Total pages in book: 116
Estimated words: 109099 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 545(@200wpm)___ 436(@250wpm)___ 364(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 109099 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 545(@200wpm)___ 436(@250wpm)___ 364(@300wpm)
“Yours aren’t either.” Krynn frowned. “But I thought Lady Elgiana gave us something—some poison.”
“It was bitterworm,” I said grimly. “But you’re both better now—aren’t you?” I asked anxiously.
“Better? I feel like I could fly to the fucking moon,” Sel exclaimed, bounding to his feet. “And I don’t even have wings!”
Krynn got up as well and flapped his wings experimentally.
“I feel…different somehow,” he murmured.
“Different good or different bad?” I asked, giving him a worried look. He appeared to be completely cured—he and Sel both did—but what if I had missed something?
“Different good—I think. Let me concentrate…” He closed his eyes for a moment and when he opened them, there was an incredulous smile on his face. “My Lady,” he said to me. “The Needing…it’s gone!”
“You’re fucking kidding,” Sel said, frowning. “Everyone knows there’s no cure for the Needing. Once you’ve got it, you’re a Needer forever.”
“Not anymore!” The pure joy on Krynn’s face was enough to bring tears to my eyes. “I don’t know how you did it, my Lady, but you drove it out—the parasite that lived inside me is gone!” he told me. Dropping to his knees in front of me, he took both my hands and kissed them. “Thank you! Thank you for healing me!”
“You’re welcome!” I felt tears in my eyes again and yet I was laughing—laughing with relief and joy that my guys were going to be okay. That I had been able to use the Power my people had given me to save them. And still I felt it inside me—it almost seemed that it grew more as I used it rather than dissipating.
“My Queen, now that your servants are healed, you should probably go and talk to your people again,” Lady Nolana murmured. She had been standing back and watching everything so quietly I hadn’t even noticed her.
“The people?” I asked, still feeling almost dizzy with relief.
“You left them rather abruptly,” she reminded me. “And right in the middle of your coronation.”
“Oh, right…” I rose and did my best to brush off my long white skirts. They were hopelessly stained but I didn’t care. “Come on,” I said to Sel and Krynn. “Let’s go finish this.”
52
Lily
I stepped into the Hallowed Clearing again, before the crowd of Dark Fae—the Lesser and the High—and knew they were all my people. I might not have been raised to be a Queen, but now that I was, I was going to do the best I could for them every day.
“People of the Midnight Court!” Lady Nolana called. Now that Mordren had been reduced to a small pile of ashes and Elgiana had been extracted from the thorn bush and dragged away by the guards, she had sort of taken over the MC role—which was fine with me. “I present to you your new ruler—Queen Lilliana of the Royal Line of Lolth!” she shouted.
A wave of cheering broke out and I felt the love coming from every direction.
“Thank you!” I called, spreading my arms wide. “Thank you for lending me your Power tonight—for helping me defeat those who wished to hurt us all.”
They cheered and then someone shouted,
“But who is to be the Consort?”
I opened my mouth, but suddenly Sel was right by my side.
“Don’t do it, Princess,” he muttered in my ear. “They may love you now but nobody in the Court is ready to have two half-breeds named as your Consorts.”
I closed my mouth unwillingly and frowned at him.
“I’m the Queen now—I can choose who I want by my side!”
“The Captain is right,” Lady Nolana murmured. “Better to hold off on such an announcement, my Queen.”
Reluctantly, I nodded.
“Well…all right. Tell them I’ll announce later then. Can we do that?”
“We can.” She nodded gravely. Then she raised her voice again. “Due to all the excitement here tonight, our new Queen is tired and must rest. She promises to announce her Consort later, when she has had time to consider who might best fill the role. But for now, she will sit upon the Silver Throne and you may all approach her and greet her.”
Sel and Krynn each took one of my arms and helped me up on the Silver Throne, which was huge and big enough for several people to sit on at once. They stood on either side of me and watched as the crowd began filing past.
“My Queen,” each of the Fae murmured as they bowed and reached up to touch my hand. I could still feel the energy pulsing inside me—it seemed to magnify all their feelings. I felt their love and awe and admiration. But I also couldn’t help noticing when someone was in pain.
“Wait!” I said, to one of the Lesser Fae as she touched my fingertips. “Your hand—it’s hurt.”
Her eyes grew wide.
“I mangled it in the bread maker, Your Majesty.”
“All right—let me see it,” I told her. She gave me the hand, which was twisted and scarred. I held it in mine and closed my eyes—then I pushed the Healing Magic into her until she gave a little gasp.