The Last Faerie Queen (4 page)

She was beautiful and powerful, like nature itself. But what did
nature
want with a human boy?

“Will she … force me to do things?” A tremor ran through my back. For a second, the fear was real. “Is that why you're keeping me in my seat? Will the Queen be jealous if I sit by Elora?”

The faerie lowered her head, speaking softly into my ear. “I would never say anything bad about my queen. The bright faeries love humanity. We will not intentionally hurt you—”

“But?”

She lifted her gaze. “The idea that you could be kept, like a captive … ”

“Wait. Are you saying … ” I studied her face, not believing what I was hearing. “You think humans should be free?”

The faerie nodded. “I cannot say it. Anyone could be listening in.” She glanced up, at the trees. “But there are those you can trust in this place.” She pointed across the table, to a nymph with great, curling horns. Pale brown skin peeked out of a dress so low, I could practically see a belly button. “The royal seamstress. And over there … ”

I looked to the left. Next to Keegan, there was a lady with branches for limbs. Her rich brown skin was dark as the earth, and leaves shot out of her head. When she smiled, I saw she had twigs for teeth. Sharpened, of course.

“The royal storyteller,” the faerie said.

“And you?”

“Me?” She blushed, like she'd been nominated for an Oscar. Like she was just happy to be considered. “I am Maya de Lyre, the royal songstress. The three of us, together, are the Queen's favored ladies. We are the closest to her, and yet she has not trusted us with her reasons for keeping you. This concerns me.”

It concerns me too
, I thought. But I didn't say it. Instead, I decided to take a chance. “So you'll help me break free?”

The faerie sucked in a breath.
Maya de Lyre
, I reminded myself, trying not to forget her name. Trying not to forget any of this.

“The punishment would be dire,” she said. “But I can investigate. If there is a possibility that you could be freed … ”

“Do you think there's a possibility?”

“I think this is a riddle, and I've yet to hear a riddle I couldn't solve.” She flashed white teeth. Her smile was fierce, like everything in this forest. The light. The drugs.

“I solved the Queen's last riddle,” I boasted. “I figured out she wanted a nice human instead of a nasty one.”

Maya de Lyre frowned, her hair flickering like I'd struck a nerve. Slowly, that light trickled back into her.

“Ah, so you've met him?” I asked. “Brad, I mean. The asshole of Unity High.”

“The Queen told me to take him home.”

“
And you already did?” Vertigo washed over me. Something about her wording felt familiar, like it had been rehearsed. “How long was I asleep? Or is he, like, tied up somewhere, wa
iting to be transported?”

She laughed. “Don't worry so much, darling. The path to the mortal world can be treacherous, or it can be swift. If you travel to the sea of the Undulari, there are merfolk who will carry a mortal through the waterways without harming him in the slightest.”

“So he really is gone.” I should've felt relieved, but cold dread was settling over me. Pressing into me. If Brad was gone, I was
definitely
the offering the Seelie Queen had wanted. She wasn't changing her mind, calling Brad back, and releasing me. She wanted me for some nefarious purpose, and even her closest confidants didn't know why.

“So you'll help me?” I asked, just as the Queen glanced over. The leaves in her hair brightened to gold at the sight of me.
Shit. Shit. Shit.
I took a gulp from my goblet, trying to look busy. Naturally, liquid sloshed down my shirt.

Still, the stain provided us with an opportunity. Maya de Lyre knelt in front of me, turning
away
from the Queen, to blot at my shirt. “I will give you what you want,” she said softly, “but you must do something for me. You must not tell the princess that you are the Queen's offering.”

“Why not? Elora could help me.”

“She could,” Maya de Lyre agreed. “That is the problem. Wouldn't she do
anything
to set you free? Even unravel
her
bargain with the Queen?”

“I … oh, crap. I didn't think about that.” Elora's revolution depended on the Seelie Queen's help. No one else was strong enough to bind Elora's mother, the Unseelie Queen. I couldn't mess that up.

“You're right,” I said, lifting my goblet again. It was a cheap trick, but it would work for the moment. “We'll figure this out on our own.”

