“Stellon… youknowwho this is, don’t you?”
His tone was grave, and the look on his face made my blood run cold in my veins.
“No?”
But clearly Pharis recognized her.
I stared into my brother’s eyes, which held a definitive spark of sympathy.Whatwas going on?
“Surely you remember…” he said, but his voice trailed off, leaving me to figure out the rest.
And then I did.
My heart crashed through my other organs, plummeting to the floor.
“No,” I breathed, the word barely audible. “It can’t be.”
Mareth snatched the locket from Pharis’ fingers, studying it again herself. “Who is she? What am I missing?”
Neither of us answered. I couldn’t, and Pharis apparently decided not to, allowing me to choose whether I wanted to put my horror into words.
“Wait, I’ve seen her portrait here in the palace somewhere,” our sister said.
Her head popped up, and her gaze bounced between the two of us.
“She’s Elven,” Mareth said.
Looking back at the image of the mother and child, she said, “Raewyn’s mother is Elven. She’s half-Fae, half-human. Stellon… maybe this changes things. Maybe you can marry her after all.”
Chapter10
A New Fantasy
Pharis
Now it all made sense. The matchmaking glamour’s revelation.
The distinct feeling I’d gotten that Raewyn had heard my mind-to-mind communication, though I’d known it was impossible.
The things I felt when I was around her.
I was still reeling from shock, but Stellon was already off and running with a new fantasy.
“You’re right, Mareth. Imightbe allowed to marry a half-Elf. Either way, I need to find Raewyn before Father does.”
Turning to me, he said, “You know him—he’s just as likely to kill her as bring her back in chains. I have to go to her. Tell me where she is. Get me out of here so I can go to her and protect her.”
I shook my head. “This changes nothing.Youknowhim, too. He still won’t allow it—especially once he learns of her parentage.”
Stellon’s face was red, and his clenched fists were shaking. “You don’t know that. You can’t keep me from going to the woman I love. I have to try.”
“Yes,” I said, “you do. But your best chance of being with Raewyn istalkingto Father—changing his mind and getting him to stop this mad hunt. I’ll get you out of here, butyourjob is catching up to Father and making your case.”
“Yougo to Father, and I’ll go to Raewyn,” Stellon argued.
“Be sensible,” I said. “He’s always been willing to listen to the Crown Prince. He has no use for anything the spare has to say.”
My brother didn’t even try to argue with me on that one, it was so painfully true.
