Read Phantom Fae for Free Online Page A

think to fight on her behalf just because she clothed you and gave you such treasures."
    "The guard didn't want it back."
    Zane laughed. "The guard is afraid you've enchanted the weapon and that at any moment, it will ignite into flames. I can see it, too. You try to call on the flames to surround the jeweled sword and the one the guard had begins to flame. So how did you do it?"
    "You know, I don't want the position you are vying for," Brett said.
    "You will never get it."
    "If you're assured of that, why do you care if I leave here?"
    "And let you fight alongside the dragon shifter against us? Not on your life. You won't best me in the mage trials, but even if by some miracle you did, the queen wouldn't allow you to become the royal mage. Not with your family's history of rebellion."
    "So why not just kill me and get it over with?"
    "Haven't you learned anything about us yet? The queen is using you for sport. And she wants to challenge me."
    "But not too much or you might lose."
    Zane rounded on him in anger. "You say this because the queen didn't allow you to conjure up your own beast. Can you?"
    "She worried that I might summon something that would put you in your place."
    "I don't believe you can. And she didn't either. She didn't want you to lose face among our people."
    Brett didn't believe the queen was worried about him losing face. More likely that she believed he might conjure up something that would kill her favored mage apprentice.
    Looking at the wagons, Zane shook his head. "I can't believe I have to travel in this way. Ride in the front wagon so that I can watch you."
    Zane climbed onto the wagon behind Brett's. Brett joined a crusty old man who eyed him with suspicion. "You won't turn anything of mine into flames, will you?"
    Brett smiled. He didn't think the man was serious. "It will take us two days to reach the rallying point. Can you handle the horses when I need a break?" the man asked.
    "I traveled this way before. Remember?" Except that time Brett had been helping Ena to carry her treasure to the hawk fae kingdom at the time.
    The man snorted. "I'm Landon, and I'll tell you now that most of us don't like mage ways. Especially when the mage don't really know what he's doing. Supply trains often get attacked. Just remember that when it happens. And remember which side to fight on."
    Brett wouldn't fight for Prince Grotto. Not when the dragon fae put Ena and her shifter kind in jeopardy. He didn't want to see the dark fae or hawk fae killing the phantom fae either. Not when they were supposed to be his people. But he didn't know them. The only people who had showed him any kindness was the queen's advisor, Maracose, and Freya, who desperately needed his help. Well, the guard who hadn't wanted his sword returned. In truth, Brett really didn't want anyone to fight anyone. It was one thing when he had to fight beasts of prey or protect Ena and her staff from murdering thieves.
    Ena and her people had shown him a real kindness and he would never harm any of them.
    As the wagon bumped over the rutted road, he wondered though if Ena would even want to see him if she knew he was a phantom fae. That disheartened him. He desperately wanted to see her again and he planned to once he was a powerful mage, could convince Zane to undo the curse on Freya, and could fae travel.
    They'd only journeyed half a day when they heard fighting, shouts, swords clashing and curses at the back of the wagon train. Fae dressed in leather armor fought with the soldiers protecting the wagons. Which fae they were that were attacking the phantom fae soldiers, he couldn't tell.
    "Which fae are those?" Brett asked Landon.
    "Don't care to know." Landon wouldn't even give them a backward glance.
    Brett turned around as Landon drove his horses to continue on down the road. "Wait!" Brett said. "Aren't we going to help the others?" And then he knew that no matter what, if the phantom fae handling the supply wagons were attacked, and they were