The Bastard Queen (Viciously Yours #2)

Chapter Nine: Progress is Progress

Two days had passed since my speech and I was now convinced it was a hallucination. None of the Fae seemed to have left or if they did the number was so small that it wasn't obvious to me. And when we re-arranged the tents to keep the domestics safe, I didn't feel the expected hostility in the air. There were some glares but for the most part about half of the soldiers still referred to me as Queen and wore my color. It was unsettling to say the least, but the sense of stability made it easier to think over everything.

I had accepted the fact that Puck was a representative of Oberon with ease, it actually made it easier to trust him. Oberon wouldn't have sent one of his own children to my base if he didn't plan on actually helping in the war against Mab. Unlike my mother, he actually cared about his children and wasn't fond of using them as collateral damage. But what Dougal had said about the kid seeing me as some kind of hero? Yea, it made it extremely uncomfortable to be around him. I wasn't anybody's hero. I had to get over that though because I needed to ask how many troops his father was willing to give us.

Orange and purple light painted the evening sky, giving the Fae who were eating outside a beautiful view. Nodding to the ones I passed, I didn't pay any attention to the obvious staring at my arms and neck. I guess now that everything had calmed down, they were starting to notice my tattoos. But while they stared or spared me a quick hello, no one had actually spoken to me yet. Besides talking to the Grymes family, Dani and a few soldiers who needed an explanation on my late night screams. I haven't really spoken to anyone else. I had seen a few of my old citizens here and there but I've avoided them at every turn.

There was an upside to all of this, though. Now that everyone knew the truth about who I was and what had happened under my reign. I could actually start doing things to make this army a credible threat against the Unseelie Queen. I needed to start taking troops out to recruit and secure allies. More recruits meant more power and more power meant we'd be able to create a secure base for the domestics. Once that was handled and our numbers bolstered we could start making open attacks on her bases. Maybe even turn an ally or two against her which was why I was now on my way to Dougals tent. The faster we discussed this, the faster we could start making actual moves in this war.

Kicking a tuft of grass, I watched as it rolled around the corner of the white tents. Before I could follow after it, the soothing sound of lapping water drew my attention towards the nearby lake. A small group of Fae at the edge of the bank were using their water ability to catch fish. I actually stopped for a second to watch the way they bent the water to their will with such ease. If only I could do more with my own water ability then stop and start a downpour. Anything else required an amount of willpower that I apparently didn't possess.

What a joke.

I was a master in metal, earth and was making slow progress with fire but water was completely out of my wheelhouse. And of course, it also had to be the ability that Mab had mastered at a young age so it irked the ever loving shit out of me. If that bitch could wield it and we shared blood, then why the hell couldn't I? I knew my will was strong, I wouldn't have been able to bend fire to my will if it wasn't. Hmmmmm. Maybe like with the others, I needed to figure out what water responded to the most. Or maybe I just needed to actually practice it. I needed to practice with all my abilities again, actually. Why was I still keeping that a secret anyways?

Yanking my gaze away, I turned down the row of tents alongside the bank of the lake. Set up just a foot away from where the grass gave way to sand, the breeze coming off the lake kept the heat of the day away. Nodding hello to a passing woman and her child, I felt my heart physically melt when the small toddler giggled. Grinning back at the toddler, I willed the metal pieces in my hair to float high in the air. I must have looked crazy with my hair sticking every which way but the child laughed uproariously.