#crescentcrowd

Hadn’t she told them this would happen? That damned Banshee wasn’t ready for the target her position would put on her back. She was far too young, too naive, and Anna had known something like this would happen. There were not many people in the world Anna respected, even less that she truly cared for, but Marjorie had been one of them. She had watched the siren take the young Bea under her wings and that had all been fine and well until the woman had chosen her as her second. Why not give the job to one of the older fae, someone more experienced? Someone who might survive when, as was inevitable, the outside world came knocking on their door. And then Marjorie had died and that threat had become very real very quickly, and Anna had known Bea would be neck on the chopping block when they came back. And they would come back.

Attempting to bully the new queen out of her position was perhaps not the kindest nor most straight forward of strategies, but Anna had seen it as the best option: either Bea toughened up and proved herself, or she ran off crying and gave up the crown to someone who could handle it. Admittedly, even Anna had to concede that the banshee had not done the worst job so far. She had held her own, had yet to suffer a complete nervous breakdown, and she kept that pixie under control for the most part. But now--

“Damned useless little screamer,” Anna swore to herself as she landed in front of the funeral home. Her wings folded back beneath the subtle slits in her paint-stained white blouse, and her eyes landed on the guards just outside the cemetery. It was not a full moon and so her powers were not at their strongest, but that didn’t matter; when she started to sing, the idiots came forward, lured in all the same like little fish on her hook. She considered snapping their necks and being done with it, but no, unnecessary. A storm cloud above their heads to disorient, a quick hit on a pressure point, and they wouldn’t be a problem. 

Finding the banshee was another matter. But there was a spot where the soil was loose, a new grave still unmarked--and will stay that way, Anna thought, grabbing a nearby shovel and removing the dirt bit by bit until he casket was revealed beneath. She reached out to open it and immediately reeled back, hissing in pain as her hands burned from the iron. “Damn it.” Anna kept up another string of curses as she took a deep breath, willed herself to do what she had to, and then pried the coffin open to reveal the ‘queen’ inside. She leaned back on her knees, hands burning, and managed a smirk down at the nearly deceased fae while she wiped the dirt off her palms. “You know, Darling, there are easier ways to get attention.”