Queens of Mist and Madness (Fae Isles, #4)

by Lisette Marshall

not the look of a predator finding his prey, but rather … Rather, a predator finding his match.

‘Liria.’ Even breathed so quietly, I could make out the Faerie word. My love. And I slept.

Why is this so precious

And Agenor’s voice, louder than I’d ever heard him before, bellowed, ‘Where is he?’

UH OH HEHEHEHE

Tared gave half a shrug – on your head be it, that gesture said – and turned, raising his voice ever so slightly. ‘He’s here, Agenor.’

TARED PLEASE

Creon threw me a quick grin, looking utterly undeterred by the fae equivalent of a rumbling volcano marching in for his head

Literally Creon is having so much fun lmao

Creon must have noticed but merrily pretended not to, smiling his most innocent, most infuriating smile at my father like some snot-nosed little boy determined to get a rise out of the adults in the room.

CREON PLEASE YOURR MAKIJNG IT WORSE

The gleam in Creon’s eyes as he leaned back against the wall and folded his arms was nothing less than alarming. ‘Yes, old friend?’ ‘Oh, go to hell.’ I’d never heard anyone pronounce that curse with so much heartfelt hope that its target may actually obey the command.

Did Agenor hear creon speak yet?! Its crazy he just brushed it off

Creon, you do realise there is no actual need to keep up this bloody act for the rest of eternity, don’t you?’ His grin was just a little remorseful. ‘But he makes it so easy, Em.’

Lmaoooo hes such a little shit

‘Don’t make it worse!’ I desperately interrupted, flinging a habitual crackle of red magic at his face. He avoided it just as routinely, laughing out loud.

‘I’m not accusing him,’ my father said, looking bewildered. ‘I’m just saying he hasn’t offered anyone a cup of tea in his life, so how am I supposed

Lmao hes really a sweet gentle boy who can cook well too

‘All I know is that Edored suddenly stormed up to me and wanted to know if I knew whether Creon likes to play cards, because Tared …’

‘Because Tared apparently dictated Creon was to be welcomed into the family as pleasantly as possible? Which—

Hahaahahahhahaha we love tared for this

‘For hell’s sake,’ he said bleakly. ‘What have you been thinking?’ ‘Well,’ I said, ‘have you seen what he looks like?’

Deceased

‘You should realise Creon wasn’t born for peace and contentment, Em. The war is in his blood and bones. He’s not going to settle down and take up gardening for the rest of his life,

Oh stfu Agenor

‘What I’m trying to say, you log-headed idiot, is that you don’t have the faintest idea of who he is.’

Thats the funniest insult ive ever heard

‘Did you have any idea? He’ll spend whole days puzzling over star charts if you let him – something to do with triangulation and oscillating stars, whatever the hell any of that means.

This is so cute i cry

‘He likes to cook.’ I counted the points on my fingers. ‘He likes to read books by philosophers who argue endlessly about the true meaning of the word meanwhile. He likes flying at night, and in storms. He likes cats. I don’t suppose any of that rings a bell?’

My sweet gentle demon boy

‘And you’re saying you actually … like him.’ ‘I’m saying I love him to pieces,’ I pleasantly corrected.

Jfc agenor

‘No. Because he’s the only damn person in this world who’s never tried to make me more than I can be or less than I am. Because he makes me laugh when I’m frightened. Because he knows what it’s like to be everyone’s weapon. Because he stops me from doubting myself. Do I need to continue?’

‘Well. In that case … congratulations, I presume?’ I blinked at him. ‘Oh, gods,’ he said, closing his eyes. ‘That wasn’t the right thing to say either?’

WHY IS AGENOR SO AWKWARD HAHAHAA

‘One tries to learn,’ he said with a grimace. ‘And you seem to have inherited your mother’s talent for shouting rather convincingly. Just … could you promise me one thing, Em?’

Hahahahaha

And where I stood, surrounded by pale sandstone and golden wood, I had none of those things.

The textures baby gorl!!!

Softness for movement, except I had used it to create the opposite of movement. It had been softness for stillness

Creon glared at the both of them, then at the arrow in his thigh, and then at me again, visibly debating how much trouble he’d be in if he just pulled the thing out before Ylfreda showed up.

Lmaoooo

‘I’ll try.’

