By Anna Augustine
Never make a deal with a fae lord.
The old adage ran through my head as I approached the house of Lord Faron Beaugard—High Lord of the Forest Realm. The glamor—a façade—of the house rolled toward me in unending waves, but I wasn’t foolish enough to be sucked in. I scanned the sprawling mansion, studying the spiraling towers, the creeping ivy, and the lord, with his peacock tail flung wide, standing on the stoop.
He was my mission, but one I didn’t relish. Yet only Lord Beaugard could grant me my birthright.
I flipped my golden hair over my shoulder and strode forward, repulsed by arrogance that rolled off Faron. Whatever form he wanted, he could take, and today he’d chosen the arrogant peacock.
“Well, well,” he crooned. “If it isn’t Keva.”
I chose the form of a lion, and my tail swished in irritation when he didn’t lower his. “We both know why I’m here.”
“To come home, I hope?” A gaunt face and hollow eyes flashed through a crack in his glamor before he pulled himself back together with a sneer. He snapped the wrinkles from the sleeves of his suitcoat.
“I want my place as the head of our family as Father willed.” I smoothed my hand over my sparkling golden dress.
Faron’s tail shivered as he strutted around me. “And why should I bestow that honor? The realm is fine without you.”
A growl rose in my throat and my whiskers twitched as I turned to meet his gaze. “Because I am the appointed ruler. Father left it to me! And if you won’t hand it over—” my claws flashed as I held them to his face, my threat clear.
Faron’s eyes flicked from my hand to my face. “You’d murder your own brother for power?”
I scoffed, pursing my lips to hide the ever-present heaviness of grief. He’d killed Father to claim the lordship, and since then his violence had only begotten more pride. It had destroyed my brother and left behind the monster that stood before me.
I wouldn’t become this, no matter my desires. If I were to claim my place, it would be with both justice and mercy as my guides. To defeat my brother, I would need humility.
“Do you yield?” I asked, ignoring his question.
His sneer deepened, the glamor fading completely. His haggard face stared back at me, his eyes red like blood. His already pale skin looked almost translucent as he swiped a stringy strand of his dark hair off his forehead. “Dear, dear sister. Why would I give up what I’ve killed to obtain? What makes you think you are any match for me?”
Because I know the truth. I calmed myself and reached for the magic encasing our home. It leapt toward me as if eager to be in my hands.
Faron’s gnarled fingers twisted, and he snagged some magic for himself. His lip curled, his eyes flashing with murderous intent. His tail turned black as a crow’s as he circled around me. “You think you’re so mighty. You are nothing. You may have the features of a lioness, but you are a whelp whose mother was tricked by our oh so virtuous father. What makes you worthy of the position of fae lord?”
“Because I don’t want it!” I screamed. I dropped my hold on the magic, teeth bared. “I know I am worthless. An abomination to your kind—half fae, half human. None of the nobles want me to lead. Yet Father vowed it to me, so please, Faron, give me my birthright.”
His eyes cleared. Gone was the pale face and red eyes, the haunted look and the pride. For a moment, I saw the man my brother once was. But just as quickly it slipped back into conceited glamor.
“You’ll have to kill me, Keva.”
I swallowed, bowing my head. “I won’t murder for my place. It will be given to me, one way or another.”
I know the truth.
I knelt before my brother. “If you want it, Faron, you’ll have to kill me.”
His eyes gleamed as he spread his trembling hands to draw in more magic, drunk on power. “Then you die.”
A golden sword materialized out of thin air.
I bowed my head.
Faron snarled, wrapping his hand around the sword. “You’ll just sit there and let me kill you?”
I looked up, my vow to him on the top of my tongue. Never make a deal with a fae lord. But he wasn’t only a fae lord. He was my brother. “You have my word.”
Feral glee filled Faron’s face. No glamor could hide it as he raised his sword. “Then die, Keva.”
His sword fell. It hissed through the air, promising death.
A flash of light filled the front lawn, enveloping Faron as he screamed. I squeezed my eyes shut and slammed my hands over my ears.
The light faded, leaving behind a pile of dust in its wake. The glamor over the house misted away. The house was in disrepair. Missing shingles, cracked window, flaking paint. Proof that Faron had been more interested in himself than caring for the Forest Realm.
My father’s word was fulfilled. I now ruled the Forest Realm as he had vowed to me.
Faron’s pride had threatened the true lord, and now the promise had destroyed him.
“What has been destroyed will be built anew,” I whispered, tears pricking my eyes.
My promise, the first vow of the new fae lord, spun into a golden light that leaped off my tongue. It wrapped around the house, working its magic. The windows turned solid; the cracks bound together. Shingles that littered the lawn reattached themselves to the roof.
It would take time to heal all that pride had destroyed. I laid a hand against the doorframe and smiled. I always knew renewal was possible, and this was only the beginning.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Love the allegory of how humility is always more powerful than pride. Very good story. Would love to hear this on the Havok Podcast!!!! ;-)
What a well-written tale of how power can corrupt, and how corrupted hearts can be consumed by power!
Thank you so much!
Beautiful description of humility and gentleness in the face of pride and violence. Great story!
Thank you!
I love the way this showcases how destructive pride is. Great job!