A Crown of Cursed Hearts (Kingdom of Blighted Thorns #3)

10. Tempest

10

TEMPEST

I landed near the doorway to the hall outside the commander’s office.

A rider sitting in one of the chairs bolted to his feet and shot me a glare. “Fucking fae.”

Grinning, I gave him a sweeping bow. “That’s me, a fucking fae.” My laugh burst out, a touch shrill, but I wasn’t used to being anything but Nullen. “I’m here to see the commander.”

“You’ll have to wait. I’ve got an appointment with her, and she’ll—”

“Tempest?” someone said from my left.

Turning, I stared at Jessia, the team leader who’d led the raid where Kinart died.

“What are you doing here?” Her gaze fell to my neck, and she frowned. “You went to the Claiming. Last I heard, you’d gone to faerie and were claimed by the man who joined us when we raided the dregs.” Her eyes flicked away from mine. “The one where . . .”

“I’m here to see the commander,” I said. “I won’t take long. I bring startling news from faerie, something the commander needs to hear right away.”

She stepped backward into the office. “Come in. I’ll see you shortly, Davon,” she told the rider.

He huffed but sat in his chair once more, his glare raking down my back as I strode into the commander’s office.

Jessia settled in the chair behind the desk as I shut the door. “Welcome. I think.” Her face tightened. “I’m the new commander, by the way. I don’t believe you knew that when you left.”

No, because the old commander had just been eliminated by Vexxion.

“Congratulations.” I couldn’t think of anyone who’d do the job better than her.

“Thank you.” She gestured to the seat opposite her desk, and I took it. “What can I do for you? News from faerie, you said. Do you now work with the king?”

“I’m still with Vexxion, the man who claimed me.”

Her sharp gaze met mine. “The one who allowed all of us to believe he was Nullen.”

“Yes, well . . . We recently left Bledmire Court.” A diplomatic way to put it. “And what I have to tell you is going to be difficult to believe.”

Her penetrating gaze only dug deeper. “I don’t believe there’s much you can tell me that I wouldn’t believe about the fae, but please, enlighten me.” She eased back in her seat and rested her hands on the arms, though her posture remained tight.

“The fae king was working with the Lieges,” I said.

“I knew this.”

I sucked in a startled breath. “You did?”

“The prior commander kept notes in a personal diary. Let me say that what I read there not only shocked but horrified me, though I’m not sure I can believe much of it.”

Had she been offered a taste of Nullen power yet? I couldn’t delicately ask. In fact, I should spill the information and flit from here as soon as possible. She might—

“But I’ve given it considerable thought and done some delicate investigation. Ivenrail has been betraying us.” Jessia’s hand lifted before I could speak. “I’m sure you’ll report me saying this to the fae king, but I’m not afraid of anyone. Not the Lieges. Not the dregs. And not a king who appears determined to overrun Nullen territory. We’ve protected the villages from the dregs for a very long time, and I’m equally prepared to turn our forces in the opposite direction if needed to protect our people from the fae.”

“I’m fae.” I had to be honest. “I only recently discovered this.”

“You arrived here with no information about your past.” Her gaze flicked down, though she couldn’t see my lower body from where she sat. “You were horribly wounded on your thigh.” She returned her attention to my face. “Fae? I’d guess Lydel Court, then.” Her head tilted. “Are you related to the high lady herself?”

This woman had always been smart .

And I’d always trusted her.

“I’m the Lydel heir.”

She sucked in a breath. “Ah. Yes. Of course. Yet you’re collared?”

“It’s complicated.”

“Who do you ally yourself with?” The sharp edge in her voice would slice through a dreg’s spine. “The fae or us?”

“In my heart, I’m Nullen. I always will be. You know I would give my life to protect us.”

“In the past, yes. What about now?”

This woman was also much more clever than the prior commander who’d held more greed in his heart than wisdom.

“My resolve is unchanged,” I said. “That’s why I came here. King Ivenrail killed all the Lieges yesterday.” Had it only been yesterday? It felt like a lifetime ago.

Jessia sat bolt upright, her hands slamming down onto the smooth desk surface. “That’s not possible.”

“I saw their bodies lying on the ground in front of Bledmire Castle. The man who killed them is the king’s new enforcer, Kerune Vestigard.”

Her entire body sagged. “I’ve heard the name.”

“In what connotation?”

Brow furrowing, she shook her head. “I think it was . . .” Her expression cleared. “Yes, when I traveled with the group to the city, and we assisted the Nullen king.”

Kinart had been with her, but if she’d heard what he did, she’d be dead, not sitting in the fortress commander’s chair. Unless she hadn’t told anyone what she . . .

I flitted to the door and cracked it open, finding only the rider pacing around the waiting area. With a grumble, he left, striding into the hall.

After flitting to the roof above her window, I peered over the side, finding no one standing on the ground below or leaning out a window near hers. Cocking my head, I traveled, snapping my spirit around the area and only returning to my body and flitting back to her office when I was sure no one could be listening.

She jolted when I appeared in front of her, all color fading from her face. “You . . .” Her throat worked hard for her swallow. “You are fae.”

