Glamoured (Shadow Beast Shifters Book 6)

The trumpets rarely sounded in Faerie, and when they did, it usually meant some cataclysmic event was on the horizon. I spent only half my time on my world of birth these days, and I wished that today I’d chosen to visit the Library of Knowledge and my family there.

However, I was due to see my mother, so I’d made the journey back to Faerie earlier than expected. Just in time for the trumpets.

“I thought I’d find you here.”

Her voice was soft and melodic, and a history spanning over a thousand years flashed before my eyes. My mother had a way about her, that was for sure.

Turning from the weeping wanderer plant, I smiled as Glendriel, queen of the Silver Lands, entered my garden. One of the few who had permission to move beyond the gates, she appeared as if by magic, her long dress sparkling in the bright lights that shone down from the crystals above. Her hair glistened just as brightly, silver and sweeping near her ankles.

“Mother,” I said softly, falling into the less formal greeting. I might be centuries old, but my mother was my leader and elder, and she would always have my love and respect. “What are you doing here? I was on my way to the Silver Lands. I just needed to check in on my—”

“Children?” she interrupted with a lilting laugh. “I’m a plant grandmama and I’m not even upset about it.”

Her energy flowed with her words, power slapping against my skin. Those who were not used to being around her often reacted to her mere presence, but it was comforting to me. My father was taken from us when I was much younger, and since then the two of us had maintained the strength of the Silver Lands. Our royal house had been claimed in battle, and since then we had held on to it through blood and power.

We would not let it fall. Not while there was still life in our veins.

“Are you here because of the trumpets?” I asked, giving the wanderer plant one last pat. It stole some of my energy, but I didn’t reprimand it. All of my plants held a little piece of my power; it was what bonded us. Thankfully, I had plenty of power to share.

“The trumpets are one part,” she said with a graceful shrug, “but the larger is the need to see my favorite son.” I was her only child, which in no way belittled those words.

I wasn’t surprised that she’d known the trumpets would sound before they actually did. My mother was one of the most powerful Fae still alive. For this, the Silver Lands were respected and feared. Despite the losses, there were many blessings too.

“How do you want to travel to the Capital?” I asked her. She held out a hand, and a chuckle escaped me. “Of course, would there be any other way except to go in style?”

The queen smiled before her happiness faded a touch. The silver in her eyes grew brighter, as if she were channeling more power. “Unfortunately, on this day we must make haste. There’s an urgency in the call, and I am worried that missing the meeting would be a grave mistake.”

Some of my mirth dried up. Very little in this world—or any of the worlds—scared my mother. And she wasn’t scared today either, but there was concern in her ancient eyes. Which in and of itself concerned me.

“Let’s go, then,” I said, taking the hand she still held before me.

The beam of light she called from the gems that littered the sky of Faerie was bright enough to blind any who looked upon the glow for too long. Used to this mode of transportation, I closed my eyes as she swept us away.

Our trip to the Capital took only a few minutes, the energy in those sacred silver gems powerful enough that, if necessary, they could move worlds. When the tingles across my skin faded and my mother released me, I opened my eyes to find that we were in the center of the Capital, right before Parliament House, where all the royal leaders converged to make decisions that impacted Faerie as a whole.

This world was made up of moving lands, moving houses, and magical rock masses. There were only a few solid and stable sections of territory, and the Capital was one of them. Massive, spanning for thousands of miles in all directions, it was made from a chunk of quartz, with minimal magical properties, outside of its many cords that anchored it to whatever made up the center of Faerie. It was what we referred to as the Deep, an area that no fae could enter and survive. At least none still walking this world, so we only had myth and legend to guide us as to what lay below.

The Great Queen had been the last to travel along the cords, and only she knew what was in the Deep, but her line was long gone, vanished just before my time, and for some reason even those older than me could not remember anything about her.

A spell or power did not want the Great Queen found, and for that Faerie was weakened.

Mother moved first toward the Parliament House, a large domed building, littered with a multitude of crystals across the highest points. The energy gathered from these crystals powered the building itself, which was a hive of activity today.

