Chapter 1
Llyn y Dylwyth Teg
Tir Anghofi
Osian - Age 61
Dahlia - Age 11
Osian Baudelaire, King of the Tir Anghofi Fae, slammed his iron dagger into the throat of the silver-haired Fae male he was leaning over, pinning him to the dirt beneath him. The male flailed as blood gurgled out of his mouth and trickled out of the knife wound. The wound wouldn’t kill him, but something else would.
Shadows swirled down Osian’s muscular, tattooed arms like snakes, then wrapped around the Fae male, snuffing out his life. The body disappeared into the shadows, never to be seen again, leaving Osian’s dagger behind. It was one of the only ways for a Fae to die, and while Osian hated to do it, sometimes it was necessary.
Every death bothered him, reminding him that his heart wasn’t hard. He had no desire to slaughter anyone, let alone his own kind. A life was a life, and he hated to take it from someone. But at the same time, some things couldn’t be left unpunished, and it was known throughout the land that anyone leading a rebellion wouldn’t escape with their life.
Sometimes, Osian didn’t think his people took him seriously. He’d only been King for sixteen years, and he’d had to quash more than one rebellion. He didn’t understand it, but it also hadn’t been his main focus over the last several years. Instead, he’d been focusing on trying to right his father’s wrongs and make those under his rule prosperous.
It had been going well, too. His people were in much better shape than they’d been. His father had implemented many laws that restricted so many different things, and Osian had repealed most of them. He’d lowered taxes greatly, which took a lot of strain off of his people, but still, there were a handful of those who complained, who seemed to never be happy. He didn’t get it.
He glanced over at Caden Kendrick, his right-hand man and assassin to the Fae crown. Caden, at Osian’s father’s orders, had trained him when he was younger on how to wield his shadow magic. They’d become close during that time, and Osian had begun to trust the Fae male. After a while, Caden had helped him take his father down.
Osian had grown pretty close to the quiet assassin over the last several years. Caden stayed at the castle, had a room there, and even though Osian probably knew him better than anyone else, Caden was mostly just a mystery. An unmated Fae male whom Osian never saw with a female. He rarely talked about himself, and Osian didn’t know too much about him. No one did.
Caden nodded to him, letting him know that the threat had been contained. Between him, Luc, Iwan, and Osian, they were able to bring down a rebellion pretty quickly. It always seemed that as soon as they showed up, most of the males would dissipate, hurrying out of the area as quickly as possible, claiming they didn’t want to be involved.
The leadership seemed to be the main ones who were still willing to fight and would engage them in battle. They always seemed so determined and were the ones who would end up dead. The others would be imprisoned for a period of time and released eventually. Maybe in a hundred years or so.
Osian grabbed his dagger and stood, his shadows engulfing the weapon and swallowing it whole until the next time he needed it. His gaze moved over what was left of the crowd, who were brave enough to stay and witness what had happened. They’d be questioned, information gathered, and hopefully, this wouldn’t happen again. Osian wasn’t holding his breath. He stepped forward to address the onlookers.
“Let this be a testament to those who have witnessed today’s events. If you go against your King, you commit treason! Those who do will be punished, their leaders slaughtered. My guard will be questioning everyone, so expect a visit from them. Now go home!” He watched them move, the village square emptying.
Once everyone was gone, he glanced at Caden, and they both faded out and back to the castle. Ewan and Luc would stay to oversee the cleanup. His captain of his royal guard, Arthur, would handle the questioning and imprisonment of those involved.
“What a fucking mess,” Caden muttered under his breath when they were back in the castle’s solarium. He glanced down at himself in disgust. Blood was spattered all over his arms and face. Testament to those that he’d injured and killed that day.
“I need a shower,” Osian muttered, wanting to rid himself of the blood spattered on his own body. “I’ll meet you in my office in twenty minutes.”
“I’ll have the kitchen prepare us a late dinner,” Caden responded with a grim look.
Both males faded out, and Osian appeared before his suite of rooms. Two guards stood at attention outside of them, and both moved out of his way, bowing their heads. He waved his hand in a motion that was bigger than necessary, opening the doors. They slammed against the walls, bouncing back a bit. Osian strode in and flicked his wrist, slamming them closed behind him.
Once he was alone in his room, his shoulders sagged. He was rather exhausted from the day’s events. He was also pissed, his fury causing his shadows to swirl around him, causing him to look like he was standing in a dark cloud. Just like his mood. Dark and broody.
Caden’s spies had told him that the rebels were preparing to move against him. They’d been keeping a close eye on them for the last few days, and today, they had finally been ready to move out, to invade his castle and take him prisoner. Lock him up in his father’s prison and put Carwyn back on the throne.
Caden’s spies had gathered enough evidence against them to warrant arrests and the death of those leading the rebellion. They’d been keeping an eye on several of the villages. watching for any signs of rebellion. He was starting to think they might have to step up their game. He didn’t get it. This village had never been a problem before. They’d seemed happy under his rule until a few months ago, when something had changed. The question was, what?
He headed into his bedroom, flicked his wrist, divesting himself of all of his clothing, and flipped on the water in his shower with another practiced flick. He stood there in front of the mirror, eyeing himself quietly. Blood was spattered all over his face, giving him a sinister look. He’d killed two Fae today, and he absolutely hated it.
He finally stepped inside his shower, frustrated to no end over what was happening, but he knew it was just part of life. He truly couldn’t understand, though, why some of his people wanted to go back to the way it was under Carwyn’s rule. Why would things suddenly change unexpectedly?
His father had been a good ruler for most of his reign. He’d been a fair King who loved his people and brought much prosperity to the realm. The Tir Anghofi Fae and shifters had all prospered under his rule. Until they hadn’t.
The Fae had suffered the most, as he was their King, but the effects had started to drift over into the shifter communities as well. He knew his father had been approached by many of the shifter leaders about several different problems. Osian had stood by and watched his father make empty promises to them. He’d known they were empty, too.
Carwyn would never promise them anything straight out, as he couldn’t lie. He would just talk around what they wanted, avoiding saying anything specific. The older shifters, like Kingston Draig, King of the dragon shifters, were aware of what Carwyn was doing. Kingston had asked Osian more than once when he would assume the throne. “I’ll support you as King, as long as you don’t become your father,” he’d told him.
As he’d gotten older, Carwyn had become more and more jealous and bitter and had taken it out on his people. He’d created laws that made no sense, and everything had started to go downhill. It had been gradual at first, but like a snowball, it had gained size and speed, creating chaos. The Fae were starving and not doing well at all. No one was thriving.
Osian had watched it all, knowing that he was going to have to do something. He was the Crown Prince after all, and the throne would be his one day, but he finally realized that he couldn’t wait for his father to step down. If he did, there might be nothing left for Osian to rule over. His kingdom would be destroyed if he waited until his father decided to step down. If he ever did.
Osian had felt like it would be partially his fault if he didn’t do something. History wouldn’t be kind to the Crown Prince, who’d sat on his ass and watched his father destroy his kingdom. So, he’d begun to set plans into motion. The Tir Anghofi Fae didn’t need to suffer anymore.
