I frowned. “About what?”
He gave a weak smile. “I always said you’d make the better King.”
I huffed. “That remains to be seen.”
“No, Mel. It doesn’t. You don’t get a crown to prove yourself. You were given the crownbecauseyou showed yourself right for it. I should have listened earlier. I’m sorry.”
“I forgive you.” I meant the words, but there was a niggle of unease that still made a knot in my stomach when I thought of the moment he’d come for me.
“I… don’t deserve that. But I’ll make every effort to earn it while I can.”
“Haven’t you heard, Jann? A crown isn’t earned—you show yourself right for it before it even reaches you.”
He looked at me, startled, but I clapped his shoulder. “Let’s clear this fucking place, take this people, and find my daughter-in-law. We’re going to win this, Jann. We’ll winfor certain.”
He looked less certain, but nodded and we turned together.
Troops trickled in. The banquet hall grew noisier.
Then Diadre arrived, trotting, her face tight with tension—some of which eased when she saw Jann, then turned to frustrated resignation when her brother picked her up and twirled her around.
Just as I’d pulled Yilan to my side and looked for Jann, preparing to make this final advance together, there was an almightyboomfrom within the palace. The floors trembled, and a trickle of dust showered down from the rafters.
A current of unease rippled through the soldiers in the hall, but they were already in formation, and now the leaders began issuing orders that would get us out to take the last of the palace from Lucifer and his loyalists.
“Don’t be distracted,” I called to them all. “We have our task—no matter what weapons he’s brought to bear, as long as we remain strong and don’t give in to fear, we know how to res—”
“God,you beat that drum until it gives them all headaches,Melek.”
The crowd murmured, then the hum grew agitated as the dark shadows in the peak of the massive hall’s ceiling grew darker, as if storm clouds brewed.
I looked up to find Lucifer, standing in the air… and holding Istral to his side. But Istral, unable to defy the laws of physics, and dangling from his arm by her armpits, kicked and scrambled, simultaneously trying to free herself, and cling to him so she wouldn’t fall.
Yilan’s hand landed on my arm, her fingers digging into my bicep.
But it was Gall who howled in rage and pushed back to his feet, staggering, eyes bloodshot, his body hunched with pain.
“Let her go!Let her go!”
Lucifer opened his arm, and Istral shrieked as she slipped—but the fucker grabbed her at the last possible moment, and pulled her effortlessly back to his side.
“Are you sure that’s what you want, Gall? What? I didn’t hear you—”
Gall groaned. Jann and Hever both took hold of him, but he only stood there, weeping. “Izzy! Izzy, I’m sorry!”
“Don’t listen to him, Gall,” I said loud enough to be heard by the entire hall. “His power isn’t to kill her, it’s to make youfear.Don’t do it. Don’t let him corner you—any of you—into fear of him. That’s how he controls you. That’s how he keeps you in pain. If we trust each other, love each other, and listen to the truth, he can’t touch us.”
There was a moment of near-silence after that. Lucifer tipped his head and looked around, then offered a sarcastic chuckle. “Very rousing, Melek. As you can see… your words have hadimmenseimpact,” he sneered.
“My words weren’t for you, asshole. You’ll never change. You’ve been a blackhearted king for nothing but evil since the dawn of time. We all know that.”
Lucifer bowed. “You’re welcome.”
I shook my head and turned away, looking at every part of the crowd, heads all craned up to watch Istral flail and whimper.Poor Gall was falling apart. The tension in the room rose, good hearts fearing innocent death—and the consequences if Lucifer proved unable to be moved. After all, the Fallen was immortal.
How would we get rid of him, if he refused to leave?
Resist. Love.
