I roll my eyes. “Yes, how silly of me.”
“Not silly. You couldn’t look past your own privilege, that’s all. But you tried to be my friend.”
“And failed, obviously.” I don’t know if he’s saying these things to poke or soothe me, and maybe I don’t care. I shouldn’t care. I want to change the subject, and look around. “Where are we?”
“Clare Beach.”
A chuckle leaves my lips. “You never told me you had a fancy beach house.”
“I never told you quite a few things. I couldn’t. Not that you ever bothered to ask. Now let’s go inside. We need to discuss what to do.”
“Do they even care what a fae with no magic has to say?”
He rolls his eyes. “Don’t be obtuse. Come. Also, let me remind you that the only reason I brought the little evil king’s spawn was because you asked me to. So I listen to you.”
“Am I supposed to be flattered?”
“No,” he says flatly.
The door of the house opens again, and Marlak is standing there. “Renel?”
“We’re coming,” I say.
Azur pats me on the back in a gesture that feels more patronizing than friendly, and we walk inside. At least this house has a sitting area with comfortable chairs, settees, and sofas. Tarlia smiles at me and I sit beside her, on a sofa that I realize too late is fluffier than it looks, and I sink deep in its cushion.
She kisses my cheek, and in a second, the world tilts, and I realize I’m the luckiest fae in the world. And she’s here. Safe. My heart is warm and full of joy.
Astra and Marlak take the other half of the sofa, sinking to unknown depths when they sit down. Across from me, Azur takes an armchair with Lidiane sitting in front of him, his arms around her. It doesn’t take a genius to notice that he’s dying to take her to his bedroom. I recall his obnoxious behavior in the Desert Keep, and think it’s a fair punishment for him to have to wait now.
Ferer and Nelsin sit at the sofa in front of us, holding hands, beside Ziven and Mirella.
My head’s buzzing as Astra tells everyone that Otavio was in the heart of magic, and might be more powerful now. Tarlia then tells them that he and Zorwal are connected to the Witch King. She also recounts how she escaped, and that Ziven froze Zorwal.
I convey what I read in the Misty library, that they’re anchors and need to be killed before the Witch King
Marlak leans forward. “You were in the Misty Court?”
I try not to glare too hard at him. “Yes. Which reminds me; did you have anytroublethere?”
“A little.” He grimaces. “But it seems you had no issues, right?”
“The queen hung us upside down!” Mirella says. “She wants you to kiss her feet and suck her toes.”
Marlak makes a disgusted face. “Oh. Did you make a deal?”
“No.” I shake my head. “She agreed to help us in the end, and we saw her books, like I was mentioning earlier, but then the ghouls and the Witch King came?—”
“What?” Everyone’s faces are horrified, except for Tarlia, Ziven, and Mirella.
I explain what happened, how we fought the ghouls,that Ziven froze the Witch King, and that he’s being kept in a magical cell.
“You think he’s still there?” Astra Asks.
An eerie feeling comes to my chest. “We can hope.”
Lidiane looks up, puzzled. “How did he come so far south? I mean, the Misty Court is still in the fae lands, but it’s far from the cave.”
“I know.” Marlak takes a deep breath. “Crisine, the Court of Spiders Princess, she was in the sanctuary, when I went there to kill him. She is—was—a powerful transcender. The Witch King must have taken her magic.”
