Ch 1-10

Summary

Macha just wanted her mother dead. Honestly. Tossed out on her ass into the Outerlands as a little girl for being a bastard. Yea that came with some trauma and long lasting issues but she worked through all that. Really. Sure, she may like blood and war a little more that was normal but come on! She’s an Unseelie Fae, she was practically born this way. After a long exciting journey she organized *cough* conquered *cough* the Outerlands into a functioning society. Into the Kingdom of the Banished Fae with her ruling as their rightful Queen and everything was great for a time. Truly. Until her birthmother decided that she didn’t deserve to be Queen of anything which ended with them battling it out and Macha getting tossed into a maximum security prison. Bummer. Now having escaped prison, Macha is dealing with the fact that very old feelings for a certain asshat are springing back up like a bad joke and that she must rebuild her entire kingdom. But she has to do it right this time and that means telling her people who she really is if she wants them to follow her into a war against her mother. A woman who refuses to let Macha be and plans to wipe her entire existence from fae history. Again, Macha really really just wanted this bitch dead but it was turning out to be a lot harder than she thought. *Cover is made by me but I have no rights to the picture itself.*

Prologue: So Close

750 years ago…

The screech of metal on metal echoed across the field as Fae furiously fought for their lives. A sea of soldiers in royal blue crashed violently against the deep purple of their enemies. Battle cries and wounded yelps added to the symphony of war, threatening to crush them beneath the rolling weight of their armour laden bodies. The outcome of the battle will be forever ingrained in Fae history as the blood of the dying mixed into the muddy ground beneath our feet.

Ducking low underneath a heavy swing of a faceless soldier’s sword, I laughed joyously and sliced my own along his inner thigh. The blue metal shimmered beautifully in the moonlight as I twirled to face my next opponent. Whisking the twin swords through the air, I slashed them down in a X formation across the next purple clad soldier’s neck. Her head tipped back from the force, releasing a spray of blood that splattered against my bare face.

Pointed teeth on display in a manic grin, I continued to cut my way through Mab’s forces. My own warriors were rows behind me as I dived into the thick of things where living was based on skill. The battle had been raging for over two hours now with no end in sight and already I could see her army faltering. They were adequately trained but fought with the fear of facing Mab’s wrath if they lost the battle. While my warriors fought with the need to win and the need to live for their loved ones. And it was because of this, that I would win the battle against Mab.

The throne and Kingdom I created was mine to keep and she knew that, was threatened by it. Her hatred of me and the knowledge that her sons wouldn’t be able to defeat me if I ever decided I wanted the Unseelie throne, caused her to send me away. Somehow she had decided that banishment to the Outerlands would be a better solution for the both of us and it was for a time. I waged wars across the Outerlands, conquering all who opposed my rule and made them into an actual society. The Outerlands that were once a lawless and wild place was now the recognized Kingdom of The Banished Fae. A Kingdom that I’d fought long and hard to create and I’d be damned before I allowed some pompous bitch to come and steal my citizens away. She hated the fact that I was a Queen but she wanted my Kingdom for a sinister reason and I’d rather die than let that happen.

Squatting low, I dropped to a knee and spun with my swords out at an angle to cut the achilles of the soldiers surrounding me. Toppling like dominos, I had a better view to search the crowd before me. Come out, come out wherever you are…Easily blocking the downward strike of a malce with one sword, I gutted the soldier with the other while still scanning for the one I sought. Gotcha! Through a wall of waving swords and shields, I spotted her on the hill above the fighting looking just as disinterested at what was going on around her as always. Pushing forward, I dug my feet deeper into the mud in an effort to avoid slipping in the onslaught of rain while cutting down the soldiers who separated us.

Mab’s hands tightened slightly around the reins of her mare when I finally reached her causing me to release a sharp tsking sound, “Ooooh do not make me that person, Mab. Nobody likes a horse killer.”

Twirling my swords in hand, I paced a few steps closer to the Unseelie Queen. Mab’s deep purple locks were pulled back into a tight bun at the base of her neck leaving a few curls to frame high cheekbones. Porcelain skin was smooth and clear as shrewd violet eyes casted a cold look over my bloodied form. Her own luxurious war robes embroidered in gold and dyed the deep velvety purple of her Kingdom were pristine with not a drop of blood to be found.

Red painted lips pulled down at the corners before she addressed me, “Macha. I see you haven’t changed.”

I smiled, giving her a peek of my pointed teeth, “Neither have you. Still taking what doesn’t belong to you, I see.”

My double meaning hit its mark as purple brows drew delicately together, “Everything belongs to me, it is my destiny. Surrender and I might allow you to live like I have your entire life.”

Releasing an incredulous laugh, I spit, “Surrender? This ends with your blood soaking the earth. There is no other way.”

“You’d kill your own mother?”

“Claiming me in public now, are we? Risky, risky, Mother.” I taunted with a sharp grin. “We wouldn’t want people knowing that Prince Tidhg’s not the first born, now would we?”

Her cheeks flushed as violet eyes lit with frosted flames, “Useless bastards hold no rights to the throne or the royal family. You know that.”

A shadow of pain gently tore at my heart from her words, “I don’t want your throne, Mab. My younger brothers can have their fun trying to rip it from your clawed hands but you want mine.”

Little purple sparks jumped around her hands causing the horse beneath her to shift on its hooves in fright. Mab’s eyes began to glow signaling that her famously controlled temper was starting to fray, “The Outerlands are not your Kingdom. They are under my rule and to claim yourself their Queen is high treason.”

My lips twisted into a harsh smirk,“Like me, mother. You left them out beyond the walls to fend for themselves. You allowed those once proud Unseelie to become twisted in their journey to survive and I just know how it must sting to see both Unseelie and Seelie banding together beneath a single flag of royal blue. Beneath your first born bastards rule.”

Mab’s lips twisted into a ugly snarl that was identical to my own. And then I had only the slight jerk of her wrist to warn me before a bolt of raw energy struck my left shoulder. Teeth grinding in pain, I felt weightless as my body tumbled through the air for a few seconds before slamming back down into the muddy ground. Coughing, I shook my head to clear the ringing in my ears and pushed myself to my feet. Rolling my shoulder, I could feel that even though the blow would’ve killed a lesser Fae only the top layer of skin was burnt to a crisp. A little flesh wound, then.

Running my tongue over pointed teeth, I gave her a smile before spitting out the blood that collected on it. Flipping my palms to face the sky, I waited until the cool metal of my swords hit them to speak. “First shot was free. Now, let’s see who really deserves to be Queen.”

Charging forward, I twisted my body as I leaped over the lightning she shot my way. Laughing the closer I got to her, I watched as soldiers materialized in the space between us. The all black uniforms clueing me to their ranks as Mab’s elite personal guard. Instead of hitting them head on like they expected, I curved and ran straight at the trees beside them. Sliding over the muddy ground, I jumped at the last second and planted a foot high up on the trunk of a tree. Turning springy underneath my boot, I pushed off it like a trampoline and flew right into the middle of their little group.

Landing on the shoulders of a guard, I twisted my grip on the swords and sunk them both into the middle of her chest. Damn, right in the boobs. That had to hurt. As her body hit it’s knees, my feet slammed into the slushy earth while I turned to face the apprehensive guards. All of them Fae I once knew from my time as a little girl locked up beneath the castle. All Fae that stood by with blank faces as they followed their precious Queens orders and tossed a little girl out onto her ass in the outerlands. Anger settled deep inside my chest at the memory and renewed my drive to slaughter them all beside their beloved queen.

Private Conan, was the first to charge me with a roar and a raised sword. The metal of our weapons clashed heavily as we tried to force the other back. Unfortunately for him, he forgot that I was playing with two. Conan’s body jolted, wide orange eyes staring into mine as the tip of my second sword broke through the skin of his back. Within a second, the man who used to beat me for everything and anything I did as a young girl took his last breath upon my sword. Pulling it free, I got to work on slaughtering the rest of the people from my past.

A glance to make sure Mab was still there on her war horse cost me a deep cut to the outer side of my left thigh. And the rain that had been coming down in sheets, now hurt like hell from the way she turned it into hail. Growling lowly, I pushed back the hair that fell free of my braid while simultaneously cutting off a guard’s leg at the knee with a clean strike. Turning quickly at the heat coming towards my back, I slung an arm around the closest guards neck and pulled him tight against my front. The bolt of lighting hit him directly in the heart causing his body to convulse against mine until the end. Dropping him, I snatched a silver chain from around my waist and snapped it in Mab’s direction.

At my will the metal chain elongated until it was just inches from wrapping itself around Mab’s swan-like neck. When an excruciating pain ripped through my left hip causing me to lose focus and miss. Screaming in fury at the failed kill shot, I looked down to find an iron arrow poking out from the ruined flesh of my hip. Motherfucker! Breaking off the thin arrow head, I reached around and ripped it out of my body before the burning iron could slither into my bloodstream. Whipping it back in the direction I thought it’d come from, I watched the archer’s body come tumbling out of the tree with the broken arrow protruding from his forehead.

With four guards left, I realized with growing unease and relief that the Commander wasn’t one of them. But then where was he? There was no way he’d leave his men to battle against a threat to the Queen without him. While he didn’t always agree with her and occasionally saved me from her wrath, Dougal was still her most loyal. Clearing my mind of the thought, I tossed a sword high into the air and willed the metal to split into pieces. The sharp metal shards glinted in the moonlight as they rotated above our heads for a moment before the spread of my fingers had them raining back down. With unnatural precision, the pieces struck the remaining guards in the heart causing them to fold into the mud like a wilting deck of cards.

Panting, I pressed a hand to the hole in my hip and turned back to stare at Mab. She was standing on the ground now, perfect velvet slippers caked in mud and blood along with the ends of her robe. A pale hand rose flicking in my direction with an almost lazy twist of her wrist, a harmless gesture really, except for the way that the rain started pouring down in solid sheets making it difficult to see. Squinting hard, I flexed a hand calling back all the metal shards to reform a sword. Lightning struck the ground inches from where I stood, bringing a smile to my lips. Looks like I wasn’t the only one having trouble seeing through the rain.

“Afraid to face me head on, Mab?” I screamed over the thunder, “Come on! Let’s have a little fun!”

Her blurred form moved slightly in the rain while I made my way towards her with a sword gripped tightly in hand. Pain pinched through me with every step, the wound to my shoulder, hip and thigh causing more damage than I had originally thought. Sloshing through the mud, I tucked my now completely loose hair behind my ears and willed the rain to lessen it’s descent. A headache pounded between my temples and it was slow to follow my will but the rain finally bent beneath my will making Mab easier to see. The look of rage on her face would warm me for years to come and I laughed at how soon all of this would be over. My Kingdom would remain independent and my citizens would be safe along with the rest of the realm.

Excited, I did something that I normally wouldn’t do in public. Feeling the roots deep beneath the soil, I urged them to break through the surface at a rapid speed and wrap around Mab’s ankles. As soon as they touched her skin they froze before crumbling to the sides of her slippers. The ones waiting behind her struck then, winding themselves around her form and holding her in place. Flashing pointed teeth at her shocked expression, I didn’t waste time with words but launched my sword directly at her head. Everything seemed to still, even the sounds of the battle below stopped as it flipped end over end crossing the distance between us with an unnatural speed. I waited with bated breath for it to sink into her face with a shlunk sound when at the last second another weapon struck it off course.

A hollowness flooded through me moments ahead of the unequivocal rage that burned my veins. Air hissed out between my clenched teeth as I snapped my gaze in the direction the treacherous battle axe had come from. A large masculine form came up over the hill looking just as drenched as I was but it was the purple C embroidered on his chest that caught my eye. Dougal. The man who used to sneak me Choco Blasts in the middle of the night because he knew how strong my chocolate addiction was. The man who fought fruitlessly with his queen over the fact that her bastard daughter should be allowed a bedroom instead of a cell. The man who was sent away on a mission when they tossed me out because he would have found a way to convince the Queen to keep me.

My heart grew heavy in my chest at the memories but I pushed it aside the closer he got. Something wasn’t quite right, he looked taller. Lightning flashed between us giving me a clearer view and stealing my breath away all at once. Lilly. Cillian Grymes, Dougal’s eldest son and my first childhood crush slash enemy. Divines, he still looked good. He’d been a young adult while I’d just been entering my teen years when we had last seen each other. Everything about him was the same but different. The sides of his head were shaved down only allowing the middle to spring up in tightly curled silver locks. The planes of his face were sharper and more defined with a slight silver stubble along his jaw. Bright eyes that looked even brighter against his oak colored skin were blank along with his expression. Still as illusive and infuriatingly expressionless as always.

His eyes swept over Mab quickly looking for injuries before he swung those metalic eyes my way. My breath wanted to escape me once again but I wasn’t a little girl anymore and he just stole Mab’s death from my hands. Glaring, I ripped my sword through the air and back into my hand while I willed the second one to reform in my palm. If he fought anything like his father than killing Mab just got a whole lot fucking harder. Twirling the swords in my hands, I raised them both in a fighting stance and nodded my head towards Lilly.

Full lips pulled tight seconds before he pulled another battle axe from over his shoulder and charged. Sprinting at him head on, I dropped into the mud and slid between his muscular thighs. Flipping onto my back mid-slide, I launched myself quickly off the ground and latched my legs around his waist. My arms shot forward to pull back sharply in a X formation and slit his throat but I didn’t get that far. His battle axe slammed against my swords with such force that the vibrations caused them to slip from my grip. Faster than I would have thought possible, he reached back and yanked me up over his shoulder to slam me into the mud at his feet.

Fucking fuck. The impact caused the pain from my multiple wounds to flare up excruciatingly. Groaning, I slowly blinked up at Lilly and then rapidly before throwing myself to the side. His axe slammed into the ground where my head once was as I tried to find purchase in the slippery mud to stand. Enough. The bitch has to die. But Mab had the same idea. Rain fell down in sheets again washing away the mud caking my hair and face before it stopped and instantly froze. I was suddenly stuck to the ground on my hands and knees for a few moments before a heavy boot slammed into my wounded hip and sent me rolling across the hard ground.

Black spots peppered my vision but when footsteps sounded out coming closer to me, I began to laugh at the cruel reality of it all. I was so close. So fucking close. Mab’s face looked down on me beside Lilly’s, both of them emotionless except for the absolute glee that shined through purple eyes. Painted lips moved but nothing pierced through the fog of pain I was currently swimming in. Blood loss was a nasty cunt. I think I was even still laughing because the expressionless look on Mab’s face cracked right in half and then I could feel everything again.

Gasping, I looked down and found the source of clarity was due to the icicle plugging the hole in my hip. Laughing again, I snorted, “Like a cockroach, you just can’t fucking die can you?”

“This could have all been avoided if you gave up on your silly delusions of being a Queen.”

“Like you gave up your delusions of beauty?”

The spike twisted.

“Vanity, vanity, Mab. It’s an ugly trait.” I coughed out in pain.

At my words Lilly’s eyes flared with something too fast for me to decipher.

Mab’s lips quirked up at my pain, “It’s over.”

“You’re right, Mab.” I said as I willed the metal closer, “It is.” And then with the last of my strength, I-

A scream of raw agony tore its way up my throat from the incredible amount of pain that surged through my chest. The burning tingle that ran immediately after the pain told me that it was iron piercing just a few inches to the right of my heart. Eyes wide in anguish, I looked down at the stake and found an oak colored hand wrapped around it. Panting in pain, I lifted my gaze to stare into cold silver eyes.

And even though it made absolutely no sense, I felt betrayal rip through me. It didn’t make sense, he didn’t even know the real relationship between me and Mab or recognize me but the little girl in me who’d felt adoration for him felt betrayed. Which was only made worse when I realized that even with his hand wrapped around the iron stake sticking out of my chest, he was still the hottest male I had ever seen.

“You…hideous…fucking cunt.” I breathed out between gasps of pain, keeping my eyes on his.

“Finish her off, Commander.” Mab ordered.

His fingers slowly unclenched from around the stake, “My Queen, if she really is the Queen of the Banished-”

“She has no rights to any throne.” Mab hissed.

“Now, illigmently that’s another story.” I coughed out as she twisted the icicle deeper into my wound but the look on her face was worth it.

“-then you might be better off keeping her alive. To guarantee the cooperation of the Banished Kingdom.” He finished, ignoring our interruptions.

My own death was being denied to me. Oh, how fitting, I thought with a bitter laugh.

“You would have me keep this traitor alive?” Mab spit at him, tone drenched in disgust.

Uh, no. Queens and Kings died in battle beside their warriors. It’s tradition! Is what I meant to say but my mouth seemed to have stopped functioning. That’s alright, though. She wouldn’t let me leave here alive, not when she finally had a clean way to kill me.

Lilly’s face didn’t even twitch at her tone, “Yes. Whether you want to hear it or not, the Banished Kingdom is almost the same size as your own. If we kill the woman they see as a Queen, what’s to stop her citizens from tearing down our walls? We won this battle, My Queen. But we cannot take on a war so soon. We will fall.”

The spark in Mab’s eye that lit from his little speech gave me a very very bad feeling. Just what in the fuck did he think he was doing?

“Then what do you suggest, Commander.”

A brief pause where his eyes flicked to meet mine and then, “Life in Slykhelm.”

The air in my lungs froze as panic overwhelmed my entire being at his deceptively simple words. No, no, no, no, no, no. I would not, could not go back into another cell. Not another cell. Never again. Not EVER again.

With a burst of raw fear and fury, I willed the sword into my left hand and lurched up. Taking them both by surprise and sinking it deeply underneath the left side of Lilly’s chest. His features flashed in pain before he concealed it completely and ripped my hand off the handle as I tried to twist it up towards his heart.

“Looks like Slykhelm’s a fine idea, Commander.” Mab announced and I didn’t need to see that bitches face to know a smug look covered it. “A thousand years and then she dies.”

Her voice sounded muffled as every ounce of hatred I could muster was focused on the one person making me relive the most hated part of my life. “You’ll regret this, Cillian. When I get out, and I will get out, I’ll rip your shriveled fucking heart from your chest and bury you in the earth. There won’t be a place you can hide that’ll save you from my wrath.”

He leaned close, lips brushing my ear as his hand wrapped around the iron stake, and whispered, “I really won’t. And nobody likes a tease, Cell Bait.”

Motherfu-

A quick flash of pain cut-off my thought and everything else.

———————————————————–

Tidhg pronounced Tige

Macha pronounced Ma-cha

Cillian Grymes pronounced Kill-ian Grimes (Though, this entire time I’ve been calling him Sill-ian sooooo lmao)

Slykhelm pronounced Sly-Helm

Whew! Am I the only one who thought that last part was kinda hot? I squeal a little everytime I read it, lol. If you’ve read the first one and can’t already tell, Macha and Cillian are VERY different from Kaiya and Ryan.

