Page 3 of Fae Games

Mistress Ellyllon strode to where the duchess floundered. Her pale, blue hair flowed over her shoulders in sharp contrast to her indigo skin. Her white robes trailed over the chamomile flowers.

Raising both hands to the stars, she turned the screaming woman onto her back with an invisible power. What appeared to be a meteorite burned in the duchess’s chest.

“This is dark magic!” Mistress Ellyllon leaped back. She turned in the direction of the stone garden. “All students, return to your dormitories, now.”

The faeries scattered. Some on foot, others through the air. The Duke of Medietas released Lady Gala to guide the king and queen behind their thrones and erected a sphere of protection around them.

Only the princes, the Fated, and I remained. The dukes and duchesses were long gone, making me wonder if the girls were bitches because their parents were such self-centered bastards.

I turned to Prince Caulden. “What’s happening?”

“This is the darkest of magics,” replied the blue-haired prince. “A faerie’s magical core resides within their heart and determines their alignment with nature. It doesn’t matter if a faerie has winter, autumn, summer, or spring magic. If someone removes their core, it leaves a void that burns them from the inside-out.”

My gaze flickered back to the duchess who thrashed on the ground, her insides burning like embers. Molten liquid pooled from her chest, which had to be blood, but it took the appearance of lava.

I placed both hands over my mouth, trying not to gag. “Does this happen a lot?”

“In the days of Queen Maeve, these assassinations were commonplace.”

“Your grandmother?”

Prince Caulden raised his shoulders. “She was banished to the Otherworld long before we were born, but they didn’t call her the Queen of Curses for nothing.”

“Mother!” Lady Gala collapsed on the lawn, crawling toward her dying parent. She placed both hands over an invisible barrier and sobbed.

“Is this what they did to Helen?” I whispered.

“That’s what’s the most peculiar about her accusation,” said Prince Caulden.

I turned to the heir of the Winter Court and frowned. “What do you mean?”

He gestured at the convulsing duchess. “If someone stole Helenium’s magic, the result would look something like that. Her wings only turned white, and she survived to join the remedial class.”

Prince Rory strode forward, placed a hand on Lady Gala’s shoulders, and helped her up. He tried to wrap his arms around her, but she slapped him hard across the face. Shards of ice splintered from where her palm met his flesh, indicating that she had powered the blow with magic.

“Ouch.” Prince Caulden winced. “But I suppose she’s not too pleased with him right now.”

“Yeah.” My shoulders sagged. Prince Rory hadn’t made a secret of being dissatisfied with his supposed fated mate.

“You bastard.” Lady Gala pounded on his chest, screaming all manner of obscenities, but Prince Rory merely held her wrists and gazed down at her with sad eyes.

“I’d better help.” Prince August walked toward them and wrapped his arm around Lady Gala’s waist. “Come on. You shouldn’t have to see this.”

Lady Gala sobbed on his chest while he cradled her in his arms.

A lump formed in my throat. This was horrific, and it reminded me so much of Mom. She had died slowly, her life draining away with each passing day.

According to the healing hags, there was no cure for her wasting sickness, and the bargain-brokers had told us that the magic that would allow Mom to live would mean one of our deaths. Watching her linger on the precipice of life and death had been excruciating. Brutal. But it was nothing compared to the duchess’s torment.

“Can’t anyone stop this?” I asked.

It was Prince Bradwell who answered. “Once dark magic has removed a faerie’s core, it can never be replaced.”

“What’s going to happen to her?” My voice broke.

Prince Caulden placed an arm around my shoulders and pulled me into his side. “The duchess will remain like this forever until either the thief has used the core, or someone puts her out of her misery.”

I sucked in a breath. Was that why all the parents had disappeared? I stared into the bubble of magic, where Lady Gala’s mother continued to scream. The hole in her chest smoldered and spewed lava.