Page 53 of Renegade Queen
“Makes sense,” Ryder said when our eyes met.
“Really?” I didn’t wait for his response before continuing, not wanting to admit that Fizzle had made the entire thing easier. “I was born into the ruling family for the Spring Court, and it’s true that when my parents decided to step down, I would have taken the throne next.” And then I sighed because the guys weren’t from this world, and they wouldn’t understand the significance of what I was going to tell them without at least some background information. “Nymeria is broken into four Courts. Each has adopted the moniker of one of the seasons. Every Court has an affinity to a certain type of magic, and the people who live there share that same type of magic. Spring has earth magic, Summer is fire, Autumn is air, and Winter is water.”
I carefully examined their faces as I spoke, waiting to see if they would make the connection I hadn’t pointed out yet. I wasn’t surprised to see Dean’s scowling face, but I was surprised when he was the one to start talking. I’d assumed Ryder would be the observant one out of the group.
“You controlled those vine things at the clearing because you have Spring magic,” Dean started slowly, like he was still putting the pieces together in his mind. “Which is why your cathedral is full of plants?”
I nodded in confirmation.
And then Maddox cut in. “But at the bar?”
“I’m an… anomaly,” I winced as I said it because freak was the word that wanted to slip out my lips. “I can access magic from all of the Courts.”
“She’s chosen by Nymeria,” Fizzle snapped. We’d had this argument more than once while I was growing up, and he’d grown tired of having it before I left. I could already see his feathers ruffling because we were right back in that place after all this time.
“It was a secret. My parents didn’t want anyone to know because they thought it could endanger me. Fizzle became my teacher, and when we’d visit the other courts, he’d take me to watch displays of magic and help me mimic them.”
“Why would you be in danger?” Tank asked, his gaze moving to the mouth of the cave to make sure no one was listening to our conversation.
It was only then that I saw Rhidian leaning against the rocks there. But I supposed he already knew. Anyway, he was one of my friends back then, and Fizzle wouldn’t have brought him here if he couldn’t be trusted still.
When our eyes met, he finally approached and joined us by the fire, a grumbling growl flowing out of Dean when he did.
I raked my fingers through the soft sand floor of the cave while I tried to organise my thoughts. I didn’t want to explain this part, but it needed to be told. My parents deserved to have this truth told.
“The ruling families were always doing stuff like that. Visiting other Courts, staying for trade deals and festivals. It wasn’t quite a fairytale world back then, but… it wasn’t bad.” I met Rhidian’s eyes across the fire, and he looked away. He would no doubt disagree with that statement, but that wasn’t my story to share. “The winter court came to celebrate the Spring equinox with us, when the world was in perfect balance. Several of the Court families attended, including the King and his Queens. The equinox was always one of my favourite times; we had a deeper connection with the land when the moon was highest in the sky, and people used to whisper about seeing visions of your fated love. We feasted and danced all day, and then when we went outside to watch the moon rise…”
The words froze in my mouth as visions flashed through my mind. So much blood. The screaming. It was all so fresh. Like it had only happened yesterday.
“You don’t have to tell us,” Maddox said quietly, his hand coming to rest on my knee as he squeezed it reassuringly.
But that was the thing. I did. I’d never told anyone about that night; it had festered inside me instead. And I needed to get it out. I needed to not be the only one cursed by these memories.
“We should have realised something was wrong when the Summer and Autumn Courts left early. But everyone was too happy, having too much of a good time, that we didn’t even consider we’d been betrayed until it was too late. I was sitting on the roof when it started. I liked to get the best spot, and I was bored of being around all the politics. It was only when the screaming began that I realised something was wrong. He’d already killed the Winter King and turned on the Queens by then, slitting their throats before anyone even realised we were under attack.”
“Wait, so this guy wasn’t the Winter King back then?” Ryder asked.
“No. He was… I suppose a human equivalent would be like a Duke. He was a high-ranking member of the Court, but he’d only just worked his way up there. Honestly, I didn’t even know him before that night.”
“The rumours are that he blackmailed and murdered his way into the Court. Once he was in, it was child’s play for someone like him to muscle his way to the top. Everyone was already so afraid of him that they moved out of his way. The old King was a fool for not taking him out of play when he first came on the scene. But back then, ruthlessness was coveted. He thought he’d be a strong ally to have in the Court. They were too short-sighted to see he was already planning to seize the throne,” Rhidian explained.
“And the other Courts, how were they involved?” Maddox asked. “The drunk back at the inn made it sound like the Autumn Court had already been destroyed?”
Before Rhidian even had a chance to open his mouth, Dean cut in. “And where did you say you were from?” he asked lowly, perhaps already seeing the obvious in Rhidian’s golden looks.
“Summer,” Rhidian told him, locking eyes with Dean as he did. He had no idea what he was doing or potentially how volatile Dean could be. None of us did, really, and the air seemed to thicken with the tension that followed. “But I was kicked out of Court years before any of this came about.”
It was enough to settle the tension between them. Yet despite Dean nodding in acceptance, he still eyed the stranger amongst us suspiciously. When his eyes flicked to Tank, and I felt him shuffle closer to me in response, I was surprised, to say the least. Was Tank actually following Dean’s lead? The dynamics of this group were so up in the air that I was waiting for the slightest misunderstanding to blow us all apart.
“No one knows the other Courts involvement,” Fizzle cut in. “And that was the ingenious part of Arik’s plan. Because as soon as word of what had happened spread, it essentially divided the remaining Courts, making them easy targets. What could have been a strong collective force fragmented and left Nymeria open for the taking.”
“But how?” Tank asked. “One man couldn’t do this alone.”
“He didn’t.” I stared into the flames as I spoke and could almost see the carnage flickering amongst the flames. “Before anyone could even draw a sword, the infernal hounds descended on them. He… somehow controls the creatures of Nymeria. Infernal hounds, wyverns and lamia flooded the palace, ripping apart everyone there. There was no stopping them, not in the numbers they came in. It was like a wave of violence swept through the palace, leaving nothing but blood in its wake. No one could escape something like that.”
“You did,” Rhidian added quietly. “And I’m really glad you did, Aly. As soon as I heard the news, I came back. I had to see it with my own eyes. The whole Court was left open, abandoned, and everyone was still… it was impossible to tell who had fallen.”
The group fell quiet, and I couldn’t help but mourn for the poor young Rhidian who’d walked through all that death trying to see if one of his only friends had met the same fate as everyone there.