Also if you didn’t read the first one, you don’t have to. Both can be read as standalones.

Smooches, Verbage💋

Chapter One: Haven’t Decided Yet

One month after escaping Slykhelm…

Eyes soaking in the room, I shook my head rapidly at the growing horror that was beginning to consume me. Air painfully sawed its way through my lungs as my mind tangled in its attempt to deny my reality. This couldn’t be happening. I had to be dead, yeah. That was it, she killed me. She didn’t send me here. Please tell me she didn’t send me here. The tips of my nails broke against the rough concrete walls I was desperately scratching at, until I finally looked down at my tingling wrists. Eyes wide, I raised my iron bound wrists and forced out a hysterical laugh. Oh, this was just perfect. Fucking perfect.

Yanking my hands apart, I frantically tried breaking the chains even though the small part of sanity in the back of my mind told me it was futile. Rushing over to the bed, I slammed the chain against the low wooden railing repeatedly. Once bound in iron, Fae were practically human. Something about the metal made our magic seek out shelter inside our souls where we couldn’t reach it. Come on. Come on. The pain shooting through my chest barely registered as I dropped to the floor and planted a foot against the chain. Once it was clear that that wasn’t going to work, I got to my knees and started clawing at the cuffs. Sharp broken nails dug into my skin at odd angles, shredding it in my effort to uncuff myself.

Fingers slick with blood from the deep scratches covering a good portion of my wrists, I ripped my hands as far apart as the cuffs would allow. Squeezing them tightly into fists, I yanked them apart and slammed them against the hard ground with an enraged scream. I wasn’t supposed to be here again! It was supposed to be death or victory, not a cell! Never a cell, not ever again. With my mind running a mile a minute, I hammered my fists against the floor with another wild scream that ended on a laugh. My eyes flicked over the floor rapidly in time with my thoughts as everything inside of me felt like it was short circuiting. I was going to torture that bitch when I got out. She was the reason I was here again. She was the reason. She was the reason. She was the- NO. He was the reason. I should be dead but he suggested somewhere much worse than death. Much, much worse.

Scrambling to my feet, I shoved my long locks out of the way and really looked around the small cell. My laughter came out in disbelieving bouts, the layout was the same as the one from my childhood. Like I had never left. But I did. I did leave. A very long long time ago. If she thought she could treat me like the same misbehaving child I used to be, she was in for a very bloody awakening. Fury raced through me as my gaze caught on a metallic flash that winked in the shadows between the viewing bars around the very top of my cell. She was watching me. That fucking cunt was watching me.

Lips curling into a vicious snarl, I spun and locked my hands around the foot board. With a harsh tug, I slung the bed into the middle of the room with a screech of wood and climbed on top to look up into the shadows where I’d seen the flash of life.

“Enjoying the show, Mab?” I shouted at the bars, eyeing the darkness between them. On a passing thought, I purred, “Is Cillian here with you?”

A whisper of shifting cloth greeted my ears.

Grinning, I clapped my hands in a slow applause, “Have to give it to you, setting it up like my old cell was a nice touch. A for effort.”

The only response I received was the unwavering stillness of the shadows.

“But we all know you can’t keep me here.” I laughed out, raising my bloody hands to point at where I’d seen the metallic flash between the bars. “You should’ve driven that iron stake through my heart when you had the chance because when I get out, and I will. I’m not going to stop until I have your blood coating my skin and Mab’s head on an iron spike for all to see.” Scanning the darkness, I hissed, “You shouldn’t have fucked with me, Mab. You should’ve just left my people and me alone. You should have just left me alone! But you couldn’t help yourself, could you! I’m going to kill you, Mab! Do you hear me, bitch? And nobody, not even the great Cillian Grymes, will be able to stop me this time!”

Laughing, I flashed a big smile before screaming, “You and your little pet better start running, Mab! Because when I get out, I’m going to start a war the size of which Tir Na Nog has never seen! I’ll burn the whole fucking realm just to get my hands around your throat! Mark my words, Mab! You can’t keep me here forever!”

Footsteps clipped over concrete followed by the sound of a door creaking open.

Furious, I curled my fingers into my palms and screamed at the top of my lungs,“YOU CAN’T KEEP ME HERE FOREVER!”

Jerking up onto my elbows, I choked back a scream of psychotic rage before it could escape my throat. Panting, I blinked rapidly forcing my surroundings to take shape in order to calm my racing heart. Wooden walls were the first to come into focus due to the soft moonlight coming through the window. Gripping the thin sheets between my fists, I released a heavy sigh and flopped back down onto my back. You’re in the tavern. You are not in a cell. This isn’t a cell. There’s a wooden door with metal latches to the left and a breakable window to the right. You can easily get out. This is not a cell. You are not trapped.

Taking deep even breaths, my heart rate slowed dramatically until it no longer felt like my chest was trying to break apart. A wary smile tipped my lips as glimpses of the nightmare flashed through my minds eye. Bold words screamed with a rage and promise that had seemed so….so factual at the time. Like I had been screaming events that had already been written in stone to the darkness. Even a month ago, when I had escaped Slykhelm and declared war with a stab to Cillian’s shoulder. It had seemed like everything I wanted was within reach. I would rally my army and go to war against Mab one final time. One more glorious time that would rock the very foundation of Tir Na Nog.

Only to come home to an abandoned metal castle with Mab’s soldiers crawling over it like flies on shit. Hidden in the trees just beyond their line of sight, I watched as they searched every inch of my- the land presumably for my presence. Listened as they laughed over jokes about how my people hadn’t even waited a century before abandoning the castle. How some had even joined Mab’s Kingdom with words of gratefulness for ending my tyrannical reign. Those remembered words brought a pulse of anger sparking to life inside my chest. My tyrannical reign. I did everything to help them, I brought down our enemies in the Outerlands quickly and efficiently. I made sure that they had clothes and food plus whatever else they could possibly want. I gave them everything I could to make sure they wouldn’t suffer anymore. I wasn’t cruel. I wasn’t cold. I wasn’t Mab. Yet it was my reign that was tyrannical.

Turning onto my side, I tugged a pillow to my chest and stared out at the city beyond the foggy window pane. I knew I shouldn’t take what the soldiers had said as fact, but for it to be the first thing I’ve heard about my people in over seven hundred years? That after trying to save them, they willingly handed themselves over to her. It made me want to hunt down the people I had cared for, the people I had fought for, and show them what real tyranny looked like. But again the words of Mab’s soldiers weren’t to be trusted, though I knew deep down that they were right. While I had given them everything I could, I also remembered how I’d made my word law. I never bent. Punishment was harsh and swift. Questions about myself went unanswered and concerns from my court were ignored. In many ways, I wasn’t Mab but I was still her daughter and that became obvious the more I looked over my past.

Rolling onto my back, I groaned out loud in annoyance at my inner thoughts. I wasn’t the type to agonize over the past but that’s all I had been doing over the past week as I waited for Dani’s arrival. I wasn’t above admitting that getting out of Slykhelm on my own would have been impossible without help. My best friend of over two thousand years played an important role in helping me escape Slykhelm. The plan was that we’d meet up in a month’s time at the High Tail Tavern, a hot spot for criminal Fae, as soon as the news of my escape had cooled down a bit. Except that, I was here and Dani had yet to turn up.

So, here I stayed waiting for her while feeling utterly lost. I knew I needed to rebuild my kingdom in order to fight against Mab but I also didn’t know where to start. I’d declared a war that I couldn’t fight alone and I was surprisingly nervous to find what remained of my people. Would they hate me? Would they fight for me? Would they believe me when I told them the truth about everything? The possibilities were endless when it came to their reactions on my return. It also didn’t help that I had changed, I wasn’t the same person I was all those centuries ago. I broke in that cell. I had issues I didn’t have before, fears that haunted the corners of my mind and a new found sense of self-doubt that I couldn’t seem to shake. To be frank, I was a fucking head case.

Groaning, I sat up and shoved my hands through my hair. “Shut up. Just shut up, Macha. Stop wallowing. You never used to wallow.” I hated ‘woe is me’ moments but here the fuck I was, in a ‘woe is me’ moment. “You made your bed and you eagerly laid in it. Now deal with the result, you have an army to rally and a bitch to kill.”

Releasing the tight grip on my hair, I slid to the side of the bed and dropped my bare feet onto the cold wood. As I stood, a slight pinch at my wrists had me raising them to my eyeline. I curled my lip at the sight of the bloody claw marks that littered them, fifth fucking time this week. Reliving my own personal ifreann almost every night was getting extremely old. Wasn’t it bad enough that I had to relive it in person? Now I had to re-relive it in my dreams?

Padding across the room, I stopped at the untouched bath that had turned cold since I’d ignored it a couple of hours ago. Pressing a hand to the side of the metal tub, I closed my eyes and used a power I wasn’t supposed to have. Very slowly a heat that grew from my chest slithered it’s way down my arm until it pulsed in the pads of my fingers. Concentrating, I allowed the heat to break away from my skin to the side of the tub turning it a dull red where they met. It was a bit of a process but after a few moments the water heated to just above a lukewarm temperature. Eh, better than nothing.

One long leg after the other, I climbed into the tub before sinking down so just my head and hands remained above water. Wrinkling my nose at the way my knees stuck out, I forced my will over the metal making it stretch until I could straighten my legs. I loved my six three frame as it was much too easy to intimidate others but sometimes it made things annoying in a world where most of the people were at six feet or below. Three inches might not seem like it mattered but it did, it really did. Laughing at the juvenile joke, I slid a hand over the side of the tub to grab the little loufa hanging off the side. Dipping it into the small can of liquid soap and then the water, I began to scrub away the sweat from my limbs.

White suds frothed over rich brown skin and silver swirls that spanned the entire length of my body. Intricately interlocking with each other in a never ending pattern across my skin that ended just below my jawline. Announcing to all who saw them that I was sentenced to life in Slykhelm. However life in Slykhelm usually meant a thousand years and then death, so very few fae knew that the delicate design was actually a hefty prison sentence handed down by Mab herself. In fact, the only thing besides the tattoos that marred my skin were the puckered scars from the iron that pieced my flesh all those years ago.

Raising my arms, I gazed over the silver swirls with a sort of detached fondness. It was odd but the tattoos had never bothered me, maybe it was because I understood that I deserved them. I was rash in my decision to strike out so boldly against Mab, I hadn’t thought of the consequences my people would face if we lost. How the few she stole under the shadows of the night would turn into many. The tattoos served as a reminder that the woman I once was failed her people and it gave me a reason to never fail them again. If they ever allowed me to lead them again that is.

Scrubbing down the rest of my limbs, I scooped out more soap and lathered it throughout the royal blue strands of my hair. The tips of my fingers giving a little massage to the sides of my scalp before I submerged myself completely beneath the water to wash it out. Once I was confident the soap was gone, I stood facing the window and rung the excess liquid from my hair. The moon hung heavy and full above the sky partly covered by the clouds drifting past. Stars winked out at me causing a smile to ghost across my face. The fae of my generation believed that once we passed away, we rose to twinkle our mischief over the night as we watched our kin raise ifreann.

I found in Slykhelm that I had really enjoyed that thought.

Turning away I left the tub, leaving behind a trail of water as I walked towards the small chest at the end of the bed. After willing the lock to pop open, I grabbed a bundle of clothes and slammed it shut. Sliding the undergarments on first, I wiggled into a pair of butter soft black leather trousers and a navy blue tunic. A few seconds later, I felt the familiar and comforting weight of my silver waist chains settling into place around my hips. Fashionable yet deadly. Strolling to the bedside table, I took both my swords in hand before willing the metal to slide over my skin. Vibrant blue rings and bracelets quickly adorned both hands as I grabbed the black cloak from the table. No need to alert every guard with the sight of my signature twin swords, never mind the unique coloring of the metal.

Slipping my arms through the sleeves of the cloak, I raised them again to pull my hair out from underneath it while shoving my feet into my favorite pair of leather boots. Combing my fingers through my wet hair, I braided a few thin pieces on the left and right side of my head with little metal rings thrown in for fun. A few strides across the wooden floor and I was exiting the room to lazily pad down the hall. Boots thumping across the red rug, I willed the metal locks on my door to twist as it swung shut. The numbers on the wooden doors decreased the closer I got to the stairs leading down to the main part of the tavern. Shouts and laughter from the rowdy patrons below floated up to my ears at a drunken volume.

Flicking up the hood of my cloak to shadow my features, I trotted down the stairs with a small smirk. As soon as my boots hit the bottom, I could see a crowd of fae swaying in the middle of the floor to the infectious tune of the band. Booths ran along the sides of the tavern where mischievous grins flashed in the dim light and little groups of ‘up to no good’ fae spoke in low tones. Taking a deep breath, my smirk grew into a smile at the smell of sugared ale and sweat. Divines, I missed parties. After every battle we won, me and my warriors would throw a castle wide party for all citizens to come and enjoy. Granted the people here were not mine but it was enough to raise my spirits.

Humming, I twirled and slid through the crowd managing to get to the other side without touching a single sweaty fae. The best part of hiding in a criminal hot spot was that I wasn’t the only one wearing a hood or even the most suspicious looking. Walking past the first couple of occupied booths, I ignored the fae sitting in them to stride towards the only empty one left. Placing my hands on the rickety table, I slid onto the padded seat directly below the open window. A light breeze caressed my cloak as I searched the tavern for any sign of Dani.

I hadn’t been sitting for more than a few minutes when two slightly hunched figures darted around the other side of the room. Head tilting, I watched as their heads swiveled from side to side before shaking and then hastily pushed their way over to my side of the room. One of the two little cloaked figures bumped into a muscular female, who turned with narrowed eyes. The figures scuttled off before the woman could say anything and resumed their head swiveling. My eyes narrowed in on a chunk of pink hair that fell out of a hood and I scoffed.

Raising a hand, I waved it slightly to catch her attention before placing it back on the table. The figures straightened out their spines and practically ran to my table causing a few eyes to trail after them in confusion or it could have honestly been disgust. As soon as they clambered into the booth seats, Dani tugged her hood off and gave me a shit eating grin.

“What the fuck are you doing dressed as a Gnome? Are you trying to get yourself killed? Nobody likes Gnomes.”

Pink eyes sparkled in humor, “Exactly, nobody wants to stop and talk to one! It’s perfect!”

“And yet, you’re still late.” I replied dryly.

She waved a dismissive hand, “Yea, yea. That wasn’t my fault. That was his.”

Flicking my gaze to the right, I took in the golden haired boy seated beside her staring at me with wide eyes. Feeling a wave of annoyance begin to roll through me, I placed an elbow on the table and pinched the bridge of my nose. Taking a deep breath, I spoke slowly, “Dani. I know, I know. He’s not what I think he is.”

“Then you’re dumber than I thought.”

Sighing, I stressed, “Why is there what looks like a poster boy for Seelie youth sitting across from me right now?”

“Because there’s a poster boy for Seelie youth sitting across from you right now.” Came her immediate reply.

Refusing to ask again, I just stared at the woman and tried to remember how we were still friends.

Squinting at me, she waved a chunk of her hair around, “So, you’re just going sit there and not congratulate me?”

Irritation shot through me, “Why would I? I wasn’t invited.” It was obvious from the black streaks running through her pink hair that she finally got mated to her long time boyfriend, Calvin. And I hadn’t received an invite or news of the mating.

“You were in prison!” She yelled in disbelief, “What was I supposed to do? Send a carrier pigeon?”

Humming, I scanned my eyes over the tavern. “Any good best friend would’ve.”

“Any good best friend? Any good best friend?” She seethed. “I broke your ungrateful ass out of a maximum security unseelie prison.”

The boy cleared his throat, “Uh, ladies?”

Turning back to her, I raised a brow, “And yet, a letter was too hard.”

Pink eyes frantically flicked over the wooden table in front of her while she laughed hysterically, “I’m going to kill this bitch. I’m-I’m just gonna kill her. I am going…to kill my best friend.”

“Guys.”

“Can you just tell me who the hell he is and why he’s here?” I gestured aggressively at the boy. “Or do I need to wait another who know’s how many centuries to find out?”

“You’re never gonna let this go are you?”

“Eh, haven’t decided yet.”

“By the Divine Aileen, We have company!” The golden headed boy shouted at us.

—————————————————————————

Ifreann : Hell

Tir Na Nog: Home of the Fae

I will be using Irish Gaelic here and there but you can always find the translations here at the end of the chapter.

Soooooooo, who else felt that when Macha said she missed parties? I know I did! What do y’all think of Macha’s character so far??? Or what about her friendship with Dani?

As always feel free to comment what you thought about this chapter!!

Smooches, Verbage 💋

Chapter Two: Not A Bit.

“By the Divine Noble? Is this kid serious, right now?”

Smothering a laugh, Dani smirked, “Lay off. He was just trying to warn us.”

Rolling my eyes with a huff, I went back to watching the guards from the edge of my vision. The small group of four had entered the tavern halfway through my conversation with Dani and calmly made their way through the crowd. The men laughed lightly amongst each other as they walked up to the bar with shoulders proudly thrown back. Mab’s soldiers had always had an ungodly amount of confidence, they walked through all the nastier parts of Tir Na Nog free of fear. Believing themselves untouchable because nothing could possibly be worse than the woman they worked for. Oh, how wrong they were.

The boy whipped his head back and forth between us before anxiously whispering, “What’s happening right now?”

“Relax, they’re not here for us.” I replied, keeping an eye on the soldiers.

“What do you mean they’re not here for us? You’re the most wanted fae in the realm.”

My lips curved into a smug smile, “I know.”

“What she means, Puck, is that they come here for shits and giggles. To flex their muscles a bit, show off to the Outerland women. Whispering promises of bringing them over the wall before fucking ’em and leaving ’em.” Dani informed him, signaling a nearby waitress.

“That’s- That’s messed up.” The b- Puck stuttered.

A waitress rushed over, fluffing her short red bob, “What’ll it be?”

“I’ll take a sugared ale, Babes.” I answered, admiring her full figure with a quick smile before turning my gaze back on the men in purple. Distractedly, I heard Dani and Puck giving their orders to the cute waitress.

Even though I knew the men weren’t specifically here for me, that wasn’t going to stop me from keeping an eye on them. Beside’s one of them looked vaguely familiar, like I had seen his face somewhere once before. Pastel green hair buzzed down to a stubble showed off a baby face that hadn’t come into the sharp bone structure of an adult Fae just yet. Since he looked to be about the same age as Puck, who was around twenty in human years and seven hundred in fae, I couldn’t have known him. He wouldn’t have been born, let alone old enough for our paths to cross before I was sent to Slykhelm. Chalking it up to paranoia, I swung my eyes back to my companions as the waitress stalked off temporarily blocking the strange boy from view.

