The Last Faerie Queen (9 page)

9

T
ayl
o
R

I woke up with sore arms to find Kylie and Alexia returning from the forest. Their hair was messed up, and they looked like they hadn't slept all night. Well, that was okay. They could have their fun, and I could have mine. For the first time since I'd arrived here, I felt invigorated.

For the first time since I met Elora, I felt like I had a purpose of my own.

And so I painted, with arms that could barely manage to draw a smiley face, let alone an entire city, until evening came again. I smiled and talked through dinner, while pixies and sprites performed acrobatic tricks in the sky. But after the faeries had retreated into their quarters and we'd settled into our beds of leaves and moss, I turned to my friends with a grin.

“I have something to show you,” I said.

Together, we snuck through the forest to my secret space in an already secret land, all of us trying to creep but still managing to snap a bunch of twigs. We weren't exactly used to being stealthy, and we didn't have the practice—let alone the wings—to keep from making noise. Still, we made it to the clearing without being caught.

I picked up a sword the minute I entered the space.

“Holy mother of God,” Keegan said, coming up beside me and reaching for the sword. But he reached for the blade, and I pulled it back before he could touch it.

“Careful. It's sharper than you think.”

“I understand what a sword is.”

I shook my head. “Look.” Reaching into the overhanging branches, I pulled down a leaf.

“Most swords will cut a leaf,” Keegan said, as Kylie and Alexia neared the blanket holding all the weapons. But while Alexia immediately began grabbing things, getting a feel for them in her hands, Kylie scanned the entire arsenal, choosing slowly.

“Watch,” I said to Keegan, dropping the leaf in the air. As it fluttered toward the sword, I turned the blade so that the sharp side was pointing up. The second the leaf touched the blade, it was cut clean in half.

“Okay,” Keegan said, clearly unimpressed. “The weapons have been sharpened. And?”

I smiled, giving him the same show that Maya de Lyre had given me last night. She'd even cast an enchantment over the space to muffle the sound of the weapons. “Hand me that branch,” I said, pointing to a thick, gnarled thing a few feet off.

Keegan did.

This time, I performed the exact same movements, and when the branch hit the sword, it didn't bounce off, or come away with a tiny nick. Again, the blade sliced it clean in half.

“Impressive,” Keegan said, crossing his arms over his chest. But he was smirking a little, like I was putting on a puppet show for kids. Like I was a dime-store magician, and he wanted to play with the big kids.

That's okay
, I thought.
I can play with the big kids. Hell, I can run with the wolves.

“Now hand me a rock.”

Keegan's head snapped up, and I knew I had his full attention. Even the girls were watching now. It was Alexia who brought me a rock, as big as my fist and heavy enough to make a sufficient clang.

“Give me some space,” I said.

Keegan and Kylie did as I asked, moving toward the edge of the trees. Only Alexia took her time, taking one exaggerated step, then two.

“Good enough,” I said. Then I threw the rock into the air.

This was the tricky part, the part where I had to get the timing just right. Sure, I'd played baseball as a kid, but the hilt of the sword was thicker than a bat, and the rock was heavier than a ball.

Besides, I wasn't trying to hit a ball across a field. I was trying to destroy something. To transform it.

I hit the rock just as it finished its upward trajectory, the blade catching it square in the center. And, just like the branch and the leaf before it, the rocked sliced easily into two equal parts.

“Whoa,” Keegan said, bending down to pick up half of the rock. In the place where the blade had touched it, the rock was smooth like it'd been cauterized.

“I've never seen a sword do that,” Alexia said.

Kylie just laughed, grinning like she'd known this would happen. Like she'd finally found a place where the rules (or lack of rules) made sense.

“That's what I learned last night,” I said.

It had, in fact, taken me all night to perfect that move, but they didn't need to know that. For once, I was the teacher, instead of the one being taught a lesson. For once, I was the leader, and it felt comfortable, like I'd been born to do this.

