To Spark a Fae War (The Fair Isle Trilogy #3) - Tessonja Odette

1

No one dreams of starting a war.

A revolution, maybe, but never a war. Personally, I’ve never been one for revolutions or warfare, preferring to fight death and illness in the surgery room. Instead of a sword, I once favored the scalpel. Laudanum. Chloroform. All essential weapons against threats to mortal lives.

But that was back when I thought I was mortal. Human.

Before my mentor betrayed me and I used a scalpel not to save a life but to end one.

Before a human shot my mother with an iron bullet and tried to turn the gun on me.

Before I tore out the throat of a fire lizard to take his throne as my own.

After all that, I think I understand warfare. The pursuit of justice.

With the blood of fire fae and ruthless kings flowing through my veins, I admit I was born to inherit a legacy of violence.

I carry that legacy now, feeling it rushing through my blood and veins as I walk down the darkened street—a human street, in the same city my mother was killed. The night is blanketed with smoke and shadows and sounds of evening merriment. I’m in the pleasure district of Grenneith, where brothels, taverns, and gambling halls cluster side by side.

I keep my head held high, trying my best to exude confidence as I walk by a particularly rowdy-seeming pub where several men loiter outside the door. They leer at me, whistling. I pat the obsidian dagger—a gift from Queen Nyxia—strapped around my waist beneath my coat. The blade isn’t iron, like I once carried in the past. But it isn’t iron I need for what I’m about to do. Still, blade or no, I’d rather not deal with any interruptions to my night’s plans.

One of the men breaks off from the group and comes toward me, sending my heart racing. The swagger in his steps tells me he’s clearly had more than his share of drink tonight. I allow my fire to flood my palms, but only enough to keep my mind clear without burning my kid gloves.

The man smirks as he looks me up and down, eyes trailing the modestly high lace neck of my gown to the black and white striped satin hem that brushes the cobblestones at my feet. “What’s an elegant lady like you doing walking the streets unaccompanied this late at night?”

For the love of iron, perhaps I should have come dressed as a man tonight. I wasn’t sure I could pull it off once I reached my destination, but I hadn’t accounted for the perils on my journey there. Now what to do about it? I could brush past him, ignore him, hurry my pace, but that would show fear. Instead, I look him straight in the eyes. “Same as you.”

“Oh, I doubt that, miss.”

I put a hand on my hip, an innocent gesture, if not for the blade sheathed and hidden within reach. “Am I close to the Briar House?”

The man draws back in surprise before a crimson flush rises to his already ruddy cheeks. “The Briar House? You?”

I keep my eyes pinned on his and flash him a dangerous smile. “I have exotic tastes.”

He seems encouraged by this, taking a bold step closer, hand resting on the waistband of his trousers. “I have something exotic you could taste.”

“I doubt that.” A surge of fear leaps in the back of my awareness, but I burn it away. I focus on his eyes on mine, drawing his attention deeper until the imagery of a bird in a cage floods my mind. His face goes slack, and I know that I have him. This is only the third time I’ve glamoured someone, and only the second time I’ve attempted it consciously. The first was an accident with Mayor Coleman, and the second was earlier this morning when I—well, let’s just say borrowed—this dress.

I keep my voice low and even as I speak to him. “You will tell me where the Briar House is.”

He doesn’t hesitate to answer, his tone flat. “Next block over. Right side of the street. Second building from the corner.”

“Thank you. Now, you are going to return to your friends and pay me no heed as I continue on with my business. You will allow none of your companions to harass me either.”

He nods, pointing a thumb at the group of men eyeing us from near the pub door. “I’m going back to my friends.”

“Wonderful.” Now the true test begins. He takes a step back, then another, and