“Don’t feel bad for the women, Puck. Feel bad for the men.” Dani laughed, throwing her arm along the back of the booth behind him.

“Why?”

I grinned, showing off two rows of pointed teeth, “Because sometimes they make it back to base fine…and sometimes they’re missing their dicks.”

We laughed loudly at Puck’s nauseous expression just as the waitress came back around. Sugared ale sloshed over the rims of the mugs as she slammed them down before scurrying away to another patron. Still chuckling, I reached out and pulled the mug to my lips for a large gulp. Dani snatched up her own, eyes still twinkling with mirth as she took a deep sip. Feeling much better than I did since waking up earlier that night, I closed my eyes and soaked in the taste of the ale. I hadn’t had sugar since before prison and it tasted even better than I remembered. In large amounts, sugar was the only thing that could inebriate a fae and it made everything after Slykhelm just a pinch easier.

“Macha. What happened to your wrists?”

“Huh?” Forcing my expression to remain relaxed, I opened my eyes and raised my wrist like I didn’t know exactly what she was talking about. “Oh, that. Got a little wild with a Banshee last night.” I winked.

Dani eyed me for a moment before a slow smile took over her features, “Good to see prison didn’t change you a bit.”

If you ignored the way I woke up with a scream lodged in the back of my throat almost every night, scratches on my body from the nightmares or how I made sure I could easily exit every room I entered, then, “Not a bit, Babes. Not. A. Bit.”

Grinning, she roughly patted Pucks shoulder. “I told you, Puck. Macha’s the strongest fae I know.”

Was, I corrected her in my thoughts. I was the strongest fae you know.

Golden eyes narrowed on pink ones, “I never said to the contrary.”

“Right. So, who is he? Cause he talks like a noble.”

“Can I just say that for being in a very urgent situation, you both are very relaxed.”

“Not our first time in an urgent situation,” Dani said. “But he has a point, we should get down to business.”

Raising a hand, I swirled a finger, “Do your thing then.”

Shrugging off her cloak, Dani revealed a white tunic lined with green along the edges that highlighted her cocoa colored skin. Raising her hands to chest level with palms facing the ceiling, her eyes twinkled at her use of magic. The air around the table shifted from it’s still position to start whipping around our little group. Effectively trapping all sound inside without alerting everyone around us that we had something worth keeping a secret.

Fae magick was complex in a way that other supernaturals wouldn’t assume. While regular Fae wielded one ability, royals tended to wield up to two or three but every ability was only as strong as a Fae’s will. When it came to power it was based on the Fae’s will, a regular Fae could create devastating earthquakes while a royal could barely levitate a stone. Being Seelie or Unseelie also determined which kind of magick you’d be able to bend to your will. Seelie couldn’t bend air, water or metal to their will to save their lives, just like we, the Unseelie, couldn’t bend fire, earth, or animals to ours. Well, I thought as I willed the wooden table to warp beneath my finger tips, at least we shouldn’t be able to.

“Isn’t this kind of redundant? I mean, you already spoke openly about helping Macha escape from prison.”

Removing my fingers, the wood immediately reverted back to its original shape. Giving Puck an indulgent smile, I answered for Dani, “We didn’t say which prison and I’m almost a hundred percent certain that we’re not the only ones that’ve ever said that in here.”

Having my complete attention, he seemed to freeze up like a Sprite in a flower ring. Golden tan skin dusted red from his fleshy cheekbones down to his neck before he straightened his shoulders and said, “Of course. I was just joking.”

“Of course.” I purred.

Dani lowered her hands to the table, “You want to start or should I?”

“You, and for the love of the Divine start with him.”

“Okay. Okay.” Fingering a curl, she huffed out a quick sigh, “After I freed you, I met back up with Calvin in another earth state and established a travel pattern. But when we arrived home, her soldiers were already waiting for me. Said you escaped from Slykhelm and wanted to ask me a few questions. Cal tried to intervene but got knocked out for his troubles-”

I snorted in amusement, cutting her off.

“What?” Dani snapped.

“Did I say something?” I snapped back.

“Bitch,” She stressed with narrowed eyes. “Anyways, they were taking me to one of Mab’s army bases when Puck showed up out of nowhere and rescued me. I thanked him with gold and went to leave except he wouldn’t accept it. He said the only form of thanks he’d take was if I took him to meet you. I didn’t want to get stuck with a life debt to some kid, so I brought him along. Although, we’re late because he needed to travel home for a few days to attend some family thing.”

“So, basically you brought some random Seelie boy to come meet me and you don’t know why?” I asked calmly.

Taking a sip of ale, she shrugged, “Yeah, pretty much.”

“Your concern for my safety is overwhelming, Babes. Truly.” Turning to face the boy who could very well be an assassin sent by Mab or worse, a representative from Oberon. I raised a brow, “Well, you’ve met me. What do you want?”

Puck perked up, “I want to help you dethrone Mab.”

“Why?” I questioned, willing one of my rings to melt and reshape itself into a thin knife beneath the table.

“Because I know the story is wrong.”

Story? “What story?”

“Uh, Puck that can wait until-”

“My generation, the one born after the battle, was told that the Queen of the Banished grew resentful of Queen Mab. That Mab had allowed you to generously rule over the people of the Outerlands but it wasn’t enough for you. We were told that you hated Mab for her power and beauty, so mad with envy you set off down a path of treason. Your greed and selfishness knew no bounds as you thrusted your people into a battle against the Queen who gave you everything. In the end, you lost and in an act of supreme mercy Mab spared your life. You were then sent to live out the rest of your life in a cell. To repent for your treason against the generous Queen of the Unseelie.” Golden eyes seemed to soften at whatever he saw in my expression, “Macha, she rewrote history and painted you the villain. The older fae know the truth but are too fearful to speak out against her and the younger ones don’t know any better. Mab acts like a saint to the public and hides her cruelty behind closed doors these days. She’s even allowing some of the banished back into her Kingdom. ”

Anger like a raging tide swept through me at the version of the battle she had spun but I wasn’t surprised. So while I was angry, I also felt relief like a cooling balm slither down my spine. It was almost too much to hope for but maybe my people were waiting for me to come back to them. They were old enough and some had been there to know that that story wasn’t true. Except, just as quickly as that thought sprung up another one squashed it like a Gnome. Why wouldn’t they believe the story that Mab spread throughout Tir Na Nog? I hadn’t bothered to tell them the real reason we needed to make a stand against her, why she needed to be stopped. How ironic was it that by sheltering my people from the harshness of the world, they were now at the mercy of Mab and her vicious lies. Heading happily back into her kingdom like Pixies to the slaughter.

“Well, nobody ever accused the cunt of being stupid.” I laughed bitterly, white knuckling the thin knife and taking another large sip of sugared ale. The taste of pure sugar coupled with the tang of alcohol managed to dull the sharp edge of self-pity wedged under my heart.

“Macha, there’s still a lot of fae out there who know the truth.” Dani gently tried to reassure me.

I pinned her to the booth with a hard stare, “Really and what’s that? A very vague sentence of ‘She’s an evil tyrant that needs to be killed’ before taking the troops out to battle? I wonder which one they’ll believe more because I know who I’d believe.” And wasn’t it sad, that it wasn’t me.

Puck was quick to add, “A good amount of your people are still around, they’re just scattered throughout the Outerlands. I’m sure if you got them all together and told them what you kept from them they’d be willing to fight with you against Mab.”

“Because it was so easy getting them to follow me the first time. Why not do it again? Only this time, I have to admit all the things that I actively kept from them. Yay me.” I snapped with a healthy dose of sarcasm before downing the rest of my sugared ale.

“Then start with us.”

I raised a brow, “I don’t trust you, Babes. Sure, you want Mab out of power but so do a lot of people. Thanks for the history lesson though, you can go.”

Puck’s mouth hung open like he was shocked that I was dismissing him so quickly, “No-no. You can’t do that. You need me.”

Muscles tensing, I had the thin blue knife hovering a few inches away from his heart before he finished his sentence. “I can do whatever I want. I don’t need you.”

“Let’s all just take a deep breath-

“I know fae from all over. I have connections inside both the Unseelie and Seelie Courts. I’d be able to give you insider information.”

The blue knife pressed against his tunic, “And why, would I believe a Seelie?”

“You stabbed Commander Cillian and declared war but the Unseelie aren’t mobilizing. He hasn’t told Mab.” Puck rushed out leaning as far away from the knife as he could get.

“You what!” Dani shouted.

I willed the knife back to me and eyed him, “How do you know that?” Why didn’t he tell?

“Because,” He said, shoulders slumping in relief. “I have someone uniquely positioned in his and Mab’s inner circle that trusts me.”

Twirling the knife end over end above my palm, I thought about what Puck was offering. Insider knowledge on Mab and Oberons moves throughout the upcoming war. Not that I was expecting trouble from Oberon or even for him to involve himself in the war but…it never hurt to be cautious. The offer was a tempting one but none of it explained how he knew someone that high up in the Unseelie Court or how he got them to trust him.

“How do you have their trust?”

“I’m the youngest son of…a noble Seelie family. I’ve been going between the courts since I was born and have known him for just as long. He’s a good friend, more like a brother really.”

Skeptical, I asked, “Does this friend know you plan to give me the information he passes to you?”

Puck nodded, “Yes, it was his idea.”

“And why does he want to help me?”

“For the same reason, I do. From what our parents told us, Mab is a cruel tyrant and you’re the only one strong enough to rip her off the throne.”

I cracked a smile at that. While I failed last time because of the mindset I went into battle with. I was physically strong enough to take her down but she’d take me with her. As long as that cunt died though, nothing else really mattered. Perhaps everything in Tir Na Nog would be better off if we killed each other. Woah, where did that come from?

“Alright.”

Puck and Dani shared a look before parroting back, “Aright?”

My grin grew until pointed teeth flashed at them, “Alright, you can stay and help me defeat Mab with your insider information. But only if we make a deal.”

“A deal?” He asked hesitantly.

“ I don’t have time to hold your hand until I can trust you, so yea. In exchange for your truthful information, I will allow you to stay. However if you break this deal in anyway, your life is mine. Deal?”

Dani’s pink eyes grew wide, “Macha, he’s still a kid isn’t that deal a little…steep?”

“Nope.” I immediately responded, popping the P. “I think it’s incredibly fair. I could end up with another iron stake in my chest for trusting his information, why shouldn’t he face the same risk? He wants to actively pick a side during a war? Let him. From here on out, his decisions won’t get any easier.”

“Deal.”

Snapping my gaze from Dani to Puck, I soaked in the rush of power flowing through my veins at his acceptance. Golden eyes glowed with the binding magick tying us into the deal, my blue ones likely shining just as bright.

Laughing, I announced, “Oh, I love it when they accept.”

—————————————————————————-

Hhhhhhmmmm, what do you guys think? Is Macha really the villian Mab’s painted her out to be? How long do you think Macha will last until her ‘I haven’t changed’ mask cracks? Who was that solider that Macha thought she knew? And more importantly can Puck be trusted even after the deal?

Don’t forget to comment if you enjoyed the chapter! But if not, silent readers I appreciate you too! I myself am a silent reader, lmao.

Smooches, Verbage💋

Chapter Three: Trust Us

The first fingers of sunlight stretched across the grass to cast themselves over my seated form. Even breaths filled my chest, while my eyes never strayed from the patch of grass directly in front of me. Slowly, I placed the tips of my fingers against the ground and then raised them. Nothing happened at first but then with a little nudge and a whisper, nature bent beneath my will. Five healthy flower buds sprung from the ground and stretched to reach where my fingers hovered above them. Opening my hand caused the buds to bloom into delicate white lilies that wavered in the breeze for a moment, bringing with it a sense of calmness.

After Puck had accepted the deal, we all agreed that’d it be better to finish our conversation in the morning. They then suggested that we should all share a room in case we were attacked in the middle of the night but I quickly vetoed that idea. I made them get their own rooms because the absolute last thing I needed right now was an audience to the shit show that was my sleep cycle. While I did owe them the truth about certain things concerning me and Mab, my personal issues weren’t up for discussion.

So as they slept the night away, I ventured out into the woods behind the tavern and practiced calling on the abilities I wasn’t supposed to have. Metal was by far the element that came the most naturally to me, I could bend it to my will with very little to no effort. Earth and fire were more complicated to control as the Seelie were the only ones who knew the techniques to commanding these elements. Unlike the others, they had a will of their own with almost no interest in following someone else’s.

For the first two hours or so, I practiced weaving red flames into a barrier encircling the space around me leaving burn marks in the earth. They rose only as high as the top of my head before my right temple began to pulse in pain. A tell that the element was fighting back, that it wanted to follow its own course and not be directed by another’s. It was at that point that I switched over to earth trying to coax it from its shell to follow my will.

Between the two, earth had always responded much easier to me than fire. It was more willing to bend and follow my direction if I was gentle with it. Instead of bending it sharply to my will like I would with metal, I used soft whispers and nudges to get a response from it. Put simply, I enforce my will upon the elements in three different ways. Metal needed absolute domination, Earth needed a lover’s gentleness, Fire required patience and Water…I didn’t think about water.

With a swish of my hand in a motion much like you’d use to twist a bottle cap, the flowers transformed rapidly. The white petals drifted softly to the ground while the stem thickened and overlapped the top. Bumps covered the newly formed vines until finally the thorns broke through with a gentle caress of my will. Bright green vines covered in black thorns, making them a bitch to pull from your body, twisted and intertwined like a nest of Lamia. Dropping my hand, I urged the vines to grow until they whipped around in the air a couple of feet above my head. Whispering words of fear and protection, I watched with a laugh as the vines turned and began ripping into the air in front of me.

Urging them back into the ground, I shook my head and patted the top of them like you would an obedient dog before they returned to the soil. Standing, I flipped the cloak’s hood back over my head and started towards the tavern. Waist chains bumping my hips as I went, I was just about to exit the treeline when the soldiers from last night came through the back door. It slammed shut behind them as they chatted about making it back to base before the midday drills began. The young male I felt a strange sense of familiarity to was there nodding along to what the others were saying.

Pastel green eyes flickered over his surroundings before they locked onto my royal blue ones. Eyes narrowing, I stared back at him while trying to grab onto the thought that danced just out of reach. I knew this boy from somewhere but where? His own eyes grew warm before his pale lashes lowered following the slight bow of his head. The exchange only lasted a couple of seconds before he flashed a boyish grin to his watching friends and then they all winked out of existence. What the fuck was that? I’d say he was trying to flirt with me except it felt more…platonic and revered but even that didn’t make sense.

He was a Unseelie soldier, he should have disgust and hate for me on behalf of his queen. Why hadn’t he alerted his comrades? There was no way he didn’t see my face, the hood of my cloak was barely sitting a few inches over my hairline. Unless it was just a ploy and they planned to travel back with a squadron of soldiers but he couldn’t know who I was. I’ve never had my portrait commissioned in Tir Na Nog and in prison I’d had a haze spell making my features unrecognizable. No one but fae my own age or older should be able to recognize me by looks alone. And even then, it wasn’t like my features were extoic, there were others with the same hair and eye color as me. Unless they caught sight of my tattoos…

“There you are! Come on, let’s eat! My stomachs eating itself.”

Dani’s shout snapped me out of my thoughts and had me moving to where she stood inside the back door. “Yea, yea.”

“Have you been out here all night?”

“Nah, I came out here an hour or so ago. Couldn’t sleep.”

Pink eyes sparked, “Feel weird sleeping alone?”

I’m always alone these days. I flashed her a impish smile, “I wouldn’t know, Babes. I never sleep alone.”

She laughed before spinning on her heel and walking into the tavern with me following at her back. Sighing, I smoothly made my way through the crowd without touching anyone. Once we reached the table we occupied last night, I sat down and scooted over until I was directly to the side of the window. A perfect position if I needed to make a quick escape.

Across from me was Dani and between us sat Puck, all of us in our clothes from last night although they went without the cloaks this time. Before any of us could speak, a waitress swung by and dropped three steaming bowls onto the table. Puck slid a few coins her way that she quickly snatched up, long turquoise hair streaked with bright orange swaying as she walked away.

“I’m so glad me and Calvins hair color go well together. The pink streaks in his black hair look really cute.” Dani announced, sliding a bowl towards herself.

Taking a bowl as well, I asked, “What’d you gift each other?”

“I thought you were mad about not coming?”

Raising a brow, I said, “That doesn’t mean I don’t want to know.”

When a fae pair mated they held a ceremony underneath a great oak tree ringed with white mushrooms. Words spoken out of true love inside the ring between the two fae caused their souls to intertwine. However, if the words spoken in the ring were not true love but something else then the mating wouldn’t be completed. That was always a very embarrassing experience for both the couple and thoses who attended. If it worked though, then steaks of the others hair color would appear on their heads first while their magick reached out to each other.

The fae couldn’t share power but they’d always have a sense of their mates’ well-being. A fae could pick out his or her mate blind folded in a sea of thousands with no problem, the magick inside of them constantly calling out to the other. Lastly, a gift from the heart was given to each other. It wasn’t a real part of the mating but more of a tradition and most of the younger fae tended to skip it nowadays.

Dani’s smile was huge as she reached down to fiddle with something before sitting up and placing it on the table. “Isn’t it just gorgeous?”

Huffing out a laugh, I carefully picked up the blade. It was a short throwing knife with a wicked looking curve but it was the handle that caused my laugh. A black and white panda with huge eyes and a bamboo stalk hanging from the corner of its mouth was painted on it. It warmed my heart to see Dani with Calvin, it was now even more obvious that he was the one for her. As the most profound painter in all of Tir Na Nog, Calvin hated nothing more than painting peoples pets or cartoons. He was a bit of snob about his talents but it worked out because Dani was just as snobbish about them. She never asked him to draw her favorite animal even though she really wanted him to.

“I can’t believe he actually did it.”

“I know,” She replied, dreamily. “He said if I was going to put myself in danger then I could at least do it in style.”

Shaking my head with a small smile, I placed the blade in front of her and shoveled a spoon full of porridge into my mouth. It was bland and a little on the chewy side but it was better than anything I’d eaten in a long time. If it had been rich in flavor my stomach wouldn’t have been able to handle it, not after eating prison food for so long.

A tan hand reached out, fingers gliding over the blade, “What did you give him?”

“A brush set hand-crafted from a Trolls cane.”

Puck let loose a low whistle, “Must have cost a fortune.”

Dani grabbed it and then leaned down to tuck the blade safely back into her boot, “It was worth it to see his paintings come to life.” And she meant that literally, anything crafted using a Trolls cane had the power to bring things to life. Nobody really understood why, it was just another quirk of living in Tir Na Nog.

