A Queen of Ruin (Deliciously Dark Fairytales 4)

This room was a great start.

“King Nyfain, hello.”

A man I recognized from the drawings I’d studied rose from one of the couches with a lazy smile. He had dark eyes and darker skin, with a powerful build and nearly as much height as Nyfain.

King Caron, co-ruler with Queen Yuna, both wolves. They ruled the Flamma Kingdom that housed the dragons in their mountain villages.

“King Caron.” Nyfain unfurled his arm from me so he could shake King Caron’s hand.

“Do you remember my lovely Queen Yuna?” Caron put out his hand, prompting Yuna to stand. She had long, flowing golden hair and small features, except for large brown eyes heavily coated in thick black lashes.

Her smile was wide and eyes sharp as she met Nyfain’s gaze and took his proffered hand.

“Hello, King Nyfain,” she said. “So nice to properly meet you. I remember hearing of you throughout the years. Your mother, the former queen, was from our kingdom, correct?”

“Yes. Until recently, she had moved back there. I’ve still never visited.”

“Well you should,” she replied, all emotion hidden behind her polite exterior. She was good at this. As good as Arleth, I’d bet. “And how is former Queen Arleth? I hear she didn’t succumb to the heinous fate of your kingdom. I am so sorry to hear about that.”

“Yes, I couldn’t believe when suddenly I remembered your kingdom again,” Caron said, looking troubled. “I felt half-mad for a moment.”

“First, let me introduce my queen and co-ruler, Queen Finley.” Nyfain slipped his arm back around my waist.

“Hello.” I stepped forward with my hand outstretched, shaking first Yuna’s hand, then Caron’s. I had no idea whether the order was right. I’d forgotten that bit. “Nice to meet you.”

“Queen Finley, I’ve heard so much about you.” Caron’s eyes crinkled at the corners. “You gave the faeries a run for their money with their healing ointments.”

Clearly he had someone in the know in Starvos’s court.

I laughed delicately, just like I’d been taught. “It was the first time I’d gotten to see someone else’s operations. I may have pushed my way in and taken over a small area.”

“Quite right.” He laughed.

“And may I introduce my brother, Hannon.” I turned and held out my hand. Hannon came forward slowly, clearly not wanting to be here at all. A part of me took grim satisfaction from the fact that he now had to endure all of this posturing with me. We’d always been a team, enduring the worst together, and now nature had forced him to travel the same path I was on. For now, anyway. “He recently learned he shifts into a phoenix. Hannon, this is King Caron and Queen Yuna.”

Yuna’s eyes sparkled. “Hello, Hannon. So great to meet you. A phoenix—wow! Did you have any idea?”

“Please, everyone, let’s take a seat.” Caron gestured to the couches around us.

“I didn’t, no.” Hannon sat in an armchair to my right, leaving the loveseat next to Caron free for Nyfain and me. He put his glass of water on an end table. “Our animals were suppressed for most of our lives, Finley’s and mine.” At their blank stares, he said, “Because of the curse placed on our kingdom by the demon king. I’m sure you’ve heard?”

“Now, now.” Porfino walked quickly to Hannon’s side, making it clear he’d been eavesdropping. “Let’s not engage in slander. We’re aiming for a routine, amicable meeting between the kingdoms.”

Hannon blinked a couple of times before turning his face up to Porfino. “What part of what I said was slander? I’m sure everyone knows that the former king of Wyvern entered into a deal with the demon king, cursing Wyvern and trapping us within the borders? Along with the curse, the demon king suppressed all our animals, which inhibited our ability to heal, and then plagued the villages with a sickness that slowly killed us. I lost half of my family to that sickness. Do I suddenly not understand the meaning of slander, or are you an idiot? But please…” Hannon’s eyes turned intense, and he adjusted in his seat, his chest now facing Dolion at the back of the room. His eyes dropped that way, too, and light started floating into the air all around him. “Let’s bring the king of the demons over here to discuss this. He visited our kingdom often enough to know what was going on.”

His body was relaxed, his demeanor calm, but his stare was hard and aggressive. If he’d had his chef’s knife or axe, I would’ve worried he’d jump up and settle this matter once and for all. As it was, the rest of the room wondered if he’d give them a taste of his magic.

Too bad he didn’t know how to work his damn magic. We could’ve done with another couple of months to figure it out. I should’ve let Nyfain kill Hannon that one time he low-key challenged him.