get him back to the one you know.”
I turned and looked at Ryder, but screaming in the nursery made me run. Asrian and Sevrin burst into the nursery from the other door at the same moment we entered it. Ristan was there, and Meriel was on the floor, her eyes vacant as she stared up at the ceiling. I could still hear her pulse, but that wasn’t what worried me.
Ristan had Kahleena in his arms, and was slowly rocking her in the rocking chair. I could have sworn I could hear the soft strains of Owl City’s Vanilla Twilight. He must have sifted into the nursery directly and thought Meriel was a threat. I held my breath as he held my daughter.
I watched him, and then I saw it. Vulnerability. He was hiding behind his Demon mask to hide the pain and helplessness that he must have felt at being used for bait for his King. They’d taken away his control and from all of our talks, I knew that was the one thing he hated most. Thinking to what Ryder had said a few moments ago, it was probably how he felt as Alazander took his wings after Transition.
I placed my hand on Ryder’s as he moved forward. Ristan would never hurt our daughter. He loved her. I motioned for Sevrin and Asrian to stay back. They eyed their brother warily as Asrian moved slowly to pick up Meriel. As he slipped out of the room, I could see Zahruk slowly move into the room, joining Sevrin.
“Names are important, Synthia,” Ristan growled as he gently stroked the blonde curls atop her small, delicate head with his red hand.
“She’s been named, Ristan; Kahleena,” I said as softly as I could so that Kahleena didn’t respond to my voice and remained still in his arms.
He looked up at me and then down at the baby. He’d missed her being named, and as I watched him, I caught flickers of the old Ristan in there, buried deep, but fighting to come back to the surface. I exhaled a shuddering breath and moved to the crib with the boys in it.
“This one is Zander, and this one is Cade,” I announced as I picked Cade up and held him in my arms. “Do you like the names?” I asked trying to get him talking.
“Kahleena is a beautiful name, for a beautiful girl,” he whispered and raised his eyes to meet mine. “She’s my favorite thing in the world.”
I swallowed.
Ryder growled, but luckily, it was only inside my head that he did so.
“She likes you too,” I said as I took the chair beside him.
“Ryder, his mind is partly broken, but he would never hurt our children. He’s felt too much, and the pain is still too much, feel it. It’s so overwhelming that it could feed an army of Fae.”
“He’s got my daughter in his arms, and you tell me he’s broken. She’s too frail for this; she can’t be his cure.”
“Fuck you all,” Ristan growled as he stood and walked to the crib. Crap, he must have tapped himself into our conversation.
He waited there, as if we’d ask him to relinquish our daughter. Instead, I placed Cade back in his crib, and placed a gentle hand silently on Ristan’s shoulder. His back tensed up at my touch. “When you’re ready, we are here. Please, make sure she’s fed before she goes back to sleep.”
I gripped Ryder’s hand in warning and together we left our sickly daughter in the hands of the Demon. I gave a meaningful look at Zahruk and Sevrin who nodded their understanding and reluctantly followed us from the room. When we were safely out of earshot, Ryder spun around and glared at me.
“What the fuck do you think you’re doing?”
“I’m fixing the Demon, because we have to fix him before we can have Ristan back! He’d never hurt that baby; he adores her. You know that! You can’t see past the anger right now, and neither can he. He’s blinded by pain, and yes, he’s a little broken but, Ryder, so was I at one time. He will get past this, and if our daughter can help him, then so be it. He’s not going to ask to date her; he’s holding her because she’s his anchor. She’s his happy right now, and I won’t take that away and neither will you.” I gave another glare to Zahruk for good measure and warning.
“I should have spanked you harder,” Ryder growled.
“Wow, can I watch?” Aodhan said as he rounded the corner and interrupted our fight.
“No!” we both shouted as one.
“Damn, but I like bitches who like to be spanked. If you hit that sweet spot…they melt.”
I turned and glared at him.
Ryder growled, which was ten times scarier than my glare.
Aodhan put his hands up in mock surrender. “Man, hands are up, I surrender?”
“Ristan is awake, and moving,” Ryder declared.
“That’s good news,” he said.
“He’s in full Demon form,” Ryder said.
“Shit, that’s…not good,” Aodhan whispered as if Ristan would overhear him and kick his ass. Zahruk grimly nodded in agreement. “Guess it’s not a good time to tell you we finally heard back from the Light King.”
“And?” I asked.
“He said this is not his fight, but that you should know he’s allowed the Mages safe passage through his lands,” he stated.
“I guess it’s time to make Danu choose another Light Heir, because they are about to lose a King and a Queen,” Ryder growled, and looked at me.
“Agreed,” I exhaled. “I’m tired of their games, and helping the Mages goes beyond stupid. If they openly want us to know they have allowed the Mages to use their lands, and have been granted safe passage, it’s their own fault. They’re challenging us, wanting to see our next move. I say we end the game and get the Light Fae a steward until we can find the missing Heir.”
