We climb higher and higher until we reach the staircase that leads to the balcony. Before we take a step, we pause. Two figures are seated at the middle of the staircase, huddled close together in whispered conversation.
“Your Majesty!” Foxglove exclaims when he sees us. He and Lorelei all but run down the stairs. Their expressions are horrified as they look from Aspen’s furious face to my bruised hands and torn clothing.
“Pardon me saying this, Your Majesty,” Lorelei says, “but what in all the rotting oak and ivy is going on?”
Aspen ignores her question. “Is Cobalt sitting with the council right now?”
“Yes,” Foxglove says. “He seemed most certain you wouldn’t be returning for the meeting.”
“And you!” Lorelei narrows her eyes at me. “You ran away.”
I shake my head. “It’s a long story.”
“One we don’t have time for right now,” Aspen growls, pushing past them and ascending the steps two at a time. I follow behind at a much slower pace, with Foxglove and Lorelei at my side.
“You need a bath,” Lorelei hisses in my ear. I can tell she’s angry with me. I understand her feelings, considering she was one of the few who saw me—Amelie—riding away on the puca.
“I need more than a bath,” I say.
I hear chattering voices up ahead, followed by Aspen’s roar as he crests the stairs to the balcony. Picking up my pace, I enter behind him.
Aspen’s chest heaves as he stares at the far end of the balcony where Cobalt sits in Aspen’s throne, the throne at his right remaining empty. In a semicircle around him sit ten other fae in elegant chairs, including Melusine. I recognize none of them as the ambassadors I saw at the mate ceremony, which tells me these are the court rulers. Their appearances are even more unique and varied than their ambassadors had been, some wearing gowns, others in suits. A few wear nothing, their forms more animal than human. The council fae turn, and Melusine’s eyes widen when she sees us. A wolf with snowy white fur and red eyes snarls, while a female fae with pale blue skin and flowing hair hisses, the sound like the wind through the trees. Cobalt, however, keeps his expression neutral.
“Brother, how good of you to return,” Cobalt says. “You’re late.”
Aspen’s eyes blaze with fury. “And you are on my throne.”
Cobalt gives him an apologetic smile. “This isn’t your throne anymore. The council has accepted me as king in your stead. You have proven unfit to rule time and time again. Now you have forfeited your crown.”
“For what reason?”
“How much time do you have?” Cobalt says with a laugh. “First of all, how about you explain where you’ve been?”
“I don’t owe you an explanation.”
“But you owe them one.” Cobalt extends his hand toward the council. A large, stout fae with curling horns, brown skin, and thick, yellow hooves nods in agreement. “You were supposed to be here, doing your duty. Instead, you were…where, exactly?”
“Yes, King Aspen,” Melusine says, her tone full of musical sweetness. “I too want an explanation for why you thought it appropriate to neglect your duties.”
Aspen’s jaw shifts back and forth, but he says nothing. What could he possibly say to satisfy them, when all he can do is tell the truth? If there was ever a time for clever deception, it would be now. “I was misled,” he finally says. “My actions were the result of—”
“Your actions were the result of instability and a volatile temper,” Cobalt says. “Several witnesses saw you react to the news that your human mate had fled the palace to return to her people. Instead of handling the situation with the grace of a king, you shifted into a stag to destroy her village in retribution.”
An androgynous-looking fae wearing a slim black suit lets out a low chuckle. “Tasty.” The voice is smooth and feminine. Her skin is pale, hair slick, blonde, and cropped at the base of her neck. When she smiles, I see elongated canines. I’ve never seen her kind of fae before, but I’ve heard of them.Vampire.
“I didn’t destroy her village, nor did I make it past the wall,” Aspen says.
Cobalt shrugs. “But that’s where you were headed. My guards reported that they saw you near the wall. If it weren’t for Miss Fairfield, you’d have drawn human blood.”
I can feel Aspen’s rage as if it were my own. It burns every part of me, so hot I can keep it inside no longer. “He went there because of you.Youcaptured me.Yousent my sister—disguised as me—to run away and make Aspen think I left.Youkept me in a cage and left me to drown.”
The prince rolls his eyes. “The human has clearly had second thoughts about running away. Don’t listen to her lies.”
“You’re the one who’s lying.” The council erupts with laughter at my words. “It’s true. He can lie. He’s been able to lie since the Holstrom girls arrived, took the ability from them in exchange for feigned protection. He orchestrated their attack on Aspen.” More laughter at this, making my cheeks burn crimson.
“We all know humans weave fantastical tales,” Cobalt says. “But let’s not get off topic. Aspen left the palace at a critical time. He failed his duties as a royal on the Council of Eleven Courts. Not only that, but he failed to secure the pact by neglecting to perform the Bonding ritual with his Chosen.”
“We performed it,” Aspen says. “You know we did. Each of you can sense it.”
