Read Online The Darkling Lord: Court of the Banished book 1 (Annwyn Series 4) by Shona Husk - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Shona Husk
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Henry didn’t seem to notice the mess or the smell. Her lunch tumbled in her stomach but she refused to do anything as undignified as throw up. Henry kept walking, expecting her to follow like some kind of tamed pet. Behind his back, she grimaced. She wasn’t one of his Greys.
Just as she was getting ready to say something, he stopped at a large grassy area. The ground looked as though it had been churned up—the surface was uneven and the grass that had regrown was long and needed cutting. A few kids played there, while an older kid watched.
“One night a few Greys and I planted this park with vegetable seedlings. I got all the kids in the area involved and the parents. Some of them were gang kids. I was trying to get a community garden going so that there’d be vegetables for summer. Some were almost big enough to be harvested when the cops came through and took the lot. The gang kids retaliated and there was a fight. Blood was spilled and both sides blamed me for the resulting deaths.” He kicked a mounded of dirt. “This could’ve been the start of something.”
“So why didn’t you replant?”
“Because I don’t want blood on my hands. They were kids. The cops already ride my ass and expect bribes and payments. You saw that last night. But food is an issue.”
“Cows.” She could see what he was planning. It should be a bloodless revolution. He’d give the people what the needed, plus ownership, and in exchange he’d rule and protect. The Greys were his army, but not in the way Felan had thought. She’d seen the Greys chase after the cops after she’d clouded their minds last night. The cops would have no idea what was haunting them, hiding their keys and tripping them up. A clever Grey could break a mortals mind, but she doubted Henry would let it get that far.
None of this was about revenge, at least on the surface. If there was an ulterior motive, it was well hidden. Henry seemed as though he genuinely wanted to help…that was very un-fairy.
“Exactly. I do need to replant. But I need to do it better. Smarter. I went for the public statement. I was thinking like a human, when I should be playing a long game like a fairy.”
Her gaze slid from the field to Henry. While his features weren’t as refined as a fairy, he had that ageless look about him. Young until he spoke, or she looked into his eyes. He was older than he appeared. She had no idea how old and she doubted Felan did either, not exactly.
“Fairies play over centuries.” Darah watched him closely, looking for a tell.
“I know…maybe not that long.” He smiled. “I measure my life in deaths. Thinking in centuries is rather painful.”
She seized the opening. “So how old are you?”
“In deaths, two hundred and six. In years, one hundred and thirty two.” He sighed and hooked his thumbs into his pockets. “I’d like to be able to say they all deserved it, but alas they didn’t.”
Two hundred and six souls. He was breaking no rules in surviving. She was guessing the souls came to him willingly with no trickery involved, but she wasn’t sure. Darklings were rarer than changelings and Annwyn knew little enough about those. Compared to a fairy Henry was still a youth, though compared to a mortal he was ancient. Not even changelings lived that long. Changelings had a normal mortal lifespan. Henry was truly an oddity.
An oddity with a conscience.
“You really want to help the humans.”
He nodded. “It’s the least I can do.”
In that moment he seemed quite frail and human. He had compassion for people he didn’t know and who would hate him and fear him if they knew the truth. Why would anyone do that? What was in it for him…becoming mayor? There had to be more to it.
Darah pressed a little deeper, determined to dig while he was talking so freely. “Do you want an empire or to help?”
“Can’t I have both?” There was his smile, the one that must make humans trip over themselves to do his bidding.
Just as she was getting ready to say something, he stopped at a large grassy area. The ground looked as though it had been churned up—the surface was uneven and the grass that had regrown was long and needed cutting. A few kids played there, while an older kid watched.
“One night a few Greys and I planted this park with vegetable seedlings. I got all the kids in the area involved and the parents. Some of them were gang kids. I was trying to get a community garden going so that there’d be vegetables for summer. Some were almost big enough to be harvested when the cops came through and took the lot. The gang kids retaliated and there was a fight. Blood was spilled and both sides blamed me for the resulting deaths.” He kicked a mounded of dirt. “This could’ve been the start of something.”
“So why didn’t you replant?”
“Because I don’t want blood on my hands. They were kids. The cops already ride my ass and expect bribes and payments. You saw that last night. But food is an issue.”
“Cows.” She could see what he was planning. It should be a bloodless revolution. He’d give the people what the needed, plus ownership, and in exchange he’d rule and protect. The Greys were his army, but not in the way Felan had thought. She’d seen the Greys chase after the cops after she’d clouded their minds last night. The cops would have no idea what was haunting them, hiding their keys and tripping them up. A clever Grey could break a mortals mind, but she doubted Henry would let it get that far.
None of this was about revenge, at least on the surface. If there was an ulterior motive, it was well hidden. Henry seemed as though he genuinely wanted to help…that was very un-fairy.
“Exactly. I do need to replant. But I need to do it better. Smarter. I went for the public statement. I was thinking like a human, when I should be playing a long game like a fairy.”
Her gaze slid from the field to Henry. While his features weren’t as refined as a fairy, he had that ageless look about him. Young until he spoke, or she looked into his eyes. He was older than he appeared. She had no idea how old and she doubted Felan did either, not exactly.
“Fairies play over centuries.” Darah watched him closely, looking for a tell.
“I know…maybe not that long.” He smiled. “I measure my life in deaths. Thinking in centuries is rather painful.”
She seized the opening. “So how old are you?”
“In deaths, two hundred and six. In years, one hundred and thirty two.” He sighed and hooked his thumbs into his pockets. “I’d like to be able to say they all deserved it, but alas they didn’t.”
Two hundred and six souls. He was breaking no rules in surviving. She was guessing the souls came to him willingly with no trickery involved, but she wasn’t sure. Darklings were rarer than changelings and Annwyn knew little enough about those. Compared to a fairy Henry was still a youth, though compared to a mortal he was ancient. Not even changelings lived that long. Changelings had a normal mortal lifespan. Henry was truly an oddity.
An oddity with a conscience.
“You really want to help the humans.”
He nodded. “It’s the least I can do.”
In that moment he seemed quite frail and human. He had compassion for people he didn’t know and who would hate him and fear him if they knew the truth. Why would anyone do that? What was in it for him…becoming mayor? There had to be more to it.
Darah pressed a little deeper, determined to dig while he was talking so freely. “Do you want an empire or to help?”
“Can’t I have both?” There was his smile, the one that must make humans trip over themselves to do his bidding.
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