“If we do nothing, the Fae within the crowd will attack,” Ryder said softly, and it drew my eye to those who were indeed in the audience with disgruntled rage on their perfect features.
“Do you trust me, Ryder?” I asked and felt his fingers as they entwined through mine. He brought them up and kissed my knuckles.
“Without hesitation,” he whispered.
“Keep Alden safe until I get back,” I said and smiled.
I started through the crowd, pushing and shoving my way to the front of it. As I did so, the Elder continued as the Witches and Warlocks in front of the Guild held the four condemned Light Fae locked down with their magic.
“Today it ends! Today we show you who controls this world! We can’t do it alone though; we need your help, and your vigilance!” the Elder shouted and the news camera’s followed his movement as he started in the direction of the Fae.
I could smell the heavy scent of freshly smelted iron. I watched as they brought it out in liquid form and my stomach dropped at the thought of how they intended to kill them. Liquid iron wouldn’t kill them quickly; it would be a painfully slow death.
“Ryder, tell the Elite Guard to turn music on, and make it loud. Phones, radios, make sure you channel it through everything.” He gave me a mischievous smirk.
“Done,” his voice rumbled in my head.
Fall Out Boy’s Centuries blasted the assembly and shook the windows of the buildings surrounding us. Phones started blaring the song along with the rhythmic honking of horns in time with the music from the cars that lined the streets, as well as the apartment buildings that were close enough for their magic to reach.
I shed my invisibility glamour and quickly moved until I was walking up the steps.
“Stop her!” one of the Witches screamed, trying to be heard over the music.
“Let her try to save them,” Harold said, and I narrowed my eyes on him. “Well, well, it’s Synthia McKenna, from the Spokane Guild,” he sneered as he moved to the iron.
I smiled and then moved with inhuman speed. The same speed that Danu had, which was faster than light. I knew the cameras were watching. I also knew that I didn’t have the time to be diplomatic right now, not with the Fae in the crowd planning to attack the Guild in front of the cameras. It would be war for sure if they did that.
“Oh, I’m not here to stop you. I’m here to deliver punishment to my people. The Fae do not punish you when you break the laws. It’s only judgment if both parties agree. Luckily for you, I do. I was, after all, part of this world. I followed your orders, and I was one of your best Enforcers, Harold. Do you not agree?” I didn’t wait for his response as I began the judgment of these unfortunate Fae.
I searched their minds and viewed the deeds of which they were being accused. Some were worse than others, but all deserved death. They had, in fact, been ordered to feed openly by Tatiana. She should have done as we’d instructed, because now she would die. She may not care about her people, but I would make damn sure she got the message of what would happen should this feeding frenzy continue. She’d be watching because the woman simply loved drama, and she was probably now watching the TV and enjoying the outcome from the safety of her comfy couch.
“You know the laws, and yet you chose to feed openly?” I asked the Fae that were being held down.
“She is our Queen!” one shouted, speaking for the entire group.
“No, she is no longer a Queen. She was deposed and banished from Faery. Now she will be marked, and she will also find death, as you do now,” I said softly.
“You are not a Queen!” he raged.
“Not yet,” I agreed. “I’m sorry you chose to follow her.”
I shook my head and then looked up as I felt one of the Witches tried to spell me. “I wouldn’t do that,” I said with a small smirk on my lips as I broke the incantation she tried to cast on me; as if it was a spell from a novice.
I turned my focus on the Fae who stood accused. I walked to one and helped him up from where he’d been kneeling on the stairs, and as the entire world watched, I searched my mind for a way to make a statement that wouldn’t scare the Humans too much. I smiled when I finally found it. “You stand accused of killing Humans, which the Fae now acknowledge as a crime as well. You are sentenced to death. Ashes to ashes…dust to dust,” I finished barely above a whisper. I brought my hand up to weave the spell, and as I watched him, he turned to ash and disintegrated on to the steps of the Guild.
The Humans in the crowd gasped in horror, but the news cameras watched, recording it all for those who hadn’t come to the Guild. Oops. It wasn’t quite what I had planned, but it worked.
I swallowed and met Ryder’s eyes, and then scanned the faces of the men, as well as Lucian who had joined them again. I waited for Ryder, and as he nodded, I moved to the next until each of the accused lay in ashes on the steps of the Guild.
I turned back to Harold and watched him as he looked at the dead Fae. “You’ve accused us of attacking the Spokane Guild.”
“We have proof!” he shouted.
“You only have proof that we entered it,” I replied. “Alden is going to explain the rest, but I will warn you once. Only once, Harold,” I said with enough warning in the words, that his eyes narrowed with the tone of it. “If you try to accuse him, or charge him here today without hearing him out, you will get the war you want. Look into the crowd and tell me what you see,” I whispered.
Ryder had changed forms. His warriors were decked in full armor, including the masks that concealed everything but their eyes. The crowd moved away from them as the veil of invisibility disappeared. Adam had come with his Shadow Warriors, Liam had brought a few of the Blood Warriors as well, and the army looked positively evil, and awe-inspiring.
