Crown of Shadows (Court of Midnight and Deception Book 1)

  Crown of Shadows

  Court of Midnight and Deception Book 1

  K. M. Shea

  CROWN OF SHADOWS

  Copyright © 2020 by K. M. Shea

  Cover Art by Covers by Christian

  Edited by Deborah Grace White

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any number whatsoever without written permission of the author, except in the case of quotations embodied in articles and reviews.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination, or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or historic events is entirely coincidental.

  www.kmshea.com

  Contents

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  Chapter 27

  Chapter 28

  Chapter 29

  Chapter 30

  Chapter 31

  Chapter 32

  Chapter 33

  Chapter 34

  Chapter 35

  Chapter 36

  Epilogue

  Afterword

  Leila’s adventure continues in…

  Other books by K. M. Shea

  About the Author

  Chapter One

  Leila

  I was on my way out the door from my parents’ house on a humid spring day, eager to launch my long-cherished plan to become a Responsible Adult, when I glanced over at the horse pasture and saw it. A monster.

  It was a skeletal creature that was only vaguely horse-like. Even from this far away I could see the bulges and indents of its bones. Its ribs and spine uncomfortably stuck out, and its neck was too thin and made its head look huge and blocky.

  A fae creature if I ever saw one—which meant it was deadly at best and murderous at worst.

  And it was standing about three feet away from Bagel, my pet donkey.

  I dropped my manilla folder—which contained three copies of my resume that I planned to drop off at a small marketing company in downtown Magiford—and raced to the fence. I almost face planted when the dewy grass combined with my flats, which I had busted out for this hopeful occasion, made me slip.

  “It’s fine. It’s fine—it’s fine!” I smacked into the wooden horse fence. Shock was starting to numb my brain, so when I vaulted over the fence I vaguely noticed the white paint was starting to peel.

  Once inside I slowed to a fast, tense walk—running up to the thing would probably triple my chances of getting trampled—and called out to Bagel in a raspy-but-hopefully-not-too-scared-sounding voice. “Bagel!”

  Bagel peeled his lips back and smiled at me, completely unconcerned with the creature standing behind him that was totally capable of killing him.

  I slowed down even more when I was almost within reaching distance of Bagel.

  “Come on, Bagel. Let’s go back to the barn and get some treats!” I said.

  Bagel swished his bony tail, flicked his enormous ears, and didn’t move.

  The killer horse didn’t seem worried about my floundering arrival.

  It flicked its wispy tail—and its mane was just as thin and limp, though its black-ish coat looked crusty and dull. Pupil-less eyes that were a curdled yellow added to the animal’s ghastly appearance, especially as it stared me down with a vicious intelligence that seemed natural to most fae creatures.

  Bagel took a step closer to it.

  “Oh, yes, I see you have a friend. But let’s not annoy her and go back to the stables,” I said with fake brightness.

  The fae horse snorted at me, showing the red of its nostrils and pulling its skin taut. I could see the lines of its skull.

  Bagel—the idiot donkey—hee-hawed happily at me, then grabbed another mouthful of grass.

  I wiped my sweaty hands on my black slacks—even if I was just dropping my resume off, I figured it would be most professional to dress for success. That’s what all the articles I’d read on successful job interviews said, anyway. “It’s fine. This is fine. I can totally get you safely out of here before your friend kills us both.”

  Bagel didn’t look up from grazing, the gluttonous pig.

  “I’m glad one of us is calm about this,” I sourly said.

  The fae horse took a step closer to Bagel, and my stomach flopped in my gut.

  How am I going to do this? That thing looks capable of murder!

  I studiously looked off to the side—trying to make myself appear unintimidating while still keeping the creature within eyesight in case it tried to harm Bagel. The donkey was the biggest pain on my parents’ hobby farm, but I loved the fuzzy pain all the same.

  That was how I saw the spiders.

  They were gathering under the shade of the tree line that the pasture backed up into. They were a writhing mass of black, and each one was at least the size of a dinner plate with a bloated body covered in a sort of hard shell and hairy legs that had more joints than they should have. Their eyes—all eight of them—glowed an unnatural neon green, and ooze that was the same green color covered their front fangs, which were as big and thick as my thumbs.

  I’m enough of an animal person that I’d venture to call some spider species cute. These spiders, however, were bloodthirsty fae creatures through and through.

  What the heck? Are the fae slacking and letting their monsters slink from the fae realm into the human world?

  I narrowed my eyes as I watched the spiders start to crawl away from the shade and move toward the pasture. At their size, they wouldn’t have a problem taking out my mom’s chickens, or even one of our cats.

