~Cillian's P.O.V.~
With my bag rhythmically thumping against my thigh, I strode through the purple tented camp with my shoulders back and my head held high. Ignoring the nods of respect from the soldiers I passed, I walked straight into the compound without being stopped. Though that was probably because of the face I was making, my jaw actually hurt with how tightly my teeth were clenched together. At this hour, I was mildly surprised to see servants rushing about carrying trays and chests overflowing with scrolls. Although after what turned out to be an absolute slaughter earlier in the night, the Generals must be scrambling to figure out who's to blame for their failure on the battlefield.
Boots clipping sharply over the stone, I made it into my office in record time and threw my bag behind the desk before noticing a stark white letter sitting innocently atop my books. My full name was written in dark purple ink that swirled in a deceivingly feminine way. Reaching out, I gently plucked the letter off the book and turned it over to peel the purple wax seal off. Unfolding the crisp paper, I ran my gaze over the short life threatening sentences, No more vacations. The next battle can not go the same way. Fix it, Commander. Or I will come down and fix it myself. ~Mab
Crushing the letter in my fist, I slammed it against the desk before exiting my office with a slam of the door. She already knew. Divines damnit. The last thing I needed right now was to have Mab come down here and start 'cleaning house'. Which basically meant that anyone who gave her an off feeling or so much as looked at her without permission would die. While it would help Macha in the long run if Mab depleted her own forces, the last thing I needed was for Mab to speak with the Generals personally. The small but extremely beneficial modifications I had made to the Generals search plans and soon to be battle plans could come up. It was unlikely but I couldn't take that chance. Not when I was weeks away from getting my hands on the war plans.
A brownie pressed himself against the wall as I stomped by, lost in my thoughts. I was surrounded by idiots and soon to be legendary Fae, there was no in between and it was annoying as hell. Especially, because the idiots either seemed to be in my family or below me in rank. If they fucked up, I took the hit. And if I fucked up, they took the hit. We were in this together yet somehow they just continued to fuck up. Lips curling into a snarl at the thought of my little brother, I practically slammed through the door of the conference room.
The Generals, who could be heard yelling at each other from out in the hall, immediately jerked back from the table they had been yelling across. Straightening up, they stood stiffly with their eyes on me before practically breaking their necks to bow in respect. Flinging the door shut behind me with a hard snap, I pulled an axe from over my shoulder and slammed it right into the table. Wood splintered and cracked from the force of the hit seconds before the entire table broke straight down the middle. The small group of men jumped back as both halves of the table smacked the floor inches away from their leather boots.
Letting my axe hang at my side, I gave them hard look, "I leave for two weeks and you fucking imbeciles lose the first battle against our enemy."
"Commander, if I could-"
Snapping my eyes to a pair of black ones, I barked, "Did I give you permission to speak?"
"No, Sir."
"Then why are you speaking, General?" Not waiting for a response, I looked over at the others, "General Liam, tell me what went wrong."
The Senior General stepped forward and answered briskly, "Everything was going perfectly, Commander. We deployed the troops before sunrise and attacked a little after day break. From what we understand, the troop made it to the mid-city point when enemy troops suddenly attacked. We suffered mass casualties with no survivors."
"You said this was a surprise attack?" I asked, brows furrowed in my semi-mock anger.
"Yes, Sir."
"Then how did our enemy know when we were attacking, General? Who else besides the Generals knew of the attack?"
His dark brown eyes shot to the other Generals before swallowing thickly, "Everyone in the troops we deployed could have had enough time to leak it. But we also shared this information with- Prince Daithí!"
At the unexpected exclamation, I stiffened while the General's froze with their eyes locked on a spot behind me. When they began to bow in respect, I cleared my expression completely before turning around to face him. The young Prince stood in the doorway of the conference room, his dead lavender eyes focused on mine with a smirk that reminded me of Macha.
Pushing off the door frame, the pale Prince began making a slow lap around the room, "Generals. Commander. I heard we lost the first battle. Mother is severely disappointed in you all."
Keeping my eyes on him, I spoke without inflection, "Prince Daithí, I wasn't aware you were visiting the base. Again."
