I crawled out of the throne and toppled to the floor.
Bastard.I glared from Blake to Daigh. Like hell I was going to sit beside that man, not even for a moment. Every terrible thing that has happened in my life could be tied back to his evil,and hedaredto sit there grinning me like he was the cat and I was a saucer of cream.
A circle of guards closed in around me, but they didn’t make a move to touch me.
“I thought you’d be happy to learn that you are among family, that it was I, not your witches, who returned you to England,” Daigh said. ”You are in your rightful home, ready to take over your destiny as the rightful Queen of the fae.”
This is insane.
“I’m not the queen of anything. I’m not a fae. I’m a witch. That’s how I managed to project the whole coven into the fae realm through my dream.”
The king laughed. “Do you think if witches had the power to cross over into our realm, that we would still be here? No, dear daughter, if that were true humans would have journeyed here long since, pillaged this place of all its beauty, and turned it into another outlet mall or theme park. No, it is yourfaeside that has brought you here, that kept you hidden from us.”
“I’m not a Rubik’s Cube. I don’t havesides.”
I was quite proud of that comeback, but Daigh doesn’t even flinch. There was a commotion behind me, and several of the king’s attendants disappeared from the dark room to investigate. I almost imagined I could hear cheering echoing from outside, and my heart thudded against my ribs to think that they might be cheering because my boys were being killed.
Maybe Blake’s vision was coming true after all. Maybe I’d find my guys impaled on stakes, their mangled bodies burned beyond recognition.
Speaking of Blake…
I glanced behind the king, but I could no longer see Blake there in the gloom. I climbed to my feet, peering over the heads of the fae, searching the dark corners of the cavernous room.Where is he?
“It is my hope that over time, you will fully embrace your fae side,” the king said. “You will learn to be happy here. Blake has found that he can survive inTir Na Nog, even though our food is poison to him. But once you restore us to our rightful place, you will have all the human slaves you could need to bring you your favorite delicacies.”
“I’m not staying here,” I protested. “I’m not helping you. I’d soonerdie.”
“You won’t have a choice.” Daigh – my father – waved away one of his attendants, who was trying to whisper something urgently in his ear. “My fae have killed your precious witches.”
No.
His words rang in my eyes as raw grief swept from my toes through my whole body. I closed my eyes against the onslaught, but beneath the lids all I could see was the Ferris Wheel fire consuming everyone I loved – my parents, Corbin, Arthur, Flynn, Rowan…all of them burning while I sat here and traded insults with Daigh.
“Your power alone will not be enough to hold us back.” Daigh’s voice brought me back from the edge of despair. “My soldiers are on their way to your world now. They will have their human agent return your body to us. Once we are in possession of your body, we control you?—”
“You don’t controlshit.”
My heart soared as Arthur rushed into the room, his arms raised above his head and a terrible look of rage and vengeance on his face. The glint of the lanterns shone off the blade of his sword as he swung it down, cutting up the first line of Seelie guards who tried to halt him.
He’s alive.
Daigh lied. He lied and Arthur is alive.
How the hell did he manage to find his sword?
Great and terrible was my Arthur’s rage as he slashed that weapon into fae flesh, staining the dirt floor with green blood. He bellowed as he hacked at Daigh’s guard, his feet darting and weaving, his body poised and graceful – performing his dance of death.
The room erupted into chaos as the screams of dying fae filled the air, and guards and court fairies trampled over each other in their haste to make for the one exit.
My chest swelled.My Aragorn.
Behind him came Flynn, his fists whirring through the air, a bone knife raised high. He may not have had Arthur’s skill with a blade, but he had a brawler’s anger and he foughtdirty,sweeping out legs and kneeing crotches and smashing his fist into noses and throats. He followed in Arthur’s wake, cleaning up his mess as they moved around the perimeter of the room.
And behind them both, staying close to the wall, was Rowan. His face was drenched with sweat and blood as he held Corbin’s stiff body up and dragged it behind him, Corbin’s arm slung over his shoulder.
They’re alive. I don’t know how but I don’t care. They’re alive and they’remineand Daigh won’t take them away from me.
“Kill them!” The king roared at his panicking fae, but no one seemed to hear him. I rose to my feet and rushed toward my boys, but my feet stuck fast to the ground. I yanked and yanked at my legs, but they wouldn’t move.
