Page 3 of Chorus of Ashes
Until she looked at Lily and Callum, that is. Terra’s heart twisted, and a soft sigh escaped as Lily traced her finger over Callum’s lips, unspoken words drifting between them. And then there were these two. Their bond was so strong, Terra could all but see the golden tendrils linking them together.
It would never be this way for her, Terra reminded herself, because her fated mate was exiled and an adulterer. Her choices were limited in the matter. Ignore his heartsong and continue to lead her people in the battle against the Dark Fae or leave their realm and live in exile with a man who had a deeply questionable moral compass.
The Fates certainly enjoyed their whims, did they not?
Except when it came to these two. Terra smiled indulgently at the lovers, happy they had found each other. Just because it wasn’t written in the stars for her to have the same bond, didn’t mean she begrudged anyone their happiness. Joy was something to be celebrated in any form.
“Well, I did find something…” Lily said shyly as she glanced from Callum to Terra. Though she’d proven herself to be a strong woman, Lily still was timid when it came to offering her insights on the Fae realm. Terra certainly couldn’t blame her. The Fae were a mercurial and tricky lot, and their rules and history were a morass of riddles shrouded in mystery. “Perhaps it's nothing.”
“Tell us, love. What did that sharp brain of yours dig out? Spending more time in the library were you?” Callum’s eyes gleamed as he studied Lily.
“I was. Bianca and I can hardly tear ourselves away now that we have access to all this fascinating knowledge. It’s, well, sure and it could take ages to read it all, couldn’t it? But we did stumble on a little tidbit yesterday that we both think might be worth exploring.” Lily tucked a stray tendril of warm brown hair behind her ear and pursed her lips. “It seems that while, yes, you are correct that we can’t kill a goddess, you can incapacitate her.”
“Is that right?” Callum’s expression went from soft and loving to sharp and deadly in an instant.
“Bianca thinks it is why the Domnua are trying to divide us. It takes all of the Elementals to come together and work the spell that will strip Domnu of her powers.”
“And if we unite? The ritual will require sacrifice, will it not?” Terra was well versed in the way of magicks. Nothing in this realm or the next came for free, and the energy they used here would be taken from something else.
“I believe so. But Bianca is digging more deeply today. You know how she is…” Lily laughed. Terra had only met Bianca recently, a human gifted magick from the Fae for her service in the battle of the Four Treasures, and she had recognized a kindred spirit instantly.
“That’s great news. If anything, it gives us some direction. I’ll admit, I’m frustrated. I hate being reactive and, after they took my mother, well, I’m ready for a fight.” King Callum stood, his fists balled at his side. Immediately, Lily rose and wrapped her arms around his waist, leaning into him.
“Oh, we’ll fight,” Terra assured her king. “Of that I am certain. No longer can we ignore the cries of our people. The Domnua are insidious, and though every pest serves a purpose, at best, theirs is only to be an agent of change. Change for a better and brighter future for our world. To that end, I will commit.”
“We’ll reconvene tomorrow.” King Callum gave her a nod, and Lily waved shyly at Terra as he tugged her toward the castle.
Turning, Terra wandered along the stream, the chill of the air nothing more than the brush of a lover’s touch against her skin. Once she’d slipped deeper into the forest, she tugged her dress over her head, preferring to be naked among the trees. Here, she was home. Who needed a fated mate when she had the soft caress of the wind filtering through the leaves or the cool brush of icy water from a bubbling brook? Her heart belonged here, in the wilds, and she’d die protecting it.
A sharp warning from a small bird perched above her was the only alert she had. Whirling, Terra already had her knife in hand when the trio of Domnua met her on the path. The knife, the Earth Fae’s amulet, was always strapped to her leg even when she went sky clad. An item of great importance, only those worthy of ruling their people could carry it. Now, Terra wielded it with grace, the blade fitting neatly into her palm as though it was carved for her and waited for the Domnua to make a move.
“Dirt wench.” One of the Domnua hissed at her. Terra supposed that was his stab at an insult to the Earth Fae. The ground rumbled beneath her feet, signaling that her people were coming to her rescue, but Terra wouldn’t need them.
She didn’t like to kill but would do so when necessary.
In this case, it was necessary. Her blade was already slicing through the abdomen of the first Dark Fae that launched himself before she pivoted and took out the other two. They were no match for the strength of her talisman, for her blade was charged with the power of all of the Earth Fae. Even as the trees swayed and her people crept from the mists that clung to the forest floor, Terra was waving them back. Sheathing her blade, she took a deep breath.
Kneeling to where the Domnua were now only puddles of silvery blood, Terra began the last rites.
For even the darkest of souls needed to be sent home with care.
2
“Rian, lad, what a night!”Cillian, Rian’s second-in-command dropped onto the leather couch in the VIP section of the swanky gentlemen’s club in Dublin. He tapped his whiskey glass against Rian’s and took a sip, his eyes tracking the half-dressed waitresses walking around the club taking orders from the patrons. “I think that redhead is interested in you.”
“Is she?” Rian studied one of the waitresses who kept shooting glances his way. It wasn’t unusual for women to be interested in him. His Fae magick, though hidden to humans, still held a subtle whiff of otherness that apparently was intoxicating for many women. He’d grown jaded over the past few years, never having to put any effort into finding a lover willing to bed him, and now he turned away from the soft smile that promised more. His phone buzzed, and he answered it without justifying his dismissal of the redhead. “Rian here.”
Rian listened to his project manager, one tasked with overseeing the removal of large swathes of the rain forest in order to plant commercial crops, ramble on about an orangutan family in the direct path of the bulldozers. Worry for the animals slipped through him, but he shut it down, building the icy wall around his heart that he’d done such a good job of maintaining over the past few years on his campaign to destroy the Earth. If he couldn’t take his vengeance out on the Earth Fae directly, he’d do so by destroying the environment they cherished. Passive aggressive? Perhaps. But Rian took his revenge where he could. When his mother had died, alone, and he’d been unable to be there for her in her last days, Rian had stopped caring about the damage his actions caused.
At least that’s what he told himself.
“Relocate them,” Rian ordered, and hung up the phone. He couldn’t bring himself to outright order the killing of the orangutans, because his Earth Fae roots were deeply engrained, but he was fine with destroying their home. His home had been ripped from him too. They’d adapt, much like he had, right? Though worry twisted low in his gut, along with an icky spread of self-loathing, Rian shoved the feelings away. Slamming his glass of whiskey, Rian poured himself another from the bottle at the table, ignoring the waitress who hurried over to do the task for him.
Revenge was all that mattered. He’d been wronged, and the Earth Fae would pay, one way or another.
“Problems?” Cillian asked. He’d pulled one woman onto his lap, cradling her at his waist, and raised an eyebrow at Rian. A part of Rian wished he had the easy confidence of Cillian, a man who cared only about money and the next woman who’d take him to bed. While Rian played the same game, his heart wasn’t in it. He hoped that with a few more years in this lifestyle, he’d eventually be able to shed any sense of remorse or empathy that he had for his actions. At the moment, regret and bitterness were his constant companions, along with the single-minded determination to make the Earth Fae rue the day they’d wrongly accused him and sent him into exile.
He'd landed in Ireland, which was not surprising given the portals the Fae liked to use, and he’d unapologetically used his magicks to quickly catapult himself to one of the top positions in a global food production company that produced everything from palm oil to polystyrene containers and plastic packaging. Profit was the name of the game, and Rian deliberately chose a company he knew cared more about the bottom line than they did for the environment. It was one way he could instantly stick it to the Earth Fae, though he was working on a longer plan for trying to seek specific revenge on those who had wronged him.