Was he reacting to me? I knew that I could be intimidating, but still, this was drastic.
“It’s the spell. He told a lie, which our kind can’t do unless we’re under a spell or some other magical influence.” Hatter gestured to me. “Which you probably have experience with, given your profession?”
He was right. Even though I’d thought I was demi-fae, once every moon cycle Xavier had made me drink a potion that allowed me to lie. In fact, I’d done so just days ago. Xavier always said it was because he couldn’t take the slightest chance that my fae blood would make my missions more difficult. Now that I knew I was a pureborn fae, I recognized that I wouldn’t have been able to lie atallwithout the potion.
This guy, Hatter, was clever—and apparently not a liar.
But if my parents are dead, who am I supposed to be meeting?
“Fine. I won’t run, but why did you lie to me? In fact, why even bring me here? I could have gone on, oblivious to all this.”
Thanks to the potion in my system, that last part was a total lie. I’d wanted to meet my parents for years, and probably would have sought them out eventually.
But Hatter might think it was the truth.
“Let’s go this way,” he gestured toward a park with hedges sculpted in the shape of hearts, and masses of rose bushes with bright red blooms. “No talking until others can’t hear. And put this on.” He shoved a black cloak at me.
“What? Why?”
“Your hair. You lost your hat while you ran, and the color is too much like your mother’s. Its drawing attention. Now that you know who she was, surely you understand?”
A female fae walked by, her eyes trailing down my braid with interest. I frowned and slung the cloak over my head.
We were deep into the park when Hatter spoke again. “Your parents were the previous rulers of the Wonderland Court, although you’ll be hard-pressed to find a layperson who believes it.”
“But how could she spell them like that? Fae are elemental—even if they’re aether-blessed, that’s so many people. The Red Queen would need—”
“A witch,” Henri finished. “She has two powerful witches on her counsel. Along with a few other sorts of creatures who don’t normally live in Faerie. When the Red Queen began her reign, they released a mist. Everyone who didn’t flee and came in contact with the mist forgot all about your parents. In that way, the Red Queen wiped out your parents’ legacy almost entirely in one fell swoop.”
My teeth ground together. “I’ll kill her.”
Hatter’s eyebrows arched. “That’s sort of what we were hoping, actually. That you’d join the rebellion and be able to take her down. Then you could claim your birthright.”
I had no intention of joining any rebellion or becoming queen. I’d been honest when I said I didn’t want a crown. All I’d wanted was to meet my parents, hopefully like them, and learn about my life before Xavier. I certainly didn’t want to lead a kingdom.
However, now that I’d learned about my parents’ murder, I couldn’t deny that I felt another desire coming on.
The need for vengeance ran hot and thick through me, and I would damn well get it. But to take down a queen, I required information. For the time being, I decided it was better to let Hatter believe that I might become a rebel and queen.
“How many remember the truth?”
“The rebellion members, of course,” Hatter said, visibly relieved by my response. “There are others, too, but not many. I would say that out of the thousands who live here, little more than two hundred on Wonderland Island remember. Many fled Heartstown and live in the wilds.”
“But what about the other courts? There are dozens, right?”
“The Red Queen has surrounded our island with monsters that she controls. Few fae can get on or off,” Henri replied, his tone dipping into sorrow. “Other courts remember your family, but none have stood up to help us. One, the Dark Court, has actually allied with the Red Queen.”
The Dark Court.In my world, there had even been talk of it. It was said they worked with demons to help take over the human realm in the recent war. Their attempts had failed, but it had been close—dangerously close.
“Okay, fine. So people don’t remember my family. That still doesn’t explain why you lied to me. Or how.”
Hatter’s gaze flicked to mine, and he inched closer. I tried to ignore the scents of leather and spice that clung to him. “No one lied.”
I was about to pull away, when his hand landed on my wrist, stopping me.
“No one said that you would meet your parents, only your family. And rumor has it that your sister lives. The Red Queen is hiding her.”
My sister?
