"Did he really do what they accused him of?" I asked.
The king skated the perimeter of the stones. "That is a difficult answer and as with most things depends on your perspective."
"I want to know what you think," I said.
His gaze lifted to the starry sky. There were many more stars than in the human world, the constellations unfamiliar.
"It's true I gave him my crown. I'd grown weary of the constant politics, the infighting. I hoped he would take my place or choose a new successor."
"But he left without doing either."
The king's gaze fell to meet mine. "That is one way to look at it."
But likely not the right one, if the things I'd put together were to be believed.
For one thing, that chain of events didn't explain how the king came to be imprisoned.
"One could also say he chose the lesser of all evils," he said, stopping in front of me.
"You were betrayed," I said.
His eyes slid closed on a slow blink.
I looked around his prison. "Why haven't you broken free yet?"
He could have. Of that I was sure.
He grimaced and shook his head. "Being king comes with so many rules. There was a reason I abdicated. Besides, it’s much more interesting to watch you lot stumble and falter. Besides, this peace is pretty much the outcome I wanted."
I shook my head. "No, I don't believe you."
The king stopped, arching an eyebrow at me. "Oh?"
Just that one word, but it held a warning.
"No," I said, ignoring it. If I was going to die here, it was going to be under my own terms. "No, I don't believe you're weary of this world."
He wouldn't have interfered when it looked like I might die, and he certainly wouldn't have visited all those years ago.
No, if I looked at him like any other Fae I could almost see the agenda beneath the agenda. He wanted something and would manipulate events until he got what he wanted. I just needed to find out what that was.
"And you know so much, an infant that has been alive for a mere blink of an eye?" Power cracked in his voice. A warning and a reminder.
He was the equivalent of a god in this place. Crossing him would have very bad results for me.
Still, I didn't let myself back down, firming my shoulders. "Why did he really leave? What's your real reason for bringing me here?"
He studied me, the feeling of a predator drawing near impossible to ignore.
Abruptly, he smiled. "You're nothing like him, are you?"
"I've never met him, so I wouldn't know." But if this was what he'd had to deal with on a regular basis, I could see why my father had walked away from it all.
"I won't tell you why he did what he did. That is his story to tell—or not."
Fair enough.
"My meddling right now has a simple reason. I am concerned about my former subjects. Calliope wasn't lying when she said many had already faded. I'd like to prevent any others from following."