“Through and through. Do you have guards?”

“You mean those on watch on the wall?”

“Personal guards. You need at least four. Rotate their shifts. They need to remain armed at all times and watch your back.”

“You’re suggesting someone might kill me?”

“Kinart was murdered.”

She flinched. “I . . .” Her gaze fell from mine, and her face returned to its usual medium color. “I have nightmares about that raid. I keep thinking I could’ve done something to protect him. Save him. I wake up in a sweat, and I remind myself all over again. A dreg killed him, not King Ivenrail. I don’t trust any fae; I’ll make that clear. But I have a hard time believing he’d bother murdering a simple rider.”

“A rider who learned something he shouldn’t have.”

Her gaze locked on my face. “And what might that be?”

“I believe the dregs and Lieges were created from powerless Nullens.”

She sighed. “That fairy tale again? ”

“What do you mean?”

“As I said, I have the former commander’s diary. He was quite the writer. He rambled on and on about how there used to be powerless Nullens, that they were captured by the fae long ago and . . .” More color filled her face. “I can’t believe I’m telling you what he wrote, let alone giving it even a speck of credence. He actually suggested the dregs hadn’t been born in the wasteland but used to live side by side with Nullens.”

“They were called the powerless. We weren’t told the truth about our past and how and why the treaty was formed.” I filled her in on the little bit I’d read in Ember’s Shadow .

“Another book?” she asked, clearly skeptical. “One that was randomly lying around for Reyla to steal, one that contained secrets the fae would kill to protect?”

“The king, not all the fae.”

She scoffed, leaning back in her chair and shaking her head. “Fairy tales, as I said.”

“With a semblance of truth. Kinart overheard our king talking about it.”

Frowning, she tapped her chin. “Was that when he . . .” Her huff rang out. “Now you’ve almost got me believing this could be true.”

“You can believe me or not, but he killed Kinart, and I’m not letting it go.”

“Ah, so that’s why you volunteered for the Claiming. You wanted to get to the fae kingdom and that was the only way to do it. Did you really think you would be allowed to get close enough to such a powerful man to avenge Kinart’s death?”

I shrugged, not willing to outright state my plans .

“You said you had shocking information for me, and I bet it doesn’t relate to a fairy tale.”

“The king has been draining power from Nullens,” I said.

“I read about that in the diary, as well.” Her heavy sigh rang out in the room. “Us, power? I can’t believe it.”

“It’s true. Nullen power has been suppressed.” I wanted to see the former commander’s journal, but I didn’t have time. Vexxion’s wards would only hold for so long, and Ivenrail had already shown he was after us. “The old commander was sending powerful Nullens to the king. In exchange, he was allowed to taste Nullen power himself until he got greedy.”

“He mentioned that as well, how addicting it could be. I thought . . .” Her sigh rang out. “This can’t all be true, can it?”

“I believe it is. I think long ago, there were powerless Nullens and those who had some power. After the treaty, Nullen power was masked by a fae spell.”

“What kind of spell?”

“One that suppresses our magic. Not only that, but I also think Nullens are actually lesser fae and capable of so much more than you know.”

“I . . .” She glanced over her shoulder before leaning across the desk and lowering her voice. “ I can do simple magic. I thought it was a fluke.”

“You must have more power than others, enough to override the spell.”

“I’m not fae.”

“You’re sure?”

Her eyes wide, she jolted back in her chair. “I . . . It’s . . .” Her eyes closed, but only for a moment. “Alright. I’m starting to believe you.”

“The Lieges allied with Ivenrail, but when he got greedy, they argued. He decided to eliminate them and put Kerune in charge of the dregs. They’ll capture every Nullen and send them to the king to be drained.”

“Why would he do something like this?”

And here was where this became tricky. She had to know this if she had any chance of helping Nullens on this side of our territory, but how she handled the knowledge could result in her death.

“He hopes to gather enough power to rule the world,” I said. “If I were you, I wouldn’t share this information widely. Get those guards in place and listen but don’t share what you learn. I came here to warn you because what you’ll be dealing with soon is enough to alarm every commander along the border, and that’s where your focus needs to be.”

I expected her to laugh at my words. But she only nodded slowly, her gaze lifting to meet mine. “What exactly do you think we’ll be dealing with soon? More dregs than we’ve ever seen before are already swarming along the border. Some days, we have to send three flights to defend the villagers. Is that what you mean? We lead raids to take back Nullens almost daily now.”

“Ivenrail tried to give them magical power, but it didn’t work.” I’d thought and thought about why it might not have stuck. If they truly were powerless Nullens, it could be that they were not capable of absorbing magic.

“Power?” she gasped. “If they can fight with magic, we’re done. I’m not one to give up easily. You know that. But we can’t battle magic with swords and blades. But wait. You said it didn’t work. They don’t have magic. I can be grateful for that.”

“Unfortunately, he was still able to alter the dregs.”

Her head tilted. “In what way?”

“Ivenrail gave them wings.”

She grunted, and her breath whooshed out. “I already knew that.”