“Let’s go,” Ryder held out his hand and waited.
“Just walk right in and kill them?” I asked pointedly.
“How else would we do it?”
“Publicly,” I said. “Aodhan, go to the Dark Court and tell Kier, his wife and Heir to come immediately. After you’ve done that, tell my father to bring his wife and Liam here,” I sai
d as I turned to Ryder. “We can’t just go kill them. It’s what they expect you to do. It’s what your father would have done. We have to be smarter, and we have to be careful right now. The other Courts will see what we do, and they will know they were deposed, and that a judgment had been decided on by the three Courts—together. We will show them a united front and a group decision, which is something your father never did.”
I heard clapping and turned to find most of the Elite Guard there, even though the clapping was only coming from Zahruk.
He smiled and pushed off the wall, his eyes on me as he spoke to Ryder. “That’s actually brilliant, Ryder. Those creatures down there think you an evil being, and not even their royalty is changing that opinion. Not even Synthia’s idea to get them drunk could change that opinion. But by deposing the Light King and Queen, you’d seal the fates of us who depend on the Tree. Synthia has a valid point, if the three royal Castes do it as one, we will show them something they’ve never seen in their very long lives. We could show them that we are not like our father, and that we are a united front with the other Castes, but it will also show them we will hold no mercy for those who help the Mages. It’s brilliant.”
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Ryder presided over the assembly in Fae form and I waited beside him on the lovely throne he had created for me not so long ago. The other monarchs stood to the side of the Horde King’s throne in silent support, as we knew the Light Fae would make a dramatic show when they arrived, and we weren’t wrong. Tatiana wore silver. Her dress was so bright that it left behind flashes of spots in my eyes, and I refused to even acknowledge it.
Dresden stood tall and regal as he looked smugly around the room at the showing. It was a huge turnout, with every single creature in the vicinity turning up to see what Ryder would do. They expected to watch a death occur here today, but that wasn’t going to happen. We wanted them to take our word that Ryder wasn’t like his father, but to the Fae, actions were a lot louder. I understood where they were coming from, even if I wanted to strangle them all since the lives of our children depended on unfreezing that Tree. Danu had said that I was on the right track, but she’d be interfering if she told us exactly how to achieve it.
I watched Elijah and his people. They stood with Silas, who nodded to me when he noticed my eyes on him. I nodded back, as to not offend him. His people seemed impressed at this, and he smiled and mouthed ‘thank you’ to me. I mouthed ‘blow me’ back, which caused him to throw his head back and bark with laughter.
Elijah watched me with a keen eye. “You too,” I said, and smiled. He didn’t seem to think it funny, but he did however move his hand to his crotch and mouthed ‘you first’.
“Did he just ask you to touch him?” Ryder asked as he leaned over and whispered in my ear.
“No, he told me to blow him first,” I whispered back and then grabbed Ryder’s hand as he started to stand. “Calm down. I’m mending bridges, and making new friends. No one is getting blow jobs tonight, unless it’s you of course, but you’ll have to earn it first, Fairy.”
“I could make you,” he replied hungrily, his timbre vibrating with untold pleasure in it.
“You could, but I’d like it,” I retorted and noticed the entire place was staring at us, hopefully not reading our lips. “Time to get this show going,” I whispered.
“By all means, Princess,” he growled and as I stood, he stood with me. “Tatiana, Dresden,” Ryder said as I slowly nodded my head in subtle acknowledgement as he started the show.
“Why were we summoned here, by you?” Dresden sneered.
“It has been brought to our attention that you’ve aided our enemies, the Mages,” Ryder said, his voice raising enough so the entire room could hear him clearly. I watched as the pair didn’t even bother to hide their smugness as Ryder slowly continued, giving them just enough time to appease the room of their guilt. “If this information is correct, you’ve committed a crime against Faery.”
“We’ve committed no crime against Faery, only aided an enemy to remove a threat,” Tatiana hissed with an ugly smile.
“And which threat would that be exactly, Tatiana?” I asked as I felt myself floating, and as I looked down to the floor, I was. Not by much, but I was! Now was not the time to discover new powers. “Danu!”
“Yes?” she asked as she moved out from behind Elijah and stepped forward.
“I’m floating; make it stop before someone notices it!”
My feet touched the ground as Tatiana started her speech.
“The people of Faery are tired of you and your strumpet, King, and most have openly acknowledged that you, Ryder, are the spitting image of your father, in looks and in deeds! You demanded this tart at her birth and you have her fully under your influence, and she’s my own niece! My heart bleeds to think of the things you’ve done to her—”
“Call Synthia a strumpet again, and I’ll forget my purpose and feed the Sluagh your entrails,” Ryder warned with venom dripping from his lips.
