Their Fireheart

Chapter Thirty-One

"Oh?" The eldest queen asked, an ember of viciousness entering her eyes. "The High Lord of the Night Court asks us to fight with him? For peace? What of the lives that you have ruined throughout your hideous existence? The High Lord who walks with darkness, shatters minds at will wants to protect the innocent?" She laughs cruelly, "We have heard much of you, even on the continent. For a court feared even above the casual evil of the fae, whose name is synonymous with torture and death to talk about peace. I did not think you knew the meaning of the word, High Lord."

The fire in my belly was slowly being stoked into a raging inferno. "If you will not protect your own people, the artifact we requested-"

"Our half of the Book, child," the bitch had the audacity to cut me off, "does not leave our place. It was not left those walls since the day it was gifted to us, and it never will."

"Coward."

Five stunned gazes met mine.

"If you refuse to help your own, then give us the power to do so. I promise you will regret it if you do not. This war," I laughed darkly, memories running rampant in my mind, "This war is far worse than you could ever imagine. If you think for one idiotic moment that it won't touch you because you are human, think again."

I met each of their eyes steadily, forcing my truth upon them, "You are prepared to go and hide, to let the Fae battle it out between themselves. If you have to lose this territory, these people," I spat, "to hide away, you'll do it. But you are nothing but fools if you think this evil will be satisfied with conquering the Fae. They aim to devour this entire world, and once the Fae are gone, do you really think you will serve as much of a challenge?" I asked mockingly.

I hissed at them, "There won't even be enough of us left to be slaves. They will destroy us all." I sucked in a breath through my teeth, "Give us your half of the book. Give us your half of the book and you can go and bury your heads in the sand. If you do not," I shrugged, "You will not live to regret it, because you will not live."

The eldest narrowed her eyes at me, "You are young child, you have much to learn-"

A cold laugh erupted from me. "Do not. Condescend to me." I lifted my chin, daring her to question me, "I have seen things that would make you weep in terror before my tenth birthday."

She stiffened, refusing to back down, "We will do what we must. For the greater good. We will weather this storm-"

"Enough," Mor interrupted.

She rose, looking each of the queens steadily in the eye as she announced, "I am the Morrigan. You know me, you know what I am. My gift is the truth. Hear my words know, and know them as the truth as your ancestors did."

Stony, reluctant, silence.

Mor gestured to me, "Do you think it a coincidence that someone like her is once again entrenched in immortal business, at the very moment our world is once again at war? I fought at the frontlines of the first War, fought against my own kind for the future of our world. I saw atrocities that I could never in my worst nightmares have imagined." She sucked in a sharp breath before blazing on, "And none of those touch what our future will hold if we do not work together. I fought with humans in the last War, I protected them, loved them, and yet you laugh at the idea of peace? I see nothing of the warriors I fought beside in you, and I know that your ancestors would be ashamed at what you have become."

Quietly, I spoke, "I am well aquatinted with the fear of power. The all-consuming terror of those who others deem as monsters. Do you know what that resulted in?" I looked up, "An eight year-old child, who climbed into bed with her parents, only to awake drenched in blood spilling from their split throats."

Horror emanated from the queens. "Destruction of those with power does not make you more powerful, it makes you weak. It enables destruction and death. Power and evil are too easily compared, but that does not make it true."

I nodded towards Rhysand, refusing to look back at the males of the Night Court as I exposed myself. "I arrived at their court, naked and weak."

"Do you know how I awoke? Safe and cared for within their personal quarters. They did know me. I could have been an assassin, a ruse. Yet they care for me. Does that fit your carefully curated opinion of the Night Court?" I tilted my head to the side, daring them to challenge me.

The golden queen stared at me, ascertaining the truth with her own eyes. She turned towards the crone, fighting some secret battle, before turning to Rhysand, announcing, "Give us proof. Show us that you are not the High Lord and court we have heard about through terrified whispers. Give us a shred of proof that you are what they claim - a male of peace."

Rhysand rose, staring solemnly at the spidery queens, "You want proof?" He gazed steadily into each of their eyes. "Than I shall provide it."