I could see the cameras flashing pictures of the warriors, a rare sight in the Human world, since marching in full armor with this many would cause even the stoutest of heart and courage to cower.
“That’s…” Harold whispered and I watched with a mixture of annoyance, and pity.
“Man up; it’s the Horde King. It is also my fiancé, and the father of my children. I suggest you consider and weigh your options before you make any hasty decisions. Make no mistake, Harold, we don’t want a war with the Human race, but we will fight if you push us. I am the same girl who fought for the Spokane Guild, but at the same time, I am Fae. They are my people, and I will protect them at all cost. We came because you’ve accused us, so lay out the charges and one of our own Elders will speak for us.”
I moved to the bottom of the stairs where Ryder and his men now stood; since the crowd had given him and his men a wide berth. “I took their power to create war away. Alden, tell them what happened at the Guild. If you see parents of the children we have, we will bring them here to be reunited with them. The others will have to come later when we discover who they belong to. No child is to be returned to the Guild if they don’t have parents to claim them,” I said, making sure Harold heard it.
“I’ve got it from here, kid,” Alden said proudly as he squared his shoulders and moved to stand in front of Harold. “I’m here because you’ve accused me and my niece of betraying the Guild, and I’ve never done anything to endanger the Guild or anyone inside of it. The Spokane Guild was attacked, Harold, but that attack came from within. The Guild itself has been compromised,” Alden said sternly, reminding me of the strong warrior he is.
“You lie,” Harold said as he looked around to the Humans who now looked worried, and unsure of who to believe. “There’s no proof of what you say.”
“I am proof, and I also have the children that you’ve accused us of slaughtering. A lot of them died at the hands of Witches and Warlocks who were supposed to protect them, Harold, and that is a hard loss for us all. I was drugged by one of my own librarians; she was only a librarian, one I trusted and h
elped raise, so she had to have been under the orders of another. Someone she thought she could trust.”
“Olivia,” one of the women said as she pushed her way through the large group on the stairs. “Tell me, is she still alive? She and Alden both will face charges for betraying us. You did say that it’s only fair that we judge and sentence our own people,” the woman said, and I watched her carefully.
“Olivia is dead,” I said, and watched as relief pinched her features.
Interesting.
“That’s unfortunate,” she said and there was nothing but relief in her features. No sorrow at the loss of life, and no regret that someone who had taught the next generation of Witches and Warlocks the past history of the Guild and had done so much with the archives and recording our history was now lost to us.
“Is it?” I asked as I watched her. “Every person in this Guild and the one in Spokane deserve to be mourned if they pass, and yet I can’t help but notice you look more relieved that she is lost to us.”
“You misread me. I’m relieved that our history didn’t fall into the hands of our enemies,” she said smoothly as her brown eyes watched me.
“I already know everything that she knew as a student at the Guild. I was taught what she was, but where she left us to learn the archives, I learned weaponry. If only Humans couldn’t lie to me. I wonder…If I asked if you’d been in on it, would you tell me the truth? Would you answer me honestly if I asked if you’d betrayed the Guild?” I whispered inside her mind.
“Get out of my head, Fae!” she growled.
“You were there, Caroline. I saw you as I was being tortured. Whatever your reasons were, you did nothing to save the lives of the people you are under oath to protect. Shame on you, woman,” Alden accused. “Harold?”
Harold was watching the woman. “Caroline?”
“They lie, they’re grasping at straws, and desperate to place blame on us!” she seethed.
“Still,” Harold said as he watched Ryder closely. “Another Elder has accused you, and the process and rules must be upheld. Take her away,” Harold said and we waited as the Witches took Caroline away for questioning.
By questioning, they usually meant torture and then retirement. Retirement to the Guild meant she’d be dead by morning.
“Alden, you have been accused as well,” Harold said and when I growled he held up his hand. “However, in light of the new information you’ve brought us, we will request some time to review what you’ve told us. You will be—”
“Think hard on that one,” I warned as I read his mind. He was not keeping Alden here to question him, or kill him.
“It is protocol,” Harold said as he narrowed his eyes on us.
“Then I suggest you start a new one,” I snapped.
“Synthia, allow me to finish, please,” Alden said gently as he placed a reassuring hand on my shoulder. “Harold, I have given my time and my life to my Guild. I am done, and ready to start a new chapter. Synthia and friends are offering me a new start in a new Guild. One we can run together to police and handle the Fae. You’ve been infiltrated by creatures who can pose as us, and they are instigating a war against the Fae, one that could destroy their world and push them into ours. I am happy to give you a list of those who assisted in the slaughter; a list of those who remained loyal ‘til their deaths, as well. I don’t need to tell you just what would happen should they succeed. So I am stepping down. I will no longer be associated with the Guild. I would like to keep an alliance open, but first you need to flush out those who wouldn’t think twice about betraying the Guild. Caroline isn’t the only one who betrayed the Spokane Guild.”
“And the children; will they be returned or will you keep them from us?” Harold asked carefully.
