“Entertain our children,” I finished for him with a small smile.
They all looked up from the babies and smiled. I followed Ryder, feeling a twinge of regret as I left my babies in the very capable hands of the Elite Guard, who’d been rendered Elite Nannies. When we entered the throne room, it was to find a guard covered in frost, his body trembling with the remnants of ice that seemed to be growing as we watched.
“That’s not just ice, it looks like an enchantment spell of some kind,” Ryder growled. “Call for a fire Fairy, now!” he shouted at those who seemed helpless to do more than watch the poor guy as frost and ice seemed to be overtaking his entire body.
“Is this something the Mages could have done?” I asked carefully, trying not to cause panic.
“Yes,” Ryder answered as he reached over and grabbed my hand, then pulled me behind him, away from the ice that had formed on the floor. “Get me the Winter Elves; maybe they can figure something to prevent his death,” he said to Zahruk who stood silently beside us.
“There’s no need for that,” a woman in a silky white cape said as she dropped the hood of her cloak, exposing her face.
Her features were sharp, but ethereally beautiful. She had hair the color of a fresh blanket of snow. It was piled high in a bun on the top of her head. A silver ribbon was threaded through it beautifully. Her eyes were blue, the color of ice as it frosted over the lakes midst a deep freeze. On her forehead were gems, white in color that matched her lips, and went well with the blue coloring around her eyes. Silver glitter covered her neck, shoulders, and the tips of her delicately pointed ears.
“Ice Queen,” Ryder said as he bowed his dark head slightly.
“This ice is no work of mine, or of my people. We’ve come as a show of faith; we’ve heard of your fight Horde King, but it is not our fight,” she said softly.
“Not your fight?” I growled. “It’s everyone’s fight! If we don’t all pull our heads out of our asses, there will be no world.”
“We have been told for centuries that we are a lesser Caste, and see no reason to interfere. For a very long time we have been unwanted and no one was willing to help us in our time of need,” she said, turning her eyes to me. “You are not Fae,” she whispered breathlessly. “You are more, so much more.”
“It doesn’t matter what I am. I’m willing to fight and kick Mage ass to save this world and my babies! If you choose to stick your head in the snow,” I was so using that pun, “so be it, but hear this now, anyone who helps us will—”
“Synthia,” Ryder warned.
“Stuff it Fairy,” I growled. “I won’t allow this world to merge into mine…The Human world; and I will not allow this world to reject my children. They need to know you’re not your father, and they need to pull their heads out of their asses. This isn’t a fight they can ignore; this is one that decides their fates too.”
“They are lesser beings,” Ryder said smoothly, as if it explained it all.
“That’s bullshit,” I argued. “Every single Caste of Fae. Every Caste of so-called lesser beings, they all count! This is their fight as well,” I explained as I turned to the Winter Queen and those of her court who had joined her here. “Even if they don’t want this fight, it will come down to every single being to help us win. We didn’t ask for it either, but the Mages will soon attack the lesser beings, because that’s how they work.”