  “Nope! Nope. Not happening.” I glanced at Bagel’s unlikely companion—it was just as creepy but mercifully still even though Bagel was now sniffing its thin tail. “Yep, the spiders are the bigger threat. It’s time to prioritize!” I sprinted across the pasture and hopped the fence in record time. When I clattered into the barn the horses standing in the paddock neighed their morning greeting, but I ignored them and grabbed the big shovel I used to clean stalls and the can of wasp spray Dad kept by the garden supplies.

  I stopped just long enough to kick off my useless flats and put on the spare set of paddock boots I always left in the barn, and then I was back out in the pasture before Bagel finished inspecting his friend’s tail.

  I tucked my slacks into my paddock boots, trying to give my legs more cover, and popped the lid off the wasp spray.

  Should I use my magic?

  As a half fae I had it, and I’d learned how to use it as a kid. But while I was decent with magic, I was not fast. And if one of those spiders got past me, I didn’t know if I’d find it before it started terrorizing the barnyard.

  The human—and the most efficient—way it is!

  I peered over my shoulder at the fae horse, but it thankfully didn’t seem inclined to move, even when I got between it and the tree line that shaded the spiders.

  The spiders’ oddly jointed legs made a clicking noise as th
ey skittered in the shadows, crawling over what looked like a few dead animal carcasses.

  I sprayed the underside of my shovel with the wasp killer, my stomach curdling with my nerves. A few of the spiders crawled toward me, their fangs parting in a sign of aggression.

  That was enough to prod me into motion. “For the chickens!” I smashed my shovel into the two closest spiders and was incredibly relieved when I raised my shovel to see I had successfully flattened them. I’d been half afraid I wouldn’t be able to kill them.

  Two more rushed me, but I sprayed them with the wasp killer—I’d have to tell the guy at the hardware store that the can really did have the fifteen foot reach it advertised.

  The sprayed spiders stopped and started wigging out, waving their creepy legs and giving me enough time to smash them.

  That became my pattern—spot a new target, spray it, and smash it.

  I had to be fast. When I stopped to breathe, a spider actually reached me and tried to bite me. Thankfully, it couldn’t get me through my leather paddock boots, and I was able to crush it before it moved up my leg.

  It seemed like there was no end of the spiders. More came out of the tree line, rustling leaves and clicking their legs as they rushed me.

  Sweat dripped down my spine and made my blouse stick to me as I smashed spider after spider.

  How can there be this many? I sprayed one spider, stopping it instantly, then smashed my shovel down on another, shivering when I heard the disgusting crunch of its abnormal shell. And why are they here?

  I crushed the spider I had sprayed, then wiped my forehead off on my arm. I should tell Mom to hire a pesticide company.

  Another three minutes of spraying and crushing, and the spiders finally dwindled.

  The ground was gross, and the air had a disgusting, bitter scent to it.

  I planted my shovel in the ground and made a face at the gore. “One thing’s for sure—I’m not letting the horses in this pasture until we get at least two rainstorms. Do you hear that, Bagel?”

  I turned around to address the donkey, but he’d wandered off and was playing with water in the water trough up by the barn.

  The fae horse-like animal, however, was where I’d left it. And scuttling toward it was a stray spider I’d missed.

  I choked on my own spit as I snatched up my can of wasp spray and wrenched my shovel out of the dirt, then ran after the spider.

  It didn’t seem like the fae horse saw it—it was too busy glaring at me, its ears pinned to its skull as it made a very hoarse, bark-like noise that sounded pretty ominous.

  “Spider!” I panted as I ran toward it. “Watch out for the spider!”

  I was catching up fast, but the spider was almost to the horse, its nasty leg joints clicking as it hopped a few steps.

  I shook my can of wasp spray and tried to aim for it.

  The can fizzled, and nothing came out—I had used the whole thing.

  Snarling in irritation, I threw the can and narrowly missed smacking the spider, but it veered to the side, giving me just enough time to raise my shovel above my head and smash down hard.

  I felt it crunch. When I lifted my shovel a leg twitched, but the thing was clearly dead.

  The adrenaline that had propelled me across the pasture in record time left as abruptly as it had arrived. I had just enough time to dig my shovel into the ground and then lean on it for support.

  “I’ve reassessed the situation. Mom needs to hire a pesticide company run by a wizard!” I wheezed and flicked my ponytail over my sweaty shoulder—so much for looking professional. “Or maybe we should just burn the whole tree line down. Talk about creepy!”

  I shivered, but froze when I heard the muffled thump of a hoof stamping on the grassy ground. Slowly, I raised my eyes, and my stomach iced over when I finally noticed the fae horse had moved.

  It was facing me head on, its eyes eerily shining as it tossed its head and showed the red of its nostrils. It pawed at the ground, and I swear the grass under its hooves turned brown and died.

  Ah. It’s mad.

