I join him there, still wary to take my eyes off the Matron for a second.
“It’s true?” he asks, voice hot and urgent.
I nod.
Folke’s eyes go wide as he strokes his beard, muttering an unrepeatable word of awe. He leans in close and drops his voice. “What’s it like, eh? In bed? Sleeping with a goddess? Hot as fuck?”
I groan, throwing him a look to see if he’s serious that’s the first place his brain went.
He wiggles his eyebrows insistently.
“Folke. You’re an ass.” I pause, drop my voice, too. “But yes.”
He grins, white teeth gleaming, and slowly nods as though he knew it all along. He offers me a swig of the whisky, but I roll my eyes and head back to the others.
“This news,” Kendan says in a measured, thoughtful voice. “Could be exactly what we need.”
“What?” I snap.
Matron White nods eagerly, ignoring me. “Indeed, Lord Kendan. My thoughts went to the same place. We can use Solene’s powers to retake the city from King Rian’s forces. There are already rumors that the fae have risen. Thousands flock to our churches daily; we can easily whisper in a few ears that Sabine was loyal all along. That in fact, she is Solene, Guardian of Nature, sent to protect our kingdom with brimfire.”
The thrill in her voice makes me finally understand why she isn’t outing Sabine for murdering her own fellow nuns.
And why she’s ready to praise the woman she once abused.
Matron White cares about power more than vengeance.
It turns my stomach, her gluttony for control dressed up as piety. But…at least I can trust her ambitions.
Kendan starts counting off on his fingers as though already making plans. “We’ll meet with the rest of the opposition and strategize about how to use this news to our advantage. If we play our cards correctly, we can bring every priest, Sister, and congregant to bow at Sabine’s feet.”
“Whoa. Slow the fuck down.” I throw out my hands like I’m herding cats. “Sabine’s powers are still unpredictable.” I give Matron White a pointed look. She should know the truth of that statement as much as anyone. “She’s still learning. Better to introduce her true nature to the public gradually. A spotlight could stir her fey in dangerous ways.”
Kendan nods. “We’ll need to meet with her straightaway.”
“Not this old bitch.” I jab my thumb in Matron White’s direction. Her right eye twitches with irritation, but she keepsher mouth shut. “Keep her the hell out of Sabine’s sight. If Sabine knows she’s in Old Coros, she might just bury the entire city. I’ll figure out how and when to tell Sabine.”
Matron White bows her head, obedient—for now.
But I see it in her eyes. She’s already calculating her next move.
And I’m running out of time.
Chapter 17
Sabine
Midday sunlight spills through the bedroom window to light up the mauve folds of my coronation gown. The buttons are all fastened, all three hundred of them. My hair has been styled by the kingdom’s finest beauticians. I’ve been scrubbed down to my toes.
We’ve barely been in Astagnon three days, and already, we’re about to call ourselves its rulers.
The Valor Bell chimes in the distance, and I count the gongs.
“Eleven,” I say as I turn to Basten. “One more hour as commoners.”
Basten leans on our bedroom’s large table, dressed in a shirt embroidered with deer antlers, as he fumbles with golden cufflinks. Without meeting my eyes, he murmurs, “Darling, there’s never been anything common about you.”
I take pity on him and help him with the cufflinks, then smooth my hands over his shirt’s antler embroidery. Already, it’s become the symbol of his reign. We have Ferra to thank for the inspiration; she latched onto the interlocking antler pattern immediately and promptly ordered new banners to be sewn, aswell as for the symbol to be hastily stitched onto every royal soldier’s shirt, and the emblem to be painted on the castle gates.
