The Battle of the Trees - Sword, Ring, and Crown Book Two

Chapter Ten

We bought Tylas some fruit on the way to retrieve Xavian. Luke had also removed the magic suppressing bracelet, which made him gain more color. Pixies suffer more than any other fae when cut off from their magic, and Luke was surprised that Tylas had survived so long.

We'd also bought some clothes for the him- a soft gray tunic shirt with long sleeves, which we cut holes in to accommodate his wings, and a pair of pants in a darker gray color. They fit loosely, but it was a far sight better than the rags he'd been wearing.

He'd awakened and grown strong enough to ride on Dominic's hip like a toddler, and Dominic had no trouble supporting the pixie with one arm. They were having a private conversation while they walked, and as Tylas spoke to him, Dominic's face grew more murderous. His jaw set, and his gray eyes darkened and flashed as he patted Tylas's back. Dominic looked at me, and I nodded. I didn't have to hear to know from the rage spilling from Dom that Tylas told him some of what he'd endured at the hand of others.

We would punish that Bee-Lizard if it were the last thing we did. Then, we would find all the other people that hurt our new friends and made them so thin and pitiful and make sure they paid too.

"I think we're going to need a carriage since we couldn't bring the cars inside. The countess' place is far."

"I agree," Luke said.

Xavian's mistress was a countess that lived close to the palace. I looked up at the palace, which was supposed to be my other home since Luke was the regent, and grimaced. Sure, it was beautiful, but it also felt like the symbol of a useless, puppet monarchy. If we were going to change things, we either needed to get the citizens to stop seeing the Edentrees as gods and goddesses or convince the Trees to unite and change their laws. As a new Edentree myself, I hoped to get them to work together. But, maybe I was not the best choice. My desire to eat Bealezard was not normal. The last time I'd felt such a rage and was the months after Joseph's attack, but I'd gotten over that. I'd managed to pull myself out of the dark with only a few nightmares.

Hadn't I?

Dominic had been watching my expressions turn from concern to shame to fear, and he was coming closer to me, but Ciaran cut off his approach and put his arm around me.

"You feeling okay, Princess?"

No, no I wasn't.  The oily darkness skittered within me, avoiding all attempts to fully isolate it. I was worried that he'd take me straight home if I admitted that, so I said,  "I'm fine."

Ciaran let his hand drop. "You are most definitely not fine. That thing you did in the prison. What if it's due to your-"

My reticence turned to immediate heat as my face flamed red. If he dared to talk about my condition right now, I was going to wring his neck! I flung myself forward and put my arms around Jeanne's shoulders. "I think we need to pick up some supplies and disguises before we get Xavian, don't you?"

She put her arm around me, and we walked side by side. "Are you okay?" she whispered.

"Better now," I whispered back. As we walked, I asked Jeanne for her opinion,  "Do you think Luis is right? He's always been the smart one in our operation. Maybe I should let him make all the decisions again before anyone else gets hurt."

"Allowing Luis to control your entire life would be a horrible mistake, My Lady," Elsie said. "I was much the same, allowing Mother to dictate what was appropriate. If she'd had her way, I would have married a man with a minor title and helped her gain back the dignity she'd lost when she had her girlish fling with a man with human blood."

She was right, and I was talking crazy. There was no way I could go back anymore, and Luis had thrown me away since I wouldn't listen to him. I patted Jeanne's arm sympathetically, and she put her hand over it. Elsie linked arms with me on the other side.