  Slowly, carefully I picked up my shovel. I’d have to abandon the can of wasp spray—it was closer to the fae horse than I was. Holding my breath, I took a shuffling step to the side.

  The fae horse charged, streaking past me like a shadow. It neighed, but the noise broke off into a piercing shriek that could have broken glass.

  I heard the tell-tale click of spider legs, and I spun around just in time to see the horse-like creature savagely attack a giant spider that had been creeping up behind me.

  But this wasn’t a plate-sized spider—oh no. It was much more horrifying, given it was roughly as big as a Saint Bernard.

  A few of the smaller spiders scuttled around it. Probably the giant spider had laid its eggs in the tree line and I’d come outside just in time to find them after they hatched.

  The spider stretched its fangs, trying to bite the attacking fae horse, but the equine reared up and slammed its front legs down on the spider’s hardened exterior, forcing it to the ground.

  The fae horse shrieked, revealing a mouth full of teeth that were much more jagged and sharp than any horse’s, and clamped onto one of the spider’s back legs. It whipped the massive spider back and forth—lifting it off the ground even though the monster had to weigh more than fifty pounds—then slammed it on the ground, crushing its own offspring.

  It did this twice, and once all the smaller spiders had been killed and the mother was half dead, the fae horse stomped the spider’s front end into the ground.

  As I watched in shock, Bagel marched up to me and began inspecting my pockets, looking for the carrots I usually gave him and the horses once they were turned out for the day.

  The spider’s bloated abdomen deflated as it died, and its legs spasmed a couple of times.

  The fae horse pawed at the dead spider, sniffed it, then made that weird, hoarse barking noise again.

  “I guess this solves where all those other spiders came from,” I said with numb lips.

  I should call the neighbors once I get this cleaned up. They had trouble with the fae Night Court last fall. Maybe the Night Court is starting something again.

  The fae horse finally left the dead spider and slowly came back to me, stopping a few feet away and swishing its tail as it watched Bagel twine around me.

  I looked from the crumpled spider carcass to the fiendish looking horse, my brain still trying to catch up with everything that had happened.

  This “horse” saved me from that spider. I didn’t even hear it behind me—it must have been stalking me.

  Cautiously, I pulled out half of a carrot from my front pocket. I fed a piece to Bagel, then slowly took a step closer to the fae horse and held out the remaining carrot chunk.

  As a fae, I have some natural magic—magic that works even without the use of an artifact or magical item. It’s the only thing I really like about my fae blood, because my natural magic happens to give me a good rapport with animals.

  I was heavily banking on my natural magic—I could feel it stretching out to the frightening fae horse, but I didn’t know for sure if it would work or not.

  “Hello,” I said as I might greet a person. “I’m Leila. Thanks for helping me.”

  The fae horse was still for a long moment that seemed to last forever, then it crossed the space between us and picked the carrot off my palm with a muzzle that felt similar to a horse’s, but was somehow rougher.

  “You’re a good boy—or a good girl? Doesn’t matter.” I smiled as the fae horse slowly swiveled its ears, listening to the sound of my voice.

  “How’d you get out here?” I kept my voice soothing and quiet. “Did someone dump you off?”

  It had happened before. There were some seriously irresponsible people out in the world. All of our barn cats had been tossed out of cars out by the road before we took them in. Fae were pretty selfish and slippery supernaturals, so I could totally see them losing interest in their plaything and
deciding to dump it off in the country.

  I mean, there was no way this horse was wild. I live in the Midwest, halfway between Chicago and Milwaukee. We don’t have wild horses around here.

  I grimaced as I saw the individual ribs in its side. “You need to put on some weight. Your owner half-starved you.” I fed Bagel another carrot, then offered another piece to the fae horse. “I’ll get some hay for you—you deserve it after helping me out. Thank you.”

  The fae horse crunched on its carrot, and surprisingly followed after me as I headed for the barn.

  It walked fast enough that it caught up and walked at my side, its head bobbing a little since it had a jolting walk.

  I made myself breathe normally as I slowly raised my hand and eventually brushed its neck with one figure.

  The horse threw its head and shied to the side.

  I calmly stopped, trying not to alarm it.

  The fae horse arched its neck, but after a few moments passed it ambled up to me, blowing hot, almost sulfuric scented breath on my fingers as it sniffed my hand.

  I held my hand up for better inspection.

  Once the horse was satisfied it raised its muzzle, and pressed it to my temple.

  I felt something…strange. I shivered without explanation, and I could have sworn I felt a bit of magic, but it was gone so fast I couldn’t be certain.

  The fae horse smeared its lips on me—probably leaving spit behind, but it didn’t matter, there was no way I was going to drop off my resume looking like this—then it reclaimed its spot next to me.