Maya de Lyre grinned, and I thought she was going to throw her arms around me. But she didn't. She simply squeezed my shoulder, respecting my bo
undaries.

I thought that was significant.

“We'll meet again in private,” she said, rising to fill her own plate.

My heart started to race. For the first time since I'd arrived here, I felt
grounded
. Like I was actually gaining control, even though faerie drugs were still swimming in my veins. I decided two things in that moment: I would regain my freedom from the Seelie Queen. And I would fight in Elora's revolution.

4

E
l
o
r
A

As the mortals ate, the Queen made conversation, and I tried to appear interested. But I wasn't. Much more interesting was the scene playing out in the periphery of my vision, the faerie hovering around Taylor, finding excuses to touch him. Here, she placed her hand on his cheek, pretending his untamable hair was bothering her. Here, she pressed her bosom against his arm to reach for a berry.

How subtle
, I thought, anger pulsing through me. He seemed so at home with her, all green eyes and golden hair. They'd even given him wings, to make him look like he belonged in the Seelie Court. In fact, all the mortals had been glamoured to look like faeries for their own protection, but on Taylor it looked
natural
.

A shudder ran through my back and I closed my eyes.

The Queen was prattling on about some banquet she was planning for the mortals. A banquet! Wasn't that what was happening now? But the Bright Queen's claim to fame, more than her ability to heal, was her ability to throw a fabulous party. It was how she kept her people controlled. She lavished gifts upon them, kept them drunk and happy. Then, when she needed them to go into one itsy-bitsy battle, who were they to argue?

Who would say no to that?

When she turned to me and said, “It is my expert opinion that oak-aged whiskey tastes better after the first three centuries,” I nodded politely, forcing myself to pay attention. The timing was good, because if I'd only pretended to listen to the Queen's next statement, it would've been great folly.

“Tonight, we will allow the mortals to rest and rejuvenate themselves after the terrible things they have seen,” she said. “Tomorrow, we begin our journey to the heart of the Seelie Court, where they can seek refuge.”

“No.” My voice was louder than I expected it to be. The faeries of the Seelie Court took notice. “We cannot take them farther into your lands. We have to send them home. You have no claim to them.”

“No claim to them?” She raised her eyebrows.

A trickle of fear crept down my spine. Was
this
why she had agreed to help me? Was she plotting to keep four humans instead of Brad?

“Oh, I have something better than a claim to them,” the Queen continued. “I have affection for them. And you would throw them to the wolves?”

“Keeping them here would be selfish.”

“Would it?” she shrieked. Her body flashed with light, and her green hair began dropping leaves. Then, lowering her voice, she turned to the humans. “And why did you come to this place, my dears? Did you do it for your own delight? Or were you seeking sanctuary?”

“Sanctuary,” Keegan said after a moment. He was hanging on her every word, even if he only understood half of them. “We wanted to go home after those faeries attacked us in the graveyard. But they knew what we looked like, and we thought they might follow us to our houses. Hurt our families.” His body twitched, as if it realized the seriousness of his words before his brain did. Honestly, the humans were acting far more casual than the situation required. Had they drunk too much wine?

The Bright Queen smiled. “Hurt your families? Oh you kind, precious babies. Did you hear that, Elora?”

Princess
, I wanted to correct, because ignoring a person's title was a sign of disrespect. Then again, I was planning to render all titles meaningless, so I might as well get used to the sound of my name on other people's lips.

“I suppose I hadn't thought of that,” I admitted. “Still, once the dark faeries have me, they won't bother with the humans. They'd only use them as collateral to get me back.”

“Are they getting you back?” Taylor asked.

“You know they are,” I said, my eyes glued to the Queen. I was afraid to look at him, and be
seen
. “But only until I can destroy them.” 

The bright faeries gasped at that. Surely the Queen had told them
something
of my reasons for being here, but she clearly hadn't told them everything.

“And you're doing that alone?” Taylor pressed. Oh, how I longed for the days when these conversations took place in his bedroom, away from prying Seelie eyes. Of course, back in his room, he hadn't known that my stories of the dark and bright faeries were
real.
It had been a lot easier to talk about things when he thought I was telling him a “fairy” tale.

