I knew Ian wouldn’t ask me to listen if I was in danger. I worried my bottom lip for a second, then nodded once in Kade’s direction. Slowly the shadows receded, dropping Ryland to the floor and leaving him gasping for air.
“You better start speaking,” I ordered. “I will not have everything we’ve done so far be ruined by a spy.” My heart ached thinking about Hale and everything he’d sacrificed. Even with his devotion and loyalty, he’d put all of us through hell. Ultimately, it was not a risk I was willing to take again. Especially not with someone who didn’t have the same history with me.
Ryland wheezed, heaving down gulps of air while on his hands and knees. Once he finally caught his breath enough to speak, Ryland pushed himself up onto his feet, brushing the dirt off his pants. “Some welcome this was, Ian. I thought the Hidden Henchman was desperate for help.”
“The Hidden Henchman doesn’t need help from those who give their loyalty to evil, mind-controlling mad men.” I crossed my arms over my chest, battling my anger unsuccessfully. “Ryland, you have two minutes. Convince me or I can’t be held responsible for what happens to you.”
He took a few steps toward me and bowed, lower than one normally would for royalty. “First, I just want to say how sorry I am for the loss of your mother and father. Brookmere lost two exceptional leaders, and I can’t even imagine how you must be feeling. I am forever grateful for their love and generosity throughout the years. They always treated us well.” Ryland placed a hand over his heart. “May nature guide them.”
“Thank you.” I nodded, swallowing down the grief threatening to break me once more. “Continue.”
He took a deep breath. “I never worked with Casimir. He tried to recruit me to help him with some crazy plan of his. Fates, he even threatened me a few times, but we Broham Fae cannot be coerced. Our loyalty to Brookmere is unmatched. I turned him down time and time again.”
“And yet you never reported his scheming,” I snarled.
Ryland hung his head. “I truly thought it was ramblings of a delusional Fae. Yes, his threats hit their mark, but I didn’t think he was truly capable of what happened. After the third trial, when Ellevail fell into the hands of Andras’s minions, I escaped back home to ensure my people were taken care of.” His brow furrowed. “I wasn’t so certain, with my unwillingness to help, if we wouldn’t face some sort of retaliation.” His voice lowered. “And I will not have my people suffer because I refused to stand on the side of evil.”
My initial anger dissipated slightly. It sounded convincing, like he’d done everything he could to protect his people, just as I would hope a city leader would, but I still needed to be sure. “Do you pledge your loyalty to me, Ryland Lockbane? Do you swearupon the Fates themselves you will fight for Brookmere and all of its citizens? Will you follow any and all directions given to you by me or those in this room?”
Ryland surveyed all of the Fae before him before dropping to one knee. “Queen Illiana, I swear on the Fates, my sword remains true to Brookmere and to any citizen who calls it home. I pledge myself to protect Brookmere. I pledge myself to you.”
I took a moment, scanning the faces of my friends and trying to read their expressions. Ian subtly nodded his head in agreement.
“Fine, you can stay.” I extended my hand out to his, and he shook it with fervor before I pulled him close. “You will be watched. Carefully,” I said, my voice leaving no room to question on how serious I was. “The moment you cross us, you die by my hand or Kade’s shadows. Whichever is faster. Understood?”
“Understood.” Ryland gulped.
Ian coughed to break the tension. “Well, now that’s all taken care of. Ryland, why don’t you get the rest of your people settled. I’m sure there are some earth Fae out back who can help build shelters while we prepare.”
He nodded and left before any of us could change our minds.
Jax giggled in the back of the room. “He looked like he was about to piss himself.”
Raya sighed loudly. “You are a child, Jax.”
He threw an apple core at Raya’s head, but Ian smacked it away before it could reach her. Ian glanced over at her, but she immediately averted her gaze. I narrowed my eyes, wondering what in the Fates was going on.
I turned to Kade. “We have the most chaotic friends.”
He chuckled in return, before grabbing my hand and pulling me close to his side. He whispered in my ear, “And I wouldn’t have it any other way.”
Vivienne appeared from behind the bar, clapping her hands slowly. “Well done, Illiana. Your parents would be proud.”
Red colored my cheeks. I wasn't sure I had ever spoken to someone with such conviction before, save for Andras and King Dargan. Vivienne was right. My parents would be proud. I was proud of me. “Thank you, Vivienne. That means a lot.”
She stepped forward, standing close to me before opening her arms wide. “Now, let’s discuss taking back your kingdom, my queen.”
Chapter 13
Lana
“So, even though Kade killed his evil father, we don’t just have Andras left,” Ian said, rubbing his forehead with his eyes closed. “We have a thousand-year-old, powerful, evil psycho to kill too?”
I slumped in my chair. “Accurate,” I sighed.
Kade’s hand squeezed my leg underneath the table, comforting me despite the panic rising in my throat at how much we had to face still.
We’d finally gotten around to explaining who Thames was as we tried to figure out how to fight a war against Andras and this new evil.
