A smaller throne rests at her side with pale flowers arranged across its seat. They look like daisies touched with a dusting of crystal.
Brynn steps forward and bows, voice even. “Your Majesty, we encountered travelers near the portal. One of them carries both light and dark.”
My nerves get the best of me as she studies us. I shift back and forth, starting to feel uncomfortable in my own skin. Is she going to say anything?
“Clear the hall,” she finally says. Her voice is soft, yet the words carry across the room.
Courtiers and petitioners scurry for the doors, leaving behind only the guards. When the chamber is still, her attention comes back to me. “So, Desfara stands in my hall at last.”
Zarreth’s wings twitch, a flicker of heat radiating off them as his hand finds the small of my back. The Queen’s gaze slides to him. “You may stand down, demon. My words are not a threat.”
He dips his chin, eyes burning like embers, but he doesn’t remove his hand.
Her eyes find mine once more. “Desfara,” she repeats. “The name of balance. The one who carries both light and dark.”
Desfara…the same thing Aradon called me before I took his life. “Most know me as the Realm Eater,” I manage, at last.
Her brows lift like she’s offended. “Lesser creatures may call it Realm Eater,” she replies. “We do not use the language of lesser creatures.” Her gaze slides past me to Zarreth and Graven, lingering on them long enough to prove her point.
“Here, in this court,” she continues, her tone level but edged with quiet authority, “you are known as Desfara.”
“How do you know what I am?”
A faint smile curves her lips. “I could feel your presence the moment you entered my court. Light bends toward you, and darkness follows. The scriptures of Theia named Desfara long before you were born.”
My stomach tightens. I hate talking about the prophecy. “Your Majesty, if I may be so blunt. We didn’t come here because of what I am. We came here because we need your help. We need a healer.”
Her attention drifts past me, settling on Jess. “Sheneeds a healer,” she says, then turns her gaze back to me. “Weneed Desfara.”
Zarreth’s grip tightens, heat flickering through my side. “What do you meanneedher?” His voice is low, but it carries that dangerous calm he uses when he’s ready to fight.
The Queen studies us. “The portal bridges light and dark. It stands to reason that such a fracture cannot be mended by either alone, but by the one who carries both.”
Heat is now rolling off my mate, but thankfully he’s keeping his flames to himself. “You’d risk her life on a theory?”
“On necessity,” she replies. “The Light Realm bleeds from the same wound that affects yours. If we do nothing, both will fall.”
I lay a hand on his chest, hoping to steady him. “Zarreth.”
His gaze snaps to mine, worried, ready to fight the entire court if he has to.
“I have to do this,” I say, holding his eyes with mine. “If there’s even a chance I can steady it, I have to try.” He shakes his head, but I push on. “Theia spoke to me…in the portal. It’s my fate.”
He goes still, something in my eyes settling him before turning to the Queen. “If she does this,” he says, his voice rough, “She does it on our terms.”
The Queen nods. “As long as those terms do not endanger my realm.” Her gaze shifts to the empty throne beside her. “There is something else…Princess Shayla is missing. The last traces of her magic are faint, and fading. I need someone who can feel what others miss.”
Her attention drifts to Graven and lingers on the marks along his arms. “The siphoner will help track her once your crisis is controlled.”
CHAPTER 30
Frankie
The sweet floral scent of the palace is gone, replaced by rain and steel. I sink down onto a bench near the hearth, rubbing my palms together, a rack of spears flanking the other side. Zarreth has me waiting here while he makes sure the rooms are secure.
Brynn brought us directly to the guest quarters in the Falkyrie grounds. I actually prefer it. The palace—and all its crystal arches and glassy bridges—was beautiful, but I’m more comfortable in a place I can actually live in, not just look at.
Jess and Graven stayed behind with the healers. The Queen doesn’t want her sickness spreading until they understand it better. I didn’t argue. I want her as close to the healers as possible.
