He leans forward, muscles tensing. “Look, those sanctimonious bitches had it coming. If it had been me, I’d have put them in the grave, too. There was a time in my life when Ididkill my enemies—and worse. But…we both know it’s different with you. You aren’t some vengeful street boy. You command nature itself. That much power comes with duty.”
I bristle, arching back from him. “Why do you get to make mistakes, and I don’t?”
This catches him by surprise. He doesn’t have an answer right away.
“There was no sorrow in your eyes when Jocki died,” I continue.
“Ididn’t kill Jocki.”
I press, “You told me once that you tried to, as a boy. So why is it wrong when I’m not sorry my tormentors are dead? Why can’t I be petty? Vindictive?”
Finally, his hand falls away from the back of his neck. “Because, little violet, one petty word from you could break the world.”
Somehow, last light has come and gone, and without the fire, it’s completely dark now. I stand, muscles jittery and slack, adrenaline from earlier still punishing me, no place to go. I settle on grabbing a brush from my knapsack and moving to clean the road dust from Myst’s back.
As I rub the brush over her, she side-eyes me closely.
Sharp words between you and him, she observes.
I brush her a little harder without meaning to, and when she flinches, I ease up. I sigh.Do you think it was wrong of me to have killed the Sisters? They would have kept hurting Mayflower and Bluebell, just as they hurt us.
She leans into my brush, finding an itchy spot, as she considers this.No, she says eventually.But I don’t like thelook in your eyes when you shine. I don’t recognize you.
My hand pauses.
I lean my head against Myst’s shoulder, breathing in her musty scent beneath the reek of brimfire—the scent I know in my bones—and sigh.
I assured Basten I was in control, but was I?
The memory rises unbidden, curling like smoke through my mind. The convent walls cracking with heat, stones breaking loose. The earth itself groaning, opened up to swallow the Matron whole. Spit out sulfurous gas in its wake, which sparked and caught fire. Blue flames rising high on the thatched rooftops, jumping from one to another.
The only thought in my head was:Good. Let it all burn.
Now, Woudix’s words echo at the back of my skull.
My advice?he said.Answer the anger.
The God of Death wouldn’t judge me, I feel certain—he’d applaud me. Even now, he’s probably ushering the Sisters’ cursed souls into the underrealm. More citizens for his dead kingdom.
And—maybe he’s not wrong. Some things need to end for others to begin.
But Basten…
Basten, with his steady gaze and calloused hands, and my name carved into his skin. I don’t know where Basten’s true feelings lie. If he fears me or understands me.
I’m not sureheknows, either.
I finish up with Myst and then sink into a cross-legged position on my unrolled saddle blanket, listening to the crickets outside.
“So,” I start, testingly, trying to make peace. “Tomorrow we’ll reach Old Coros?”
There’s a moment when I’m not sure if Basten will press our earlier conversation. He sips the pine needle tea, and slowly, the tight set to his shoulders eases. He runs a hand through his hair, shaking out the last ashes.
“We should arrive mid-morning at the city’s southern gate. You revealed yourself as fae, but all our witnesses are dead now. So, we still have that card up our sleeve. We’ll disguise ourselves as commoners and meet with Lord Kendan’s loyal guards who are watching for us at the southern gate. They’ll get us into Hekkelveld Castle safely. Once we’re crowned, we’ll make a formal announcement. With you as my wife, no one will be able to arrest you for treason. As queen, you’ll have royal protection.”
I turn my hands over, study the lines in my palm. Caked now with dirt from grooming Myst. “When do I show them what I am?”
He digs in his bag for a hunk of bread, which he tears in half for me. He pauses, considering this. “We’ll tell Folke first. That old bastard has seen it all—nothing flusters him. Which means telling it to Ferra, too, as long as they aren’t on the outs again. Then, we’ll reveal the truth to Lord Kendan, privately, and see how he reacts. We’ll figure out how to get the populace to welcome the fae when they arrive on the Blood Moon.”