Using the wooden spoon, I flattened the top of my porridge before digging in and taking a bite. Something about the action just felt extremely satisfying and made the food taste better. Flawed logic, yes. But it never tasted as good if left unflattened. Repeating the action, I was steadily making a dent into the bland food when Puck started speaking.

“So, what happened after you escaped?”

Glancing up, I flicked my eyes from Dani to Puck, “And that’s important to future plans, becauseee?”

The skin between his golden brows wrinkled, “Because you ran into the Commander of Mab’s elite guard and any little detail about that encounter could help us in the future.” At the mention of Cillian’s title, the urge to sneer was almost too strong to fight back but I managed, “Ran out of Slykhelm with iron chains wrapped around my body like a whores thong. Passed through pack territory while they were getting ready to battle. Got this feeling, so I followed the pull to an underground cell holding some rare shifters. Met the leader, made a deal to release each other from our chains and then I battled with them. I asked the leader, Kaiya, to join me but she’s got a hot boy-next-door mate who isn’t as pro-war so she declined. A shame really, the beast she has inside would tear through Mab’s army in the most entertaining of ways.”

Puck smiled, “Sounds like you made a friend.”

“No, she ate another shifter’s head. We’re besties.” I corrected him with what I’m sure was a manic grin. I really should make the time to visit Kaiya, something tells me she’d understand my inner turmoil.

Dani scoffed, “She eats one mesily head and suddenly she’s your best friend?”

“She also lassoed someone with an intestine that she ripped out of somebody else.” I deadpanned.

“Psh, anyone can do that.”

“Jealousy, Jealousy, Babes. It’s an ugly trait.”

Puck cleared his throat before she could yell at me, “How does that tie in with Commander Cillian?”

I rolled my eyes, “He tracked my magic to Kaiya’s cabin like the glorified guard dog he is. I was still in the area looking for a doorway back here when I felt his arrival. So, I popped in and stabbed him with a declaration of war. But I did all that before I knew I had no army to actually go to war with.”

Dani’s head tilted, “You felt him in the area?”

“That’s what I said.”

“But how did-”

“Did he do or say anything unusual? Anything at all that could give us an answer as to why he’s keeping it from Mab?” Puck interrupted.

“Maybe because he’s a bag of dicks.” An unbelievably hot bag of dicks but a bag of dicks no less.

He gave me an unimpressed look, “Then why didn’t you kill him?”

All brain activity screeched to a halt at his question,“What?”

“Why didn’t you kill him when you had the chance? It sounds like you could have, so why didn’t you?”

Well…I uh- He-It wasn’t the- Why?-Because I-, I kept my face carefully blank. It had been his idea to put me in that cell to rott for almost eight hundred years, Why the fuck hadn’t I killed him?

“How else was my declaration of war going to get to Mab?” I countered.

His head tilted, throwing golden hair across his forehead but otherwise seemed to accept that as an acceptable answer. Thank Divines. “So, nothing comes to mind?”

I debated on giving an false answer but then gave in, “Before I stabbed him, he opened his mouth to say something but I didn’t give him the chance.”

“Did it look like he was going to say something good or bad?” Dani asked, tapping her spoon against the table.

I took another bite of my porridge before saying, “I don’t know. The man’s face is as expressive as a slab of stone. Whatever it was, was bad though. He’s never had anything good to say to me.”

Growing up beneath Mab’s kingdom in a cell surrounded by actual criminals was a horrible experience in itself. Add to the fact that the Commander’s hot unemotional teenage son could do no wrong in my eyes and knew that? Yea, it made it so much worse. Cillian Grymes had known that I adored the very ground he walked on even when he pissed me off. Every attempt at speaking to the guards when he was there was shut down. Every kind thing the guards offered would be tossed out or rudely knocked away before I could get it. And whenever I yelled at him for it, he’d alway say the same cryptic thing,‘You don’t want those, Cell Bate.’ The only things he allowed to pass my cell bars where the Choco Blasts his father, Dougal, would pass me. And the Bunny Mellows he’d deliver on behalf of his father when he couldn’t make it.

I angrily chewed on another bite of porridge, I’d kick myself for the way I had acted around him but I’d been a child and even then he’d been gorgeous. The only time I got a rise out of him was when I mockingly called him Lilly and even then it had only been a furrowed brow. To him and everyone else but Dougal and Mab, I was the daughter of some random criminal Fae serving out her mother’s term because she died before it ended. He had, and still has, no idea who I truly am. And just like then, I don’t think it’d really matter either way. In his queen’s eyes, I was the enemy so I was his. And after he sent me to Slykhlem, he was mine.

“I forgot you two had history.” Dani frowned trying to gauge my reaction. She didn’t know the setting of my past but she knew the dynamic of me and Cillian’s relationship or lack thereof.

Pushing the anger aside, I grinned, “Nothing a little iron to his heart can’t fix.”

Her frown grew deeper but as always Puck had impeccable timing, “I have a vague plan as to how we’re going to rebuild your kingdom.”

“Let me guess, we’re going to go find my people group by group and give them some big truthful sales speech about why they should fight for me one last time.” I stated dryly.

Golden eyes blinked, “Well, yes and search out other groups sympathetic to the cause.”

“Little simple, don’t you think?”

“Do you have any other ideas?” He smiled broadly.

I narrowed my eyes at the little shit and flashed pointed teeth.

“That’s okay.” Puck replied, cheerily. “Besides it might be easier than you think. You already have a following. We’re going to meet the leader today.”

What? “A following? How? Last night we established that everyone hates me.”

“No, we said the younger generation didn’t know any better but the older ones know the truth. Some are too afraid to speak out but that doesn’t mean all of them are or that their children, who they told the truth to, are. Especially, since they have a trusted temporary leader.”

That is so not what he said last night. I raised a brow in confusion, “Why didn’t you start with this last night?”

“We wanted you to trust me first. So, that when we told you this you wouldn’t think it was a trap.”

Weary, I gave them a look, “Why would I think it’s a trap?”

They exchanged a glance of their own before Dani finally spoke, “Because Dougal Grymes is their leader.”

Excitement and hope rushed through me at a concerning speed but I quickly stomped it down, “No. No matter what he meant to me all those years ago, he was Mab’s right hand man for centuries and now his son is. So, are you really going to sit there and tell me that this isn’t a trap?”

“Macha. Dougal resigned from his position as the Commander of Mab’s elite guard once he heard about her plans to kill you in battle. He couldn’t go through with it. He said he didn’t have it in him to fight against you and then stand by while you died. He’s on your side, Macha. You’ll see that when we see him later.”

I shook my head, “Your trying to tell me Dougal turned his back on Mab and his eldest son for me? No fucking way.”

“It’s not a trap, I promise.” Puck said. “We need to see him, Macha. It’s the only place safe enough for you to hide out in and it’ll house all your troops. If you want to go to war against Mab and win? Then you need to trust us and you need to trust Dougal.”

I eyed them for a long time going over all the different ways this could go to shit. I obviously didn’t trust Puck but I did trust Dani and the little girl in me was screaming that Dougal could never hurt us. I was absolutely terrified that I’d end up in a cell once again but war was all about risk and if I wanted to win I needed to take some. That didn’t mean I had to make it easy for them, though.

“Fine, we go. Tomorrow and if I feel even one inkling of a trap? I’m going to start slicing and dicing until the only thing left around me is body parts, understood?”

“Understood.” They parroted.

And I hope they truly did, because I’d kill anyone including myself before I saw the inside of a cell again.

—————————————————————————

For this book, I’m planning on challenging myself by creating a more complex plot than I did for Feral Born. And lemme tell y’all the things I have planned for Macha give me an insane urge to cackle. Btw, what do y’all think of Macha and Cillians past???

As always, feel free to leave a comment on anything you enjoyed!

Smooches, Verbage💋

Chapter Four: Nostalgic Overload

As soon as the moon sat high in the sky, I sprung from the bed and started getting ready. Tugging on my pants, I buttoned them up before stuffing my feet into the shoes resting at the end of the bed. Shrugging on the black tunic I snagged from the chest, the braids I added to my royal blue hair slid over my shoulders as I laced up my leather boots. With one last tug on the laces, I stood to my full height and pulled my hair up into a high ponytail. A metal ring slithered from my finger to twist itself into a thin band before wrapping around the hair to hold it in place.

Once breakfast had finished, we stayed to talk about the less important things that I needed to know. Like which nobles fell out of favor with Mab and who made a strong political mating with who, which were rare these days but did still happen among the nobles. The day passed by in a blur of things I could’ve gone without knowing but was arguably better that I did. And before we knew it, we were parting ways after dinner to sleep in preparation for the long day tomorrow promised to be.

But I had laid awake instead, staring up at the ceiling until the walls seemed to breathe and press in around me. Everytime I’d fallen into a light sleep the image of iron cuffs and cells were waiting. So, I kept my eyes peeled and was distantly aware that paranoia had begun to seep into my thoughts the longer I stayed awake. Did Puck tell Dougal we were coming? What if they were already hatching a plan to capture me as soon as we traveled there? No, no. I couldn’t let that happen. So, I made a half baked plan that had me jumping from my bed with more energy than I knew I had the moment the moon was high.

Shrugging the double sword sheath to rest in the middle of my back, I held my hands out palms up and willed the metal to reshape into my swords. It was only a few seconds before the comforting weight of them rested in each hand. Waist chains settled against my hips with another thought as I placed my swords into the sheaths. The handles poked up over my shoulders but that was okay, subtlety wasn’t needed. Leaving the black cloak on the end of bed, I pranced from the room and down the hall until I reached number five.

Smirking, I stared down at the doorknob until a faint clicking sound hit my ears. The door silently swung open at my willed command and closed after I stepped completely into the room. Sheets swished as the person on the large bed twisted to lay on their back. So without a second thought, I took two leaps towards the bed before launching myself at the sleeping person. My knees had just hit the mattress on either side of her hips when pink eyes shot open and a shift in the air was the only warning I received. My back had barely hit her knees when a sharp rush of air surged over my body and cut the bedposts in half with a harsh crack.

I laughed at the sound of splintering wood and Dani’s shouts filling the air, “Are you insane? I almost chopped your fucking head off.”

Still laughing, I arched my back until I was sitting straight, “Good thing I’m fast then.”

“And surprisingly flexible. When did that happen?” She asked, once her breathing evened out.

Shrugging, I said, “Not a lot to do in prison for fun.” Learning how to flip over rails and bend over bars had been my one real source of entertainment. Well, that and starting riots.

“That’s not really an answer.”

“No it isn’t, is it?” I grinned.

“Why are you here?”

“It’s time to go. Get up.” I said, tipping to my side and rolling off the bed.

Propping herself up on her elbows, she arched a pink brow,“Go? Go where?”

“To meet Dougal.”

Dani shook her head, “No way it’s morning already.”

“Correct. It’s still nighttime and we’re going now.” I said, waving a hand in a hurry up motion.

Sitting up completely, she ran a hand through her black streaked curls and sighed, “Macha, it’s not a trap.”

“Good, then there’s no reason why we can’t go now.” Ripping the comforter off the bed, I continued, “Be ready and in the hall in five.”

Another long suffering sigh came from behind me as I walked to the door, making the grin on my face widen. Leaving Dani’s room, I took the two steps to the door across the hall and bent the lock to my will. Entering the room, I snorted at the sight of Puck wrapped up in cream colored sheets snoring away on his stomach with one arm dangling off the mattress. After a not so gentle kick to his hand, Puck’s eyes snapped open and he quickly scrambled back until he realized who was standing over him.

“Macha? What’s going on?” He mumbled, rubbing a hand over his bare chest.

“It’s time to go.”

A golden brow arched in curiosity, “Where?”

Divines, it’s like I’m having the same conversation all over again. “To meet Dougal. Get your shit together and meet us in the hall in five.”

“You said we were meeting him tomorrow.”

I nodded.

Blinking, he clambered to his feet, “Well, okay.”

Turning on my heel, I exited the room to wait in the small space between their wooden doors. It wasn’t more than a minute later when Dani’s door opened and she came shuffling out to stand beside me with a yawn. We stood in a comfortable silence as we waited for Puck to exit his room next. Tapping my fingers against my leather clad thigh, I took a step to the side and leaned up against the wall.

Just as I was starting to get impatient, Puck came out with a small brown pack thrown over his left shoulder. He stopped and held his elbows out in our direction, “Ladies.”

“It’s been awhile since we’ve been called that.” Dani huffed in amusement before looping her arm through his.

I hesitated for a moment and then tucked my hand into his elbow, the calluses on my palm catching on his smooth golden skin, “I think the last time was in Rome.”

“That’s right! Divines, Julius Cesar was delicious.”

“Sinfully delicious. And the things he could do with wine.” I sighed wistfully, caught in the scandalous memory.

Pink eyes narrowed, “I’m still jealous about that.”

“You slept with Julius Cesar? How old are you?” Puck questioned with a tilt of his head.

Dani gasped, “You never ask a lady her age.”

At the same time I dramatically hissed, “How dare you.”

Golden eyes widen, “I didn’t-but I just wanted-”

Raising my nose in the air, I replied, “Just travel, Puck.”

“Yea, Puck. Just travel.”

The poor Seelie sputtered for a few seconds before getting his thoughts together and closing his eyes. Dani and I looked at each other behind his back to snicker silently and then the world bottomed out beneath our feet. Traveling felt like how one would imagine going through a wormhole would feel like. Complete darkness swallowed you whole to the point where you forgot if your eyes were open or closed, paired with the feeling of floating caused extreme disorentintation. After the first thousand years though, traveling was as easy as breathing and no longer gave the Fae any sickly side effects.

Just as suddenly as it disappeared the ground solidified under my feet followed by a sharp wind that raised goose bumps along my arms. Opening my eyes, I was taking in the sight of an endless looking forest bathed in moonlight when a retching sound drew my attention. Puck had pulled his arms from our grip at some point and bent at the waist with his hands on his knees to gag. His back hunched and contracted as he tried to rid his body of the fake sickness that traveling inflected on his nervous system.

Dani placed a comforting hand on his back while I slowly spun to soak in the forest around us, seeing no civilization in sight. After accepting our destination, my heart rate spiked harshly and I shoved Dani to the side to grab Puck by the shoulder. Pulling him roughly backwards, I stuck a foot out and had a sword pointed to his throat before he could hit the ground.

“What the fuck did I say about traps?” I snapped.

The tan fled from his face as he paled considerably, “It’s not a trap! It’s a-”

“Nymph glamour.”

My head shot up in the direction of the male voice to see Calvin slinking out from between the trees. Pale skin glowed against the brown tunic he wore making the bright pink streaks in his shaggy black hair blindingly obvious. The black eyed male barely had enough time to open his arms before Dani launched herself at his slender form. They embraced tightly for a few moments and then pulled back to share a deep kiss.

A deep kiss that was only growing more intense by the minute as Calvin hefted one of Dani’s legs around his waist. Rolling my eyes, I flipped my sword into my other hand and offered my right to Puck. When his hand slid into mine, I yanked and helped him stand to his 5’10 height. With cheery ‘thanks’, Puck went about brushing the dry grass from his backside and then stared at me expectantly.

When he continued to stare, I raised a brow, “What?”

“Uh, aren’t you going to apologize?”

Laughing, I slipped my sword back into its sheath and walked over to the kissing pair. Stopping a foot away, I cleared my throat loudly and was surprised when they broke apart at the first sound. Dropping her leg, Dani moved to Calvin’s side and tucked herself underneath his arm with a blushed. Calvin however looked smug, thin lips quirking up to the side as he tightened his arm around her shoulders with an affectionate squeeze.

“Macha, it’s good to see you again.” He smiled, extending his free arm to me.

Reaching out, I clasped his forearm in greeting, “You too, Cal. Dani didn’t say you’d be here.”

“Where else would I be, My Queen?” Calvin mused, eyelashes lowering to cover black eyes as his head bowed.

The motion brought on a pang of bittersweet nostalgia to my heart, at least one person still wanted me to be their queen. The action meaning more to me than he realized, I placed my other hand on the back of his still bowed head and pressed our foreheads together. “Your loyalty will not be forgotten, Dearthair sa dli.”

He pulled back with a winced, “I told her we should’ve waited until you got out.”

“Nu-uh, you’re the one who wanted a spring ceremony.” Dani objected with a slap to his chest.

Chuckling, I waved them off before they could start bickering, “It’s fine, I’m happy for you both. Just don’t expect an invite to mine.”

“Oh, I’ll be there. Whether as a guest or a Fae up in a tree is your choice.” Dani snarked. “Hey, wait a minute. Why didn’t I get the same greeting as Calvin?”

“When’s the last time you showed a shred of formality, Babes?” I asked, a smirk curving my lips.

“Oh! So, you want to talk about formality? Was it formal when you let Julius pour wine over your-” The rest of her sentence was lost in an incomprehensible mumble as Cal slapped a hand over her mouth. Something her poor mate had to do more often than not but honestly it was just too easy to antagonize her.

Wiping the amusement from my expression, I nodded gravely, “The sacrifices a Queen must make for interdimensional relations is thee height of formality.”

Pink eyes widened and I could almost feel her jaw drop at the utter bullshit that had just left my mouth. Fucking Julius Cesar had been anything but a sacrifice. That man had oozed war from every pore and it’d been like sugar to me. I never could resist a warrior. A wicked smile tipped my lips at the memory of Cleo joining our little lust affair not long after it started.

“Are we going in?” Puck beamed, though his voice sounded a bit stressed.

One look and it was more than obvious he was uncomfortable with the direction our conversation had taken. “Find us a Nymph then, Lord Prude.” I sassed with a wave of my silver tatted hand.

Grinning in relief, Puck closed his eyes for a moment with a hum before opening them to stare directly at a tree to his left. A thrum like the low sound that came from a piano vibrated the air around us as the bark of the tree began to swirl. The portal was five feet tall and rippled like amber liquid as a woman slid from the bark to join us. Wide startling green eyes blinked at us through a veil of light brown hair that hung to her slim waist. The large leaves fashioned over pale skin that covered her intimates from view shifted teasingly on her way towards us.

The Nymph gave a suggestively shy smile, “I assume you’d all like entrance to the base?”

Her voice was a physical caress that sent shivers down my spine and goose bumps to my flesh. Mated couples were immune to the feelings a Nymph inspired but for everyone else, it took someone strong of will to resist. And judging by the way our little Seelie was shifting on his feet, he was having a hard time trying to keep his lust from tenting his trousers. I couldn’t fault him for it, though. The Nymph’s allure was rubbing up against us like a purring cat while pumping out enough desire to fuel a brothel.

“Yes, Sy.” A crack in the boy’s voice caused the rest of us to smile knowingly.

