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“I am glad to know they were together in the end, and she wasn’t alone when she walked into the afterworld.”
We rode on in silence for a while. The sound of Una’s laughter along with Hava’s floating back to us when Pullo made some sort of grand gesture with his hands as he told a wild story. His best friend, Tierzel, laughed shyly next to Una. Most assuredly, Pullo was telling yet another tale about the unruly and rough beast fae she would soon meet.
Keffa chuckled at their laughter. “If my Vayla died placing those runes upon your mizrah’s head, then she is indeed meant for you. Meant to unite our kingdoms.”
A swelling of absolute certainty filled my body. “What of the era of night? The need for Northgall to suppress the moon fae into submission?”
I was certain that Keffa had never believed that old adage as my father had. Or not entirely. But he’d never spoken of it, even when I’d set out to defeat the moon fae in our long, brutal war.
“I believe the era of night begins with a wraith king taking a moon fae as his mizrah. As his mate.” He finally turned to look at me.
I didn’t deny that she was my god-given mate. I knew it down to my bones.
“It may be our time to rise, tolead, Gollaya. But that does not mean that we need stomp them beneath our feet as your father had planned to do.”
I nodded tightly. “Agreed, old friend. With good warriors at my side, I know that we will not go astray.”
Finally, he looked ahead again. “And with a female like Una at your side, you will never fall.”
I couldn’t agree more, but I still couldn’t admit how much she meant to me. Not even to Keffa.
Perhaps it was because I’d not known this depth of emotion for another fae, not since my mother. After she died, I’d smothered any need for affection. For love. I believed that as long as I garnered the loyalty of my Kel Klyss and remained strong as their king, I would be satisfied with friendship and brotherhood.
I was wrong. My desire for Una burrowed so deep. I craved her smiles, her scent, her laughter, and yes, by the gods, her love. I knew I didn’t deserve it, but selfish bastard that I am, I still wanted it.
I watched her riding astride like the wraith fae females do, her hair braided intricately into one long rope down her back, falling between her glorious wings. My heart paced faster. Simply gazing upon her made me ache with longing to have her in my arms. She was so dear to me it was terrifying.
Soryn gave a sharp whistle, halting the caravan from the front of the line. We’d passed Belladum yesterday. It was a larger settlement of wraith fae. While I knew that they would welcome me and my Culled, I’d half expected some of them to hiss or glare at the new mizrah. Though it had been five years ago and they’d rebuilt, her father had attacked and killed many in Belladum. While they’d been wary of her, there had been more smiles and words of welcome to her than anything else.
But that was my people. Not the beast fae.
Keffa and I stirred our mounts into a gallop to meet Soryn at the head of the caravan, the pointed tents of Vanglosa in the distance beyond.
When I pulled to a stop next to Soryn, he said, “They’re already waiting for us.”
Though we were still a few leagues away, I could see across the wide plains where several beast fae stood in a semi-circleoutside their village. Some sat upon their Meer-wolves, some stood, but all of them stared directly at us.
“Of course, they are,” I said. “They’d have known we crossed out of Belladum into Meerland from one of their scouts.”
We never bothered sending emissaries to the beast fae if we had need for any dealings with them, which was rare. They’d only turn them away with a warning. When we’d sent word that King Connall of Issos had attacked Belladum so many years ago and we were invading in retaliation, their arrogant lord had said, ‘You worry about your own, not us. If the king dares to come here, we’ll kill him and all his warriors, then feed them to our wolves.’
That was the last time we’d had any communication with the lord of the beast fae.
“Slow and steady,” I commanded then turned back to find Una. She was flanked by Pullo and Tierzel on one side, Ferryn and Meck on the other. Hava was now riding behind her with the rest of the Culled surrounding them. “Remain in your current positions.”
Then we marched ahead as one, directly across the open plain toward Vanglosa. None of those standing and sitting upon their wolves, waiting for us, were the beast lord. But I did recognize his warrior chief, Bezaliel, as we drew closer.
He stood at the center of them, his bare arms crossed, displaying his many demon runes across his dark bronzed chest. As was their way, he wore only a skirt made of rough hide. With winter approaching, some of them wore boots and deerskin cloaks, but not Bezaliel.
He stood to his mighty height, as tall as Soryn or me, his four, spiraled horns curling back, a wider rack on his head than most. Because he wore no boots, his pelt of fur that thickened at the bottom of his legs and the tops of his clawed feet was exposed. His long tail, covered in a brown felt, the tip tufted withfur, twitched behind him with agitation. His pelt thickened along a line at the center of his abdomen, disappearing beneath his leather skirt.
“Fucking beast fae,” whispered Soryn under his breath, no doubt irritated that Bezaliel refused to wear even a shirt or a cloak in these wintry temperatures. I could smell snow in the air.
“We can hear you, chief,” Bezaliel called in his deep voice. He knew that Soryn was my second and leader of the Culled. “You can all stop right there.”
My warriors did, but I continued to advance slowly. They wouldn’t do anything to me. They knew if they tried, I could use feyfire to annihilate any threat. And though the beast fae were a wilder species, they were by no means stupid.
“We need counsel with Lord Redvyr.”
