Lady of Shadows (Lady of Darkness #2)

Chapter 44 Scarlett

CHAPTER 44

SCARLETT

S carlett stepped into a bright meeting room. The ivory marble stones of the House of Water were smooth as glass, polished and gleaming, and there were large windows every few feet, most thrown wide open, letting in all the sunlight and the smell of the sea beyond. There was an expansive balcony with a perfect view of the harbor and the crystal clear blue sky. Large ivory pillars were interspersed throughout the room with sea blue gossamer curtains flowing gently in the breeze. She had to admit, it did rival the Fiera Palace for beauty.

She was about to ask Briar, who was still beside her, if there were ever clouds in the sky here, but the room had gone completely silent when they had appeared. Everyone in the room had stood.

And bowed to her.

She felt her cheeks flush as she said quietly, “Please. Don’t.”

Sorin was at her other side in an instant. “There are battles coming, Scarlett. There are choices to be made and loyalties to be given. We give ours to you.”

Scarlett swept her eyes over those in the room. Cyrus, Rayner, and Eliza were there, but they were among Briar’s Inner Court. She had seen the one male once or twice. She assumed he was Briar’s Second, but the others she had never met.

“Then thank you. I am humbled by your choice.” She rose on her tiptoes to kiss Sorin on his cheek as she said down the twin flame bridge, But you, my Love, never bow to me. We are equals.

What is worship but bowing before my queen? he purred back, a sinful glimmer filling his eyes.

Scarlett smirked at him. In the bedroom, you may bow all you’d like.

Briar coughed beside her, and she turned to find him with a knowing grin on his face. She winked at him as she said, “I do suppose you should introduce me to your Inner Court, Prince.”

Cyrus, Rayner, and Eliza had all returned to their seats, but Briar’s Court seemed to straighten even more. They all had the same dark skin as Briar, obviously obtained by spending every day in this beautiful sunshine. The male she had seen before looked remarkably similar to the Water Prince. He had the same icy, blue eyes and hair so blonde it was nearly white. Even his build was similar. The only real difference seemed to be that he was an inch or two shorter than Briar. “This is Sawyer, my Second,” Briar said when they came to stand in front of him. “And my younger brother.”

“Brother?” Scarlett asked, the surprise evident in her voice as she whipped her head to Briar.

“Indeed,” he said with a nod. “Although not quite as handsome, wouldn’t you agree?”

Scarlett laughed, turning back to Sawyer. “I am so sorry you had to grow up with this as a role model,” she said, jerking her thumb at Briar.

Sawyer seemed unsure whether he should laugh with her or stay at attention. Briar clapped him on the shoulder. “Relax, Brother. I told you she is a delight, especially when she squeezes Sorin’s balls.”

A familiar twinkle entered Sawyer’s eyes at that. A twinkle that told Scarlett Briar and Sawyer were similar in more ways than one. She laughed again as they moved towards the other male. His hair was a sandy blonde color, and his eyes were a heavenly shade of turquoise. He was muscular and had a hard look about him. “This hard ass is the Commander of my armies, Nakoa,” Briar said.

Nakoa gave a nod of his head to Scarlett, and Sorin chimed in down the bond.

He is also Eliza’s occasional lover.

It took every bit of self-control not to react to that bit of news. Eliza had never told her she had a current lover and certainly not that said lover was the Commander of the Water Court’s armies.

They often work closely together to train our armies. Nakoa actually trained Eliza when she became more skilled than most here.

She tucked that information away as she followed Briar to the female next to Nakoa. All these little tidbits of information. Sorin needed to fill her in on everything if she were to actually lead these Courts.

The female before her now was beautiful. Not the stunning, ethereal beauty of Princess Ashtine, but a graceful, simple beauty. Her light golden hair was braided down her back, but she didn’t have the blue eyes of the others. Hers were a soft gray, like the color of stormy skies over the sea. “This is Neve, my Third.”

“I have heard much about you,” Neve said, giving a slight bow of her head.

“Don’t believe a word this one has to say about me,” Scarlett scoffed with a smile. “He’s still irked I threw fire at him.”

Neve laughed with a smile that filled her eyes. Turning to Briar, she said, “She is as enchanting as you described, Prince.”

“I do not think I could ever do her justice. There really is no way to quite describe Queen Scarlett,” Briar replied with a wink.

Scarlett stuck her tongue out at him as she interlaced her fingers with Sorin’s, and she let him lead her back to the head of the table. Tea and sandwiches, along with fruit and cheese, appeared on the table, and they all took seats. Sorin took the seat to her right, and Briar took a seat to her left.

“Right then,” Scarlett said, holding her chin a bit higher. “I don’t know how Talwyn ran things. Honestly, I don’t care. I don’t care about ranks or titles. In this room, in these Courts, we are all on the same playing field. You are free to speak and share your thoughts. We make decisions that concern these two Courts together.”

She could feel pride emanating from Sorin and Briar beside her. The Fire Court’s eyes held only respect. Nakoa’s eyes were slightly doubtful, but that was to be expected when he’d only just met her.

“I am assuming you two were filled in on the happenings this morning from Sawyer?” she asked, addressing Nakoa and Neve.

A feline smile spread across Neve’s lips. “Oh, we watched. You really handled her quite spectacularly if I do say so myself.”

