But no. That doesn’t feel right. This feels exactly like what that voice suggested. A mockery.
A mockery of the Turleys. A mockery ofme.
Someone dashes out from behind the curtains and onto the stage. It’s a female who has her lips painted a gaudy, yellowed gold, the color exaggerated to make her lips seem much bigger than they really are. “If anyone should be queen, it should be me!” she shouts as she comes up to Frills. “I’m more golden than you!”
Frills rolls her eyes. “Please, those lips are good for nothing!”
“That’s not what your husband said last night!” the actress petulantly snaps before she spins and bends over, hiking up her skirts. “Andyourlips can kiss my a—”
Frills screeches and acts like she’s going to pounce on her, but Green Hair holds her back.
“Ladies, ladies,” the Vulmin performer shouts, easing between them. “Please, you canbothlive in the palace!”
They both straighten up, eyes snagging on him with hunger. “We can?” they ask in unison.
“Of course,” he says smoothly. “You deserve it!”
“Because we’re Turleys,” Frills says with a nod.
“Exactly!” the Vulmin performer purrs. “All of Annwyn needs to be under the boot of the Vermin…” He shakes his head and pretends to slap himself. The crowd eats it up, offering him jeering titters. “What am I saying? I meant the Turleys! Annwyn is meant to be ruled by theTurleys. And anyone who disagrees needs to die.”
The crowd boos and hisses on cue.
“Yes!” Frills exclaims delightedly. “Kill everyone who doesn’t want to be ruled by us.”
The one with the painted lips clasps her hands and beams. “We’re going to be royals!”
Interrupting their celebration, a voice suddenly booms from behind the stage. “The only thing you’re going to be is under arrest for committing treason against the good and benevolent King Carrick!”
Two actors dressed as guards come on the stage, wooden swords painted to look like marble. “We won’t let you evil, selfish Turley traitors ruin Annwyn!”
People cheer.
This is ridiculous, dumbed-down, and openly vulgarized propaganda. And yet, the crowd is eating it up.
But as I glance around at everyone on the steps, seeing their smiles, hearing their laughter and their jeers, I realize that I’m wrong.
Noteveryoneis eating it up.
There are those in the crowd that I spot. Males standing stock-still, tension in their jaws as they watch. Females without even so much as a smirk on their faces. A fae just five people to the left of me grinds his teeth and looks at someone else in the crowd. I follow his line of sight to another male and realize with a jolt that there’s a pin of the broken-winged bird emblem at thefold of his cloak. The same one from the ring that’s currently in my pocket.
The stage snatches my attention when the female actresses screech and run around the table in a comical display of trying to evade the guards. Frills bounces around so much that most of her glittery breasts are working to free themselves from her top.
“Don’t take me. It was him!” She shoves the fake Vulmin toward the guards. “It’s the Vermin’s fault!”
“Vulmin!” he snaps just before the guard comes forward and slaps a shackle on his wrist. He starts to pretend to struggle, face growing indignant. “You’ll pay for this! The Vulmin should rule Annwyn!”
Frills gasps. “Hey! You said the Turleys were supposed to!”
Before he can answer, the Vulmin is dragged off the stage, while she and Green Hair stomp after him, disappearing behind the curtain with a shout. “Down with the Vermin!”
Then it’s just the yellow-lipped female and the other guard left. She puts on a sweet smile and bats her eyelashes at him. “How about instead of arresting me, I use my lips to makeyoufeel golden, good sir?”
Shouts ofTurley whoreandtraitorburst from the spectators, making rot and gold smear against my fisted palms.
“Nice try, Turley scum,” the guard says, “but I’m loyal to the rightful ruler, King Carrick!”
King Carrick—that crowned fae with the hard, cruel eyes. The one who threatened me. Locked me in that cell. Made Una use her magic on my mind.
