Moon's Flower (Kingdom, #6)

June moaned.

“The reasons are my own. Whether she deserves it, you know that she does. A fairy is never to know a man, it is treason. The mere fact that she knew your man,” she let that word dangle for a bit, just to drive her point home, “is unpardonable.”

Siria’s nostrils flared as her fingers dug into the table. Clearly Galeta had hit a nerve, she swallowed the smile that threatened to expose her giddiness.

“That she does,” Siria nodded. “And that one,” she glanced at June from the corner of her eye, “can she be trusted?”

The ball of shadow tucked further into itself.

“She doesn’t have a choice,” Galeta finally let loose the smile, “do you, June? Speak of this, and I swear I shall strip your wings.”

And that was a threat the wee fairy knew Galeta would keep, it was a punishment she’d happily meted out many times before.

“I’ll keep my mouth shut, ma’am.”

“And The Ten?” Siria quirked a blond brow. “Won’t they need to vote on her punishment?”

It didn’t surprise Galeta that Siria knew so much of her world, or the power structure behind it. The sun knew all.

“They’ll learn all… in due time.” She smirked. “Better to ask forgiveness later than permission first.”

“You said you would not harm her,” June finally found her spine, speaking up forcefully for the first time since arriving here.

“No,” Galeta shook her head, “if you recall I never agreed to that, you heard what you wanted to hear, June, and should I hear that you’ve warned her, well…” she stared at her dagger-like claws, “you should not enjoy the outcome.”

Siria’s smile spread like sun-warmed honey. “Jericho’s confinement ends in two weeks. I suspect he shall try to return to her. This then is what we shall do…”

And after they’d made their plans and Galeta and June flew back to their glen, The Blue laughed because the plan was so positively devilish that it put many of Galeta’s initial ideas to shame. Scorning the sun had been a very, very bad idea.

The flower fairy would never know what hit her.

And after tomorrow, no fairy would ever dare to compromise Galeta’s rules again.





Chapter 7


“Bloody hell,” Genevieve squeaked and then jerked when she realized what had flown out of her mouth around the children. “I mean,” she clamped a hand over her lips and Danika merely shook her head with amusement.

The children’s mouths were agog, but not at Genevieve, rather at the scene depicted before them. And once the scene disappeared they began peering around their shoulders with watchful, fearful eyes, as if speaking of The Blue in such an ugly manner might manifest the mistress shrew herself.

Danika laughed. “Do not worry children, The Blue cannot harm you here. I’m simply relaying a story, a true tale that she cannot deny as there are many witnesses still alive to attest to its veracity.”

“But June,” the primrose wailed, “how could she do that to Calanthe?”

Sighing loudly, Danika tossed up her hands. “I’ve thought long and hard on that question for ages, at first it used to make me very angry. That a love so pure, so true was besmirched as it was. Because by the time June blabbed about it the two had known they could never meet up again, so why tell?”

She looked at her rapt audience, but rather than answer all eyes stay glued to her face. Danika smiled softly.

“I suppose she told because she felt like she had no other recourse. In the end, as much as I wish it wasn’t so, Calanthe had broken fairy law.”

The tiger lily’s jaw jutted out. “But how can falling in love be a crime?”

“A question I’m sure Calanthe asked herself many times,” Danika sighed. “I’m sure if Calanthe were here she’d say it wasn’t June’s fault after all.”

“But that was her friend, and she betrayed her trust,” a bell-like voice she hadn’t heard before piped up from somewhere in the back.

“Yes, she sort of did. But think for a moment. How many times did Calanthe put her into a terrible predicament? And how often did June beg her to stop? And how many times did Calanthe listen to her? Hmm?”

The children’s eyes were still angry, some of them even shone with gathering moisture. Danika hadn’t meant to make them cry. The purpose of this tale was to keep it alive in the hearts of the new generation. That perhaps they could learn from this sad tale and never repeat it in their own lives, that the pain of one might prevent the pain of another. But she wasn’t so sure the children were gleaning that truth from the tale.

“The truth is children, as much as I feel for Calanthe, what she did was reckless and foolish.”