Moon's Flower (Kingdom, #6)

That was a lie, Galeta detested being closer to the sun than she need be. A fairy’s power was strong, Galeta’s stronger than them all, but their power paled in comparison to the strength of the radiant star.

“Odd,” her dulcet voice prickled the head mistress’ flesh, “but you’ve never visited before. To what do I owe this honor?” she asked, flicking her fingers at the table as if to say, ‘serve yourself’.

Taking a cucumber and cream cheese sandwich from off the tray, Galeta first nibbled on it before saying, “not that I haven’t wanted to, sun dear, but my duties as mistress often keeps me from pleasure.”

A knowing look crossed the sun’s face, but she said nothing to that, only glanced at the snail before looking back at Galeta. Making sure her cloak of shadow shielded every inch of her, because she was certain that what she was about to relate might make the sun suddenly forget the presence of two frail fairies, she smiled.

“I come with a matter of the gravest sort.”

Narrowing clear amber eyes, Siria nodded. “Go on.”

June started shaking even harder. A distraction that set Galeta’s teeth on edge. Kicking her shin hard enough to make the snail sit up and shout “Ouch”, Galeta lifted a brow and nodded.

“We’ve news of the Moon.”

Siria went absolutely still and Galeta had the terrible sensation that the calm was merely a fa?ade that hid the fury behind it. Few knew, or were old enough to remember, the love affair Siria and Jericho had once shared. Not only did Galeta know, but she also knew that Siria’s strange attachment to the man bordered on obsession.

“What of him?” Her voice was cold and cutting, lacking the warmth of earlier. “I heard he traveled to your glen last month, and that he… vanished,” she laughed with a sound that lacked mirth, “at some point. I hope he did not cause you trouble.”

Turning to June, Galeta quirked her brow. Let the snail deal with the sun’s wrath.

Realizing she’d been cued, June jerked in her seat. She’d not deigned to touch any of the food or drink, her hands fiddled on her lap.

“He…”

She swallowed hard, and if Galeta was capable of feeling sympathy she might have given a damn, but she did not. The snail had hidden Calanthe’s escapades, making her at the very least an accomplice in the filthy matter.

“Oh, spit it out!” Galeta sneered, at her breaking point with the nervous fairy.

“He and Calanthe had a tryst,” June whispered miserably, hanging her head so low her jaw scraped her chest.

And just as Galeta suspected, the veneer of Siria’s patience melted in the heat of her anger. Fire erupted from her pores, turning her into a living pillar of flame.

“Tryst?” she shrieked, rocking the very foundation beneath their feet.

Few things bothered The Blue, but she must admit that this was one of them. Poor June hadn’t cloaked herself in near enough shadow in time, her pale skin turned an immediate shade of blistering red.

Whimpering, she tugged at the shadow so tight that she was little more than a barely visible blur within the darkness.

Swallowing a bite of the sandwich which now tasted of sand, Galeta waited until the fire of Siria’s flame had exhausted itself.

After what felt like hours, the sun took a deep breath. “I knew he’d done something, but he’s always so secretive. My crows saw him disappear, I knew it, that worthless, vile…” She bit her tongue and Galeta knew she wasn’t actually talking to them.

Finally Siria turned a gimlet eye on her. “I want the fairy’s head.”

Grabbing a scone, and spreading honeyed butter onto it, gave Galeta time to think of her reply. As much as she might wish to give Calanthe over to Siria, it wasn’t within her power to grant. To do such a thing would force The Ten to strip her of her title. No, but there were other ways to exact revenge.

“I cannot kill her, nor can you.”

Siria hissed. “Do not tell me what I can and cannot do. Either give me the fairy, or I shall curse your land.” The sun’s laughter was biting. “But you knew that, didn’t you? I’ve heard all about you, Blue, the way you covet power. How you stomp your enemies beneath your slippered foot.” She snorted. “What has this fairy done to you to expose her in such a way?”

Calanthe was reckless and wild, but more than that, Calanthe had power. And she didn’t mean in the physical sense only, fairies fell under the roses spell, that June had broken faith with her was a rarity. Part of the reason why Galeta had never been able to punish Calanthe as she so richly deserved was that none would ever speak out against her. Because what Galeta saw as reckless, they saw as endearing. What others saw as na?ve, Galeta understood to be ruthless cunning masked as something more benevolent.

Since her birth, Calanthe had lulled hundreds under her spell. Why even the Moon itself had fallen prey to her charms. It was time for the child to learn a lesson and that was that in this life there were consequences to ones actions.