“See! He is no better than his sire! He threatens my husband with eternal death, and more. Will you allow him to continue to threaten us with those vile creatures of the Sluagh? Or will you stand with us, the Light Fae, and take arms against him? I say it ends here! The Mages have promised to leave us in peace if they can have the Horde! No longer would we have to live in fear, or take orders from their kind!” Tatiana shouted as her husband nodded his head vigorously beside her.
“We have given this world no reason to fear us. I stand here as the King of the Horde, asking you to admit the charges against you, not by myself, but with the other Heirs of this world, who accuse you of these crimes. I have not raised arms against anyone here, Tatiana, so you’d call them to arms on false pretenses?” Ryder said calmly.
“Do not take your anger out on my wife!” Dresden growled, and narrowed his eyes smugly. He watched Ryder closely, planning the best way to bring out the beast, of this I was sure. He wanted him to be the creature, because this assembly would fear it.
“Seriously, Dresden?” I asked, and shook my head. “Enough with your overly dramatic games; facts are what will be used here. Isn’t it a fact that you idiots have been allowing the Mages to use your lands, and to travel through them with a guarantee of safe passage? Answer the charges, because that is why you are here. Not to plan some half-assed coup,” I asked and watched as Dresden turned all but purple with rage.
“Yes, and I did so for everyone here, to depose the Horde King! It is my lands, and my right to allow any who ask my permission to pass through them!”
“So you willingly allowed them into Faery via the path through the Light Lands?” Ryder continued for me as he took over. I’d given him enough time to calm the beast that had to be rattling his cage.
“Yes, again! You daft monster, it is my right to allow who I shall to pass upon my lands. I am the King! You are nothing! You and your people feed from the fear of these gentle Fae folk, and I say it ends here! Who is with me? Stand with me, and the Mages will rid this world of him and his brethren!” Dresden continued.
“You poor, misguided being, you allowed the Mages into Faery. They came here via your lands. Can you guess what they did after you’d allowed them passage to kill the Horde King?” Ryder asked as his eyes challenged Dresden.
“They made an attempt on your concubine’s life, which sits fine with me,” he grinned coldly.
“Nope, guess again,” I said as I smiled back at him.
“That is the only thing they wanted!”
“Nope, they came in and used a spell on the Tree of Life, which wrapped it in ice. You allowed Faery’s enemy in, and you allowed them to harm her. That alone is treason against Faery, Dresden. What do you say to the charges?” Ryder asked, his eyes watching his enemy with deadly intent, which he was barely containing.
He looked at me and
Ryder and opened and closed his mouth several times before he sneered. “Then depose me!”
“Is that what you have to say to the charges against you?” Ryder asked, as his eyes took on a deadly intent.
“You won’t depose me! You’ll do as your father before you would,” Dresden hissed.
“If you won’t depose us, then why are we here?” Tatiana demanded.
“Because I will depose you, sister,” Madisyn said sadly her eyes watching her sister as she said the words.
“Because I will depose you,” Lasair smiled, and whispered it against the top of Madisyn’s head. Liam nodded as his brands slithered over his arms.
“I will also depose you,” Kier said as he stepped out with his wife, and Adam, who also agreed and echoed his words.
“Dresden, Tatiana,” Ryder said as he released his hold on me and stepped forward. “As the Heirs and royalty of Faery, together we’ve decided your offences against Faery cannot go unpunished. You will be stripped of your titles and removed from Faery henceforth. You can seek refuge with the Mages if you decide to, since you’ve already taken a side against this world, and chosen the enemies’ bed. Your children may remain, and if Danu so chooses to pick one as the Heir, we will welcome them. You have one day to exit Faery, or you will be forcefully removed. The Light warriors will be made aware of your imminent departure. Alazander put you on the throne, as you were Danu’s chosen Heir at the time, I am sure Danu will remedy that decision in light of your treachery. A steward will rule in your stead until the Light Heir is found, or another has been chosen.”
“You can’t do that! You have no bloody right to kick us out of this world!” Dresden shouted.
I watched as Ryder transformed effortlessly. The entire assembly took a step away from him, except me. “I have the right given to me by Danu when she chose me as Heir of the Horde; what you have done is treason against this world, our world. I did not make this choice alone or without the council of the other Castes. This wasn’t me just taking you out, which would have been a simple matter. I am not my father, but I am the King of the Horde and I have his beast, one which I can fully allow out if you choose to stay in Faery. The hounds will patrol your borders tonight, and if any of the Mages remain, they’ll be slaughtered in the name of Faery. This was the Blood King’s choice for you as well,” Ryder said and tilted his head to Lasair. “The Dark King thought you shouldn’t be allowed to live; I fear you made a decision out of cowardice, and so that is how you will live. I suggest you choose your location and activities wisely. Do not make war with us, for we, unlike you, are the Heirs of Faery. You’re dismissed.”