“Do you know why the trumpets were sounded?” he asked as he hurried forward, his second in line behind him. Jonah was not his child—the king had no offspring—but was a trusted family friend.
Mother shook her head. “I was informed that there would be a call, but so far we’re in the dark about the reason behind this.”
Before Nathaniel could say anything else, Mother turned to me. “Can you ensure the safety of those arriving, Len?”
“Of course,” I said with a nod. Nathaniel was an ally, so there was no risk to leaving Mother with him.
As I strode from the room, my power hummed inside my veins, so much stronger when I spent extended time in Faerie. Everything was exactly as I wanted, my life moving along a path that I could not be unhappy about, with the only dark mark to my existence a lack of mate.
For decades, my walks had not led to any sign of a true mate, and I was at the end of my hope.
The next was my last chance, then I would settle into an eternity alone.
Duty first, even if it broke a piece of my soul that belonged to another.
Such was life.
3
LEN
Outside, more fae had arrived. The crowds were gathering thick and fast, and I was surprised to see even the most reticent of royal houses had many members arriving around the front entrance.
Those from the Metallic Meadows usually never bothered to show up for meetings, even when the trumpets sounded. They were the scoundrels of our kind, the renegades who lived outside of the few very basic rules that governed Faerie and the magic here. It was rumored they were the ones to drive the Great Queen from Faerie.
Drive… or destroy. I’d heard both stories, and having met their “leader” I was going with the latter. King Fredrick had been a royal prince of another long-fallen line of Faerie, the last of his kind who’d rallied all those unhappy in their own royal houses to rebel and live free. Which would have been all well and good if they didn’t decide to take out the other royal families in this bid for freedom.
The war had been huge, resulting in possibly the greatest loss of fae in our history, and despite it having ended almost a thousand years ago, no one here had forgotten. Hence why those from Metallic Meadows were rarely welcomed at events. Fredrick might technically be a prince with a seat on the council, but that didn’t offer him acceptance.
“Len,” Fredrick said as he crossed nearby, his near seven-foot frame giving him a height advantage over almost everyone. He was a giant for the fae, and I’d long wondered if there was some ogre or another demi-fae in his lineage.
“Fredrick,” I returned. “Didn’t expect to see you here.”
His slow smile had me palming the stones lining the sides of my jacket. My movement was subtle enough that he shouldn’t notice, but it would give me the split-second power advantage if I needed it.
“Wouldn’t have missed this particular meeting for anything in the multi-worlds,” he replied in his smooth tones. Bastard’s presence was fucking unsettling. I always felt like I needed a shower after standing near him.
“What do you know about this calling?” I pushed, since he clearly knew more than he was letting on.
That fucking smile grew. “Just that it will change everything.”
Before I could ask anything else, or punch his smug face, he waved to the rest of the Metallic Meadows council and they were off. None of them spoke or made eye contact as they hurried past. For a “free” royal house, there was very little evidence of it.
Fredrick had grown too accustomed to his power. If you couldn’t handle it, power in its absolute would corrupt absolutely.
Once the Metallic Meadows were inside, I focused on finding everyone from the Silver Lands. At this point they were scattered about, so I sent out a small pulse of power to call them over. As they crossed toward me, I scanned the area for dangers, but it appeared that almost everyone here was focused on finding their royal lines.
That, and discussing the reasons for the trumpets, which were finally dying off in the land of Faerie. Fredrick, piece of shit that he was, knew what this was about.
Unease settled in my chest, and not because I was afraid of him. In a one-on-one fight I’d destroy him, but he never played by the rules. Clearly, he had some grand plan if he’d initiated a worldwide call. I’d just have to remain on high alert; awareness was half the battle.
“Prince Len.”
The call distracted me as I turned to our third-in-command. General Terese was a statuesque female with shoulder-length blond hair, bright blue eyes, and a smartass mouth. She had a mind for battle, and often beat me at strategy games. My mother had long wanted a romantic match between the two of us, but there was nothing but respect and friendship there. Maybe after my last walk I’d feel differently.
“Terese,” I said with a smile, relaxing.Just a touch.The first time my brothers—Shadow, Reece, Alistair, Galleli, and Lucien—visited me in Faerie, they were shocked by the formal way I carried myself. It was why when I was off this world, I gave into my deeper nature to joke and relax. The duality of my personality felt almost natural now, as I effortlessly fell into whatever one worked for the situation. Both were my true self, and both were comfortable.
“Do we know why the trumpets sounded?” Terese asked as other members of our court gathered with us.