“These are the rules,” I said, and I wasn't imitating Maya de Lyre anymore. These were
my
rules, and my friends would stick to them or they'd have to leave.

It was for their own good.

“We aren't here to play.” I tilted the sword so they could see how it caught the light. “These aren't toys. If you stay, you stay to practice for battle, not because you're fulfilling some childhood fantasy.” That part was as much for me as for them.

“So if we pick up a weapon, that automatically means we're fighting in the revolution?” Alexia asked, and I could tell she was inching toward the blanket. Just to pick something up without my permission.

Just to prove that she could.

“No,” I said, my gaze flicking to Kylie, who was looking into the trees for some reason. When I followed her gaze, I saw nothing. “You don't have to agree to anything. I just need you to take this seriously, because these weapons are incredibly dangerous, and you need to respect them.”

“Master Blade.” Alexia tipped her head at the sword.

“I'm serious.”

She smirked. “I know. It's just funny to see you like this.”

“Like what? Caring about something?”

“Oh, we've seen you care about something,” Keegan said with a wink.

“This is more like … you taking initiative.” Alexia smiled, eying me coolly. “The Taylor that takes charge. I like it.”

“Imagine that.” Keegan knelt beside the blanket, running his hand over a hilt. “You letting someone else take charge.”

“Oh my God. Shut
up
!” Kylie exclaimed, and we all turned to her. “Oh, please, like that wasn't a sex joke.”

“Alexia's the sex joke,” Keegan quipped, but he picked up a sword. Bowing at Alexia, he said, “This shall be our final battle.”

Alexia growled, lifting a sword with a shiny purple blade from the ground. Of course.

“Um. Guys?” I watched, one hand over my face, waiting for the first limb to fall.

“No, this is good,” Kylie said. “This could work. Channel the anger,” she joked, and I didn't know which one she was talking to. But it didn't matter, because Keegan and Alexia had found their sparring partners.

And I'd found mine.

“So what do you think,” I asked, my arms already screaming for rest. “Duel with swords, or practice shooting arrows?”

Kylie shook her head, staring down at the line of knives. They looked medieval, all jagged with animals carved into the hilts.

“I think I'd like to throw something,” she said.

–––––

For three days, we ran ourselves ragged, working on our tasks during the day and practicing our battle skills at night. Keegan stuck with an ax or a sword (pretty much anything you could swing) while Kylie worked with anything she could throw. Meanwhile, in typical knight fashion, I practiced with my sword, while Alexia tried
all
the weapons, finally deciding on the bow and arrows as her staple.

On our third night, the Queen's favored ladies came by to watch our progress, and I learned the other two's names. The faerie with horns was Maya de Lume, the royal seamstress (Keegan dubbed her “Horny”), and the one with twigs for teeth was Maya de Livre, the royal storyteller (Keegan dubbed her “Scary Spice.”)

Meanwhile, Alexia was putting her SAT prep to good use. “Music, clothing, and books,” she said, studying them with interest.

“Wait. What?” Kylie said, pausing in mid-throw. I winced, afraid the knife would go shooting from her hand, but it didn't. She was better at stopping momentum than I was.

“Lyre, Lume, and Livre,” Alexia said. “You're named after what you can do.”

Maya de Lyre shook her golden head. The hair filtered around her, blending with the forest's light. “We are named for our greatest passions,” she corrected. “And that which can best serve our Queen.”

“Well, I think it's fitting,” Alexia said. “More so than a Princess of the Dark Court named after the light.”

“What?” I asked, swinging my sword left and right. Whenever I held it, I couldn't help but swing it.

“You didn't know?” She looked at me. “Elora means
light
. In Greek.”

I narrowed my eyes. “That doesn't make any sense.”

“Does it have to? They're faeries,” Kylie said nervously. She must've noticed the way the ladies were scowling, thoroughly unnerved by the mention of the princess.

My
princess.

“Dark faeries have little need for sense,” the faerie called Horny agreed. I mean, Maya de Lume. God, Keegan was getting into my head.

