It would’ve been better if Daisy had some fire starters and a little time, but they’d have to settle for figuratively burning this shit-box to the ground.
She siphoned away the magic, and as she did, the body convulsed wildly. The feet kicked and braced, trying to help the body up. Even now—with no head!—the creature was trying to get at Daisy to save the life Faerie gave it.
In the silence that followed, Tarian breathed heavily, looking down at the corpse. He didn’t say a word, but he didn’t have to. Daisy could read the thoughts racing across his face, understand the pain, remembering how he’d suffered by the princess’s hand.
Daisy scooted closer and slipped her arm around him. He pulled her in quickly, hugging her close, not looking away from what used to be the princess.
“It doesn’t erase the…” He didn’t finish. Daisy nodded against his shoulder. “But it does close the book on that chapter of my life. It is the ending I sought.” He kissed her forehead. “I needed you for this. I’ve always needed you for this. The gods must’ve known.”
He tilted up her head and kissed her lips softly.
“Now,” he said, “let’s go get the others. And this time, we’ll bring a match. How’s that?”
It didn’t takethem long. None of the nobles stood in their way, not wanting to sacrifice themselves for the good of the kingdom. Or maybe they knewthiswas for the good of the kingdom, and they didn’t want to stand in a Celestial’s way of chopping down the rotten royalty. The innocent servants and slaves who’d had no choice in this life weren’t harmed. They were freed and sent on their way, allowed to take any gold orjewels they could for a fresh start. Apartments and bedchambers were burned. Flames contained to the royal chambers danced in glory.
Strangely, people recognized Tarian for who he used to be—a Celestial prince—but not for the position he’d recently had. It seemed as if getting his old identity back had erased the temporary persona. They bowed or knelt, looking up at him with reverence or fear or both. It was a stark contrast to the mocking snarls the nobility had borne, or the avoidance the servants had employed.
If any of the nobles thought they’d get to go over the fringe, now they knew otherwise. Given other kingdoms were interested, the spies fled upon learning what was happening, evading anyone trying to stop them. It meant the corruption would continue to spread, and the human world was still not safe. Tarian had known that would happen, and if Daisy had had any doubts, they had been laid to rest.
By the time they got back to Tarian’s quarters, they were both exhausted from the carnage.
“Secure the worst of the nobles,” Tarian told Kayla. “What’s left of them, anyway. Tell Eldric to finish the setup tonight. We’ll use it tomorrow morning. Make sure no one stands in our way.”
“Yes, sire.” Kayla offered him a bow, and her eyes sparkled with joy and relief. She’d gotten her identity back as well.
“What about her wings?” Daisy asked when he had shut and warded the outer doors. “They’re Celestials, right?”
“They agreed to have their wings stripped when they stood forward on my behalf. They don’t expect it, but my aim is to rectify their sacrifice and return their wings.”
“How?”
He took a deep breath. “I have to travel across the Sea of Stars and up the Forgotten Mountain. The Oracle of Aethras, a being integrated into Faerie while still being removed, is there.That Oracle is not indebted to the gods and does not follow their will or their rule. The scripts say it is older than time. Older than the stars and the fabric they hang from. The Oracle can restore their wings, though I’ll need to trade something dear to grant the boon.”
“And that will be?”
He looked down at her with a heaviness in his gaze. “My life, though it won’t mean much to me at that point. Balance will have been restored, and so the last thing I will need to do is wipe myself from this land and allow my family to resume their lives in peace. That’s where I’ll trade myself for the good of the realm.”
Her heart filled with such pain that she nearly couldn’t bear it. Couldn’t think of a world that didn’t include him. Didn’t want the separation that death would bring.
“But I thought…you’d be appealing to the gods?”
“No. Something older and more powerful than the gods. Their creator.”
She had questions, but she didn’t have the ability to ingest any more information right now. Fatigue consumed her. She needed to relax. She wanted quality time with Tarian, the last she’d have. This was it. Her time was done. They had this one night left, and she intended to make the most of it.
First they took a bath, washing and soaking and making love. Then Tarian brought in a royal inker, as they were called, to apply the tattoo that had better fucking glitter.
They’d decided on a design together, something to integrate his royal Celestial chest design so that the finished product would encompass the part of him he’d lost, regained, and would trade himself for. The part of him that would soon be lost forever. And something she thought was really pretty.
The finished result was breathtaking, dainty and intricate at her bust and dipping between her breasts. It was, indeed,diamond dusted. Once finished, the royal inker stared at them both with a pale face and shaking limbs. At one point, he’d picked up a knife, looking at Tarian like he wanted to kill the Celestial. A burst of magic had made him reconsider, and his tense posture over leaving had indicated he wasn’t comfortable with what he’d done.
“It’s that diamond-dusted myth or whatever, right?” Daisy asked as she looked at her tattoo in the mirror. “He’s afraid we’ll ruin the kingdom?”
“Something like that.”
“Well…” She turned to him, running her hand across his matching design. It didn’t bleed like a human tattoo. It didn’t hurt. It was almost like he’d simply painted it on. “We will, right? We’ve already started.”
“Yes. And they’ve brought it on themselves.” He bent to kiss her. “Anything left on your trucker list?”
