The king waited until only the four of us remained, and then he shifted, leaning forward slightly. That simple movement warned me to tread carefully.
“What, exactly, are you referring to?”
I took a deep breath. “I know you want the sword that killed Grendel’s mother.”
“You’ve been speaking with Aubrey,” he murmured, and it was my turn to freeze. I needed to make it clear that Aubrey hadn’t been gossiping.
“As you’re aware, I was tasked with locating several fae artifacts a few months ago. The sword in question came up during the course of my investigation.”
Some of the fury left the king’s eyes, but he still lookedpissed.
“Your point?”
I shrugged. “I have no point unless you have access to the counter spell to the Spell of Three.”
He stared at me and I stared back. I was playing a dangerous game.
Finally, he gave a languid shrug. “If I did own such a thing, it would be hidden away for a time when it would most benefit my people.”
Cellen tensed. “Your Majesty–”
I cut him off. “From what I’ve heard, that sword would benefit your people.” And potentially doom the unseelie, but I’d deal with that once Samael was no longer knocking on death’s door. “I’ll make you a deal. I get you the sword, and you give me the cure.”
His lips curved, and for a second I had a glimpse of the man beneath the king. But the smile was so cold, I couldn’t help but shiver.
“The arrogance of youth,” he murmured. “You truly believe you can find a sword I have hunted for centuries.”
“Desperation is the mother of invention,” I said, and it seemed to amuse him, because he leaned back on his throne and regarded me once more.
“Look,” I said, “there’s no downside for you. We find the sword, you give us what we need. We don’t find the sword, Samael dies.”
Just saying the words made my chest clench, made my hands shake. I buried them in the folds of my dress and waited.
He waved his hand through the air. “If, in the unlikely event that you find the golden sword, I will give you what you seek.”
“The counter spell that will save Samael’s life,” I clarified. The fae were tricky.
His eyes lightened. I’d amused him. “The counter spell that will save his life,” he agreed. “However, it requires more than just the spell itself for it to work.”
I stared at him. “What do you mean?”
“In order for the counter spell to work, you must have the cooperation of all factions. Witch, seelie, mage, unseelie, wolf, and demon.”
I swallowed. Next to me, Kyla elbowed me lightly. Yeah, we would cross that bridge when we came to it. I sent her a shaky smile and then turned back to the seelie king.
“It’s a deal.”
He slowly unraveled himself from the throne and walked down the two steps until he was merely inches away. Cellen watched Kyla and me as if we were annoying, yet poisonous creatures his king had chosen to play with.
The king held out his hand. I gave him the hand without Samael’s golden mark and he smiled. And then the back of my hand began to burn.
I attempted to pull free as the burn spread. It was as if acid was dripping over the back of my hand, melting into my skin. His hand tightened around mine, and Kyla let out a low growl. He spared her a single glance and then pressed one finger to the back of my hand.
He released me, and I stared down at the white slash that had appeared on my skin.
“Our deal,” he said. I nodded. As much as I loathed wearing his mark, it was a good thing, since even the most powerful fae couldn’t get out of a deal once it came with a mark on the skin.
He smiled, revealing sharp white teeth. “I wish you luck with this task, Danica Amana,” he said formally.