Funny, the difference a few letters can make.

“I will not be
alone
,” I said, trying to strike a balance between saying too much in front of the faeries, and saying too little to satisfy the humans. One human in particular. “Many of the dark servants will come to my aid.”

Another gasp from the bright faeries. This time, I couldn't help but roll my eyes. Such drama. Didn't it get tiring?

“So what if they will?” Taylor asked. “Is there such a thing as
too much
support?” He was staring at me, his eyes burning into me, and I hated the feeling of disappointing him. But regardless of the cost, I would protect him from the wickedness of the faeries, both bright and dark. Even if he hated me for it.

“This isn't your fight,” I said, finally meeting his gaze. “I will not lead you into battle, risking your life—”

“You don't get to decide that. It's
my
decision—”

“It is
my
world and
my
revolution and I
do
get to decide.”

“What revolution?” Kylie asked, looking over at me. A couple of deer had crept out of the forest, and she was feeding them sweets.

“It is … complicated,” I began, swirling jam around my plate. “I am not sure how to explain it simply.”

“I can do it,” Taylor offered, and I looked up, surprised. But why was I surprised? From the moment I'd met him, he had always been kind, and understanding, and clever.

“Tell us,” I said, staring into his leaf-green eyes. “Tell us about my plans for the Unseelie Court.” My unspoken message was clear: do not mention my plans for
this
court, or my dealings with their queen. Do not mention that, if my revolution is a success and the Dark Court falls, the Bright Queen will disband
her
court in response.

Taylor nodded solemnly, in understanding. I wanted to pull him into my arms and kiss his lips. Instead, I sat quietly and listened.

“Let me see if I remember this correctly,” he said, holding my gaze. “Back in the Middle Ages, two courts of faeries were created, one who loved humanity, and one who wanted to destroy them.”

“
Why?
” Keegan asked playfully. “Who would want to hurt
us
?”

“Um, people who don't like murderers,” Alexia said. “Or pedophiles. Or hipster doofuses.” 

Kylie almost laughed. But she caught herself, hand slapping over her mouth. She never did like talking about the worst kinds of humans. Here in Faerie, she could almost pretend they didn't exist.

Almost
.

“Well, you're half right,” Taylor said, tilting his head. “The faeries of the Dark Court did hate humans because of our destructiveness, but they especially hated us because we used iron.”

“Oh! Because iron keeps faeries away,” Kylie said, clasping her hands. “I read that in this crazy-old book. People put iron on their horses and their doors and around their necks. That really works?”

Taylor nodded. “It got so bad, the faeries stopped being able to have babies. Because iron was so poisonous, and it weakened them.”

“That's terrible,” Kylie said, and my chest surged with warmth. The bright faeries were leaning in. “So they're dying off?”

“We are immortal,” the Bright Queen announced.

“Then you can't be killed?” Keegan asked.

“We
can
be killed,” I explained, “with weapons or magic, but our bodies don't decay.”

“So you don't die of natural causes, but you can be hurt, and iron hurts you the worst,” Kylie said.

Taylor nodded. “
And
their land is constantly being taken over by humans, because, you know, we don't adapt to the natural world. We make it adapt to us.”

“De-evolution,” Keegan said.

“Exactly,” Alexia agreed, and her eyes went wide. I think it was the first time she and Keegan had ever agreed on anything.

After a moment of heavy silence, Kylie began putting the pieces together in that careful way of hers. “So after humanity started poisoning the faeries, and took over their lands, the dark faeries decided to fight back. Okay. Where do the bright faeries come in?”

“How did you put it?” Taylor mused, looking at me. His gaze flickered to my back, where dark wings unfurled like shadows. I turned away. “All faeries believe the earth is to be protected, because the earth is like their body,” he said. “But while the dark faeries are willing to protect the earth by any means necessary, the bright faeries believe humans are
part
of the earth, and fall under their protection.”

