Usurper by Farrell Claire

Author:Farrell, Claire [Farrell, Claire]
Language: eng
Format: mobi
Tags: Horror, Dark Fantasy, Romance, Fantasy, Genre Fiction, Literature & Fiction
Published: 2014-11-18T14:00:00+00:00

Chapter Sixteen

Tears welled in my eyes at the sound of Realtín’s keening.

“Don’t go,” she said between sobs. “Stay here where it’s safe.”

“You know I can’t,” I said, trying to hold off her damp kisses. “And you’ll see me again.”

“I won’t. I won’t! You won’t come back. You’ll disappear again.”

I took a deep breath, snatched her out of the air, and held her close to me so I could gaze into her red beady eyes. “If I don’t come back, you’ll visit me. No matter what happens, you’re a free sprite. You can go anywhere you like.”

“You’ll let us come to you?”

I nodded. “I promise you can visit me wherever I go.”

“But what if you die?” she whispered, her body still shaking.

“Then you’ll have to make sure Scarlet is okay. I mean it, Realtín. If I die, you have to swear you’ll look out for her.”

“Of course.” Her lips trembled. “But you mustn’t die. It would be a waste… after everything.”

Brendan stepped into the hallway with Grim.

Realtín flew at her king’s face and beat on his cheeks with her tiny fists. “If you let her die, I’ll… I’ll…”

Brendan gave the sprite an indulgent grin as he pried her away from him. He held her at a distance and looked at me as he said, “Nothing bad will happen to Cara. She’ll be surrounded by soldiers… and friends.”

“But what if—”

“Realtín.” His tone was sterner. “The fae shoved Cara off a cliff, and instead of falling, she flew. Do you really think this was all for nothing? That the gods themselves would let her down now?”

Realtín stilled her wings and fists then shook her head.

“Exactly,” Brendan said, and he even sounded confident. “She’s destined for a long life. After all, she isn’t done changing us yet.”

He handed Realtín to me, patted me on the shoulder, and went on his way. I stared after him in surprise, unable to hide my smile.

“Careful,” Grim said. “On some levels, people never change. You wouldn’t be the first to fall to his charm.”

I grinned. “Didn’t you hear him? I don’t fall; I fly.”

“Cara…” he said warningly.

“I know. I know.” I knelt beside Grim, laughing as Realtín tickled the back of my neck. “He wants a plaything, and I’m the safest one around.”

Grim frowned. “I don’t know that he sees you as a plaything anymore. That change might be far more dangerous. I’m worried that tensions between Brendan and Drake will…” He glanced at Realtín. “I’m afraid it will be awkward for you.”

“I’m married to my daughter’s great-grandfather. Life can’t get much more awkward than this, Grim.” I laid my palm against his cheek. “I’ll protect myself.”

He hugged me and whispered in my ear, “You’ll die to protect her. The lore masters found something. I wanted you to know before you left. There was a time, long ago, when a god threatened to destroy the realm.”

“But it didn’t work,” I said. “The realm is still here. That means we can do it twice.”

“You don’t understand. We haven’t tracked down all of the manuscripts yet, but according to the lore masters, it was a long, hard battle.

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