Page 117 of Beauty

Beck opens his arms and the sky clouds over, the largesteddy cloud I have ever seen coalescing right above us.

“Show-off,” Queen Meg says. She grimaces. “I’ve only triedthis once before and it was worse than anything Six Flags had to offer.”

Kaja is brimming with excitement. “I enjoy it. Except thatmy mate tends to get a bit ill.”

Dellacourt holds up a small bag. “I have barf bags foreveryone!”

Beck looks at his brother, a long moment passing betweenthem. “Let us go and see our sister once more.”

Cian nods, his hand on his heart.

Cian and Meg disappear, pulled up by the eddy cloud, and allaround me the warriors of our ragtag army are pulled up by the cloud and thewill of the Storm Lord.

“Let’s go and claim our wife.” I reach a hand to my brother.

Lach takes it, our wills are one now.

The cloud scoops us up and we are ready for battle.

ChapterThirty-Eight

Torin, The Soon to BeDead Pretender

I watch out over the balcony, a sinking feeling in mygut. My kingdom. When Seamus was king and our father before him, Tír na nÓg wasa place of stunning beauty, a calm, pastoral paradise.

I can see the fires from far-off villages and masses ofpeasants coming for my head.

One single day. ’Twas all it took. A day and a meeting onthe road with vagrant monsters. That gang of trolls and goblins taught meeverything I needed to know about the world. It doesn’t matter whether a man isa prince or a pauper, death and violence and brokenness comes for everyoneunless a man takes power.

Why can’t my people see I’m trying to save them? I’m smarterthan them all. It’s why I’m king. I wasn’t simply born to the part. I wasruthless enough to fight and kill for the crown.

“And it’s mine. It will remain mine.” I say the words outloud even as my guard form a phalanx around the palace.

“My children will win this day.”

Damn him. The last thing I want is to see my brother. Mysluagh brother. When this day is over and I remain king, I will force the hagsto rid this plane of all sluagh, all monsters. I will slaughter them all, everylast one. Their blood will make the Seelie fields fertile, and then I willdispose of the vampires and the Unseelie and I will rule over all the planes.

And then I will be safe.

Seamus shakes his non-corporeal head. “You always wereambitious. It’s too bad I didn’t see how far you would go.”

“You suddenly read minds, brother?” I force my attention tothe battlefield. It’s a waiting game now. I’m not sure if they will march intoday or the day after, but I have word that my nephews are on the plane, andthat means they will attack.

“It’s almost a sure thing what you were thinking.” Seamusfloats around the room, the act almost a mirror image of the pacing my brotherused to do while thinking through a problem. “Why don’t you let Bronwyn go?Can’t you see the hags lied about her?”

The fact that Bronwyn Finn is here in my palace and stillbreathing makes me sick to death. She’s here, the one woman who can kill me.Her throat should have been slit the moment the hags found her, but my wifepleaded their case. “The hags think they can pull power from the girl’s soul.Enough power to defeat the true triad.”

“Which one?” Seamus asks, his voice nonchalant as though heis politely asking about the weather.

I turn to my brother. “What do you mean? It’s only a rumorthat those idiot boys of yours managed to find a bondmate and create a truetriad. I think it’s just a story the villagers tell to give them hope.”

Seamus sighs. “Do you even hear yourself speak? The factthat your own people would even be forced to make up tales to bring themselveshope that one day your reign will end should tell you everything you need toknow.”

“They are stupid. I’m protecting them.”

“You are a fool, Torin,” my brother says with a shake of hishead. “You’re justifying your own immorality, but it doesn’t matter, because itisn’t a story. Beck and Cian have come into their powers, but they aren’t theonly true triad. My Bron has formed one with the Unseelie princes. So I askagain, which true triad do they seek to kill, and why didn’t your own hags tellyou of this news? I assure you, they know.”

And yet they only mentioned that the idiot Unseelies possesssome small magic. They didn’t mention the triad. Why did they not tell me aboutthe triad?