Instead of answering, Sy cupped Puck’s jaw and brought his forehead down to press a chaste kiss to his skin. The personal touch giving him the sight to see past the Nymph’s glamour and avoid the fate of wandering aimlessly through the forest for hours. Right as he sucked in a sharp breath from the touch, Sy released him to grab both Dani and Calvins hands. Lifting each one she pressed a light kiss to their knuckles, forgoing a more intimate touch in respect of their mating.

All too soon the Nymph turned to face me, her gaze running over my body like a pair of hands, “With all the rumors and stories about you, I wasn’t quite sure what to expect.”

“And now that you’ve seen me?”

Wide eyes hid beneath brown lashes as her head bowed, “That it’s an honor to side with you, My Queen.”

“Does that mean you’re going to let me in?” I replied with a tilt of my head, uncomfortable with the blind loyalty she was giving me. It was the type of loyalty I had demanded of my old subjects and it brought an ache to my chest in remembrance of my failures. Lust combined with heartache was an almost lethal combo.

A slender hand slid from my wrist to shoulder sending waves of arousal pounding through my veins. Pressing up on her toes, Sy tipped her face up to peer at me through hooded eyes. “With your permission, My Queen.”

While my body irritatingly responded to her allure, my thoughts were clear so I gave her my answer with an action. The sensitive skin of our lips brushed once, twice and then the Nymph pressed herself firmly against me. My pulse throbbed in time to the lust pouring off her body making my hands twitch with the need to pull her closer. But when the tip of her tongue nudged the seal of my lips, I pulled away. Maybe if I wasn’t so fucked in the head, I’d have actually enjoyed it.

“You really put your all into that kiss, Babes.” I grinned, blue eyes no doubt bright with desire. “But I’m older than I look and not so easily tempted.”

Sy took a step back and shrugged prettily, “You wouldn’t blame a Nymph for trying would you, My Queen?”

Catching sight of the tents littering the area in the distance, I strolled past her with a wink and fought the urge to rub at my mouth, “Never.”

I wasn’t sure what I was expecting when we arrived but this…this exceeded all of my half formed ideas. Where the view of endless trees once stood, there was now a sea of white and blue tents beside an average size lake. A scattering of Fae and other Faekind, who’d been chatting between the rows, stopped and turned to watch us. My little group strided past them confidently as I took in the sights, cautiously following them from behind. Too many Fae to fight but you’d have enough time to travel if it’s a trap. Throw up a wall of flame then travel. Quick and easy, Macha.

Guards in blue the same color of my hair bowed as I passed before going back to patrolling the perimeter. The farther into base we walked the more distracting the smell of smoking wood and seasoned vegetables became until I almost overlooked the silence. Fae creatures of all kinds poked their heads out of their tents or straightened up in their seats to watch us pass. It wasn’t long before whispers filled the silence, drowning out the sounds of our booted feet pounding the crisp grass. The tendons in my back locked up to keep me standing at the sight of so many Fae bowing in recognition of their chosen Queen.

A multitude of emotions whipped through me the closer we got to the large tent set up in the middle. The blue texture of it seemed to shimmer in the firelight but it was the male standing just inside the opening that captured my attention. Short slate gray dreads streaked with pale green contrasted beautifully against skin that was darker than his eldest sons and highlighted his masculine features. The only hint of his true age were the wrinkles at the corner of his eyes from the sincere smile pulling at his lips. Fond memories of the past crowded my mind causing my heart to squeeze painfully.

Hold it. The fuck. Together, Macha. This could still be a trap. So, what if he was like a father to you? He could still be loyal to Mab, they all could.

“Go speak to him, Macha. It’s not a trap.” Dani murmured, giving a reassuring squeeze to my elbow.

Casting a wary eye around the outside of the tent, I left our small group to take falsely confident steps into the tent. Easy, now. A quick swipe of a sword or a strong pull and your out. You’re fine, Macha.The inside of the tent was bathed in a yellow light coming from the lantern atop the wooden desk sitting front and center. Towards the back of the tent stood a screen that consealed what was probably a tub and across from that was a bed piled high with multi-colored furs. A whisper of fabric from behind had me spinning around with a hand on the hilt of my sword, the muscles of my shoulder clenched tight.

Dougal turned from letting the flap of the tent close at a much more relaxed pace. He took a few steps closer before waving his hand and creating a barrier of wind around us. For a few minutes, we stood across from each other unable to speak until the silence grew suffocating. I opened my mouth to say something, anything, whether an accusation or a heart felt hello. I wasn’t sure and then I caught sight of his outfit. It wasn’t that he was in all black, I’d only ever seen him in all black. It was because the C embroidered over his heart wasn’t purple anymore, it was a shiny royal blue. My gaze shot from the C to warm slate gray eyes as I fought to keep the prickling sensation behind mine at bay.

Water welled up along the pink rim of his eyes, spilling over when his smile grew at my expression. “It’s been so long, Fabht Siuca. Look at you, all grown up.”

My hand fell from my sword, the stinging in my eyes intensifying the longer I stared at him.

“Are you hungry?” He choked, voice thick with emotion. “I wasn’t sure if these were still your favorite but I had Orlaith make a batch just in case.”

Leaning to the side, he grabbed a plate off a low table hidden behind him and offered it to me. There on the pristine metal plate, sat five thick dark brown discs stacked in the shape of a pyramid. Choco Blasts. It was too much. Everything that had happened tonight was too much.

“Grimmy.” I released on a teary sigh.

The sound of my heart breaking was almost audible and I gave up all pretense of strength. Tears glided down my cheeks as I crashed into his chest, letting myself truly feel something for the first time in centuries. Holding me tight, the coarse hairs of his goatee brushed my temple as we sunk to our knees and mourned the time we’d lost.

—————————————————————————

Gaelic Traslation:

ifreann- Hell

fabht siúca- Sugar Bug

deartháir sa dlí- Brother in Law

Was anyone really surprised to find out Macha’s bisexual??? Cause I mean, lmao. And y’all finally met Dougal!! This whole chapter was an emotional whirlwind for Macha. I feel kinda bad, not really but kinda.

Feel free to leave a comment on something you liked or thought was interesting!

Smooches, Verbage💋

Chapter Five: Cold Hearted

~Cillian’s P.O.V.~

Incessant pounding at the door had my eyes sliding from my strategy plans to it with a scowl. Debating with myself for less than a second, I called out a permission to enter. It must be important if they were bothering me at such a late hour. As the highest ranking soldier on base, they knew better than to interrupt me for anything less than an emergency. And this damn well better be an emergency.

My expression flattened as the door hesitantly swung open despite my permission to do so. A young woman wearing a purple soldier’s tunic stepped into my office, her hand still clutching the door knob. Folding up the plans and stuffing them underneath a stack of books, I gave the nameless soldier my attention in the form of a blank stare.

“Speak.”

“Commander, apologies for the interruption but we have news on the location of Macha Tills.” The woman rushed out.

What? “Where.”

“High Tail Tavern. She was spotted by some soldiers and your brother this morning. I overheard them talking about a woman they saw and just knew that it had to be her.”

Temper spiking, I demanded, “Where are they and who else knows about this?”

“I put them in an interrogation room, Commander. With your personal experience of the enemy, I thought it best if you confirmed the identity of the woman they saw as Macha Tills before we alerted Mab.” She replied logically.

I nodded my approval and stood, “Let’s go.”

She turned to wait out in the hall as I exited my office making sure to lock it behind me. Because of the late hour the only beings we passed on our way were the Brownies, who were far more concerned with cleaning than the Fae who passed them. The woman in front of me was almost an entire head shorter than I was and seemed to cower whenever my heavy gaze landed on the back of her yellow streaked head. And she calls herself a soldier, I thought with a curl of my lip.

Stopping at the first cell of the interrogation block, she opened the door before moving aside to let me pass. Ignoring her, I walked into the room to get a good look at the soldiers who believed they saw our enemy. The room itself was bare with only a long metal table in front of the occupied chairs positioned in the middle of the room. The drain in the center of the floor, hidden underneath the table and the hook directly above it, made it obvious what type of interrogation usually went on in here. And the Fae who sat at the far end of the table, next to his battle mates, tempted me to use the room for its original purpose.

“Commander.” The men, boys really, all murmured before standing in respect of my position.

The woman closed the door behind us effectively making sure that whatever happened in this room stayed in this room. A precaution she’d soon regret.

I nodded at them, making eye contact with light green eyes that immediately darted away.

“Tell the Commander what you saw, Soldiers.” The female told them, almost vibrating in excitement.

The boy at the closest end of the table with dark purple hair spoke for them, “We went to High Tail Tavern the night before to blow off some steam, Commander. And when we left this morning, we all saw a tall woman at the edge of the forest. She had on a black cloak that covered her almost completely but it couldn’t hide the shine of her hair.”

“The color.” I commanded, eyes narrowing.

“A deep shiny royal blue, Commander.” The boy next to him answered, “But it was when Sergent Bolia overheard us talking about the woman’s tattoos that we realized who we saw.”

“Tattoos?”

The second to last boy, sitting next to the one with a shaved pastel green head, piped up, “Interlocking swirls in silver ink decorated her hands, the mark of a Slykhelm inmate, Commander.”

Anger bubbled up beneath my blank exterior, overflowing from my chest to drown the rest of my body in it. The sheer idiocy that my baby brother seemed to be capable of was almost unbelievable. Gaze drifting to Baris, I allowed the rage to reach my eyes and took great pleasure in watching him flinch. I’d given him clear instructions not to go to the tavern, to make sure he kept the others from going as well. He’d obviously chosen to ignore me.

The woman spoke, ignorant to my thoughts, “This is fantastic news, Commander. The day has come and gone but we can still search the area. See if she’s left behind a travel trail, this is it! This is the break we’ve been waiting for!”

That insufferable female better not have left a damn travel trail.

“Is this true?” I asked, looking pointedly at Baris.

“…Yes.”

“Then you know what happens next.”

Getting to his feet, Baris nodded slowly.

The female soldier took a hesitant step back as I turned to face her, “Commander?”

Without warning, I grabbed her by the face and slammed her head back repeatedly against the iron lined door. Sounds of a scuffle broke out behind me as the boys shook off their shock and began to panic. Releasing her face, the woman’s body slid to the floor leaving behind a bloody streak on the metal door. Dismissing the dead soldier, I took in the rest of the room with cold eyes. Baris was grappling with two soldiers on the ground while the other pressed himself up against a corner with wide eyes.

Keeping the scared soldier within my line of sight, I calmly walked over to the boys wrestling on the floor. Picking up a chair from the table as I went, I swung it up with both hands and rammed it into the closest boy pinning Baris to the floor. The boy dropped flat from the brutal hit to his back before rolling off to the side with a groan. Not one to waste time, I re-adjusted my hold on the chair and brought it down against the front of his face. Repeating the action, I felt the metal vibrate as it hit the soft tissue of his skin and then slammed against bone. A crack split the air seconds ahead of the blood spraying the ground around the boy’s head.

After hitting him one last time, my lip curled from the sensation of blood misting over the back of my hands. Ugh, sticky hands. Tossing the chair away, I ignored the flecks of blood and flesh flying off it to look at Baris. The idiotic boy was struggling to breathe around the hands currently wrapped around his throat. Pale green eyes held a wild glint to them as he made eye contact with me followed by a harsh nudging to my mind. While I lifted the barrier, I wished not for the first time that we had been born regular fae. Ones without this irritating ability.

Brother! Help me!

Did I or did I explicitly tell you not to go to that tavern?

His eyes bulged further, Are you serious right now? I’m dying!

I know. How sad. I’ll make sure to tell mother it was your own fault.

Face twisting into a snarl, Baris jabbed his fingers into the other boy’s eyes causing him to lose his grip with a shout. Shooting up into a sitting position, he grabbed both sides of the soldiers head and twisted it until a crunch echoed out. Shoving the body aside and getting to his feet, Baris panted and choked harshly trying to force air into his starving lungs. Waiting for him to catch his breath, I glanced at the last soldier only to find him on his knees. The boy’s arms were extended palms up and his head was tipped back to face the ceiling. Praying. He was praying to the Divines in his last moments instead of using this time to try and run or fight.

“You are such a dick.”

Slanting my eyes back to Baris, I replied, “Mother and father are too soft on you, that’s why you don’t fight back as hard as you should. You think someone else is going to jump in and save you.”

“So what? You were just going to stand there and watch me die?”

“Of course not, I would’ve stepped in once you passed out. The only people allowed to kill you are Syrus and I. It’s been decided.”

His eyes rolled to the back of his head, “Such wonderful brothers, I have.”

“Kill him.” I replied, nodding to the praying soldier.

Baris took a step towards the boy before halting, “Can’t we just let him go? I doubt he’ll tell anyone what we did.”

Tch, soft.

“He’s right! I don’t know anything!” The boy frantically shouted. “Let me go and no one will ever see me again!”

Crossing my arms over my chest, I shook my head, “No. You let him go and two weeks from now, we’ll be strung up, tortured and killed by Mab personally.”

“You can’t possibly know that.”

Feeling the anger from earlier start to creep back in, I turned to the boy in the corner. “My father, former Elite Guard Commander Dougal Grymes, is now the Commander of Macha’s Elite Guard. I took over my father’s position in order to get information directly from Mab to feed to my father. My brother is here to keep up the facade of trust between my family and Mab.-”

“Cillian!”

“Stop!” The boy cried.

“The only people who know of my involvement are in this room plus my father. And when the time comes to pick a side, the Grymes family will be drenched in royal blue.” Shifting my eyes back to Baris, I stated, “There. Now he knows too much. Kill. Him.”

“That was cold hearted, brother.” Baris spat the words at me like a curse as he walked towards the other boy.

I bristled, we were in the middle of a war and I was doing what needed to be done in order for us to survive it. If that made me cold hearted then so be it. Everything I do is for the sole purpose of seeing Mab dead and Macha seated on the throne. It didn’t matter that my future Queen hated me for tossing her into Slykhelm, it had been the only way to save her life and I’d never apologize for that.

Macha didn’t know it yet but over the next couple of months a lot of things were going to be revealed to her. If she would’ve let me speak when I found her instead of stabbing me, I’d have told her everything myself. But of course, Cell Bait was too stubborn to ever let anything go.

What made it worse though, was this new found attraction that had reared its ugly head both of the times that I’d seen her. The crazed shine to her eyes when pissed off and that almost insane joy she got when in the middle of a battle was almost seductive. I missed the days where she had been too young for me to think of her as anything other than an annoying little girl who needed my protection. Now, she was a fully developed female that hated me and for some reason that wasn’t enough to dull my attraction. I would deny it until my last breath but I was almost excited to take over as Macha’s Commander when I left Mab’s court. If it was the idea of how pissed she was going to be or the possibility of her attacking me again that excited me, I didn’t know.

But my attraction to her didn’t matter, she was going to have to do a lot of self discovery on her journey to being Queen and she didn’t need me distracting her. It was important that she won this war because unbeknownst to her, the fae of Tir Na Nog needed her now more than ever. So, I was going to put her sexy psychotic Fae warrior ass on the throne if it was the last thing I did.

“And just where in the Centaurs ass do you think you’re going?” Baris shouted.

Already halfway to the door, I said, “You made the mess, now clean it up.”

“But there’s brains everywhere!”

I shrugged, “Not my problem, Bear-Ass.”

“Mother told you to stop calling me that! I’m telling-”

The door fell shut cutting off the rest of his juvenile screams.

—————————————————————————

So, sorry for the late post Verbies! This week just got away from me. But please lmk what you think of Cillian’s P.O.V and Macha’s story so far!!! Btw I was freaking psyched to write in Cillian’s voice!

Smooches, Verbage💋

Chapter Six: Walk Away?

I wasn’t sure how long we’d spent clutching each other as if the other would suddenly disappear but I couldn’t bother to be embarrassed. Not with Dougal. He was possibly the only person in the world who truly knew me. He’d seen me covered in my own shit and piss when Mab denied me showers, saw the way my bones had almost broken through my skin some months, and had witnessed my breakdown after Mab ordered my head shaved in one of her last attempts to dehumanize me. He saw it all and hadn’t given me pity; instead he would fiercely whisper through the bars, ‘Hold on, Fahbt Siucra. This won’t always be your life. Don’t let her win.’ It had asked everything of me back then, not even three hundred years old at the time, but I had clung to my rapidly disappearing sense of self with a frenzied hope that his words inspired.

“I missed you dearly, Fabht Siúcra.” Dougal murmured, rubbing circles over my spine. “I cannot express how sorry I am for not being there that day. I knew something wasn’t right but I still left.”

“I forgave you a long time ago, it wasn’t your fault. Besides you did more for me back then than anyone else, Grimmy.” I replied, falling back on the name I’d given him as a child unable to pronounce Grymes.

He sighed heavily, “I could have done more.”

“Not without dying.”

“Nevertheless, it will always remain my greatest shame. You didn’t deserve what she did to you then or now.”

“No, I didn’t.” I agreed, pulling away so we were face to face. My chest warmed as I realized what the pale green streaks in his hair meant and grabbed his shoulder, “Would you look at that, Orlaith finally took pity on you. Congratulations.”

Shifting on his knees, he gave me a bright smile, “Took me several thousand years to capture her free spirit but it was well worth the wait.”

With his presence still ringing alarms in my mind, I got down to business,“What are you doing here, Dougal?”

“What do you mean?” He questioned before gesturing to the C on his chest. “I thought it was obvious, Fabht Siúcra. I’m here to help you win the war and reclaim your throne.”

Following my will, the metal of my swords slithered down the back of my raised arm to gather at my fingertips. “They told me you resigned as Mab’s Commander.”

“That’s correct.”

I shook my head with a heavy heart, “You and I both know that no one just resigns from such a high position. Especially, a Commander. You’re too dangerous for her to let go.” The short throwing knife grazed his throat at an angle pressing against his carotid. The threat to his life was clear, he wouldn’t survive the slash to his throat.

Humans got it wrong in their little fairy tale books. Though it was said that the extinct Divine Fae, who were the closest beings we had to gods, could only be killed by iron. It wasn’t the only way to kill a Fae, it was just the nastier way. Fae metals that were produced from the mines of Tir Na Nog and then crafted into weapons by the Unseelie, who could wield metal, also did the trick. Cut a major artery or chop off a Fae’s head with Fae metal and they’d die before their enhanced healing abilities could kick in.

Although, the human hunters and a few Fae stuck to using iron for three different reasons. First, Fae metal was impossible to hold unless you were Fae. Second, binding us in iron robbed us of our magickal abilities and our naturally enhanced strength, speed and healing making us human. Third, It’s a great metal for the torture of all Faekind. When iron pierces our flesh it burns and tingles like a son of a bitch. And if it’s injected into the bloodstream, it’s a very slow and painful death drawn out over days. It was like you could feel the iron physically eating away at the magick in your soul.

