Page 1 of Fae Games

Chapter 1

I stared down at the chamomile lawn. At the flowers that reflected silver moonlight. At the pyre stones arranged in a diamond that still glowed with power. Power that had condemned Helen to the deepest depths of Dubnos.

To the Dark Fae Prison.

“Get Helen out.” I raised my head, turning pleading eyes to King Oberon and Queen Titania on their diamond thrones. “Helen hasn’t done anything wrong.”

“What is the meaning of this?” Queen Titania rose, her silvery dress glittering like stars. The faerie’s pale eyes bulged with fury, and lightning crackled from her fingertips.

I sucked in a deep breath and turned left to Ladies Gala, Aster, Salix, and Gazania, whose smug expressions morphed into fear. The Fated huddled together, looking as though they hadn’t considered the consequences of disobeying orders to have me thrown into prison.

“What did you do?” Queen Titania screeched.

A sheet of lightning flashed in the sky. Behind us, something exploded, raining dust down on our heads. I twisted around. Back in the stone garden, the eight-foot-tall statue of the one-eyed ogre lost its head.

On my right, Mistress Ellyllon coughed but remained silent about the destruction of her campus. I couldn’t blame the headmistress. Queen Titania looked ready to fry someone, and I ached for her to turn the lightning on those sniveling wretches.

“Speak,” said King Oberon, his voice as heavy as stone.

Lady Gala stumbled forward. I guessed one of the observers, Prince Rory most probably, used their magic to make her move. The faerie’s horror-stricken face smoothed into regal neutrality, and she flipped back her platinum hair.

Curtsying low, she said, “Your Majesty…”

I clenched my teeth, holding back a snarl. Every instinct in my body wanted to claw out her eyes and bring her ugliness to the surface.

Lady Gala flared her platinum wings, which glowed white around the edges. “As you can see, I’m the fated mate of Prince Rory. Unity Quayle and Helen of Medietas were threatening the natural order of things, and I acted rashly if not justly.”

“Why did you send Helen to the Dark Fae Prison?” I clapped a hand on my chest. “You were supposed to send me! It’s because she told the truth about you.”

“Shut up,” Lady Aster snapped from behind her.

Fury powered my words, and I clenched my fists, ready for a fight. They could strike me down, but I wouldn’t stand back and let an innocent girl get punished.

“Everything Helen said was right,” I snarled. “You killed a unicorn, opened up a portal to Dubnos, then sacrificed Helen’s magic to scam the princes. That’s why you sent her away!”

Lady Gala folded her arms across her chest and snorted. “What would a halfling know?”

“You shouldn’t believe every lie you hear, Unity,” said Lady Aster. “That’s how you ended up naked, kneeling before the whole school, flapping your sloppy, wet nether wings!”

The intake of sharp breaths all round filled the air. The king and queen’s eyes bulged, their beautiful faces twisted in masks of horror.

Shame crawled against my skin like a million centipedes, and my insides shriveled with a mix of horror and humiliation. My lips parted, and a rush of adrenaline urged me to tell the king and queen that it hadn’t been like that. I hadn’t acted like a lurid porn star. It had been a trick, but the words stuck in my throat.

“Enough!” The king slammed his fist down on the armrest of his throne. “Everybody must focus on the matter at hand.”

Queen Titania sat and smoothed down her dress.

Everyone turned to the king and inclined their heads, and my body collapsed with relief.

King Oberon cleared his throat. “I summon the Dukes of Nevermore, Southane, Westerling, Easterly, and Medietas.”

In the blink of an eye, a group of male and female faeries appeared on the chamomile lawn. They were all well-dressed and composed, which made me wonder if the king usually made them pop in to see him.

“Your Majesty,” said the smooth voice of a male with the same shade of platinum hair as Lady Gala.

The delicate female at his side shared the pretty features of my nemesis. They had to be the Duke and Duchess of Nevermore.

Next to them stood two well-built faeries dressed in burgundy silk, who appeared to be related. The female had Lady Aster’s amber eyes and curvaceous figure, and from the male’s crimson hair, I guessed he was the Duke of Westerling.