You'll TRY?? Im pissed asf rn

‘It’s too small, you mean.’ ‘What?’ ‘Watch out who you’re blaming,’ he clarified, lips tight. ‘You’re not too much. The place is too small. Very different problem, very different solution.’

I love him so much

There’s nothing small about you. Had he been the one feeling small, those days, for what might have been the first time in centuries?

Tared groaned. ‘Possibly, yes.’ ‘Look at us, agreeing,’ Creon said, sending him a sour grin that was answered in kind. ‘If this is the sort of allies they plan to be, I’m starting to think I’d rather have enemies.’

I want them to be besties

‘And please don’t do anything to anger them if you can help it, alright?’ ‘But if you can’t help it,’ Creon said dryly, ‘at least make sure you anger them thoroughly.’

Hehehehe

His lips brushed over the crown of my head, lightly, so as not to mess up the careful arrangement of my hair. ‘Keep yourself safe,’ he said quietly.

Softness for movement. Smoothness for mind. Iridescence for magic.

‘Don’t kill any phoenixes while I’m gone.’ He grinned at me. ‘Don’t worry. I’m leaving them for Lyn.’

Tared is my favorite in this book so far

As impressive as the palace looked on the outside, I hardly met anyone walking through the corridors – a ghost of a place, a shell of former glory inhabited by five powerful rulers and the handful of people left to serve them.

Mosaics on the walls portrayed mythical beasts writhing in flames and blazing wings against dark, starry skies; rows and rows of intricately carved wooden seats

swung my right hand forward again, aiming for the chair this time. Another burst of softness from the velvet, and the simple seat floated calmly up into the air, settling itself gently on the stage opposite the five elders.

Emelin is such a fking baddie bruh

‘You were expecting me, I believe?’ That was, of course, a lie. They had expected the Mother’s witless little dove. They had expected Agenor’s barely grown daughter.

not expected a mage who’d walk in with a furious tiny falcon on her shoulder

We love our furious lil falcon

‘Lady Yndrusillitha, I take it?’

I beg ur finest pardon

‘The war won’t be won until the Mother is dead, and one little girl will never be able to—

Yet she remains the only one to have caught the mother off guard and blind her ass

‘You …’ Drusa began breathlessly, looking from Khailan to me to the chair she’d kicked back in her hurry to get away from the blazing inferno. ‘You can unbind people?’ I smiled at her. ‘As you see.’ ‘Oh, gods.’ Her wrinkled hand flew to her chest. ‘Oh, gods.’

THAT WAS SO FKING BAD BITCH I HAVE CHILLS

Run straight to the Mother. I stood paralysed below that mosaic dome, the memory of Lyn’s voice barraging over me – but if they did that, if they waited for me to turn my back and flew straight to

I dont understand why they would choose that risk over allying?!

forced myself to extend my own right hand, making sure the flow of smoothness was never interrupted – you want to bargain, you want to bargain, you want to bargain.

DAMN EM THIS IS VILLIANOUS

Was this what Zera had feared I would do, those days when she’d refused to grant me godsworn powers? Had she known I’d be manipulating my allies with fear and suffering within days of my return to the civilised world?

The words gushed over my lips like vomit, a winding, rambling confession, until I finally ran out of thoughts and just stood there panting and shaking, waiting for his judgement.

I just want to say i love the confidence between them

You did what you had to do, and you did it well. There’s nothing evil about that.’

I have to say i agree, only because it was between that and them damming everyone to the mother

barbed thorns that surrounded the sound of that single word. Home. A place where no one stared or whispered. A place where I couldn’t embarrass anyone, too.

:(

How do you feel about those closets that are practically entire rooms to walk around in?’ ‘Utterly ridiculous,’ he said dryly. ‘Let’s get one.’

We could call them Chicken and Egg and teach them to chew on the shoes of people we dislike. And—’ ‘I’m not going to name my cats Chicken and Egg,’ he interrupted, chest shaking against me.

Hahahahahah

‘Time to get to work, cactus. Think of it this way – we can’t get our cats if we die on the battlefield.’

Tared cut in, sounding bored, ‘Creon’s help was instrumental both in saving Tolya and in winning our first battle at the Golden Court. I suggest we don’t go down this path of discussion again.’

WE LOVE TARED STANDING UP FOR CREON