Dougal’s pulse was steady beneath the blade, “Could you really do it?”

Locking away my emotions, royal blue clashed against slate gray as I stared him down. “It’ll break whatever’s left of my heart but I will kill you. This war against Mab is too important to allow anything to blind me. I won’t repeat past mistakes. I can’t afford to give that bitch an inch.”

“Good.” He replied, after a moment of searching my eyes. “That is what is going to make you the greatest Queen this land has ever seen, Macha. The ability to make hard calls without second guessing based off your emotions. You’re ready to strike me down without a second thought because on the chance that I am Mab’s spy, then everyone here is already dead. But I’m not, she believes my loyalty is too great to ever betray her. That’s why she let me go and my son taking over helped too.”

“Exactly. Cillian is Mab’s new Commander. Do you honestly expect me to believe you’d fight against your own son? For me?” I demanded.

“My eldest is just as hard headed as his mother but I have no doubts that he’ll come to his senses soon. And you said it yourself, Fabht Siúcra. This coming war is too important to allow anything, even love to blind us. When the dust settles across Tir Na Nog you must be seated upon the throne.”

“Why,” I bit out, the blade still pressed to his throat. “I wasn’t a very good Queen the first time around.”

His expression grew tight, “If you truly believe that, then why are you here? Why are you gathering an army to fight against your mother whose power is almost equivalent to a Divine?”

I opened my mouth to immediately respond with ‘Because that bitch put me in another cell!’ when I stopped myself. That wasn’t entirely true but I had said it so often I’d convinced myself it was the driving reason behind wanting her dead. The real reason was darker and much different.

But I must have taken too long to respond because Dougal started speaking again, “Answer me this, your people believe you went to battle against Mab because she was a tyrant that needed to be stopped. The world believes you battled against Mab out of jealousy for her throne. Which is the truth?”

“You know why I did it.”

“No, I don’t think I do. Not truly.”

I frowned, “What are you playing at? You know what she did.”

Dougal shook his head, the knife digging into his neck a bit more, “Mab trusted me with a lot of things Macha but the months leading up to the battle I wasn’t privy to. She never fully trusted me when it came to you.”

“Then why are you here? Why are they all here?” I motioned aggressively to the tent opening with my free hand.

A gentle smile lit his face once more, “Out of all the Fae that I’ve seen try and bring Mab down, you’re the only one that has ever given me hope. Even when you were nothing more than a slip of a girl in a dirty cell, I knew you would be the one to finally rid us of Mab and her cruelty. It’s just meant to be, Fabht Siúcra. And all those people out there, they see hope in you for all of us. Now, why are you here?”

The grief of my failures hit deep at his words. In truth, I probably didn’t have any business trying to lead anyone into battle not after the way it ended last time but he needed to know the why. They all did. Not because I wanted to restore my reputation, I could give a fuck about that. They needed to know the truth for themselves and about who Mab really is.

Taking a deep breath, the words poured from my lips as my mind drifted into the past, “People were going missing. Banished Fae that were here one day were just gone the next as if they never existed. It started out with the ones that others wouldn’t miss and then turned into the children prone to run away. I hadn’t realized what was happening until it was too late.” My hand fell from his neck as I whispered out, “My advisors had raised concerns but I ignored them. People left the Kingdom all the time to travel or strike out on their own, I didn’t think it was anything to be concerned about. I thought I knew better than the others, that they were worrying over nothing…Until I saw them.”

“Saw who, Macha?” Dougals voice was soothing but distant.

“There used to be a village on the outskirts of my kingdom that I enjoyed going to. It had been a few months since my last visit but when I stepped into the village…it had instantly felt wrong. Front doors had been left wide open, baskets of food littered the ground, shields and swords laid in the road. It was like the whole village had just suddenly walked into the forest and it had been so silent. So silent.” Gasping in pain, I forced out the rest, “The last place I checked was the village hall. I…I had pushed open the doors and just stopped. There they were. Not the villagers but the others from the city. Forty of my citizens from elderly to child were slumped in chairs completely devoid of color. Forty of the people I swore to protect and take care of had been drained of their magic, of their souls. Dead because of my selfishness, dead because of my mother’s need to see me as nothing more than the dirt beneath her feet, dead because-because I had refused to listen to their concerns.”

Head bowed, I squeezed my eyes shut to keep the tears at bay. I didn’t have the right to cry over them when it was my fault they were dead. If I had listened, If I had questioned their disappearance…If I had looked for them. They wouldn’t be gone. They wouldn’t be dead.

“Mab drained them of their magick? That’s been outlawed since before the Divines died out. How does she even know how to do that? Are you sure?” Without looking, I knew his face would be slack in shock.

Giving a bitter laugh, I raised my head to look at him, “Dougal. What else could it have been? From their skin to their hair they were pure white and when I touched one of- one of the children she crumbled into a pile of white ash. Whatever Mab did to them in order to take their magick burned them from the inside out. And I know that it was my cunt of a mother because tied delicately around every wrist was a deep purple ribbon.”

“But why would she need to take their magick? Mab is a powerful Fae in her own right.” Getting to his feet, Dougal offered me a hand as he pondered over his own question.

Taking it, I replied, “I have no idea. After I found them, I kept the discovery to myself until I could figure out exactly what she was doing but I never did. I sent out feelers deeper into my kingdom to find out if more Fae were missing and they were. I couldn’t wait any longer. Not when I knew it was her taking them and what would happen. So, I gave my army a vague speech I don’t even remember and waged a battle against her.”

“Why not a war?”

“War needs a definite cause, a battle doesn’t. War needs an inspirational leader to get people to follow them and fight for that cause. I wasn’t fit to be Queen anymore, not after what I let happen and I had no proof of what she did. I thought I could kill Mab and walk away.”

Grey brows furrowed, “What do you mean ‘walk away’?”

“I’m tired, Dougal.”

Dougal repeated the word like he’d never heard it before, “Tired?”

Turning away from him, I slowly walked over to the bare desk and ran my fingertips over the cool wood. Keeping my back to him, I shined a light on the darkest part of my mind, “I’ve spent almost half of my life in a cell. And my whole life, lying about who I am. I can’t do it anymore. The first time I was imprisoned, I was dehumanized and humiliated on a daily basis for the crime of being born. The second time, I was tortured everyday for trying to do the right thing. And for what?” Spinning around, I threw my arms in the air in exasperation, “For what! To be painted the villain in the minds of every Fae because of my own mistakes? I don’t deserve to be anyone’s Queen, not after what happened the last time I reigned. So, yes. I will lead these people into war against Mab. And yes, I will make sure she’s dead before it’s over. But I won’t lie to these people to make it happen.”

His brows pulled together in concern, “So. What exactly are you saying?”

“I’ll tell them who I really am and about my failures the last time I went up against Mab. It will be their choice to follow me into this war. And when it’s all over if I’m still alive and they want nothing to do with me? I’ll walk away after making sure both kingdoms have a fair and just ruler.”

“But, Fabht Siúcra. You were born to be Queen, can you really give that up?” Dougal asked, disbelief coding his tone.

Dropping my ass back against the desk, I shrugged,“I was born a bastard, Dougal. Bastards are born to be nothing and have nothing. My biggest regret is forgetting that and allowing the power to go to my head. I can and will give it up if that’s what the people want. Even if they don’t, I might still walk away. I don’t deserve to rule over anyone.”

It was silent for a few seconds before Dougal snapped, “You were born to be so much more than a bastard and you’ve never had nothing even at your lowest. You will always have me, Orlaith, Dani and Calvin. So, I don’t ever want to hear you say that again. And it’s not up to you to decide what you deserve, it’s the peoples. Do you understand me, young lady?”

Taken by surprise, I spoke without thinking, “Yes, Sir.” I couldn’t remember a time when Dougal had been angry with me and it was more than a little shocking.

Gray eyes locked on mine like a heat seeking missile, “Now, you’ve made mistakes but the important thing is that you fully understand and accept those mistakes. You’re doing everything you can to avoid repeating them and that’s great, Macha. But don’t lose sight of who you are in the process. You may be tired now and the Divines know that you deserve some time to rest but don’t let that blind you to the fact that these people need you.”

“Need and want are two very different things, Dougal. They might need me to defeat Mab but they don’t want me and that’s okay.”

He shook his head vigorously, “All will be revealed soon, Fabht Siúcra. Don’t throw yourself on that sacrificial pyre you seem to be building just yet. Your fellow Fae might just surprise you.” Not giving me a chance to question that cryptic little speech, Dougal turned to grab the plate of Choco Blasts before shoving them into my hands. “Now, I’m guessing that your tiredness isn’t just emotional so you eat a few of these and then go to bed. Everything else can wait until morning.”

Steadying the plate, I gave a small smile, “We can table this discussion, Grimmy. But I doubt anything short of the Divines intervention will change my mind.”

“Oh, sweet girl.” Dougal replied, giving a pat to my cheek. “You just eat and get some rest.”

Setting the plate on the desk beside me, I snatched up one of the sugary treats and took an aggressive bite to satisfy my rumbling belly. “I’m still going to tell them the truth about everything, Dougal. No matter what.”

The air stiled around the tent as he left, “I didn’t disagree.”

———————————————————

Fabht Siúcra- Sugar bug

BOOM.

How do y’all feel about the reveal of Machas failure? Do you agree or disagree w/ her ‘I don’t deserve to rule’ attitude?

As always feel free to comment if you found anything intriguing about this chapter!

Smooches, Verbage💋

Chapter Seven: Crazy Little Blue Fish

The lash wrapped around the tender skin of my arm, metal thorns sinking into my flesh and shredding it as it was yanked back. Gritting my teeth, I forced my muscles to relax despite how everything screamed to clench in anticipation of the next lash. A crack sounded out signaling another hit before the metal spikes broke through the skin of my back. The iron chains bolted to the corners of the ceiling, holding my arms taunt, clanked as my body rocked forward. Achy shoulders from the raised position had nothing on the amount of pain coursing through my body.

“Why do you do this, Inmate?” Fearghas’s voice rang out from behind me. “Follow the rules of Slykhelm and you can live out the rest of your days without harm.”

Dropping my head forward, I released a low moan.

His boots made scraping sounds over the stone flooring as he made his way around to face me. Eyes trained on the ground in front of me, I had the unpleasure of seeing his brown shoes first. A pale hand reached up and gripped my chin, tipping my bowed head up slightly to meet his. Hard to be intimidating when the person you were trying to intimidate was taller than you, my lips quirked at the thought but I quickly suppressed it.

He squeezed my chin roughly as the fingertips of his other hand trailed from my cheek to my collarbone. Disgust rolled harshly in my gut from the sensation of his touch but I was careful. Pain was the only clear expression to be seen on my face. Dull brown eyes spent a few seconds on each part of my face, trying to piece together my features through the haze spell. Once Mab realized that she couldn’t strip me of my internal identity like she almost had when I was child, she did the next best thing. She stripped me of my outer identity. After all, it was harder for the guards to treat me humanely when they didn’t have a face to look at.

“You’ve only been here for a few years and already, your starting trouble. What was the point of attacking another inmate, hmmm?” Fearghas asked, his grip on my chin tightening further.

Twisting my wrists, I gripped the chains in my hands and muttered inaudibly.

He tilted his head with a smirk, “What was that?”

“Come closer.” I whispered, blinking heavily.

Stepping into my personal space, Fearghas’s nose was almost touching mine as he murmured, “That’s a good girl.”

Ugh, repulsive asshole.

Licking my lips, I breathed, “Because the crazy little blue fish was talking.” And then I headbudded the son of a bitch.

Laughing I watched as he stumbled backwards, blood pouring between his fingers from his freshly broken nose.

Quick as a snake, Fearghas brought his left fist back and delivered a heavy blow to my right cheekbone. “You just don’t know when to quit do you?”

Taking a beat, I straightened my spine and shook off all pretenses of exhaustion while rolling my jaw around. The pain was a dull throb that was already disappearing, without his tools the man was weak and pathetic. I’d be buried before I let him ‘break me in’.

“What are you talking about, Ugly?” I rolled my eyes dramatically. “I answered your question.”

His brown eyes narrowed before he grabbed my jaw again, “Let’s try this one more time. Why did you attack that inmate?”

“He got in the way of my movie.” I shrugged.

“You beat a man unconscious because he ruined your movie?”

“Why are you judging me? He’ll live. Besides, he learned a very important lesson today. Don’t interrupt Macha’s favorite fish movie.”

Shoving my head away, he gave me his back as he turned in small circles presumably thinking over what I’d just said. His head started shaking and then he strode to the wall behind me. Unable to see, I listened to his boots crossing the stones followed by a swishing sound that I was positive was the whip. Tilting my chin up, I literally looked down my nose at him as he moved around to stand in front of me. Pain from the earlier lashes still sung an excruciating tune but I was never one to take the easy way out.

“I don’t believe you. You like to play the crazy card, Inmate. But I think there’s another reason you attacked him.”

Yea, he said I’d be sucking his cock for the rest of his prison sentence.

“I just told you what happened,” I sighed. “That’s not my fault if you’re too stupid to understand that.”

He cracked the lash across the ground, the end of it connecting with the top of my foot. The spikes drilled between the delicate bones and had me cracking a tooth in an effort to stop my scream of agony. Rivers of blood snaked down my body from seemingly everywhere but it was the hit to my foot that had me wanting to give in. Fuck that. Nothing short of another iron stake to my chest will ever make me scream in pain again. And also, I flat out refused to give this waste of space that honor.

Fearghas tutted, “Tell the truth or things will only get worse for you.”

“You have serious trust issues, don’t you? How worse could you honestly make things for me? These injuries won’t last, as soon as you knock me out and take the cuffs off so I can heal they’ll be gone. I’m in this shit hole until my scheduled execution, you have no power.”

Instead of answering, he flipped the whip back over his shoulder tearing the flesh from my foot in the process. “I think we’re going to have a lot of fun for the duration of your sentence, Inmate. And I can’t wait to show you just how much worse it can be.”

Squeezing the chains, I grinned, “You can try.”

A long gash ripped across my abdomen, dark red blood soaking the small gray shorts covering my privates. The next hit wrapped around my upper thigh, stripping away skin and muscle as it was pulled back. Fresh tears quickly streamed down my face mixing with the sweat and blood coding my body.

“You know, I might be willing to overlook all this if you apologized.”

I kicked out with my good leg and rebroke his nose with the heel of my foot sending him flying back on his ass. “Fuck you and your mole rat ancestors, Warden. I’m not apologizing for shit.” And then I spit blood and pieces of my cracked teeth at his feet.

Scrambling up, his face twisted into an enraged snarl at the insult. Without the means to protect myself, I could only turn my head away to minimize the damage. From the corner of my vision, I watched the tip closing in on my eye and then felt the agonizing squish-

“NO!”

Panting, I cupped my left eye and scrambled back from the whip speeding towards me. It was only when my back rammed into the headboard that I realized where I was. Chills of relief raced up my arms and I smothered gasping breaths while trying to figure out if anyone had heard me. The sound of rushing blood was thunderous in my ears making it difficult to hear anything else. You’re fine, Macha. You’re in camp full of allies. It was just a dream. He’s dead. You killed him on your way out. He’s nothing.

When a shadow passed in front of the tent flap, I stilled my features into a calm if slightly embarrassed mask. Thankfully, I wasn’t drenched in sweat this time. A woman in a blue soldier’s uniform with pastel green hair and brown skin pushed the flap back and stepped inside. Her eyes searched the room first with a hand on the hilt of her sword that fell away once she realized there was no danger.

Looking me over, she asked, “Everything alright, My Queen?”

“Everything’s fine, woke up with a derrem beetle in my face. You know how it is, Babes.” I replied, ignoring the urge to deny the title she’d given me without question.

Green eyes narrowed a bit before understanding took over, “Yes, those can be quite huge. I’ll make sure the others know it’s nothing to worry about.”

“Thank you, …”

“Bria.”

“Thank you, Bria.”

She nodded and moved as if to leave but stopped instead in the doorway. Bria opened her mouth a few times looking uncertain. Not wanting to have the conversation she was probably going to start, I stayed quite. Standing there for another moment, she finally left after bowing her head and murmuring, “My Queen.”

Releasing a heavy breath, my brows furrowed at the sharp pain in my jaw making itself known. Pressing the tips of my fingers against both sides, I searched for the source of the ache but it didn’t seem to be from the outside. Tentatively, I stuck my pointer finger inside my mouth to gently feel around. The pad of my finger came across a knife like edge and with the help of my tongue, I nudged it loose. Pulling the piece from my mouth, I let it roll into my palm in order to get a good look at it. Blood inked the tips of my fingers while in my palm laid a good sized piece of my back molar.

For a long time, I could only stare at the jagged shard of tooth and then I dug in for more. Piece after piece was pulled from my gums and placed into my increasingly bloody palm. The ach in my jaw was already lessening significantly as my healing abilities kicked in. Teeth normally took about an hour to regenerate which was much longer than cuts or scratches. Which meant I now had the joyful experience of finding out how to eat with two missing back teeth.

The shattered teeth clinked in my palm as I shook them lightly. Bloody scratches to my wrists, thighs, and face weren’t new to me but cracked teeth were. In fact, I haven’t thought about that particular memory in a very long time. The torture of that day was memorable but the man who inflicted it wasn’t. Fearghas was an unremarkable man with deep seeded personal issues carrying out Mab’s orders to make my life a living hell. Making him mean anything more than a person from my past would give him a power over me that he didn’t deserve. He didn’t mean anything to me when he was ripping me apart and he didn’t mean anything to me now. My emotional talk with Dougal must have dredged that memory from the deepest pit of my mind.

I did love that movie, though. How could I forget about it?

As the sounds of the waking camp penetrated the thin tent walls, I flipped the fur covering back and slid from the bed. Crouching by the side of the short bed post, I pulled back the white rug from the tent lining to see the grass beneath. With a small nudge of my will a thick square of earth rose to hover in the air as I tossed the evidence of my cracked teeth into the hole. A two finger tap on the hovering earth sent it falling back into the hole and looking as if it was never touched.

Releasing the rug, I stood and crossed over to the side of the tent blocked by the changing screen. Taking an outfit from the chest by the empty tub, I tugged the long sleeved white tunic over my head and then shimmied my way into the brown breeches. Once my boots were on, I glanced at the mirror hanging on the changing screen. The bags under my eyes looked better than they had the other day but not by much. Pulling the metal band from my hair, I combed through the knotted strands and undid the small braids.

