Solid hands grabbed my shoulders from behind, keeping me upright, not letting go. The King of Gorgons hissed, “Keep your breathing even, Princess Trixie. It will help you focus—mind and body.”
Queen Alora stepped beside me. She swiftly pointed. “Burn that before it hits him.”
I shoved my left hand upward, flames rushing from my palm, scorching a part of the tree down to ash that was falling right at my soul mate. My eyes repeatedly blinked through the stinging sweat running down my face. “Where is King Traevon?” He had yet to reappear.
“He is still fighting,” Queen Alora stated patiently, staring up into the flames biting high into the sky. “And they are pissing him off.”
King Athon set the three charred bodies down into the line of the dead and prowled to stand on my other side—his eyes assessing the King of Gorgons’ hold on my person. He crossed his arms, turning to stare at the tree, muttering, “You need to eat more, elf.”
“And breathe better, apparently.” My body began to tremble, my hands visibly shaking in front of me. “You shouldn’t have eaten all my food last night.”
He stood silent for a moment. Then he grunted.
The King of Elves stepped out of the burning tree.
His body was ablaze. The two blades in his hands glowed with fire. Flames whipped brightly in his eyes. His sneer was terrible, his fangs dripping with blood, as he stalked toward us.
A cruel elf king after a massacre.
I sucked in a harsh breath, stepping back and slamming right into the gorgon king, my eyes widening on my face.
I’d never seen him like this before.
Queen Alora chuckled softly. “Definitely pissed off.”
I lowered my hands, allowing my power to fizzle out. Closing my mouth, I erased all expression from my face. I wobbled where I stood, but I brushed the King of Gorgons’ hands off my shoulders.
I walked forward, hiding all of my exhaustion—and fear. My eyes lifted to my king as I halted in front of him. I asked calmly, “Are you injured?”
“Nothing I’m unable to heal from.” King Traevon slowly calmed, the flames dying out on his body. He put his blades away. “The treeisQueen Brin. The Queen of Nymphs was fairly upset when I killed her people, especially when she couldn’t seduce me. It became a little heated in there.”
I stared at the soaring fire. “I would never have guessed, my king.” My attention snapped to the caster queen—she was starting to stand. “We should give her privacy for this.”
“Correctly so.” King Traevon walked past my person, ignoring me now, stating to the others, “Let us move to the stairs so she doesn’t have an audience too close for her sister’s execution.”
The rulers and I walked away as the Queen of Casters removed a blade from inside her cloak, holding it behind her back as she began to speak to her sister.
In the distance, we watched Kera fall by the hand of her queen.
* * *
The flames of the crying tree bit high into the air while the five rulers and I walked down the stairs to the crypts.
Queen Mikko walked in front of me, staring down at the palms of her hands, unable to take her eyes away from her sister’s blood that coated them. Her face was void of all emotion.
I breathed heavily and stalked forward.
If the Queen of Casters could hand out death as she had done today, I sure as Fairy could make it to this tomb.
Numbly, she said, “Kera said they were nymphs.”
We continued to walk with her, not saying a word.
Rows and rows of tombs lined the long walk, all the long-dead bodies wrapped in plain, white cloth, all the same, no different than the next, no casket around their bodies.
“She said the tree was the Queen of Nymphs. She planted herself here because she couldn’t escape the power. Kera said that she brought sacrifices to appease the Fae for our wrongdoings.” Queen Mikko couldn’t tear her eyes away from her hands, lifting them in front of her face, staring at the blood closely. “Queen Brin killed the original caster after he used his royal charmpower on her. And we killed her for killing the innocent. Where does it stop?”
“It stops with us,” I stated softly. “We will stop it.”
