Because they couldn’t agree on a path forward.
Retribution on one half, reformation on the other.
A Midnight Fae faction driven apart by the greed and violence of the rest of their kind.
The question became, what side did I fall on? The Elder Midnight Fae had killed my parents. “Will the Elders pay for what they’ve done?” I asked, cutting off whatever some had been saying. “With reformation, will they pay?” I restated, wanting my direct query answered. “They killed my parents.”
“Yes,” Dakota replied. “They did.”
“Will they be punished? My parents were Royal Earth Fae. That assault can’t go unanswered.”
Zen sighed. “My child, there is so much you don’t understand regarding the circumstances and the consequences of our actions. It’s not as simple as one might predict.”
“That’s a riddle that doesn’t answer my question,” I replied, ignoring Shade’s roaring commentary in my head. He’d asked if I was ready, and the answer was no, not without additional information. “Will the Elders pay for what they’ve done?”
“We will ensure they pay,” Dakota said, her expression gleaming with approval. “And you will lead us as queen.”
I had no idea what she meant by that. “I don’t want to be your queen. I just want the Elders held accountable for their sins.”
“What punishment would you give them?” Zen asked me. “How would you see them properly reprimanded for their actions?”
“How would you?” I countered. “By restoring the balance, yet allowing them to live? They didn’t afford my parents the same consideration, so why should I give it to them?”
“Because it’s our responsibility as the architects of the source to ensure the survival of Midnight Fae kind, not act as jury and executioner,” the silver-haired male beside her said, his voice deep and kissed by darkness. “As the last remaining Earth Fae Royal, I would expect you to understand that sense of duty.”
“Am I an Earth Fae Royal?” I asked, arching a brow. “Or were my parents Quandary Bloods in hiding?”
Zen’s eyebrows lifted in surprise while her counterparts stared at me in confusion, making me wonder if I had deduced that incorrectly. But before I could ask, the ground began to shake, causing the Quandary Bloods to curse and weave their magic through the air in hypnotic shades of cerulean blue.
Shade’s grandparents vanished, the world shifting around Emelyn and me in a delirious dance of excessive light, blinding me momentarily before revealing the similar surroundings of the LethaForest once more.
Burning thwomps released an explosion of smoke and fire, causing me to cringe.
And chaos descended as magic wove through the air in a colorful eruption.
Emelyn grabbed my hand, yanking me to the side. I nearly shook off her grip, not wanting to fall into another enchantedparadigmwith her, but then I saw Ajax on her opposite side, guiding us out of the field as his wand produced a thick black smog that hid the three of us from view.
He took off at a clipped pace through the woods, leaving the war behind us as the Quandary Bloods fought the WarriorBloods—or I assumed that was the case. I hadn’t actually seen who fought whom, my focus primarily on following Emelyn out of the insanity.
Ajax didn’t stop until we were under a blanket of darkness, the trees in this area of the LethaForest boasting leaves.
I squinted.
No.
Not leaves.
Bats.
So many that they completely blocked the moonlight above.
If they were bothered by our presence, they didn’t show it. Only one seemed to care, his little feet moving along the trunk of the tree as he carried himself down until he was a few inches from my face. I slid my wand back into my pocket and studied the adorable little creature with intelligent eyes. He seemed to be doing the same to me.
“Good job, Draco,” Shade said from the darkness, startling me. He stepped forward, and the bat landed on his shoulder with a little clicking chirp. Then his icy blue eyes met mine. “We need to go. Now.”
“I’ve got Emelyn,” Ajax said. “Go.”
I glanced at the pair, who were locked in a hug that spoke volumes about their relationship. It left me wondering what their history entailed, because clearly one existed here.
