Court of Nightmares and Ruin

Chapter 7

Icelyn

The urge to jump on Nero and fly as far away from here as possible was nearly overwhelming, but who was I kidding? I could go nowhere to escape the king of the Night Realm.

Ellie glanced my way with sorrow-stricken eyes as she stuffed the remainder of my belongings into a satchel. I would survive this; there was no other option. My father and my people desperately needed my help. I still couldn't believe that the Day Realm could use iron weapons. I had never seen iron before; iron was forbidden in Gregorian, yet the blade that Kohl produced was iron.

How could the fae of the Day Realm touch such weapons? My people and all of those of Gregorian would be at their mercy, and the causalities would be catastrophic. I didn't trust Kohl or anything he said. This could all be a lie and a way to install fear in the other four courts, but what did he stand to gain by trading information for me? My head was pounding, nothing about this made any sense.

A thought crossed my mind, and I paused. Instead of dreading going to the Night Realm, I could use it in our favor. No one had ventured into the Night Realm and lived to tell about it. They had unbelievable powers and armies unlike any other, so this was my chance to see precisely how this cocky king wielded such power and possibly pass on information to my father.

I began to shove my clothes into the bag much faster and with new determination. This was exactly what we needed. I had a vital mission now. I had to discover all the secrets of the Night Realm and use the knowledge I learned from them to save my kingdom.

"Leave us, Ellie."

I turned as my father walked into my room, and Ellie bowed and quickly scurried out. He gripped my hand and motioned for me to sit on my bed.

"I have not been the best father to you, and I know that, but you, sacrificing yourself for your people and those visiting our realm... I just want you to know that I am proud of you."

My heart lurched at my father's words. Never in all my years had he ever said he was proud of me. I wanted to tell him so badly to not worry about me because I was going to spy on the Night Realm to help him win this war, but I knew exactly what he would say. He would tell me that was not a woman's job and forbid me to get involved, so for now, I would keep my scheming to myself.

I smiled at him instead with misty eyes. He leaned in and kissed me on the cheek.

"Sleep well, daughter. You will have a difficult day tomorrow." He turned to leave, and I knew this might be the last time we were together, just the two of us.

"I love you, father."

"And I, you, my princess."

***

Ruffin

I ducked as my mother hurled another heirloom across the room, shattering it to pieces as it hit the nearby wall.

"This is unbelievable! How is it possible that the king of the Night Realm shows up today, of all days, and demands that he take that little brat with him?" my mother screeched in a voice that could shatter glass.

I do not respond, mostly because she was entirely irrational when she got like this, but also because I had no idea why someone as powerful as the Night King would want someone like my sister.

"If she goes to the Night Realm, there is no way we can carry out our plan..."

Her whining was becoming tiresome, as were her fits of childish rage. Her fixation with my half-sister was borderline obsessive. Yes, Icelyn had great powers of which we do not know the extent, but my mother was crazy if she thought I would allow Icelyn to barge in and claim what was rightfully mine.

"I don't know why you are getting so worked up. Once she leaves for the Night Realm, she will never be heard from again. Hopefully, the Night Realm king will do our dirty work for us." My mother paused at my words, and her eyes took on a crazy sheen.

"You have to kill her tonight before she is allowed to leave for the Night Realm."

"Are you mad? It's not like she belongs to that pompous lion prince anymore. She belongs to the king of the Night Realm," I said the words slowly so that they would penetrate her crazed mind.

"You leave the Night King to me," she said with a mischievous grin and handed me a knife.

"Do not return without her heart."

"It will be much easier if I shift into my wolf. I can tear her to pieces in seconds," I argued with her.

"And who do you think they will blame first when they discover an animal has mauled her?" My mother gave me a cocky look as I snatched the knife from her hands and headed toward Icelyn's room.

I ensured no one saw me as I carefully turned the knob to her bedroom and entered. The room was dark, but my wolf eyes adjusted quickly, and soon I could see her clearly lying in her bed.

I approach her with the precision and ease of a predator. I ready the knife, aiming it perfectly over her heart.

"Come to kiss your sister goodnight?"

I froze as a deep, sarcastic voice disturbed the room's silence. Before I could bolt, someone grabbed my arm in a vice-like grip and pulled me into a dark portal.