Total pages in book: 129
Estimated words: 121339 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 607(@200wpm)___ 485(@250wpm)___ 404(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 121339 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 607(@200wpm)___ 485(@250wpm)___ 404(@300wpm)
If the gods heard any of that, they ignored it.
“You two can live happily ever after,” Equilas went on, “or the chalice will watch her mate die. We wouldn’t allow that clever human to bring him back.”
“If I were to take the throne, what of my father?” Tarian asked. “My family?”
“Tarian,” Equilas said in irritation, “your heart is bleeding all over your shoes. It’s embarrassing. You know how a fae takes the throne.”
Death, Tarian thought. Treachery. I have already killed my mother. I’d now have to kill my father and any family that rise up to oppose me. I have many siblings. They will form alliances against me…and with me. We’d be a throne divided, as it is now. In turmoil. To end it would require bloodshed.
That was always what he’d hoped to avoid. He’d just wanted to earn his place as prince and make his mother’s sacrifice worth it. He didn’t want to spit on her grave by causing more harm. Daisy knew all of that, knew him, without having to ask.
But the alternative was death…
“No.” She tore her eyes away from him. Fuck that. Fuck these clowns. “I fulfilled my duty as the crystal chalice…and I lived. My family tore me from your clutches. We would’ve gotten out of that castle, and we would’ve gotten through the fringe. I don’t owe you shit, and neither does he. We’ve danced to your tune, and we’re done. Besides, the crystal chalice was always meant to be a thinking, rational, logical being—or as close as a human can get.” She was quoting Eldric now. “The chalice was meant to be a being not of Faerie, without the pitfalls of life here.” She paused to let that sink in. “You created those rules. I have to go back to the human lands…and he’s coming with me. Here, he’d choose death anyway.”
“Daisy…” Tarian said.
She held up her finger to him. “You abducted me against my will. Welcome to payback.” She stared at Nvran. “The person—entity, whatever—that would lose out on this is you. He’d be a favorite in the afterlife, I realize that. I also realize your contrarian personality.” She glanced to the side. “Hades, are you going to go along with this, or am I going to get Dylan to tell Zeus all the stuff you did on this side of the divide?”
Hades smirked. “Blackmail. Nice. I knew you were worthy of my magic.”
She looked at Nvran but realized she would have to appeal to them all. “I want to make a deal.”
40
Daisy
The equivalent of three human days later…
In the end, it wasn’t Daisy who made the deal. It was mostly Kieran, with insightful input from Amber, two people who had studied under Valens and had to make deals with Demigods and powerful people all the time. He was ruthless in his strategizing and wouldn’t give the gods an inch, demanding what was best for Daisy and Tarian and the human world as a whole, and accepting only what he absolutely had to in order to get it done. The whole time, Hades had stood by with a grin, occasionally commenting on the tight nature of Poseidon and all his children.
The result was something they could all live with, with grievances and wins on both sides. The bottom line was, Tarian would get to live in the human world, but not strictly as a human. He’d have rounded ears to stay under the radar and subtler magic that wouldn’t grow roots and go wild, but his blood would be steeped in Faerie. He would keep his princely title, and his family would know he had left so they could live in peace. They could even visit him, and he them, but he would have no shot at the throne. The last was a declaration from the gods, obviously in spite.
“Tell me truly, how do you feel about it all?” Daisy said after they’d all appeared on the grasses somewhat removed from the Obsidian kingdom’s castle.
His Fallen waited off to the side with grins but sorrow in their eyes. They’d gotten back their wings, something the gods had planned to do anyway. They’d also been given a choice: go with Tarian and get the same treatment to ears and magic…or regain their positions in the court.
Daisy had thought it would be a no-brainer. They could rejoin their kind, use their training, and go back to their lives. Tarian could visit them as often as he liked. And three of them did decide just that. The other seven, though, chose to keep their allegiance and go with Tarian, where Kieran had a new job in store for them. They’d be Guardians…on the human side. They’d monitor the portals and keep unlawful fae from sneaking into the human lands.
Tarian ran his hands up her shoulders and gently cupped her jaw. His eyes were vivid and deep, and the ring of crystal around each pupil was incredibly beautiful, though she planned to tell the humans it was actually diamond. That sounded more posh.