Most of the time only a few generals and some princes and princesses used it for research and training purposes. But during the trumpets, which were still blaring across the land, all the VIPs showed up. Fae scurried across the vast expanse of white tiles surrounding the main structures, some moving toward their leaders while others entered the building.

“Come, let’s enter,” my mother said, snapping into her role as queen. A beam of purple reven crystals appeared across her forehead, forming a crown. I could make the same crown appear, via a small, embedded crystal near my temple. The reven stone powered our energy and identified our houses to those who passed. “Are the generals and council inside?” I asked.

“Almost there,” she said quickly. “I need to secure our zone before they arrive though.”

It’s our duty to ensure the safety of our fae. Her most repeated life lessons as a royal, and a truth set in stone: If you are in my inner circle, I will protect you with all I have.

There weren’t many who called that circle home, but enough that I was on alert for threats in the Solaris System, the Library of Knowledge, and strangely enough, Earth.

The pull I felt toward a planet with inhabitants that were infantile compared to Faerie was… odd. But it was there nonetheless, and maybe one day soon I’d have time to explore the pull further.

Mother was halfway across the white tiles, so I picked up my pace to stay with her. The massive doors at the front were the first line of defense against unauthorized entry. Two purple beams, originating from four-foot reven gems attached to the side of the doors, scanned every fae who stepped up. The barrier parted only when identity was confirmed.

When it was our turn, there was a brief flash, a small tug at my power, and then we were welcomed inside. Easy as always for those from the Silver Lands, helped in part by the fact that the security stones were gifted from our kingdom by the king before Glendriel. A truth that pissed off many of the other royal houses over the years, but no one had large enough gems of power to switch out the revens, so our jewels remained.

On the inside, Parliament House’s front foyer was less busy. The open space was sparsely decorated with gem mats, charged from the panes of glass above that allowed the jewels in the sky to shine down. This was where fae could rest and recoup their energy.

We didn’t linger in the foyer, even as I nodded to a few friends and acquaintances. In my many years as a prince of the Silver Lands, I knew all the other royals and fae of importance. We were near eternal and did not have offspring easily. These days, it seemed we could only reproduce after a loss. Mother often wondered if it was the fate of my father that allowed them to conceive and birth a child before he was killed.

Mysteries of life we’d never know.

Through the foyer, we entered the first of the massive stadium-style courtrooms. The center stage was circular, and surrounding it was the ten sections for each royal family. Once, many millennia ago, the Great Queen resided in the center stage, but now it was for the reigning monarchs. Mother would sit here, and I’d take my place in the front row of the Silver Lands.

But first she spent her time perusing the area to discern any magical attacks. This was done using gafal gems—small ocher pieces that crumbled away in her hands as she sprinkled them about. If anything untoward was in the area, it would flash bright red. She also used her energy, and I did the same, sending it out from my body to sweep along the courtroom.

Nothing negative was detected. The room was clean and sterile, the rows of black padded chairs showing no sign of wear or dirt.

“We’re secure,” Mother said with a nod. She turned as someone called out, “Queen Glendriel.”

It was King Nathaniel of the Golden Greats, a collection of four hundred moving lands which sat to the east of Silver Lands.

“Do you know why the trumpets were sounded?” he asked as he hurried forward, his second in line behind him. Jonah was not his child—the king had no offspring—but was a trusted family friend.

Mother shook her head. “I was informed that there would be a call, but so far we’re in the dark about the reason behind this.”

Before Nathaniel could say anything else, Mother turned to me. “Can you ensure the safety of those arriving, Len?”

“Of course,” I said with a nod. Nathaniel was an ally, so there was no risk to leaving Mother with him.

As I strode from the room, my power hummed inside my veins, so much stronger when I spent extended time in Faerie. Everything was exactly as I wanted, my life moving along a path that I could not be unhappy about, with the only dark mark to my existence a lack of mate.

For decades, my walks had not led to any sign of a true mate, and I was at the end of my hope.

The next was my last chance, then I would settle into an eternity alone.

Duty first, even if it broke a piece of my soul that belonged to another.

Such was life.