“Most of them will be returned, but those who have no parents or a voice against the Guild will remain with me. I’ve been the only consistent thing in their lives. They will, however be given the choice to come back to you. That much I will concede. Trust me, Harold; this is so much bigger than either of us could have thought it was. If you need us, we will help you,” Alden said and then looked at me for confirmation.
“In a heartbeat,” I agreed and hoped that Harold wasn’t one of the main Mages involved in orchestrating this mess.
“You’d fight for us?” Harold asked, and I could see the camera man from one of the international news channels as he zoomed in on us.
“I came from the Guild, so with the exception of those who we suspect of being Mages or sympathetic to their cause, I would willingly help should you ask it of us. I will not be lied to, though, and I suggest you go through the history you have hidden in the catacombs here. I also suggest you take a good hard look at those who you trust. In response to what has been said, if you plan for an alliance, you need to give a statement and amend what you’ve told the Humans. They hang on everything you say, and choose to believe in this Guild. Fix it, please. If others descend on the race and choose to feed in the open, then you may pass judgment on them,” I said watching him closely. “However, you must show us proof of their crimes. We will do the same for you,” I said as I finished and stepped back.
“As will I,” Adam said from my right. “I was also raised in the Guild and I offer my hand in peace and support you if you ask.”
“As will I,” Liam said with a smirk. “I however was not raised at this Guild, but I will fight at my sister’s side anytime she needs it.”
“I will make you this promise as well,” Ryder said as we got ready to sift out. “If my people are unjustly accused, and murdered, I will bring a war to this world unlike any the Human race has waged before. Do not piss me off, and do not think these accusations have gone unnoticed by others who will try to gain support against us. I suggest you do not join them, for they won’t be alive much longer. I plan to eradicate them all. Your Gods can sort them out. I am the Horde King, but unlike my father before me, I choose to protect Humans as well as my people. You have Synthia to thank for that.”
Chapter Thirty-Nine
The lesser Fae had vacated the castle. The Tree had been saved, and with each passing day, it grew stronger. I was glad to know that I’d played a part in saving it, but when it boiled down to it, it had been the Elder Tree. His sacrifice had brought a semblance of balance to our world, and while we knew the Mages weren’t done, we would be a race to reckon with.
It would only be a matter time before they slinked out of their holes and came marching on this Kingdom. I, however, wanted to use the time of peace for something I could handle, and to start bonding with my children.
Faolán was still out there, and I worried for the lives of my children, but not as much. Now that they had a chance at survival, I knew they’d be okay and I would eventually kill Faolán. He’d taken it too far, and now he would become the prey while I became the hunter. I was done waiting for him to come to me. It was time to go get him and end the sickness that grew within him.
Some people cannot be reached, but I’d like to believe that people could be saved from the evil that festered in their souls. Even if Faolán sought forgiveness, I’d probably kill him. He’d almost stolen this from me, my children and the love of a beast that still made me weak in knees.
I smiled and thanked the powers that be that I was here to watch my gentle beast as he loved our children. If this was Destiny’s plan, I was willing to concede that she’d been correct in her designs. This was right where I wanted to be, with them. My family.
Ryder held Kahleena; she made little noises and he made them back to her. It was almost surreal, watching my beast as he cooed back to our precious daughter. “You know she’s going to give us hell, right?” I asked as I moved to our bed and lay next to the boys, who watched their father silently.
“She’s your daughter, Pet. You actually think she’d give me anything less than hell?”
“No, I plan to teach her just how to do it,” I admitted. And I planned on it.
“My sister wants us to hurry with the wedding,” he said offhandedly. “I am anxious as well, since you seem to be bipolar,” he laughed.
“You did not just call me bipolar.”
“I did, and if you’d like me to give you an example…I have many to choose from.”
“Suck it, Fairy. I’m not the only bipolar headache in this room,” I said as I picked up Zander. “I’m actually hoping they plan the whole thing and that we only have to show up.”
“You won’t get that lucky. Ciara is a diva, as your people call women who are over-the-top. She will make your head spin.”
“Maybe, but I’m more worried about Ristan. I think Olivia was trying to tell us some of the truth, and I can’t shake this feeling. I know I said I wouldn’t interfere, but…”
“Stay out of it, or I will spank you.”
“Shit, that’s incentive!” I joked with a smile on my lips. “You hear that little man? Daddy is going to spank to mommy!”
I paused as my throat grew tight with an emotion I hadn’t felt in a while. Pride at something I had done—in this case, created. “Shit,” I said and then paused. “Crap! Don’t say that,” I watched as a small smile played on Zander’s tiny lips.
“I’m not sure you should be speaking of spankings with our children,” he whispered as he leaned over to kiss my cheek softly.
“We’re parents,” I whispered. “Like, we made little people,” I sat up with Zander held against my chest. “Three of them,” I mumbled.
“Motherhood just hitting you?” he asked with a seductive smile.
“No, it’s the reality of it. How are we ever going to have sex again?”
He threw his head back and laughed.
“Like this,” he whispered as he placed Kahleena on the bed, and clapped his hands.