A slow smile took over my face, born of adoration. Affection. Maybe even …

“That's pretty messed up,” Alexia said, brushing her dark, wavy hair behind her back. “I mean, say your body got sick, like you had a disease or something. And it was killing you, but you were all, ‘Oh, no, I have to protect it, because it's a part of me.'”

“Okay, you're sympathizing with the
dark faeries
,” Taylor said, his tone growing harsher. “You do know these are the people who almost killed your girlfriend? The people who almost killed … ” His gaze shifted, and all eyes turned to me.

That was all right. It was my turn to speak. “Over the centuries, the faeries of the Dark Court grew worse and worse. They didn't simply fight with the Seelie Court, or with humanity. They fought with each other. They abused the servants that waited on them hand and foot.”

“They attacked their own princess,” Kylie said, shaking her head. “In the graveyard. That was them, right? The faeries of the Dark Court?”

“Ah, yes,” I said, nodding. “The courtiers, and Naeve.”

“Is that … was he … ” But Kylie couldn't say it. Naeve had taken a special interest in her, realizing she was the sweetest of the humans. He'd commanded his favored courtier, the Lady Claremondes, to attack. And that slithery creature, half-woman and half-snake, had slid her venomous tongue along Kylie's neck, making her shake and scream.

“Yes, Naeve is the worst of them,” I said. “Of course, being the Prince of the Dark Court comes with a certain sense of entitlement.”

“Wait, the prince? Like your
brother
?” Keegan gaped at me.

“
Adopted brother. Adopted, in fact, long before I was born.” I lowered my gaze. I did not want to get into the specifics of my relationship with Naeve. Did not want to admit how he ha
d treated me since I was a child.

But Taylor took the reins for me, before I even had to ask. “Remember how I said the faeries were losing the ability to have babies? Well, for a long time, they thought Naeve was the last faerie ever to be born.”

“So he was born in the Middle Ages?” Kylie asked, wide-eyed. “He's
centuries
old?”

“Yep, he was born toward the end,” Taylor said. “And the Dark Lady swooped in and adopted him, thinking she could use him as a symbol of her court. A symbol of everything the faeries had to lose if they didn't take down humanity.”

“So Naeve grew up as a prince,” Keegan said, “even though he wasn't related to the Queen.”

“That's kind of an important point.” Taylor glanced at me. “Because years later, when Naeve was an adult, he and the Queen kind of … hooked up.”

“Wait,
what
?” Keegan asked. Kylie dropped her roll. Only Alexia looked unsurprised.

Taylor jumped in. “Look, none of us has a perfect family. If we did, we probably wouldn't be here.” When nobody responded, he went on. “Sure, the Dark Lady's relationship with Naeve was messed up, but that's the point. He was obsessed with her, and he saw her as a mother and a lover. She was
everything
to him.”

“Until I came along,” I murmured, my face flushing with heat. But Taylor had begun the story of Naeve, and he would finish it for me. Nodding, he said, “Centuries after Naeve was born, the Dark Lady realized she was pregnant. Turns out,
Elora
was the last faerie ever to be born. So Naeve lost all of his fame, and the attention of the Queen, in one fell swoop. And even though it wasn't Elora's fault, considering she was a baby and all, he took out all his anger on her.”

“He essentially tormented me throughout my life,” I admitted softly.

“So brother fought sister,” Keegan said. “The courtiers abused the servants. And the Queen abused them all.”

I lifted my head. “Yes. That is it exactly. You see, then, why I plotted a revolution. My goal is to take them down from the inside.”

“Like we did back at school.” Kylie gasped. “I mean, the way we all came together to take down Brad and his goons.”

“Yes. But more life-and-death,” I pointed out.

Kylie nodded, but she wouldn't look at me. I felt the cold weight of guilt pressing into my chest. After all, Brad had made Kylie's life a living hell. I hadn't meant to belittle her experience.

Then she said the last thing I expected. “So what can we do to help?”

“What?” I blinked at her, utterly lost in that moment.

“You defended us back in the human world. You helped us throw our own revolution.”

“Yeah.” Keegan nodded. “We should return the favor.”

“You could die,” Taylor said, surprising me. I hadn't expected him to interfere with their offering.