Page 26 of A Fate of Wings
Rozronuuk
The Autumn Court
Iwas only somewhatsurprised the clothes made for me were a perfect fit. Thea’s handmaiden was observant and thorough. The seamstress had made the threads of the finest silks and cotton. Whoever the siren’s seamstress was, she held a wealth of talent. I bet my brother would like to poach her. He was always fond of fine garments. I’d much rather have the toughness of leather. It afforded a bit of protection when fighting.
I fought a lot.
By becoming the siren queen’s mate, I’d imagined a cushy life, but the castle was unsettled. I sensed evil looming over my mate’s head, but I didn’t recognize where the threat was coming from. It sure as hell wasn’t from me.
We walked down the winding grand staircase. Rich, ancient tapestries hung from the walls that appeared to depict images of the sirens. I peered closer at one of the intricately woven fabrics in vibrant colored threads.
“That’s my great-grandmother.” Thea leaned closer to point at a tiny, winged creature stitched into the fabric. “She was ruthless and killed many humans. The tale has it she sung sailors to their deaths.”
“Just sailors?”
She shrugged. “They say that she had a thing for sailors.”
I snorted. If I had a thing for something, I sure didn’t kill it.
She pointed at the next tapestry. We stepped down a few stairs to stand in front of it.
“This one is my grandmother. She had a thing for elves. The story goes that the elf king was in love with her and she was with him, but she wouldn’t give up her throne as the siren queen. Theirs was a tragic love story. They both died alone after sending their people to war against each other. They figured whoever won the war, the other would admit defeat and join them.”
“The Great Autumn and Spring Court war were because of them?”
“Yes. We won in the end. The elf king died in the last battle. At the news of his death, Grandmother flew into the sun, and no one ever saw her again.”
Such a tragic event. If I’d been the Demon King, would something similar have happened between us? I dreaded the thought.
“And this last one?” I stepped down the final stairs.
“This is my mother. She mated with a fae and loved him very much. He died in this castle.”
“Died? How?”
“It was a complete mystery. Still is.”
“Hmm.” I rubbed my chin. I didn’t like the sound of that. Supernatural creatures were immortal mostly. We could be killed, but we usually healed or regenerated fast enough to avoid death.
“Mother was walking with him in the garden after dinner, as they always did. He loved the starry nights here in the Autumn Court.” Her breath hitched. “She said he fell to his knees, clutching his stomach.”
“Poison?”
“I suspect someone slipped something into his food, but there was no food left to test. No body either.”
The hairs on the back of my neck prickled. “No body?”
“He burst into flames like the wolf shifter at the trials. There was only his ash.”
I clasped her elbow in a firm grip and leaned close to her ear. “You have a serpent in your castle. A clever one, too. One who leaves no evidence of their crimes.”
She bit her lip, refusing to say more.
“No wonder your face paled when the wolf shifter died. It reminded you of your father.” I inched my hand higher and caressed the soft flesh of her upper arm.
“Someone killed my parents, too.”
She almost sagged into my touch. Accepting my sympathy for her loss. I’d lost my parents, too, so I understood how much it made my chest ache with the love I’d lost. She tilted her chin up. Her eyes glistened as though tears longed to free themselves from her well-constructed wall of not showing her emotions. We were so alike, hiding our pain behind the tasks of being a royal.