I missed you last night,he says through the Bond, and with it pulses his desire. His eyes flicker to the figure at my side, and all heat is extinguished from his expression, gaze turning to steel. The same goes for Foxglove and Lorelei, who’d been engaged in animated conversation until we walked in.
I hazard a glance at Amelie, watching her face brighten when she sees her former fae friends. She opens her mouth as if to speak, only to shrink in on herself as Lorelei shoots her a seething glare. I almost feel bad for my sister. Almost.
A girlish squeal cuts through the tension in the room as a red flame flutters over to me. “Your Most Incredible and Beautiful Majesty,” Breeda says, folding into a bow before spinning in a circle. “I am so honored to serve you.”
“I am grateful to have you at my side.”
Her tiny mouth stretches into a wide smile, and she floats above my shoulder between me and Amelie as I join the others. Aspen stands at my other side and Queen Estel stands next to him. Two fae I recognize as Aspen’s guards flank the group. Even Nyxia is here, although I know she won’t be traveling with us.
“We should make haste,” Estel says. “I want us to arrive well before the Renounced expect me to come to them. Once they realize I have shifted my allegiance, I don’t know what they will do. We must all be on alert for any retaliation.”
“They would be idiots to retaliate,” Aspen says. “They’ve already lost Spring. Once they realize they no longer have Star, they’ll see they’re outnumbered.”
“That may be the case,” Estel says, “but they find it all too easy to replace those who’ve joined the Alpha Alliance with pretender kings and queens.”
“Those pretenders have yet to prove competence or power,” Nyxia says, lifting her chin.
While that may be true, there’s an unvoiced concern I can’t help but confront. What if Queen Estel can’t be trusted? What better way to sabotage a threat to the Renounced than this? Our enemies could be waiting exactly where she takes us. She might not take us to Irridae Palace at all, but to a nest of blades and adversaries. Then it would be easy to overpower me and Aspen, taking out two rulers at once. My heart races at the terrifying thought.
But fae can’t lie,I remind myself, trying to steel my nerves. I pat the dagger at my waist for good measure, only this time, I wish it were iron like my old one. Iron, at least, would work on my enemies amongst the Renounced. Like Dahlia. Cobalt. Maybe even Estel.
That’s when another nagging thought creeps up on me. Thereisa way for fae to lie. Cobalt discovered it. What if that’s Amelie’s true purpose? What if she gave a piece of herself to more than just him? What if she made similar bargains with all the Renounced and gave them the ability to lie?
Aspen’s voice comes through the Bond, shocking me from my racing thoughts.What’s going on in that head of yours?
I consider brushing him off, but if there’s a chance I’m right…
With a sigh, I quickly relay my fears through our Bond.Do you think it’s possible?I ask.
I watch his brow wrinkle as he considers the question. Part of me expects him to tell me I’m just being paranoid. If anyone knows about being a paranoid ruler, it’s him. But instead of dismissing my concerns, he turns to Estel, interrupting her conversation with Nyxia. “Queen Estel, do you promise you are taking us to Irridae Palace and that no Renounced know of this plan?”
Silence falls over the throne room, a blanket of unease settling over us. The particles on the shimmering queen’s face disperse and shift into a frown, but only for a moment. With grace, she faces my mate. “I promise I am taking you, your mate, and your companions straight to Irridae Palace and that none of the Renounced know of this. I promise my allegiance is to the Alpha Alliance.”
Aspen gives her a nod of respect. “Thank you.”
A weight slides off my shoulders. I remember Cobalt confessing that he was still bound by direct promises, even with the power to lie. That should make me feel better. Shouldn’t it?
Estel’s gaze falls on me. “Are you ready?”
I swallow hard, shoulders tense. “Yes.”
Queen Nyxia takes a step away from our gathering. “Good luck claiming your new palace,” she says to me. “Try not to get yourself killed if things go badly, all right? If there really is a stash of iron weapons at Irridae, we need you alive to defend it.”
I give her a wry smile. “I’ll try not to inconvenience you with my death.”
We exchange nods, and I watch as Nyxia makes her way to the door of the throne room. There I see a slim figure with silver hair leaning against the doorframe. Franco. The sight of him warms my heart, and I flash him a smile. He winks at me, then turns and enters the hall at his sister’s side.
I return my attention to my companions, and Estel instructs us to form a circle around her. Breeda can barely contain her squeal of excitement, while Amelie trembles next to me, eyes on her feet.
Estel opens her shimmering palm, and a silver, hexagonal disc appears over it. With a flick of her thumb, two halves separate on a hinge. One half appears to be nothing more than a cover while the other is inlaid with several facets of quartz surrounding a small orb of golden light at the center. The light is so bright it looks like a miniature star. Estel’s eyes meet mine. “This is the Chariot. It will take us to your palace.”
I return my gaze to the disc, hardly able to blink. I’m so fascinated by what I see.That’sthe mysterious Chariot Lorelei told me about? That tiny object is a device to allow instantaneous travel? As I continue to stare at it, sifting through all the scientific knowledge I have to explain how even the concept alone could possibly work, the light at the center begins to glow brighter and brighter, spanning in a radius until it surrounds us all. Then it grows taller, encompassing us in a bright golden bubble.
The skin prickles up the back of my neck, and I’m forced to admit this goes beyond everything I know about science. It’s beyond everything I know aboutmagic, even. This is so unlike the magic of the axis line. There, the transition is subtle, imperceptible. Here, the power at work is unmistakable. The light seems to vibrate to my very core, humming in my bones as the throne room disappears, swallowed by the light. The humming increases, and for a moment I think it will tear me apart, as surely, I am no longer a solid being. Am I?
And then it’s gone.
The golden light is absorbed back into the tiny orb, and Estel closes the cover over it. The next thing I’m aware of is a stifling warmth, a heat unlike anything I’ve felt before. It’s different from the scorching glow of my fire; this comes from all sides with a weight that immediately makes sweat bead at my brow.
