I suddenly felt bad for scaring everyone. They probably thought we were here to attack them, kill them even… Well, we were… but not them. The Winter King, yes. Chrys the witch and his Sons of Darkness, yeah. But not women and children, the innocent fae who’d been cast out by a previous vengeful Queen.
I stopped suddenly, floating in midair over the chaos. Jasper nearly smacked into me he was flying so closely behind me.
“What’s wrong?” Jasper’s eyes were wide.
This was my moment, the one the Queen told me about. “Can you project my voice? Magically?” I asked him.
He raised one eyebrow but nodded.
“I’m ready,” I told him, heart pounding in my chest. He placed his glowing palm over my throat, and I felt a warm trickle slide down it. I cleared my throat, and the sound reverberated throughout the space, but people were too panicked to stop. I needed to be louder. “I am the new Queen of Faerie!” I boomed. I may only be a temp Queen, but I had to own the title to get their trust.
Every. Single. Fae. Stopped.
My gulp was audible. “And I’m here to tell you that the war is over! You’reallinvited back to Faerie for a fresh start.”
Mouths dropped open, eyebrows furrowed, but no one said anything for a few moments.
“How do we know you’re the Queen!? You’re a kid!” someone shouted.
“Faerie is ruined, eaten by the dark war!” another said. “Why would we go there when we can stay here?”
I clapped my hands together, and beams of sunlight shot out of them and up into the sky. The fae beneath me all ducked, covering their heads and shielding their eyes. I shot a beam of light at a nearby tree, and it grew in size, adding ten feet to its hulking mass as it crawled up in the air like magic.
Okay… wasn’t expecting that, was just trying to give them a little show.
I gulped as some of the fae fell to their knees but not enough, only a handful out of the hundred or so I was looking at.
“The Winter King has powers too!” someone yelled. “Why should we serve you?”
I frowned. “I don’t want anyone toserveme. I’m not your master! I’m your leader, yes, but I will not be a dictator.”
Cheers and applause went up throughout the space, and I grinned. “I’m here for the crystals, then I’m going back to Faerie, and you’re all invited. Come home where you belong. All I ask is for loyalty.”
A woman with blue hair started to weep and fell to her knees at the wordhome.
“I’m restoring Faerie!” I shouted as loud as possible. “It will be better than before it fell. Come home,” I pleaded one last time.
I started to lower myself to the ground, wanting to shake their hands and meet with some of them, when an icicle flew past my face.
My breath hitched as Jasper screamed a warning. Without thinking, I threw my palm up, and the icicle melted into a defenseless puddle at my feet.
The Winter King.
Liam.
I’d forgotten about Liam.
At the sight of his father, enraged before me, my main mission was brought to the front of my mind.
“Go! I’ll hold him off,” Jasper said, and I dipped low into the crowd as they gasped and parted. I heard a crashing noise behind me and hoped Jasper wouldn’t be seriously injured.
Stopping to speak to everyone like that may have taken precious time. It may have led the Winter King to my location, but I didn’t care because it was worth it. I needed these people to know that they had a place in Faerie. I needed them to know that we were starting over and they were wanted in the new version of Faerie that I would hopefully help lead. Knowing I had the Queen’s support behind me helped to push me forward.
My feet hit the ground as I felt a pull at my navel, indicating Liam was close by. People stumbled out of my way as I ran for the giant house in the clearing. It was rustic in style and stood tall on the flat plain, casting shadows around the people who flocked in front of it.
He was here. I could sense it. Like a magnet reeling me in with a powerful force, the closer I got, the stronger the feeling became. My wings quivered in anticipation.
Please, don’t let him be hurt,I prayed.