With the little metal rings in my hands, I twisted them into straight needles and then went about twisting them around the frizzier blue strands. When my long hair looked semi-decent, I stared down at the last thin needle laying in my palm. What if…What if I was locked in another cell? What if we lost again and Mab took me hostage? No, no. I couldn’t do that again. I needed a back up plan and it wasn’t like the metal would poison my blood. Could I really do this though? Oh, who was I kidding. If it helped me escape by death or by lock picking, I was going to do it.

Carefully, I angled the needle and pushed it under the fleshy part of my right wrist. The slight bulge of it under my skin was nearly invisible and a small bead of blood the only tell. Swiping it away with the pad of my thumb, I strapped my swords to my back and strided to the doorway. My silver waist chains locked around my hips as I went but my feet stalled out just in front of the thin tent opening, Nope. Can’t do it. Can’t do it. Spinning on my heel, I began to pace from the desk to the very thin barrier between me and all those Fae.

As soon as I leave this tent all I’m going to hear is ‘My Queen’ this and ‘My Queen’ that. Was I really prepared for that? Oh, Divines. Am I sweating?

Taking deep breaths, I flapped the front of my tunic to try and cool myself down. Relax, Macha. You’ve literally laughed in the face of torture. You can make it through today, no problem. Just whatever you do, do not explode. You need to tell them the truth, yes. But you need to do it in a way that doesn’t paint yourself to be the villain they already believe you to be. Because let’s face it, you explode and tell the truth like that. You’re going to purposely tank yourself.

Blowing out a long breath, I closed my eyes and counted to fifteen in a slow rhythm. At fifteen, I straightened my shoulders and nodded my head. Yea. I can do this. What did that little blue fish always say? Just keep swimming? Yes. Aright, bitch. Just keep swimming, don’t drown. Just keep swimming.

Amazingly, I could feel my muscles relax and my breathing even out while a small smile made its home on my face. Holy shit! This is actually working! Why haven’t I been doing this before? Humming the tune of the crazy little blue fish under my breath, I walked to the door and out into the bright sunlight of the morning.

Just keep swimming. Just keep swimming, Just keep swimming.

——————————————————————————-

Another flash of what life was like for Macha in Slykhelm, sorry if that was too graphic but I do love me some bloody scenes. Anyone starting to hate Cillian for putting her in there yet? Lol.

As always, feel free to leave a comment on whatever you liked on the chapter!

Smooches, Verbage 💋

Chapter Eight: I Am…

The sun heated my arms almost instantly causing me to pause so I could roll up my sleeves. Squinting from the brightness, I looked over the busy campsite sprawled out in front of me. Seelie, Unseelie and Fae creatures roamed about the rows eating or heading to their posts. Unsure of what to do, I kind of just stood there watching them all until the sounds of shouts and grunts called out to me. Rounding the tents, I approached the soldiers who were starting their morning warm-ups. Fighting positions yelled out by Dougal were effortlessly executed by focused looking Fae. Hidden in the shade casted by a tent, I witnessed them go through the motions of combat.

Fifty to sixty adult Fae guided their limbs through the air in slow sweeping motions. Dougal was teaching them how to perfect the forms before allowing them to speed up. Genius, really. A Fae who could land a hit correctly every single time was dangerous. An army of them would be devastating. The fighting style seen in action was precise and incredibly structured, it was actually kind of beautiful. My own style wasn’t something I could teach because it wasn’t a recognized style. I just did what felt right in the heat of the moment and since getting out of prison it had turned even more unpredictable.

A spark of gold caught my attention from beyond the practicing soldiers. Calmly walking out from the trees that kept our camp hidden was Puck. His clothes were all a light brown color except for the royal blue ribbon tied around his right bicep. My brows furrowed the longer I stared at the ribbon confused as to what it meant. Mab had placed purple ribbons on the bodies of my dead citizens but that was to taunt my newly formed kingdom. Fae normally wore the ribbons of their chosen kingdom when they couldn’t afford to embroider the crest on their clothes or if their kingdom didn’t have one yet.

My heart sank coldly into my stomach as I realized that all the Fae around me were either sporting a blue ribbon or a blue tunic. They were wearing my color as a declaration of their chosen kingdom and it brought more pain than any torture had. I could only be thankful they weren’t wearing the crest of the Banished Kingdom. That would have been a blow I wasn’t sure I’d recover from. When I’d thought it was just the patrolling guards, I didn’t think twice about the use of my color. But what was the most painful about this situation was that they didn’t even know the truth yet.

Physically shaking my head to clear it, I refocused on Puck and what he was doing. Where did he come from? Did he leave the base? His head swiveled to the left and then to the right as he checked his surroundings. Raising a blue brow, I tilted my head and shifted out of the shadows to follow. Why so paranoid, Little Seelie?

“Fabht Siúcra.”

By the Divine Tricksters beard, there goes my plan. Keeping my back to him and my eyes on Puck, I responded,“Dougal. You’ve been training them well.”

“These soldiers are newer to fighting and need more practice but they’re getting there.”

Turning my head to follow Puck’s path, I asked,“And the barrack count?”

“A hundred fresh. Roughly two hundred seasoned and,” Dougal cleared his throat before finishing, “another hundred domestic.”

Shocked, I turned to face him, “Their families are here?”

Gaze whipping around, I tried to catch sight of a child or an un-uniformed Fae walking around. I hadn’t seen any last night but then again it had been late when we arrived. What the fuck were their families doing here? This was no place for children and non-fighters.

Dougal scrubbed at his grey goatee, “I know but a lot of these soldiers followed me out of Mab’s Court. To leave their families behind would have been a death sentence.”

“I understand that but why aren’t they in a separate hidden base?” I demanded. “Everyday that they’re here, they’re at risk. Mab’s troops could find us at any time and attack without notice. They shouldn’t be here.”

He nodded gravely, “I agree, My Queen. However, we don’t have enough soldiers to properly defend both bases.”

“Don’t call me that.” I snapped.

Murmuring a curse word, I pinched the bridge of my nose and thought about the situation. First and foremost, the domestics couldn’t stay here. If the base was raided they’d be slaughtered by Mab’s soldiers without remorse. No. I couldn’t lose more people like that, more children like that to Mab. Relax, Macha. Think. Just keep swimming. Just keep swimming. Just keep swimming….

“Where are the domestics located now?”

“Wherever they set up camp but the first ring of tents are all soldiers.”

I was already shaking my head before his sentence ended, “No, they need to be moved.”

“To where?”

My eyes shot to different spots in front of me as I thought, “Move my tent to the second ring and put all the domestics in the middle. Enemy troops will make a beeline directly for my tent so they’ll be safer in the middle. If the worst happens and we’re overwhelmed then we can hold them back long enough for the domestics to travel out.”

Dougals eyes glazed over for a minute as he thought it over, “I’ll make sure the change is made immediately. It’s a good plan but not a long term one.”

“I know. We need to move them out to a secure location as soon as possible. Which means we need more troops.”

“Which means we need to start recruiting.”

I gave him a look, “And meeting with potential allies but I’m not doing shit until I tell everyone here the truth.”

“Of course, but If I might suggest doing that as soon as possible.” He asked.

Dougal was right, I couldn’t put it off. “Okay.” My fear caused the word to come out clipped.

He raised his hands in front of him with a grin, “No need to get so defensive, Fabht Siúcra.”

Rolling my eyes, I looked over my shoulder to see if Puck was still there. As I expected the paranoid looking seelie was nowhere to be found. But perhaps now was a good time to question Dougal about certain inconsistencies in Puck’s story.

Folding my features into a mask of indifference, I casually questioned, “What do you think of Puck?”

“He’s a good kid, a little young but passionate.”

“Do you trust him?”

“I do.”

Crossing my arms over my chest, I tipped my head down slightly to look him directly in the eye, “But you’ve just met.”

“Yes, but-”

“Cut the shit. He knew the nymph who let us in last night by name and you trust him. You don’t trust anyone who hasn’t proven themself to you. He’s been here before, hasn’t he?”

“I don’t know what you think-”

I cut him off again, “Of course. There’s no way he found Dani on his own or fought them off. I knew this was a trap and I still walked right into it.”

A cyclone of wind in cased us before I could travel out of the base. And air immediately began to rip sharply through my lungs from the confining circling cell. I couldn’t tell if my vision was beginning to blur or if it was an effect of the wind. But suddenly, my lungs weren’t taking in air and the back of my neck was growing uncomfortably hot. It’s not a cell. It’s not actually a cell, Macha. Be the crazy blue fish and swim!

“Stop. We chose to introduce him to you this way because his presence here needed to be kept secret for the time being. We also knew you would immediately think it was a trap.”

“So, you thought lying to me would be a good idea?” I was pretty sure I had yelled the words at him but they sounded like a whisper.

“At the time, yes. I see now, that that was a mistake.”

“Oh, do you?”

“He’s been a friend of the family for many years. Puck is loyal to what we are trying to accomplish and is here as a sign of good will.” Dougals voice was calm as if he was trying to keep me from losing my shit. Too little, too late.

I latched onto his last few words, “A sign of goodwill? A sign of goodwill from who?”

“Macha.”

My facade of sanity cracked, “FROM WHO?”

“Oberon.”

Air vacated my lungs at an incredible speed, Oberon? I should have known. He’d been trying to track me down since the day I’d been left in the outerlands. I’d always assumed it was because he wanted to use me as a hostage against Mab. But what if it wasn’t? “Why?”

“How many times must I repeat myself? Because like everyone else here, he wants to see Mab gone and you on the throne. For the good of the people, no matter the cost. And the cost will be great.”

My heart rate slowed as understanding dawned, “Puck is a representative of the Seelie Court. The Seelie are going to back us in the war.”

“They are but that’s not public knowledge yet and Puck’s not just any representative, his Oberon’s youngest son. The only reason he didn’t send his heir is because Puck begged to be here. The kid thinks you’re a hero.” He corrected with a soft look.

“Then why did I just see him sneaking around the base?” I asked, still trying to wrap my head around the fact that the Seelies were backing us.

His soft look turned into a smirk, “Him and my daughter, Bria, think they’re hiding their relationship from me.”

Should have known she was his daughter. I snorted, “Young love. How disgusting.”

“I seem to remember a certain young girl who was smitten with my eldest…”

A spark of anger flared to life in my chest and then flickered out just as quickly. “That was over a thousand years ago and I was a traumatized child. I think I was allowed a mistake or two. Besides, not to make this awkward but I still want to kill your son.”

He laughed, “Hearts are like the roaring sea, death is always a possibility.”

“I will never understand what the hell you’re saying.” I said shaking my head.

Dougal continued to laugh, “Considering this conversation just gave me whiplash, I’d say we’re even.”

“Yeah, Yeah.” I replied, cringing a bit at his use of the word whip and lash.

He dropped the air barrier with a snap of his fingers and the outside world reappeared. Everything was mostly the same, the only difference was that the amount of fae walking around had increased. I even watched as children ran past the practicing soldiers, grass stained knees pumping hard to get them where they needed to go.

“So, we’re okay? Everything’s back on track?”

Giving him a cold look, I stated, “I don’t know. Is there anything else you want to come clean about?”

Dougals face remained the picture of ease, “I am keeping two more things from you but I can’t tell you what they are just yet. It’s not harmful to you or what we’re trying to do here in any way.”

I said nothing for a moment and looked up at the clear blue sky. My chest panged at the new secrets that now laid between us. But while it hurt, I trusted that whatever he was keeping from me wasn’t to hurt me. That was obvious enough from what the Puck situation had turned out to be. Or maybe I just wasn’t as ready as I thought I was to lose Dougal.

Whatever the reason, I chose to ignore it. These past few days had gone by at warp speed, dumping new information into my lap everyday. I could either adapt and go with it or die from the overload. I wanted to be that little blue fish so badly but I was afraid that I was drowning slowly instead.

“Then, as much as your unnecessary secrets annoy me. We’re good…for now.”

“I’m glad to hear it, Fabht Siúcra.”

“Yeah. But you might not like this.” I hummed and left the shade to stand at the front of the training lines.

Dougal had just reminded me how much I hated lying and I couldn’t do it anymore. The soldiers came to a stop when they noticed that I was just standing in front of them staring. Confusion and excitement warred on many of their faces, they probably thought I was going to give some grand uplifting speech.

Grinning to hide my fear, I called out, “Do any of you have a wind ability?”

A female with half of her purple head shaved, stepped forward first, “I do, My Queen.”

Was it normal to feel like throwing up when you were about to tell the truth?

“Great, can you broadcast my words across the base?”

“I can but I need to touch you, My Queen.”

At my nod, she moved to stand beside me before pressing two fingers to the front of my tattooed throat and holding her other hand straight up into the air.

“All of you are here to help bring down Mab and for that you deserve the truth about who you’re following into war. The story Mab has spread across the land about why I went to battle against her is a lie. Nothing more than a tale to villainize me in the eyes of all Fae but the truth isn’t much better.” Whispers erupted from all around but I pushed forward, “My last name isn’t Tills and my mother wasn’t a criminal from Mab’s dungeon….My name is Macha O’Riordan and I am the first born bastard of Mab O’Riordan.”

“Under my reign as Queen of the Banished, Mab drained the magick of forty of my people including children without my knowledge. I found them in an empty village, pale white from hair to skin and when I touched them they crumbled. She left purple ribbons tied around their wrists as proof of her involvement. There had been reports of missing old people and runaways with a record. I ignored the concerns brought to me by my advisors and because of that many innocent Fae died a horrible death.”

I notched my chin up at the tense looking Fae, “I’m here to make sure that never happens again. I failed my people and that’s something I’ll have to live with for the rest of my life but I refuse to fail again. Mab needs to be stopped. Her cruelty has affected the very essence of Tir Na Nog. What once was a world of tricks, laughter and the occasional fun war is now a land filled with fear. I believe that if she is allowed to continue, she will have an even more devastating effect on our world. I don’t know what she has planned but the draining of another Fae’s magick does not bode well for any of us.”

Pausing, I allowed the words to sink into the minds of all the listening Fae. Taking one last look over the crowd in front of me, I watched expressions range from anger to fear. “I will lead you into this war with Mab and give everything to win. Some of you may have doubts about me but I am your best chance at dethroning Mab. I’m not asking that you fight for me but with me. At the end of the day, my fate is in your hands. If after the war you want me gone, I’ll disappear without complaint. If you want me as your Queen then…You’re free to leave if you choose, I’ll give you all time to digest this.”

Breaking the contact to my neck, I walked off into the nearby woods. While they needed time to absorb my little speech, I needed time to absorb the last few days.

——————————————————————————

The truth is revealed!! Is anyone else over Dougals secrets? And for all her talk of telling the truth, she sure didn’t actually enjoy it. Who else feels like throwing up when your about to tell the truth? Can you blame her though? She is a Unseelie at the end of the day….

Leave a comment if you enjoyed something about the chapter!

Smooches, Verbage💋

Chapter Nine: Progress is Progress

Two days had passed since my speech and I was now convinced it was a hallucination. None of the Fae seemed to have left or if they did the number was so small that it wasn’t obvious to me. And when we re-arranged the tents to keep the domestics safe, I didn’t feel the expected hostility in the air. There were some glares but for the most part about half of the soldiers still referred to me as Queen and wore my color. It was unsettling to say the least, but the sense of stability made it easier to think over everything.

I had accepted the fact that Puck was a representative of Oberon with ease, it actually made it easier to trust him. Oberon wouldn’t have sent one of his own children to my base if he didn’t plan on actually helping in the war against Mab. Unlike my mother, he actually cared about his children and wasn’t fond of using them as collateral damage. But what Dougal had said about the kid seeing me as some kind of hero? Yea, it made it extremely uncomfortable to be around him. I wasn’t anybody’s hero. I had to get over that though because I needed to ask how many troops his father was willing to give us.

Orange and purple light painted the evening sky, giving the Fae who were eating outside a beautiful view. Nodding to the ones I passed, I didn’t pay any attention to the obvious staring at my arms and neck. I guess now that everything had calmed down, they were starting to notice my tattoos. But while they stared or spared me a quick hello, no one had actually spoken to me yet. Besides talking to the Grymes family, Dani and a few soldiers who needed an explanation on my late night screams. I haven’t really spoken to anyone else. I had seen a few of my old citizens here and there but I’ve avoided them at every turn.

There was an upside to all of this, though. Now that everyone knew the truth about who I was and what had happened under my reign. I could actually start doing things to make this army a credible threat against the Unseelie Queen. I needed to start taking troops out to recruit and secure allies. More recruits meant more power and more power meant we’d be able to create a secure base for the domestics. Once that was handled and our numbers bolstered we could start making open attacks on her bases. Maybe even turn an ally or two against her which was why I was now on my way to Dougals tent. The faster we discussed this, the faster we could start making actual moves in this war.

Kicking a tuft of grass, I watched as it rolled around the corner of the white tents. Before I could follow after it, the soothing sound of lapping water drew my attention towards the nearby lake. A small group of Fae at the edge of the bank were using their water ability to catch fish. I actually stopped for a second to watch the way they bent the water to their will with such ease. If only I could do more with my own water ability then stop and start a downpour. Anything else required an amount of willpower that I apparently didn’t possess.

What a joke.

I was a master in metal, earth and was making slow progress with fire but water was completely out of my wheelhouse. And of course, it also had to be the ability that Mab had mastered at a young age so it irked the ever loving shit out of me. If that bitch could wield it and we shared blood, then why the hell couldn’t I? I knew my will was strong, I wouldn’t have been able to bend fire to my will if it wasn’t. Hmmmmm. Maybe like with the others, I needed to figure out what water responded to the most. Or maybe I just needed to actually practice it. I needed to practice with all my abilities again, actually. Why was I still keeping that a secret anyways?

Yanking my gaze away, I turned down the row of tents alongside the bank of the lake. Set up just a foot away from where the grass gave way to sand, the breeze coming off the lake kept the heat of the day away. Nodding hello to a passing woman and her child, I felt my heart physically melt when the small toddler giggled. Grinning back at the toddler, I willed the metal pieces in my hair to float high in the air. I must have looked crazy with my hair sticking every which way but the child laughed uproariously.

The woman bounced the child and laughed along with her until I finally lowered the pieces. Waving a goodbye, I took the last few steps to the largest tent in the row and hesitated at the wind whipping around just inside the open entrance. To wait or not to wait? Eh, he’s kept enough secrets from me for the week. Pressing my palms together, I quickly stabbed them into the wind and broke the seal of the privacy cone with forceful movements. A trick I picked up from a rather…resourceful ex.

