Anthea Sharp - The Bright Court

The Bright Court

Book 2 in the FEYLANDTrilogy

ANTHEA SHARP

This is a work of fiction. Names,characters, places, and incidents are the product of the authorsimagination. Any resemblance to real events or persons is purelycoincidental.

Smashwords Edition Copyright 2012Anthea Sharp. All rights reserved. This e-book is licensed for yourpersonal enjoyment only. It may not be re-sold or given away.Support independent authors - read legally! To obtain permission toexcerpt portions of the text, other than for review purposes,contact

COVER: Design - KimberlyKillion, www.hotdamndesigns.com

QUALITY CONTROL: This work has been professionallyedited. Still, if you encounter any typos or formatting problems,please contact so they may be corrected.

TABLE OFCONTENTS

DEDICATION:

For all the gamers in my family but mostespecially, for Lawson.

PROLOGUE

T he eerie call of ahunting horn floated over the drowsing city, sending sleepersdreams spiraling into nightmare - or jolting them awake, heartspounding in sudden terror.

Tam Linn sat upright in the hushed dimnessof his hospital room. His breath rasped in his throat, the echo ofthat fey and terrible noise shuddering through him. Forcing hisbreathing to slow, he listened intently. Nothing. He slid out ofthe bed and padded to the window, then slowly pushed aside thecurtain.

The dark gray sky arched over the city, thelights of Crestview washing out any stars that might be hoveringthere. No spectral hounds or horned riders galloped across thenight. No faerie magic breaking through into the mortal world.

Yet.

Tam watched a single car navigate thestreets beyond the medical center. Soon the city would wake, andhed finally go home. After three weeks in the hospital, the needto be out of there was severe - jangling his thoughts, burning hisnerves. He clenched his hands into weak fists. He was still shaky,but hed hidden it well enough that the docs had agreed to releasehim. There wasnt any more time to lose.

Dangerous magic was about to be turned loosein the human world - and he was one of the only people who had achance of stopping it.

T am walked thecrowded halls of Crestview High, feeling like an imposter in hisown skin. Everything was different, but it was an invisible change- like his brain had been taken out and refolded into a new shape,then stuck back inside the same old packaging.

Being in a coma would do that.

Not to mention being held as a sacrifice bythe faeries of the Dark Court, an experience so outside of normalthat it still seemed like a fever-dream. But it had happened.

After that, going back to school was soordinary it was surreal. Other students brushed past, bits of theirconversation floating like mist in the air. Nothing felt solid -until he caught sight of a girl with pale blond hair moving towardhim against the tide. Jennet Carter. The one person who kneweverything hed been through.

His world clicked into place.

Tam, she said, giving him a warm smile.Its great to see you back on your feet.

She reached out like she was going to hughim, and he did a quick side-step. Not that he didnt want her totouch him - a part of him did. But they were friends, against allodds, and that was enough. It had to be.

He tried not to notice her high-endclothing, the perfect sheen of her hair, the expensive tabletpeeking out of her bag. Especially tried to ignore the wrist-chipimplant that proved she was one of the elite. Jennet had everythinggoing for her, while he

He glanced down at his worn jeans with thefrayed knee, his battered shoes with cracks in the sole. He had afalling-apart family, in a falling-apart house, in the mostfalling-apart neighborhood in Crestview.

They had nothing in common, except a love ofsim gaming - and nearly dying in the Realm of Faerie.

He took a quick look around to make sure noone was listening. We need to talk, soon. About Feyland.

She nodded, her smile fading. The bellblared, the harsh, metallic sound startling through him. Welcomeback to the real world.

Lets talk at lunch. She stepped forward.Come on - we dont want to be late to World History. Ms. Lewismight frown at you.

Oh yeah, scary. The teacher wasnotoriously soft.

He followed her down the hall, stumblingbriefly as a wave of dizziness washed over him.

Are you sure youre ready to be back inschool? She slowed, her eyes concerned.

The med techs said I was in decent shape,he said, evading her question. Besides, Ive been gone too manyweeks already. If I miss any more school, Ill have to repeat theyear.

No way did he want to do extra time atCrestview High. Though maybe it didnt matter - not with the darkcreatures of Feyland trying to break through into the mortal world.Who knew if there would even be a next year?

If you say so. Her voice softened. I wasworried about you.

He shot her a sideways glance. You visitedme practically every day in the hospital.

And, weirdly, visited his dreams as well.Did she share those hyper-real visions? Tam felt his cheeksheating, and dipped his head, his hair falling over his eyes. So,hed imagined kissing Jennet. In dreams. Not real, and hed betternot start thinking they were.

Seeing you in the hospital Jennets voicewas unsteady. She cleared her throat. Anyway, youre up andwalking and, well, youre you again.

He wasnt so sure, but there didnt seem tobe words to explain. And even if there were, Ms. Lewiss classroomwasnt the place to go all emo.

Mr. Linn! The teacher clasped her handstogether and smiled at him as he took his seat. How wonderful tosee you.

He mumbled a greeting, then pulled out hisbattered school tablet. Luckily, Ms. Lewiss attention was divertedtoday. She kept glancing at a tall, unfamiliar boy seated in thefront row. As soon as the second bell rang, she held up onehand.

Class - attention, class! Im pleased toannounce we have a new student here at Crestview High. Mr. RoyalLassiter - oh, do stand up, Roy. She beamed at the new boy. Tellus a bit about yourself.

An introduction speech. Really? Tam shot alook at Jennet, who raised her eyebrows. Crestview never botheredwith things like that. At least, they never had in the past.

The new student stood and turned to face theclass. All the girls drew in their breaths, and Tam squinted,trying to see the appeal. Despite his expensively rumpled clothes,Roy Lassiter didnt seem all that special. Reddish-brown hair,angular nose, chin a bit on the weak side. An easy grin lay on hisface, but his dark eyes were calculating.

Something glinted at his wrist - a chipimplant. He was one of the company kids who lived up at The View.One of the privileged ones, like Jennet.