The issue of my many secrets—that of my mother and brother’s powers and my ownbirth father—flitted across my mind, but I dismissed them. This female would be looking for information on Neve. On me. On others in my group. I doubted she’d search for anything about my mother and brother and well, if she learned my secret now, I’d regret that, but I had no power to change what the Fates had in store.
I extended my hand, touched it to Ratha’s roughened skin. This fae had seen much of this life, and her turns had been hard.
Not as hard as yours will be if you fight,a voice rang through my head, raising alarm bells. I’d always been told that mind readers could not speak to the person whose mind they were reading. But her voice was loud and clear and powerful.
Bleeding skies, she’s?—
A low laugh interrupted me.Don’t fight. Just allow me to have my way.
My body loosened as the truth crashed over me. This fae wasn’t a mere mind reader—if such a power could ever be called mere. No, her magic was more distressing since she was a whisperer, able to readandcontrol.
I let her inside willingly, a fool’s move.Because of my many experiences with Mother and Rhistel, I recognized Ratha as her power wove through me. As she demanded answers, which I supplied mentally, unable to stop myself. And though her control was not as complete as my mother’s and brother’s, I was no match to stop her.
So I sat there, supplying answers as the whisperer got what she required from me. Outwardly, she remained silent,asking and searching, asking and searching. Some unknowable time later, Ratha leaned back in her chair.
She turned to the black-haired female faerie. “The human spoke true. This prince and his mate do not work with the king but against him. The princess is who she says she is.”
The younger faerie leaned back and let loose a long breath. “I wascertainthe princess was lying somehow.”
“What will you do now, Thy?—”
“I don’t know,” the younger female cut Ratha off, a warning gleam in her eyes. “Most of them still have much to answer for, but if they wish to unseat the king . . .”
She trailed off as she stood. I got the sense that she had many things on her mind. “Release the prince and theothers still in cages. Show him to the annex, where they can stay under guard. Wrap their middles with ice spider silk and don’t give them access to weapons either.”
“How do you have so much silk?” I asked. I had an idea of how much it would cost and given the state of the castle, the rebels did not seem to be swimming in gold. It was as shocking as the orcs having nets made of the material, though I was sure the orcs had stolen it, rather than paid a fair price. And the only other way to get the silk was to bargain with the spiders, an act most did not dare to commit for ice spiders took lavishly.
“We once had brave fae who risked their lives for the silk,” the archer replied, her face contorting in pain. She said nothing more as she left the room.
The older faerie turned to me. She released her magic over me.
“You’re a whisperer.”
“We rebels use the powers that we must. I understand that you’re quite familiar with my magic?” Blue eyes burned into mine.
So she had seen what I’d hoped she would not. Was this a threat to my mother and brother? The latter might hate me when I declared for my mate to take the throne instead of him, and yet, to think of someone outing his magic, something he had no control over, did not sit right with me.
“Please, say nothing,” I begged.
Her wrinkles deepened as her face softened. “You’re full of surprises, Warrior Bear.”
“None I have from you. Not any longer.”
She smirked. “I suppose not.” A pause fell between us before she added. “How do I compare? To your mother and brother?”
I blinked. An odd question, though perhaps not for a whisperer. A fae with an elemental power, or even a less common one, might seek peers. They could compare skills and learn tips on how to use their magic.
Whispers could do no such thing. They remained silent, else death came for them.
“You’re not as strong,” I said. “Mother is the most powerful between the three of you, but Rhistel could control you too, I think.”
“You were his first?”
“I was.” And often, I’d been used as a practice subject for Rhistel. That was, until I demanded it all stop, which created a deeper rift between us.
She let out a soft hum. “I’m not surprised. You see, Iknow your mother. Met her when she was around twelve turns, and I was much younger than I am now. The young Lady Inga whispered me then. My intervention startled her, maybe scared her. But, in truth, I suspect that any fear she felt was nothing to how her power had terrified me. As a youngling, she was stronger than me. Far stronger. Should she have wished to, she could have ruled all of Isila.”
I swallowed. “Have you told anyone of this?”