Moving to stand just inside the tent, I took a deep breath and hummed the crazy little blue fish song in my head. But surprisingly, I found I didn’t need it. Either I was finally getting a handle on my fear of traps and cells or my mind realized there was absolutely no way a flimsy tent could hold me. Taking into consideration that I had woken up with bloody scratches on my face and covered in sweat, I was going to go with the later. Progress is progress, I mentally shrugged to myself. At least, I wasn’t going to flip out every time I entered a tent. Maybe my fear only erupted when I was surrounded by actual walls.

“After her speech, more of us are convinced that she’s the one but there is still some doubt.”

“Erick, can you honestly say you don’t trust her to lead us?” Dougals voice was calm and steady. Had he really not noticed his barrier breaking?

The unknown male voice paused, “While her honesty is refreshing, her past is concerning and so is her tie to Mab. Dougal, it was obvious she doesn’t even believe she should be Queen. Maybe we were wrong.”

“General, she has no ties to Mab. She probably hates her more than anyone else here. The Seelie and my father, Oberon, have complete faith that she is the one to lead us. You know what we do, Tir Na Nog is her right.”

That’s a weird way to word it but I appreciate the support, Babes.

I cleared my throat, startling the three males and making myself smirk, “Puck’s right. I’m the only one who has a real shot at taking Mab down. Even Oberon with all his power can’t beat her and he knows that.”

The generals eyelids lowered and he bowed his head deeply, “I didn’t mean to offend, My Queen.”

“An empty title is worse than no title, General. I don’t mind that you don’t believe in me, after all I haven’t given you anything to believe in. But know this if you all choose to make me a Queen again, I will earn it. I will do whatever the people want me to do, no matter my personal feelings.”

The General nodded in respect, his dark brown curls dancing around his head. He wore a grey tunic with dark brown trousers and a blue ribbon around his wrist.

“Make sure you spread the word that if you wear my color be sure I’ve earned it. I don’t want blindly loyal or pretend followers.” I waited for his confirmation before continuing. “Dougal, put the barrier back up.”

His grey dreads swayed as he waved his hand towards the tent wall, “Of course, and please don’t break my barrier ever again. The sensation was…very unsettling.”

Being the petty person I was I just laughed in response, my eyes taking in the room.

The layout was the same as my own except for the pieces being of a much finer quality. His wife, Orlaith, had always had a remarkable talent for wood work and baking. Her pieces were obvious to spot as she favored snowflakes and mountains carved into her work. If I remembered correctly, she made me a beautiful wooden doll that I had gotten to play with for a full hour before Mab had it burned. Thoughts of her made me realize that I still hadn’t seen her.

“Where’s Orlaith?”

“She’s been spending a lot of time in the cooking tent. Orlaith has many worries about our children’s roles in the upcoming war. Baking works best to calm her nerves.”

I hummed in sympathy, “Yea, it must be hard being a family divided.”

“All will be well.” He replied with a relaxed smile.

Puck took a step forward, demanding our attention, “Sorry to interrupt, My Queen. But was there something you wanted to tell us?”

“Have somewhere to be?” I questioned with a pointed look towards his tapping foot.

Golden eyes darted to Dougal ever so slightly before he frantically shook his head, “No. Just curious.”

“Whatever you say, Representative.”

He flushed. “Oh, uh. Dougal told you then?”

“Yup.”

Puck was quick to explain himself, “I’m sorry. We only lied because we thought that if I came to you as a Seelie representative, you would have turned me away without question. It also may have been mostly my idea to lie so please don’t blame Dougal. He didn’t want to but I was so excited to meet you. I also couldn’t take the chance that you’d turn me or my kingdoms help away.”

“Relax, I understand. I appreciate your father’s help but I’d like to hear from you why your family is choosing to help me.”

“A long time ago, like a long long time ago. My father came across something that opened his eyes to the possibilities of what Tir Na Nog could be. But he also knew that Mab would have to die in order for the world to flourish and he didn’t have the power to destroy her. So, he began to make plans and search for the Fae he believed to be the one. He believes you to be that Fae, it’s why he tried to get to you as a child. To keep you safe until this day.

Oh, the pain he would have saved me from if I hadn’t been so afraid of royals as a child. And then annoyed with Seelies hunting me as an adult.

I crossed my arms over my chest, “How many troops is he willing to commit?”

“All of them.”

“All…of them?” I parroted. That had to be half of the Seelie population. He couldn’t actually be giving me his entire army.

Puck nodded, “Well, except for a few to keep the domestics safe back in the Kingdom.”

“And just what exactly does he want in return?” I sputtered. Oh, Divines. I was going to have to marry his heir, wasn’t I? I didn’t know if it was a woman or a man, not that it really mattered but still.

“Three things, for you to visit the Seelie Court when you can but definitely before the war. And when your destiny is revealed, unlock your soul.”

Glancing at the men in the room, I questioned, “Unlock my soul? What does that mean?”

“I asked the same thing but all he told me was that you’d understand when the time came to do so.” He shrugged.

Putting that to the side for the moment, I asked, “And the third?”

“You have to match the amount of troops he’s giving.”

I laughed incredulously, “Oh, is that all?”

“Yes.”

Gritting my sharpened teeth at his perky tone, I snapped, “That was sarcasm, you flower crowned fu-”

Dougal clapped his hands together, “Okay! Puck make sure your father gets word that she’s accepted his terms. You can go now.”

My interrupted insult flew right over his golden head, “Are you sure? I can stay.”

I hissed at Pucks’ smiling face.

“No, no. Go child, go now.”

The boy causing an irrational amount of rage to course through me at the moment slipped from the tent whistling a jaunty tune. Ignoring the disturbing cat-like urge to run after him and claw out his eyes, I turned to the other two men sporting stressed expressions.

“I know,” I said. “We need to set up recruiting missions to possible close by allies immediately.”

The General ran a hand down his face with a nod, “The sooner we start the better.”

“It’s going to be hard but Oberon was right to have us match his troops. Mab has just as many soldiers as he does, we need to double that if we want to win.” Dougal’s face grew determined, “Where should we start?”

“What about the Dunns, they have an estate out here in the outerlands with about five hundred soldiers?”

I shook my head, “That’s a no go. Lord Dunn hates me.”

The men tilted their heads questioningly.

“They came to my castle once for some noble dinner or something and he spoke down at Lady Dunn in front of everyone. I politely reminded him that he should have more respect for his wife who pays their Estates taxes and is of noble blood unlike him.”

They winced.

Laughing, I remembered the look on the Lord’s face, “Yea, I sort of took his manhood in hand and crushed it in front of anyone who was anyone at the time.”

“Okay,” Dougal replied. “What about the O’Sullivans?”

The general shot him down immediately, “They won’t get on board unless the Murphy’s are and the Murphys won’t get on board unless they get a seat on the council. Which Macha can’t give them because the people haven’t decided if they want her to rule yet.”

“Let’s leave all the Fae who need more than a good speech for later.” Dougal said, tapping his foot in thought. “Who does that leave?”

The tent grew quite as we all searched our brains for a solution to our little problem. Humming the fish tune, I turned in a circle and thought it over. Who could I ask for help? Who could I convince to help us? Who…Who…Who owed me a favor?

Grinning wickedly, I spun around to face the men sending my blue hair flying over my shoulders. As soon as they looked up, I clapped my hands in glee and laughed, “I’ve got it! I don’t know why I didn’t think of this before! It’s time I collected on some deals!”

They shared a look before the General said, “I’m going to learn to hate that sparkle in her eyes, aren’t I?”

“With the passion of a thousand flames, Erick.” Dougal sighed, sounding very annoyed.

The more I thought about it the more I realized that this is exactly what I needed.

Oh, this is going to be so much fun.

“Stop cackling, Fabht Siúcra.”

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YASSSS! I DID IT! Two updates for the ones I missed and another for the one scheduled today! I worked my ass off all week for y’all so I hope that these were some good chapters! Or at least satisfying to receive an update!

Leave a comment about something you enjoy in the chapter or how you feel about the book so far if you feel like it!

Smooches, Verbage 💋

Chapter Ten: Unstable

~Cillian’s P.O.V.~

The dining hall was in full swing by the time I arrived. Uniformed Fae criss-crossed between aisles of metal tables looking for a spot to relax and socialize. The low hums of conversation were almost too much for my ears after spending most of my day alone. I’d gone over every detail of the search plans that the generals had sent me for revision before sending them off to Mab. It was how our chain of command worked and it was the perfect position for a traitor like me to be in. If questionable changes were made, Mab ordered me to speak with the generals on her behalf. If the generals suspected anything they kept their mouths shut because they were too afraid to question Mab’s decisions.

One of the newest orders Mab had given out was that Macha needed to be found immediately. We’d already been searching for her as soon as she escaped Slykhelm but things had become more urgent. Mab was becoming increasingly enraged everyday that Macha wasn’t found. Which meant small factions of soldiers were being sent out to different places around the realm to search for her. So, Mab’s once under the radar searches were about to become public knowledge. I needed to tell my father of the changes in Mab’s tactics as soon as possible, along with the locations the soldiers were going to be searching first.

Something I had wanted to do as soon as possible but if I missed dinner my team would notice. After Macha had killed the entire elite guard besides me, I had hand picked a group of highly skilled men and women to replace them. The initial thought had been that after a few centuries, I could start flipping them one by one. But it was obvious to me now, that either they were all very good liars or they would always remain loyal to Mab. A shame really but not a major problem, now I knew who to kill on my way out of Mab’s army.

Lowly ranked soldiers shuffled out of the way as I passed making it easier for me to reach the food line. Cutting to the front, I grabbed a plate of pasta smothered in green kili sauce and an unsugared ale. I couldn’t afford to have my senses dulled, not when I was this deep in enemy territory. Unfortunately, Baris didn’t feel the same need to be responsible. Forcing my features to remain cool and detached, I gazed over the scene before me.

The idiot was currently engrossed in conversation with a pretty pale skinned female. It wasn’t that he was having a bit of fun that was annoying me, it was the fact that I had seen him with this redhead more than once. Father and I had both stressed the importance of not making any attachments during our time here. But like always, Baris decided he knew best and continued to do what he wanted to do. They flashed tender smiles at each other as they ate and laughed when Baris accidentally spit food at her.

How anyone could think that repulsive show was cute, was beyond my understanding. Perhaps it was something only the idiotic understood. Why couldn’t he be more like Bria? With her I never had to worry about what secrets she may be spilling to a bedmate.

Looking away, I continued towards my table and took a seat across from Hamish. The orange haired male was our team’s master archerer and the one I disliked the least. He was quiet and kept mostly to himself but was actually good company. Out of everyone, he was the one I really wanted to flip onto Macha’s side. Not just for his skill set but because Hamish would have been an excellent shadow. Someone to keep a close eye on Macha and keep her out of trouble when I couldn’t.

“Commander.”

I nodded in response, looking around the empty table. “Where are the others?”

“Left already. Wanted to hit the taverns early since we have a free day tomorrow.”

What a waste of time this is then. “You didn’t go with them?”

Orange eyes glanced up at me from his slouched position, “Why would I?”

I just shrugged in response not having an answer to that.

Our conversation thankfully ended there and we were able to continue our dinner in silence. Giving me time to think about the updates my father was constantly announcing in my head about Macha. I had told him multiple times to stop as I didn’t need to know things like what she ate or wore that day. And why he thought I needed to know in intricate detail how she styled her hair, I was at a loss for. But, and I would take this to my grave in the stars, I was sort of disappointed that he hadn’t mentioned anything in three days. The last thing he told me about was how she rearranged the tents so the domestics in the camp would be safer.

Father thought it would be a good idea to test her on basic strategy maneuvers but I told him it was unnecessary. I knew from personal experience that she was more than capable of coming up with a cunning plan. As a child she tricked me into opening her cell a few times, only for her to rush at me with whatever she had carved into a weapon. However, conveniently enough, my father was never around when Macha played her little escape ticks. He almost never believed me when I told him anyways.

A not so gentle nudge against the walls of my mind had me sending out feelers to see who it was. For a man who was given this ability, my father always had a way of popping into our minds whenever we thought of him.

Cillian.

Chewing slowly, I looked down at my plate. Father.

We need to talk. Are you alone?

No. Give me a minute.

Standing, I gave a short nod in goodbye to Hamish. But instead of walking back to my room, I closed my eyes for a brief moment and traveled. In an instant, I felt like I was floating through a permanent abyss of space and time. My feet touched down at almost the exact same moment my eyes opened to stare into the darkness. The dark faded away to the low candle light and stone walls of my private quarters. It was small but with enough room for a bed, a small table, a dresser and a bathroom.

I’m alone. What is it? It had to be bad if my father thought I couldn’t control my reactions in public.

Did you look into what I told you about?

There hasn’t been any disappearances or runaways since Macha escaped or before that actually.

None?

None. I could look deeper but since about four centuries ago, no one has left the Unseelie Kingdom.

That’s not possible.

Well, that’s what’s been recorded in the public records.

Dig deeper, Son. And do it fast, you guys might need to come home sooner rather than later.

Absolutely, not. It’s too soon. I haven’t even received the possible strategy plans for the war yet.

I know but I think it’s time to tell Macha everything.

Brows furrowed in confusion, I began to pace the length of my small room. Why? You told me telling her everything at once was a bad idea. It was your plan to tell her the truth in pieces.

Yes, yes, I know. However…I have concerns about Macha making it to the war.

What does that mean? I questioned, coming to a dead halt.

His sigh drifted through my mind, I’ve been watching her closely since she’s arrived and she’s been acting erratic…unstable even.

She’s always been erratic and unstable. It’s Macha.

Not like this, Cillian. You haven’t seen what we have.

Concerned flowed through my veins and I began to pace again, Like?

Bria told me that almost every night, Macha wakes up screaming or yelling out. But when she’s checked on, she pretends like nothings wrong.

Macha’s not the type to admit weakness. You know that.

You sister has mentioned seeing blood on a few of those occasions and those are just the nights she does sleep. Her moods swing wildly at any given time, she barely eats and she’s severely sleep deprived. She’ll seem fine one minute and then something will trigger her out of nowhere. Luckily for us, she somehow manages to control herself before she explodes.

Then she obviously has more control over herself than you think if she can reel it back.

It’s not just that, though. She talks about walking away if the people don’t choose her as Queen. Macha carries the weight of her past mistakes like a ten ton Troll on her back. She’s going to lose it, Cillian. Any day now, something is going to trigger her and if she can’t pull herself back then she’s going to become the opposite of what we need her to be.

So, what do you want to do?

We tell her everything. She needs to face the anger she harbors against you and her past. She also needs to know what exactly we’re fighting to make her the Queen of. I’m starting to fear she thinks she’ll just become Queen of the Outerlands again.

My eyes widened in understanding of what he wasn’t saying, You want to trigger her break down.

It’s not ideal but we can’t afford to have her lose it during the more crucial parts of the war. And she needs to have a balanced mental state before she goes through the transformation.

And if triggering her breakdown also triggers her transformation?

…Her will is ironclad. She’ll take the power.

Or she’ll reject it, thinking that she’s not good enough and it’ll burn her from the inside out.

Macha needs to break down so she can rebuild herself but it’s not going to be pretty. We need her to do it on our terms so the entire plan doesn’t implode…And so the people around her don’t get hurt.

Shaking my head, I rubbed at my jaw as I thought over what my father was implying. To purposely trigger Macha’s break down was cruel, yet necessary. It wouldn’t be the first time I was forced into making a similar decision for her, so it didn’t bother me much. What did bother me was the fact that we didn’t know if by doing this we were also going to trigger her transformation. A transformation that needed peace of mind and self assurance in order for her to come out with her soul intact.

How sure are you that she is the one? That she even needs to transform to beat Mab?

She’s the one the prophecy talks about. She needs to transform and take the power not only to beat Mab but to bring our kind together once and for all.

And if she’s not, Father? She’ll burn away her entire soul trying to take power that isn’t hers.

That wouldn’t happen, Cillian. Even if she did, she wouldn’t die. What she’s going to do is not the same as what Mab is doing to those innocent fae.

My hands fisted as I snarled, showing off pointed teeth, If she loses her soul we’ll have a bigger problem than Mab on our hands. Macha without the little amount of morals that she has now, even without magick, is still a very dangerous woman.

All will be well.

What happens when it isn’t? I’ll be the one to do what you can’t, Father. Again.

The memory of her flesh giving way to the iron stake I punctured through her chest flashed in my mind’s eye. Almost killing her was one thing, actually killing her would be something else entirely. I had done a lot of dishonorable things as Mab’s Commander and I hadn’t let any of them keep me up at night. But that…that was something I wasn’t sure I’d ever be able to forgive myself for. I would and could do it, except I knew I wouldn’t be the same after.

Then what do you think we should do?

Keep with the original plan just sped up. I’ll figure out a way to split my time between here and the base. My role in this war as a double agent should be revealed to her first. I’ll have the most emotional toll on her, if she’s going to break down it’s going to be because of me.

You’re sure?

My heart picked up at the thought of seeing her in person again, Yes.

Not to sound like a Gnome, Son. But do you really think your presence will have that much of an effect on her? Mention of you, doesn’t.

Based on her last reaction to seeing me…yeah.

Then I agree. You should be the first secret revealed to her. Come when you’ve figured out a way to split your time but not this week.

I shook my head in confusion, Why not?

We’re going to start branching out looking for allies and recruits. The people haven’t accepted Macha as Queen yet so we’re going to…unusual means to require allies.

What kind of unusual means?

She wants to go collect on deals she made in the past with, who I’m guessing, are less than noble fae.

I shook my head, did this woman ever have a sane thought? She wants to gain allies by collecting on deals? That’s a horrible idea, it’ll never last.

It will…if I tell them the truth about why she needs to win this war and become Queen. After you reveal yourself, of course.

I’ll inform you before I arrive. But stay clear of the Unseelie territories around the kingdom, especially Nirabrugh, Banbha and Tiveal. Our troops will be combing through that area extensively. And one more thing, speak with Baris. He’s once again putting our safety in jeopardy and pissing me off.

That boy will be the death of me, the growled words bounced around my skull before he continued, I will speak with him again. Stay safe. No unnecessary risks.

My father’s presence left my head like a pressure slowly lifting from my brain. Turning on my heel, I dropped onto my cot and rubbed at my temples. It didn’t matter which way we went about triggering Macha’s breakdown. The effect it would have on her would be severe. I could only hope she was going to turn into who we needed her to be. Because no matter how much she pissed me off, I didn’t want the lunatic dead.

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Who’s growing irritated with Baris? Why are they talking about Macha possibly losing her soul? Are they right to trigger Macha’s breakdown? So, so, so many new questions people. Hopefully you were all were able to get to know Cillian a bit better with this chapter and his feelings about Macha so far!

Comment what you liked or a theory on what the hell Cillian and Dougal were talking about!

Smooches, Verbage 💋