"I wouldn't expect you to, since you've been off gallivanting for two weeks. I've been here ever since our last conversation, Cillian. Where have you been?"
"Unless your mother confided that information with you, I am not at liberty to say."
Lavender eyes narrowed ever so slightly, "Have you at least found our mole? Or are you too busy?"
Not reacting to the jab, I motioned to the Generals, "I was just going to get a name, My Prince. Before you arrived."
"No need. Looks like I've beat you this time, Cillian." Stopping behind the last General, Daithí placed a hand on the man's shoulder, "General Darragh, how long did you think your mate's connection with the traitor's army would go unnoticed?"
The man quickly shook his head, "No-wait, My Prince. My mate hasn't spoken to her brother in years. Not since before he was banished from the Unseelie Kingdom. It must be someone else, it's not her."
"Are you suggesting your Prince is wrong, General?"
Caught off guard, the man opened and closed his mouth repeatedly until the Prince spoke again. "Treason is the highest offense in our Kingdom, General. And unfortunately for you, the Queen is no longer showing leniency."
General Darragh didn't make it to his next breath before Daithí tightened his grip on his shoulder and the choking began. The Prince pulled the air from the man's lungs until the General was breathlessly gasping and clutching his throat. Face turning blue, I watched blankly as the man died painfully slow at his Prince's ability. I could feel the heat from the Prince's pale gaze against my face, watching and waiting for me to express any emotion. When the man finally dropped to the ground, eyes and veins bulging, Daithí stepped back and silently gestured to him.
Already knowing what I needed to do, I walked past the other Generals silently looking on in badly concealed terror. Maneuvering around the still technically alive man until I was standing across from Daithí, I lifted my axe high before bringing it back down hard. Little resistance met the blade of my axe as it sliced cleanly through the males skin, muscle and bone. Blood splattered against the shins of our leather trousers moments before the axe hit the stone underneath the man with a final crack. Squatting down, I grabbed the head by the hair and turned to the others.
Holding the head high, I barked, "I want to see the next battle plan and tentative war plans within two days. Or I find new Generals."
Tossing the head into the middle of the broken table, I exited the room with the hopes of Daithí not following me. But I could already hear his footsteps sounding out against the stone behind me. Internally sighing in frustration, I stopped and turned around to face him so I could get this over with. I needed to be out kicking my brother's ass into shape, not playing mind games with the Prince.
"Why are you here, My Prince? Mab didn't mention you in the letter she sent."
"I've decided to stick around for a while. With my older brother at my mother's side plotting to take the throne, I thought having someone mother trusted at her busiest base would be beneficial. "
"And I thought, that was why I was placed here." I replied, rising to the jab.
Lavender eyes turned sharp, "Tell me, Commander. Why do you serve my mother?"
"Because the Grymes family has served the O'Riordan family for centuries and we will continue to do so." I answered in growing apprehension.
"All O'Riordans? There are whispers that the traitor is my sister, Mab's first born and possibly a Divine. As you might of guessed when my brother heard this he was...upset. Surely even a devoted man, like yourself, of Mab's reign had to have waived at the news."
Uneasy with the direction the conversation was taking, I repeated what every Unseelie Fae is taught when they learned to speak, "All hail our mighty Queen Mab. Fair and true, she keeps our enemies at bay. To trust in Mab is to trust in the Divines."
Daithí's face twisted into a small sardonic smile, "I figured you'd say something like that. Mab is always raving about the loyalty of the Grymes family. Too bad thrones are so fickle and the Grymes' loyalty is forever."
Eyeing him, I stayed silent and waited for him to speak again. His cryptic words gave me a bad feeling that he might be trying to make a grab for the throne while Mab was distracted. I wouldn't care as it would help Macha but if Mab caught a whisper that her sons were planning a coup? They would tear each other and everyone else around them to shreds. And the highly unlikely possibility of one of her sons getting on the throne tossed everything up into the air. It would then bring up the question of whether the people would still fight for Macha if Mab was no longer a threat to everyone. No, we couldn't afford an internal power struggle between Mab and her sons. But what could I do to stop it before it started?
"Speaking of siblings," Daithí tossed out lazily as he turned away. "Yours said something very interesting about Mab and the village people on the fringe. So, perhaps not all Grymes are capable of loyalty. Especially when a pretty woman is involved."
