Saving the Fae (Daughter of Light #3) - Leia Stone Page 0,1

pointed it at the three elders. “Show respect to the Princess of Spring,” she declared.

I stiffened at my bestie’s boldness.

As elders, they wouldn’t need to kneel, but a head bow was customary from what little information I knew about royal lineage.

Rose and Aubin immediately dipped their heads low while Indra’s nostrils flared as she gave the slightest of nods.

“We must have missed the show.” Indra smiled. “Did you prove your lineage with a power display of sunlight magic?”

Oh, she was going to test me? In this mood?

Without thinking, I flicked my right wrist and sent a bolt of buttery yellow light right at her feet. She stumbled backward, wide-eyed, as the other fae gasped.

I looked at my people on their knees in the dirt and shook my head. “Get up. Please. You don’t ever need to kneel to me again.”

They looked unsure, but when May stood, they seemed to catch on. Indra was like a frozen statue of shock, hand clutched to her chest and face marred in surprise. As if she didn’t know. I just didn’t trust her anymore, not after reading my mother’s journal.

Elle leaned into me. “What do we do about the crystals? We have no army.”

I swallowed hard. “We build our own army. Fuck Liam.”

I stepped forward and pointed to three tall and lean looking farmers. “You three, grab a bow and arrows and man the river. If anything crosses it, kill it.”

They blanched but nodded before leaving. Our protection dome was down, and the dark creatures of the forest would use that to their full advantage, I had no doubt.

“You five!” I pointed at another group of fae who looked like they might be decent warriors. “You need to train with Trissa or Elle and learn to shoot a gun, understand?”

One of them gasped. “A gun? That’s an Earth weapon.”

I nodded. “And they will use them against us. We must fight in kind.”

With some reluctance, they agreed and walked over to Elle who started to pull the gun off her hip and explain how it worked to them. The elders just watched me silently as I barked orders and put the entire village to work. I kept sneaking glances at Indra, daring her to disagree with me or try to take charge, but she kept silent.

Trissa popped up beside me. “What do you need of me?” She bowed her head slightly.

“Fetch Jasper.” I hadn’t seen the warlock since we got back from the Winter Court lands. “We’re going to war.”

My heart hammered in my chest as I fought to process everything. We had one crystal.

Fucking one.

Liam murdered my mom and took his army with him when he left, and it was up to me to get the eleven crystals back before Faerie fell for good or the dark creatures from the woods picked us off, one by one.

When I called Rose over, she approached me hesitantly. “I need you to prepare Maple’s celebration of life. I might not be able to attend but—”

Her eyes brimmed with tears. “I understand, and I would be honored.”

She left, and I was about to call over someone else when Jasper spoke from behind me.

“You rang?” Jasper appeared with Trissa at his side.

Relief washed over me. “You didn’t leave.”

He tipped his head. “I am loyal to you, Princess.”

I rolled my eyes. “And our deal.”

He grinned. “And our deal. I hear there is a nice, unused castle in the Fall Court. Maybe I’ll make that my lands to lord over.”

Figured. “Yeah, well, we need to get the crystals back first.”

Jasper rubbed the snake tattoo on his forehead. “Yes, Liam left with his brothers and the army.” Then, he winced. “He took the Sword of Night, too.”

Yeah… he did.

The one thing that would help us control his dad. It panged my heart for a minute that he took his brothers… Would they be safe out there on Earth? He didn’t trust me with his family? His dad had already kidnapped one of them… But it wasn’t my problem. I never said his brothers or the army had to go. I only told him that he had to go. He was a liar and a two-faced scum bag, and if I saw him out in the real world, trying to take my crystals, I’d kill him.

Chapter 2

I wanted to leave right then and start tracking the crystals, but the village was in shock over having a living royal… two for that matter. Word spread, and then they were calling for a coronation ceremony.