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She took a few steps with him as she opened the dimensional portal and with a gentle wave of her hand she parted the airwaves. They both stepped into the small and barren dimension Queen Mab had delivered the traitorous Council to think about what they had tried to do.
The Council members jumped as Aaibhe came into view and they all began speaking to her at once. She put up her hand and with the power that was hers, she silenced them. They physically were prohibited from speaking.
She watched them as some touched their lips in abject misery. Others lowered their heads. She could see that they realized the enormity of what they had tried to do. They had pitted themselves against a Royal Daoine Fae. It was obvious that they had remembered their Queen’s formidable abilities and it was also apparent from the sudden supplication that swept through the atmosphere, that they were remorseful. Perhaps for the wrong reason she thought to herself, but it would serve for a time. She could not help but notice that Banzar hung alone at the back of the group. He still meant trouble.
“You have forgotten that much of my magic was mine at birth. I am a Royal, a Daoine Royal, but I see that you remember that now.”
She allowed her gaze to travel over each one’s face until that particular member was forced to meet her look.
Finally, it was with grave sadness that she said, “Under Banzar, you have allowed yourselves to become unworthy of the positions you held. You allowed yourselves to think of your own needs above the needs of your brethren.” She paused. “You have forgotten why I formed the Council. You have forgotten that I never wrote in a provision to impeach your Queen. You have forgotten that I have sacrificed all that was dear to me; my home in Daoine, my personal needs, my personal happiness, to serve and protect Seelie Fae citizens, broken from the loss of our wondrous Danu!”
She saw the collective distress on their faces and proceeded. “You are not worthy to sit on a Council with Royals, because your essence has withered. You have forgotten why you were put there.
You were supposed to be the voice of your brethren, but you were not.” She shook her head. “My cousin, Queen Mab advised against it when I formed this Council. Apparently she was correct. The position of importance that you imagined you held evidently went to your heads and you forgot your purpose. You think you are more than you are.”
She paused for effect and then continued. “Beside me is Morgan LeBlanc, and although he dislikes calling himself King of the Milesians, that is what he is. The Milesians live in peace on Dravo because of him and his son. They have stood with our warriors today as they did not so long ago when Gaiscioch led the Unseelie. It was a thoroughly ugly battle today and once again, they have displayed themselves worthy of our trust.” She paused as her eyes swept over her Council members. “It is my intention when this war is over to become his Queen. It is his intention to become my King. Together we mean to open the borders between Tir and Dravo and become one Kingdom.”
A shocked glance traveled over their faces, but she ignored them. Their lips could not part to make more than a grunting sound of disapproval.
“You may think what you will, but your time is over. I will not banish you, though you deserve it for your opposition at a time when we needed to ban together to protect life as we all have known it. However, you will never be allowed to enter the Palace again, not even for a social event. It will be specifically warded against you…each one of you.” She shook her head. “I will advise my citizens, my Seelie Fae, of this day’s work and ask them if they wish me to continue as their Queen. You see I answer to them, not to you.”
“Go back to your homes and think of what you have done. Today the Human Realm, our glorious majestic Scotland, and our beloved green Ireland, were under grievous attack. Unseelie which we were honor bound to keep imprisoned have escaped in hordes too large to count and have attacked and eaten humans. Do you hear me? They ate them while they were still alive. We stopped them. Milesians, Daoine, and Seelie Warriors stopped them while you worried about yourselves. But it is not over. They will come back and try again and we must be ready.” She shook her head and scarcely took breath, “We shall not stop until we have the Dark Ones on their knees and when we do we shall return them to whence they came. As I said you may leave this Realm. I shall return your power of speech to you after you have shifted to your establishments.”
So saying, she flicked her wrist allowing them the power to shift. She picked up the train of her clinging silver organza gown, swept it around herself as she turned, and took Morgan LeBlanc’s extended arm.
He turned to smirk at the members she left behind, but he gave Banzar a warning finger and said quietly, “I shall be watching ye for the first sign of trouble. –I, unlike your lenient Queen, shall have no qualms aboot sending ye to everlasting hell.”
~*~
Pestale took a moment to gaze around.
Tropical and lush foliage, elk the size of elephants, and white-tailed deer as large as horses skipped over the tangled brush and greenery with graceful ease. He felt a growing rage.
Everywhere the vegetation was full with fruit and berries and he thought of the Dark Realm, where they had nothing. They had nothing! His father had created this Realm for a beast and created the Dark Realm for them. Because he wanted to atone, he created mist and fog and a lifeless dimension and forced them all to inhabit it!
“You did this for a beast!” Pestale said out loud and then gritted his teeth and shook his fists. “You unholy devil! You created this for the Gorka and the Dark Realm for us? We had to suffer your regrets and then your shame which you thought should be ours? We suffered through darkness and gray, wanting, and then you found your human, Crystal! You left us to wither while you went off to live your life with her! You are the devil! The devil the humans speak of…is you!”
Bitterness tasted like bile in his mouth.
Fury made his head spin and then he was twirling in circles as his rage took him out of control.
He tore up a whirlwind of vegetation which flew in every direction. All he could think was that the Dark King had always held himself aloof from an ugly world of his own making. He had held himself aloof from the experiments he conducted with life. He created monsters and leaving them to grope about trying to live on nothing. Where was the justice in that? One day, when he was ruler of the Universe he would find a way to kill Crystal and make his father suffer everlasting pain. That was his final goal.
His father had created Gorkum, this lush realm for the last of the beasts, Gorka. It was a veritable paradise. Luscious fruit was in abundance here. He, his brothers, and Morrigu rarely received any fresh fruit, let alone these tropical gems. Then only because Crystal would send it to them when she remembered they had nothing.
He knew that Gorkum had been created while the Dark King was still Queen Bridget’s consort in Danu. He knew from his father’s tales in those early days before Crystal, about the tragedies the Gorka inflicted on the Sluagh sect of the Daoine and on all Fae. That still didn’t excuse him. He could have maintained a brighter, better world for them in the Dark Realm, if he had wanted to.
He knew Queen Bridget had helped his father create this realm with the Wheel of Being. The Dark King had later coveted the Wheel. It was the cause of the destruction of Danu. The Dark King wanted what the Queen would not give.
He had delivered the Gorka to this realm as promised, but the female Gorka had not survived the journey or the magic of the pendant. He wasn’t sure.
Suddenly…
A howling screech overhead was heard as he stared into the blue sky. He stood very still.
It was so blue. So very beautiful. So opposite of all the Dark Realm.
And then it came into view, a blot of ghastly shades of brown and red. The spiked featherless flesh dripped with some disgusting drool or fluid. Some might have called it the forefather of the dragon, but Pestale knew what it was—a problem solving beast and thus, supremely dangerous.