The confusion must have flitted across Scarlett’s face because Sorin said beside her, “Remember when I told you of Water Gazers?”

Understanding flooded through her as she turned to Briar. “You created a water mirror for them? Where?”

“My crystal clear water glass, of course,” he said with a wink.

“Wonderful,” Scarlett breathed. “Less to explain then.”

“You honestly think,” came Sawyer’s voice next to Briar, “that the High Witch will come to a summit?”

“The High Witch doesn’t give a fuck about the rest of the world,” Nakoa said coolly from down the table, and in that instant, Scarlett saw exactly why he and Eliza were casual lovers.

“I didn’t say she would be enthused by the idea,” Scarlett retorted. “But, yes, she will come.”

“What makes you so sure?” Nakoa shot back, his turquoise eyes full of challenge.

She felt Sorin suck in a breath beside her, as she’d often heard Cassius do when someone challenged her. A smug smile formed on her lips, and she propped her head on her hand as she replied sweetly, “Because I know where the High Witch’s son is, and she has asked me to bring him home. She owes me a debt.”

The entire room went still and silent, except for Briar to her left, who chuckled. “I swear to Anahita, Scarlett, sometimes I think you hold back information just to reveal it at the time it will cause the most dramatics.”

But some of the others did not seem nearly as amused. “The Witches do not allow their sons to live,” Nakoa sneered. “At least not powerful ones, which I would expect a High Witch’s son to be.”

“Oh, he is,” Scarlett said, her eyes settling on Sorin, who was watching her carefully. “He is incredibly powerful. He created wards in the human lands with very little training.”

Understanding dawned as he breathed, “Cassius.”

She nodded at him as she continued. “We need to get him out of there. We leave in two days, but before we go, I need to visit Hazel.”

Sorin’s eyes widened as Cyrus exclaimed from his side, “You’re going back to the Witch Kingdoms? We just got you out of there!”

Scarlett’s eyes slid to Cyrus. “Rayner will tell you the High Witch was perfectly agreeable when I was there before. I really do not understand why there is so much fear of them.” She reached casually for a cucumber sandwich and took a bite, while every one of the Fae in the room looked at her with disbelief.

It was Sorin who cleared his throat and ventured, “Scarlett, the Witches are notorious for swinging swords first and asking questions later. They do not hesitate to kill for the slightest offense. Not to mention they are incredibly powerful. The fact that you entered their lands without permission and left without even a scratch is unheard of. They have sent heads back without the bodies to prove outsiders are not welcome. I truly do not know how you did it.”

“But she didn’t even threaten me. She wasn’t exactly pleasant, but she escorted me to the Oracle herself,” Scarlett argued, taking another bite of her sandwich.

“Yes, but she addressed you as Majesty,” Rayner cut in with his quiet, calculating voice. “She appeared to have already known you were a queen before you had even accepted it yourself. She would be a fool to attack a Fae Queen.”

“Then I shall be safe this time as well,” Scarlett countered.

“You cannot just go to the Witch Kingdoms, Scarlett. Going there requires weeks of correspondence and arrangements being made,” Sorin said.

“I do not have that kind of time,” Scarlett answered calmly. “She will see me.”

“It is just not how things are done,” Sorin countered.

She could hear the exasperation and frustration in his voice. She didn’t care. She carefully set her half-eaten sandwich on a napkin before her, then she slowly met his stare. “I am not asking for your permission, Sorin.” Her voice was low and sharp. The others in the room had fallen silent.

“What happened to everyone in this room having a say?” he bit back through gritted teeth. Turning to the rest of the table, he asked, “Who here thinks this needs more planning?”

“The Witch Kingdoms are unreliable and perilous,” Eliza cut in. “It would be incredibly risky to go without an invitation.”

“I am going,” Scarlett said, finality ringing in her tone. “Yes, everyone here has a say, but everyone here is also free to make their own choices, including me.”

“Then why even have this council?” Sorin seethed.

“Sorin, I cannot leave him there any longer! I need you to come to Baylorin with me, and I need you to be able to access your magic. The High Witch may be able to help with that.” She stared into his golden eyes. She could feel everyone’s eyes on them. “I do not make this choice to be brash and na?ve. I make it because I need you with me when we go get Cassius… And when we face Mikale.”

She had never spoken so plainly. She had never spoken so boldly of her needs. The Assassin Lord had drilled into her that to need was to show weakness. Never reveal your weaknesses. Better yet, don’t have any. But she knew she could not face Mikale alone, not again. So she laid herself bare before him. She needed him, and she needed Cassius.

Sorin breathed out a heavy sigh. “Then I am going with you to the Witch Kingdoms.”

She threw a knowing look at Briar, who was trying his best to hide the smile that played at his lips as he sat quietly beside her. “The Witches hate males, and I can’t entirely say that I blame them when you get so fucking overprotective,” Scarlett grumbled, crossing her arms and sitting back in her chair. At the narrowing of Sorin’s eyes, she added, “I’ll take Eliza and Neve with me if it will make you feel better.”

“No,” Sorin answered flatly.

“No?” Scarlett asked, with a tilt of her head.

“You are free to make your choices, my Queen , and so am I, according to what you just said. I will either go with you, or I will go on my own.”

“Then I guess we are going on an adventure,” Scarlett replied sweetly.