“Let's just finish up here,” I said, trying to shift focus. “Keegan and I have been practicing. We can duel for you, and you can tell us—” I paused, hearing a sound in the nearby forest. The sound of a foot breaking a twig. But when I listened again, I heard nothing.

“Hold on,” Kylie said. “I've been thinking about something.”

“Yeah?” I turned to look at her. We all did.

“Well, we're going up against faeries who have magic
and
weapons, right? But we only have weapons?”

“Way to put a damper on things,” Keegan joked.

“But I'm right. You know I'm right. And I was thinking … ” Kylie looked up, into the trees. “Maybe you guys should practice climbing. To give yourselves an advantage.”

“What about you?” her brother asked.

“I've always wanted to ride a horse,” she said quickly, like she was afraid of being shut down. “And I think I could do it. I mean, I've watched videos about it and stuff. If I had a saddle with a back—”

“We could make you a saddle.” Maya de Lyre jumped in, eager to help. Eager to provide us with
anything
, to tend to our mortal needs.

“Really?” Kylie's eyes lit up.

“I think it's a decent idea,” Alexia said, which was pretty much her version of giving someone a gold star.

Kylie beamed. “That way, you know, I could ride into battle, and you guys could drop down from above. We'll have more options when we're fighting.”

“Dueling on horseback,” I said. “Hell yeah. Maybe tomorrow, we can—”

“Purposefully defy me?” a voice said.

The sword clattered from my hand. A creature emerged from the forest, her red hair in tangles and her eyes glittering in rage.

“Elora.”

“Well, well, well. Isn't this cozy?” she asked. She looked like she'd been through hell.

Maybe she has.

“Listen,” I said, stumbling over to her. I wasn't suave anymore. I was clumsy, Taylor the kid. “We were just—”

“Doing the one thing I forbade you to do?” She stepped forward, and there were leaves in her hair. That teal dress was torn. Dirt splattered her ankles.

“That's the thing,” I said, not wanting to argue in front of everybody. “You can't
forbid
me to do things.”

“He isn't your property,” Maya de Lyre said, her golden hair sparkling like fire.

“He isn't a pet.” Maya de Lume lowered her horns in warning.

“He is a man, and he's perfectly capable of making his own decisions,” Maya de Livre agreed, flashing that dangerous smile.

With the three of them flanking me like soldiers, I felt strong. Capable of speaking my voice and defending myself. I knew I should've felt that way without their help, but damn. Elora was intimidating. Especially when she was pissed.

Plus, in spite of the anger, it was taking every bit of restraint to keep from wrapping her in my arms. Kissing her. Saying
screw it
and just doing what she wanted.

I needed her to love me, but I needed her to respect me more. Needed her to respect me first.

I stepped away from the faeries. “Look, you don't have to like it,” I said. “Frankly, I don't like the idea of you going up against Naeve again. But I respect you, and I have faith in you, so I'm not trying to stop you.”

“Taylor—”

“Just listen,” I said, reaching for her hands. To my surprise, she let me take them. “I know I went against your orders, or instructions, or whatever, but you have to understand it was wrong to tell me that. You should've at least talked to me about it before you
decided
I couldn't fight.”

“I was only trying to protect you,” she said, and her eyes didn't flash with fury anymore. Now the look bordered on despair. I had to remind myself that she'd only just returned from the Unseelie Court, and anything could've happened there.

This wasn't just about me.

“I know,” I said, stepping closer. Now it was just me and her in our own little world. It was how it should be, even if it wouldn't last. “I know, because it kills me not to be able to protect you every second. But we have to be able to trust each other, if this thing between us is ever going to be more than an escape for you.”

“Is that what you think?” Her gaze flicked to the faeries behind us, like she thought maybe they'd been putting ideas into my head. But they hadn't. I could come up with these insecurities on my own, thank you very much.

“I didn't, until you made plans without me,” I said, hating the sound of it. Hating the truth of it. “You keep making plans without me.”