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“I have to get out of here, Alistair. My father is on me again. Constantly harassing me about one thing or another. I can’t breathe. I just need to fly it out, and then I’ll be able to think straight.” Kellen had hopped on his mount, casting a quick glance at Alistair. “Come on then. You’ll not have me fly alone, will you?”
“Kellen. There’s something you need to know…” Worry had crossed Alistair’s face as he’d mounted his own Alicorn. The stable still teemed with people, even at this time of night, the royal guard in constant attendance to the Alicorns and their needs. It was a delicate relationship the Air Fae had with the Alicorns, as they didn’t technically belong to the Fae. The Alicorns were free to come and go as they pleased, enjoying grooming, food, and attention in the stables, in exchange for their services in transport. Because of this, there were always people in the stables seeing to the Alicorns. People that could now overhear whatever had brought that look of worry to Alistair’s face.
“We’ll talk about it out there,” Kellen promised. He nudged his mount on, taking to the wind. They’d raced away from the castle, diving among the clouds. “Sometimes it feels like I just want to fly forever.”
“You have to come down at some point.”
They had been Alistair’s last words to him before he’d fallen from the sky. Now, Kellen could kick himself for not listening to his friend. Had Alistair wanted to confess to him?
“You’re certain the amulet is gone?” Kellen spoke, focusing on his father. Each of the Elemental Fae had a ruling amulet that gave the leader extra power to guide his people. The loss of it would be catastrophic.
“It’s gone,” Devlin confirmed, and the crowd shifted, unsure what that meant. Kellen understood their unease. While he was still technically their leader, without the amulet, his powers were diminished.Was that how Raven had been able to push him back with her magick?
“We’ll recover it. In the meantime, consider our city to be under siege. Enact all safety protocols for war.” His people snapped to attention at his command, and the guard began ushering everyone back inside the castle walls. “Once I’ve spoken with the guard and gathered more details, I will announce a meeting in the great hall.”
Relief passed across more than one face, and a few of his people gave him tentative nods of approval. One thing Kellen believed in as a ruler was transparency, which was an area that seemed to particularly grate on his father. However, Kellen insisted on holding bimonthly meetings with his people, making sure to hear grievances and, well, really anything they needed to discuss. It could be tedious at times, but the meetings had gone a long way toward shoring up their foundation of trust that his father seemed bent on dismantling.
If he continued to lead, he would need to address the problem that Devlin had become. He’d known it for a while now and had put it off out of respect for his departed mother, but now they had bigger problems to worry about.
Kellen ignored his father, and with two guards at their back, proceeded inside to the inner chamber where he always secured the amulet before flying. Most rulers would always keep the amulet with them, but due to the precarious nature of flying, Kellen had considered it safest housed in the castle. Now, he stared at where the golden safe lay open, the amulet missing from its bed of velvet. For something that housed so much power, the amulet itself was a fairly simple item. It was a medium-sized gold disc, like a small coin, with an intricate Celtic design showcasing an Alicorn on the front.
“What happened?” Kellen asked his father, staring at the empty safe while his mind whirled. It should have been impossible for the Dark Fae to infiltrate this far into the castle. At least not without assistance.
“I heard a noise. I investigated and found Alistair with his hand in the safe, several Domnua with him. I fought, but they overpowered me and knocked me out. When I came to, they were gone.”
Kellen looked around the room. An ornate chamber, it held many valuable art pieces, tapestries, and objects of magick. Something flickered in his gut as he turned in a circle to look at the room.
“There doesn’t seem to be much sign of a struggle. How do you think they got in?” Kellen’s eyes landed on his father’s.
“I put the room to rights myself. It was too distressing to see your mother’s favorite salon destroyed by the Domnua. It took heavy magick, but I was able to repair most of it.” Devlin’s voice was flat, as were his eyes, and Kellen turned away at the mention of his mother.
He missed her.
The queen had been the embodiment of the Air Fae, light and mercurial, dancing through the air with a lilting singsong quality to her personality. She’d brought joy wherever she’d gone and was dearly mourned by all.
“And how did they breach our walls?” The Domnua were Goddess Domnu’s army, the Dark Fae, and while not always the brightest, they were certainly lethal. They killed without a second thought, woman or child, anything that stood in their way really.
“Alistair, I presume,” Devlin said. “I’m sorry to be the bearer of such news, as I know how you felt about him. But it’s the only explanation.”
Had the Domnua used Alistair and then killed him once they had the amulet? He was no longer needed and therefore dispensable? Fury roiled inside him once more, and Kellen clenched his fists.
“It’s time to call the others. I’ll send a messenger for King Callum.”
“The king?” Devlin started forward, grabbing Kellen’s arm. “Surely, it’s not time to involve the king. How do you think that will look to your people if you have to call for reinforcements already?”
“I think it will look like I know how to collaborate with others in order to ensure the safety of my people.” Kellen wrenched his arm away from his father, his thoughts bouncing around his head like a bee trapped in a jar. “Leave me. I must speak with my guard.”
Devlin stormed from the room, muttering under his breath, and Kellen stared at the open gold safe, uncertainty churning in his gut.
“How may I assist?” The guard nearest to him bowed his head respectfully.
“Four messengers must ride. This morning. Seek out the others. With our amulet missing, we’ve become the weak link in the chain, and the opening that Domnu seeks to further her quest for total domination.”
“Yes, sir. We’ll leave at once.” With that, his guard left the room, and Kellen was alone. Crossing to an intricate chest with light blue silk inlaid on the wood, he opened the door and pulled out a small painting of himself with his mother. In it, he was but a little boy, his eyes shining with adoration as he clutched at the queen’s skirts. She laughed down at him, delighted with the world in general, and a rush of sadness washed through him. He’d stopped counting the days, the minutes, the hours since she’d been gone. Why bother? In one moment, he could forget she was gone and in the next, it was as though she’d just left him that morning. Grief was tricky like that. It never really went away, and now a new wound had opened with the loss of Alistair. Running a finger over his mother’s face, he spoke.
“I vow to protect the people you love. I won’t let you down, Mother.”
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