They’d already decided what I was. The debate had raged without me, and I hadn’t been there to defend myself. Typical fae.
“Your crimes are clear.” The king’s glare stabbed into me. “You meddled with forbidden magic. You unraveled an entire section of the city.”
I’d spent my whole life bowing. Smiling. Swallowing every insult, humiliation, and injustice because stayingquiet kept us alive. But Rheya was gone, and I was going to die anyway.
What was the point of silence now?
I lifted my chin. “You force us to die for your comfort. Did you think we’d kneel forever?”
“Humans cannot control runes!”
“I don’t control runes. I destroy them.”
The king’s fingers clenched the gilded arms of his throne. Sparks crackled across his knuckles. When he stood, the chamber fell silent. Even the queen, lounging like a serpent at his side, watched him with a flicker of interest.
The king descended the dais, his cloak sweeping over the polished stone. He studied me, a hawk staring down a field mouse.
“Do you know what you really are? You’re an anomaly. Like a two-headed calf. Curious to examine, perhaps, but in the end? Just another mistake to purge.”
“Your son has human blood. Does that make him half a mistake, or did you fail to breed anything better?”
His hand moved fast. Pain exploded across my face as I hit the floor.
“You speak like a child, grasping at power that doesn’t belong to you. The gods gave us dominion over all creatures. Including humans.” The king’s eyes narrowed to slits. “You arenothing.”
“Then why are you so afraid of me?”
“Afraid?” The king laughed. “Of a human?”
“Two humans,” the queen said, rising from her throne with serpentine grace. “Oh, yes. Did you think we’d let another girl with your abilities slip through our grasp?”
My jaw locked. “She drowned in the flood.”
The queen’s smile widened. “Did she?”
I held her gaze. If Rheya were dead, the queen wouldhave paraded her body in front of me. So they hadn’t found her.Good.
The queen tilted her head. “Do you think she’ll stay hidden forever? She’s a clever thing, I’m sure. Both of you slipped our nets this long. Which only makes memorecertain that she possesses gifts of her own.”
I stilled. “She’s just a girl.”
“So are you.” The queen twisted a strand of hair around her finger. “And yet, here you are, accused of crimes that have thrown an entire city into chaos. If one human could do this, what couldtwoaccomplish?”
My stomach churned.
The queen leaned back. “Don’t worry, my dear. We’ll find her, and when we do, we’ll see what she’s capable of.”
My heart slammed against my ribs.
No.
The room dimmed, the edges of my vision blackening as my lungs forgot how to work. Lies. They had to be. A trick meant to break me down.
“Oh, don’t look so stricken,” she purred. “If she’s as special as you, then she’ll be strong enough to endure whatever fate awaits her.”
I couldn’t fall apart with the queen watching.
“Unless,” the queen mused, glancing at the king. “You do something for us. Bend your neck willingly, and your sister lives.”
