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28
NORAH
Norah blocked Conlan’s blow, driving up her blade and knocking him back. He stumbled away with wide eyes. Clearly, he was surprised by her strength. She smiled as she stalked toward him.
“Underestimate me?” she asked, easily tossing her sword from one hand to the next.
Kael and Liam fanned out behind her while Roarke and Finn took on the other fae. Rafe had shifted into some kind of bird and now he was scratching at Lord Dagen’s face. Blood arced through the air. It was a sight that filled her with immense satisfaction. No one got away with threatening Bree.
Conlan narrowed his eyes, but she spotted the bob of his throat. He was nervous. It was three against one. Not great odds. Plus, all three of them were a force to be reckoned with, even on their own.
“You don’t belong here,” he hissed, the leather straps around his hilt creaking as he tightened his grip. “You’re a light fae. Go back to your realm and leave this one to those who actually live here.”
Norah considered his words. “What you might not realize is that I understand where you’re coming from here. Because you’re right. I don’t know anything about your realm other than what I’ve seen in the past couple of weeks. How could I possibly rule it?”
Conlan cast a nervous glance at where Dagen was swiping his sword at the dive-bombing raven and failing miserably. “If that’s true, then why are you trying to seize control of the throne? Move aside and let Dagen have it. You and your mates don’t have to die.”
“And then what happens if we find a way to join the realms together once more? It will be one land and not two. Who rules then?”
“That’s impossible. You won’t be able to do it.” He jabbed his sword at Norah’s gut, but she easily sidestepped out of the way. “And none of us would even want that to happen. Have you even thought about that? We like our moon and our night skies.”
A pang went through her heart. Norah understood far better than he’d ever realize. No sky was quite the same as the sky of home. The way the clouds looked, the way the moon peeped over the horizon, the way the stars glittered from millions of miles away. The sky was a grounding thing, as strange as that was.
Even in Otherworld with its sun and moon and endless blanket of stars, she had noticed the slight differences from the sky back home. And Underworld was an entirely different beast. She understood it would be difficult for the dark fae to adjust.
“Listen, I don’t know exactly what will happen when our realms merge,” Norah began, “but I can guess. There will be daylight and sun, which I know you don’t experience here. But I have a good hunch that our nights will become just like yours. Beautiful, breathtaking, and silver. It’s a compromise.”
Conlan scowled. “A goodhunch?”
“That’s all I have,” she said. “I’m not doing this because I have some grand notion of ruling both realms. I’m doing this so that it can save us all. If we don’t merge the realms and bring sunlight into Underworld, we’ll never defeat the demons.”
“Well, that’s where you’re wrong.” He tried to take another swing, but he missed wildly, his hands shaking so badly that he no longer had control over his sword. “The demons took Taveon, and now they’re heading back to their world. We won without any of this.”
“Look out the window, Conlan. They haven’t gone anywhere.”
But the dark fae didn’t want to listen to her. He’d made up his mind. With a growl, he swung his sword at her head. Norah ducked down and lunged. Her sword almost stabbed him right in the gut, but he shifted sideways just in time. The blade sliced through his shirt, but nothing more.
“Let us at him,” Liam said in a growl, the fire of his Summer side bleeding through his words.
“All right,” she said, shifting out of the way so that he and Kael could surround Conlan. “Someone needs to help Rafe take on Dagen. Enjoy, my loves.”
Her mates rushed Conlan while she whirled on her feet to face the other fights. Finn and Roarke had backed Branok up against a wall. He’d dropped his sword to his feet and was holding up his hands. She smiled as she turned to Dagen.
Rafe spun through the air, a storm of black feathers. His claws sliced through Dagen’s cheek to add to a plethora of others. Dagen fell to his knees and covered his head, but that only made Rafe set his sights on the lord’s hands.
“Rafe,” Norah said tightly, just as the raven sliced a deep gash along the lord’s raised palm.
The shifter inched back, and she swore she heard him sigh.
“Dagen, rise,” Norah commanded, her voice booming with power.
With trembling shoulders, the lord rose to his feet. The glare he shot her was pure rage, pure spite. “You think of yourself as noble, but you’re nothing more than a conquering queen.”
“I don’t care what you think about me, Lord Dagen. Because as far as I can see, you’re the one who has done wrong here. Taveon was a good king. A kind one. And yet, you could not see past his heritage, when it doesn’t matter. He is not defined by who his father is or what kind of blood runs through his veins. He’s defined by his actions and his heart. And all I can see is that your heart is rotten, not his.”
Dagen’s hands fisted, but the snarl he shot her was pathetic and weak. “Hisexistenceis what is going to bring down this world.”
“No.” Norah shook her head and stalked closer to him. “He isn’t to blame, but you might be. Because if you’d worked with him, if we’d all worked together earlier, then this might never have happened.”
His eyes widened as she lifted her sword and angled it at his throat. Her heart pounded against her ribs as she stared down the length of her sword at him. Norah did not relish in this, but she knew what must be done, and she would never flinch away from her duty.
“Agree to back down, Dagen. Vow to stop fighting against us.”
“Never,” he hissed.
Norah breathed in a steadying breath, hating that it had come to this. But then she threw her weight behind her sword and shoved the blade into his neck. As he collapsed to the ground, she forced herself not to turn away from the blood. A queen did not avert her eyes. Ever.
Rafe cawed and landed on her shoulder as she lifted her gaze to Branok, still backed against the wall. “Dagen is dead. I will accept no more revolts against me. Would anyone else like to object?”
A thunderous silence was the only reply.
