The Dark Fae (The World of Fae #1)(36)

“Do it for me, Deveron. They may allow you safe passage. They may want you to leave, but they wouldn’t arrest you. Then you’ll know how they treat me, too. And whether I’ll need rescuing.”

He pulled his medallion over his head, then slipped it into his breech’s pocket. “The things I do for you.”

She smiled and handed him the sphinx medallion. He might have been of the dark fae hunter class, but she’d found a true friend with the fae. “Let’s go, before I change my mind.”

“We’ll walk slowly to give you time.”

She chuckled. “I’ll walk slowly so I don’t collapse. When will I ever get used to fae travel?”

Before either of them could say another word, boots crashed through the underbrush from seemingly every direction, surrounding them.

The predominantly blond male fae appeared, every one of them armed with bows and arrows. Of these, five wore golden medallions embossed with the dragon—dragon fae royalty.





CHAPTER 18





A woman called out amongst the dragon fae as the men quickly surrounded Alicia and Deveron—weapons readied. “She’s the one. Princess Alicia. Don’t harm her.” Countess Salimina?

Alicia and Deveron stood their ground on the path to Crislis Castle, their hands locked together as if that could save them now.

One of the male royals snickered. “She doesn’t look like the princess to me.”

“She looks just like her mother, Prince Grotto. And the king will have your head if you harm her,” the countess said.

The countess curtsied to Alicia, and she returned the gesture, hoping she’d mastered the gesture with some dignity. “Thank goodness you finally arrived. King Tibero had ordered his soldiers to attack the sphinx castle…” The countess finally seemed to take notice of Deveron. “Who is he?”

“He’s my friend, Deveron.” Alicia squeezed his hand. “If it were not for him, I wouldn’t have ever made it here. I can’t fae travel like you can.”

The countess’s lips parted, then she frowned. “Oh, my heavens. I should have realized you were…” She paused, then said, “Seventeen. Oh…oh…oh, I could have started a war all because I left you behind and…”

Alicia shook her head. “It’s all right. Deveron brought me. All is well.” If she could get her mother and be out of here, then all would be truly well.

The countess glared at Deveron, which surprised Alicia. Weren’t the sphinx fae supposed to be neutral? Then she realized that the sphinx fae had imprisoned both she and the countess. “He had nothing to do with imprisoning us,” Alicia quickly said, hoping to dispel the notion that Deveron was their enemy. “And once he found me trying to escape, he aided me.”

The countess’s expression toward Deveron didn’t change. Alicia’s skin chilled.

“We must get you inside the castle before anything else goes wrong.”

“To see my mother? She is here, right?” If she wasn’t, Alicia would have Deveron transport her back to the sphinx castle at once.

“She is.”

Alicia breathed a guarded sigh of relief.

“But it is King Tibero who wishes to see you at once, first of all.”

The party walked down the path leading to Crislis Castle. Then she had a thought. She turned to Deveron. “Thank you for escorting me here. Maybe I can see you again soon.”

“King Tibero will want to thank him personally.” The countess’s tone of voice was icy.

Alicia tugged at Deveron’s hand. Then she whispered in his ear. “Go, Deveron. I fear this will not go well for you, but I must see my mother.”

His face remained grim and unyielding. “I have to know what they intend to do with you,” he whispered back.

Stubborn dark fae.

They reached the outskirts of the forest and beyond this, a castle loomed, surrounded by a blue stone wall that reached upward more than sixty feet. It nearly blended with the cloudless sky. Flags embossed with the emblem of the golden dragon waved above thirteen towers. All along the guard walk, soldiers dressed in golden tunics watched them approach. Courtiers, too, some of them female, dressed in colorful silky gowns, stood high above, observing the spectacle.

So Alicia served once again as the entertainment for a fae court. Only this time for her own kind…so it would seem. Or at least her fae kind half.

She held her head high as the countess walked on one side of her and Deveron stayed on her right side. He held on tightly to her hand and she envisioned he not only wished to comfort her—certainly she felt distressed—but also might have the notion to transport her away from harm if need be.

She imagined the dragon fae would not like to see her friendship with any fae that was not dragon at the moment however.

The countess motioned to the blond haired, green-eyed man who had said Alicia didn’t look like the princess as he led the cavalcade. “Prince Grotto is your cousin, once removed, Princess Alicia. One of your mother’s aunts’ sons.”

Before this, Alicia had thought her mother was an only child…and she learned she was, but she also never thought she had any uncles or aunts…and therefore no cousins, removed or otherwise.

The countess added, “He was the next in line to inherit the throne until your mother returned. Now you are.”