The Unseelie King (The Kings Book 6) Read Online Free PDF

She’s different.”
    “Not like her sister, eh?” Drummer asked, rubbing his chin in contemplation.
    Caliban, like any good fae king, came by his knowledge of what transpired in the fae realms through various channels. Elementals were a favorite form of spy, for instance. Air elementals could be anywhere at any time. Water and earth elementals were nearly as easy to call upon. In many situations, even fire elementals were useful. Then there were sprites, spriggans, trolls…. A veritable plethora of eyes and ears surrounded the world – and most of them reported to Caliban. But even so, they were not in all places at all times, so Caliban was lacking some information about the new Seelie Queen.
    He hadn’t had a chance to speak with his brother personally in days, and Avery was good at not being spied on. Cal was forced to make approximations. “From what I’ve gleaned, both Wishers possess surprising power. But beyond their shared empathy and kindness, they seem to be night and day.”
    The old advisor ran his knobby fingers through his very long, white beard and walked a few paces away in contemplation. “Yes, that makes sense.”
    Cal’s brow furrowed. “Oh?”
    Drummar turned back to face him and as he always did when he had to look up at his king, he tried to stand up a little straighter in his aged frame. “Twins among the fae must divide their strengths and weaknesses, their likes and dislikes, and their light and their darkness. It’s only natural that one would possess more of some of them than the other.”
    He nodded, mostly to himself, and stopped stroking his beard to hobble quickly past Caliban to a window on the other end of the Unseelie throne room. It looked out over a vast and strange land, filled with more wonders than most mortals could ever conceive. “Yes, I can see them now. I imagine young Selene Trystaine is like the full moon. She is visible, she shines bright, and as far as those around her are concerned, she would appear the stronger of the two.” The advisor turned to Caliban, and his blue eyes became steely with knowledge. “But Minerva is the dark side of the moon.”
    Caliban’s chin lifted slightly. He felt a chill move through him. And that was something he hadn’t felt in ages.
    “And we both know which one is truly more powerful, don’t we, my boy?”
    Caliban swallowed, his throat working against a sudden tightness. The moon was more than important to the fae, both seelie and unseelie alike. It was their banner, their symbol, their guide, their eternal token of faith. It rode upon their flags and armor for a reason. The moon was a part of them.
    The full moon was as Drummar had said. It was visible, comforting, and symbolic.
    But the dark of the moon…. The dark side was hidden. It was mysterious. Legend had it that the dark side of the moon was the source of unseelie magic. Untapped, it was the strongest magic in the fae realms. Un-disciplined, it was the most deadly.
    “Your queen’s magic is darkness, Caliban. She is your darkness. But because of her blood, its fuel is anger. She is a Wisher, and a Wisher’s power is in the seeking of vengeance. Injustice is its birthing bed.” The advisor shook his old head, and his expression became weary and disheartened. “Poor soul has never had a choice in how much pain she must feel. The darkness in her feeds off of it. It will die without it. And so, she has no recourse but to experience all agonies. Hers,” he said softly, “and everyone else’s.”
    Caliban felt odd standing there in the midst of this revelation. He imagined the untold sufferings that took place in the mortal world – and then, he imagined how Minerva must have felt suffering them right along with it.
    Every time a plane crashed, a child was killed, a girl raped, a family left without their homes or one another in the midst of a tyrant storm… she felt that loss, that indignity, and that terror. And beyond humanity, the suffering only continued,