Freezing at his words, I didn't dare breathe until I watched the very last inch of him disappear behind the corner of the hall. When he was completely out of sight, rage that I had thought only Macha was capable of bringing out in me flooded my body. Knuckles popping at the tightening grip I had on my axe, I glared at the empty hall before forcing myself to turn away. I didn't know who I was more willing to kill at the moment. My brother for catching the attention of a royal, my father for being too soft on him, or Daithí for his mind games and concealed threats.
Too angry to travel, I stomped my way through the compound barking Baris' name until someone told me where I could find him. Turning left in the hall just before the dining hall, I walked halfway down before coming to a stop in front of the door I was searching for. Taking a step back, I lifted my right leg and kicked out with all my strength. The door went crashing straight into the bedroom breaking off its hinges completely and slamming against the far wall. Surprised shouts rang out as I stepped into the room and looked around for the asshole.
Never mind. I knew who I wanted to kill. I thought, finally catching sight of my brother.
Clothes littered the floor around the bed while the pair looked at me wide eyed, trying to cover their naked limbs with the bed furs. But it was the knife on the corner of the nightstand and the piece of oak lying right beside it that set me off. Rolling my shoulders, I tried to calm myself but when I snapped my gaze over to his pastel green ones. I knew, I knew that I had just walked in on my baby brother trying to mate this redhead. This redhead who had him so pussy whipped, secrets were spilling from his lips faster than cuss words from Macha's mouth. Which only served to cause my entire body to tense because I was then reminded that I had left Macha's bed to deal with this shit show.
"Get. The fuck. Up." I gritted out between sharpened teeth.
Baris stuttered while slowly getting to his feet, "Cillian, it's-it's not what it looks like."
"Commander, we were just.."
Snapping my head in that woman's direction, I barked, "Do not speak to me, Soldier." Once she sunk in on herself and glued her eyes to the ground, I turned back to my brother who had yet to move, "Baris. Get dressed, now."
He hesitated for a moment, casting a glance at the girl before quickly tugging on his clothes. While dressing Baris moved himself in a way that blocked the knife and oak from my view and when he finally did move towards me they were gone. Unfortunately for him, his effort was useless because I had already seen it the moment I walked in. Not satisfied with the speed he was moving at, I stalked forward and grabbed onto his left ear harshly.
With his ear pinched between my thumb and pointer finger, I ignored his pissed off yelling and traveled us from the redhead's room. Where before I had been too enraged to focus, I had something that leveled me out. The thought of kicking Baris's ass until I physically couldn't any more. Our feet hit the grass with a thump and I released his ear to do what I did to the door to him. Boot slamming against his hip, Baris went sprawling across and out of the thin woods behind the tavern where all our issues began. Because of how seedy High Tail Tavern was, no Fae or Faekind coming in or out of that tavern was going to look twice at some Fae getting his ass kicked.
"Fucking hell, Cillian! Way to embarrass me in front of Cara. What the fuck is your problem away?" Baris snapped, slowly getting to his feet and dusting the grass from his body.
"What's my problem?" I shouted, incredulous. "My problem is that I have a little brother who doesn't seem to understand the dangerous game we're all playing."
Rolling his eyes, he waved a hand and created a vacuum of wind that would swallow our words before they could be overheard, "Divines. This again? You already yelled at me yesterday. I understand that we need to be careful."
"Obviously, you don't! Otherwise, I wouldn't fucking be here doing this shit again!" I barked, fighting the urge to rip my hair out.
"Nobodies asking you too!"
Flashing pointed teeth, I snarled, "I'm trying to keep your dumbass from getting us all killed! You spoiled, naive, brain dead child!"
"You know what, fuck you! You're not my dad, Cillian! What I do is none of your business!" He fired back, stabbing a finger in my direction.
"I wish it wasn't, Baris. I really wish it wasn't." I gritted out, trying to reign in my temper. "But you don't seem to grasp the precarious position our family and the entire realm is in."
Face twisted in indignant anger, he threw his hands up with a groan, "I know what's going on and I can handle it! I know what I'm doing!"
Scoffing in disbelief, I shook my head in astonishment, "No. No, Baris. You have no idea what you're doing."
"Divines, screw you! I'm so sick of your macho 'I know everything' attitude. Guess what, Cillian! Toxic masculinity was out centuries ago!"
Face scrunching up in angered confusion, I completely ignored his response, "You don't understand because you were born when Mab began hiding her cruelty. You don't understand-"
"I do understand. I've heard the stories, I've seen the grave sites and the paintings. Mab is an evil bitch who needs to go down, I understand. What I don't understand is why what I do is so important to everyone!"
Completely fed up with his ignorance, I roared, "Because we're traitors, Baris! Everyone in our family is a traitor in a realm on the brink of war! We are risking everything by going against the most viciously paranoid dictator our realm has ever seen! And you're out here risking all of our lives for some girl you just met!"
Wide pastel green eyes stared at me in shock.
"We are balancing on a very thin line of secrecy and trust, do you understand that? If that girl found out what we're doing, how long do you think it would take for her to tell? Huh! One, maybe two hours and then do you know what'd happen next? You, me, Bria, Syrus, Mother and Father would have our heads decorating Mab's front gates. Everything we are risking our lives to accomplish would be for nothing. Every breath the Grymes family takes is counted, do you understand? If we lose this war, we're dead or running for the rest of our lives."
Light green brows drew together as he took a step back, "Cara wouldn't do that, we love each other."
Releasing a heavy sigh, I blinked at his words. Completely speechless at how-how- I couldn't even find the words to describe my brother at this moment.
"I know you and dad have little faith in me but I trust Cara. I haven't told her anything yet but when I do, I know that she won't say anything. We're going to be mates, Cillian."
Pinching the bridge of my nose, I squeezed my eyes tightly together, "Then how did Prince Daithí know that you were talking about Mab and certain villages with disappearing Fae?"
"I- I don't know, maybe he overheard me talking." Baris stammered, his head jerking back in surprise. "Or maybe someone else was talking about it."
"Who did you mention it to?" When it was quiet for too long, I opened my eyes and dropped the hold on my nose to look at him, "Who did you tell, Baris."
He shook his head, rubbing at the back of his shaved head harshly, "Just Cara but I know it wasn't her, someone must have overheard us. What does it matter really, anyway? We're going to win. Our Queens a Divine, dad said so."
"It matters, Baris. Because now you have a royal's attention. A royal who already mentioned in passing your possible unloyalty to his mother. And I know that father didn't tell you we were going to win. He doesn't believe that war has winners."
"Who cares about what Prince Daithí thinks?" Baris said, throwing his hands wide in bravo. "Mab killed his intended mate, there's no way he's going to care or tell her."
"Baris, that entire family doesn't play by the rules of normal Fae. Not even Macha."
Shrugging, he gave a lazy smile, "Well, whatever. I'll do some stuff to prove my loyalty and I promise not to tell anything important to Cara. I'll even tell her that we have to wait until after the war. Good?"
"No."
"Come on, Cillian. I understand now, it's not just my life I'm putting at risk but everyone's. I promise I won't."
Temple throbbing at his attitude, I shook my head, "No. I'm pulling you out."
"What? You can't-"
Walking forward, I quickly latched onto his arm before he could try and travel away, "I can't trust you, Baris. My position in this war is too important for me to allow you to screw it up. I need to get my hands on those war plans and I won't let anyone, not even you, cost us our lives and the war."
"This is ridiculous! I would never-"
"You're done, Baris. I'm taking you to our parents and Bria so they can watch you."
Eyes roaming quickly over our surroundings as he thought, he said, "You can't do that. How would you explain my sudden absence?"
"When Mab asks I'll tell her mother's sick. She has been for a long time but recently it's gotten worse. You went to spend her final weeks with her."
"That's sick. At least let me tell Cara bye first."
"Not a chance in hell." I snapped, getting really to travel. "It's time for you to meet our Queen."
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When I wrote this chapter I was shocked at myself because Baris was really not meant to be this annoying or frustrating. He was suppose to be a little cocky, smooth talking, little brother, not a whiny little shit. Lol.
As always, drop comment or a like if you enjoyed the chapter.
Smooches, Verbage💋