“What did Queen Nyxia say?”
She spins in a circle. “Ah, yes. She said she has sent out notice to all the Alpha Alliance to come here for an emergency meeting. They will arrive by nightfall.”
Nightfall.
My pulse quickens, anticipation mixing with equal parts dread. For who knows what this meeting will bring.
18
Just as Breeda said, the royals of the Alpha Alliance all arrive by nightfall, which thankfully includes Estel. Knowing her guilt would be proven in her absence, I’d spent hour after hour of tense waiting, wondering if she’d even show up.
She was the first of the royals to arrive, and just as she’d said, she came with eight of Aspen’s guards. One by one, the rest soon followed, and now the entire Alpha Alliance stands around the sunstone table in my atrium.
Aspen remains close at my side, and I feel his warm hand light upon my lower back. Warmth floods my chest with a steadying calm.Are you ready?he asks through the Bond.
Am I ready to tell them a fleet of warships is on its way to destroy all of faekind? Sure, can’t wait.I wonder if my tone comes across as sardonic as I intend.
I’m here too, Evie. We’re doing this together.
I nod, his words helping me keep my composure as I watch my guests settle in around the table. Nyxia, looking elegant in a black suit, stands slouched to the side with a hand on her hip, a casual posture that hides the tenseness I see in every muscle. Aelfon lowers into a chair, crossing his enormous arms over his chest as he watches me through slitted lids. Flauvis leaps onto a stool, tongue lolling from his panting muzzle. Minuette sways side to side, feet inches off the ground while her hair and the skirt of her thin blue gown blow behind her. Tris stands tall in her seelie form, lips pressed tight while her pink wings flutter against her back in clear agitation. Then there’s Estel, looking as serene as ever, the particles on her face shifting and reforming, each expression as content as the last.
It’s an effort not to let my suspicious gaze linger on the Star Queen, but I can’t help wondering how she’ll react when I confront her about the Chariot. My heart races, but I slow it with a deep breath.One thing at a time.With all eyes turning toward me, I greet the royals. “Thank you for gathering to meet me here.”
“Yes, now will you tell us what this is about?” Nyxia asks in her smooth voice. Her expression reads a mixture of boredom and indignation, but her eyes are hard, keen. She knows I wouldn’t have requested a meeting if it wasn’t vital. She knows my vague message meant secrecy and tact were required.
“I too would like to know,” Tris says, her impatience not feigned like Nyxia’s. “I have a kingdom to run. I can’t be called away on emergency meetings every other day.”
“We’re at war,” Flauvis says with a growl. “If such things inconvenience you so, then perhaps you don’t belong on our side.”
Tris’ lips peel back, the beauty of her tree-like face transforming into a monstrous snarl that should belong only in nightmares.
“Yes, Flauvis, we are at war,” Aspen says in his lazy drawl, “but not with each other. Cut it out so we can get on with it.”
Flauvis runs his tongue over his muzzle, but begrudgingly averts his gaze from Tris. The Spring Queen pouts with a huff, eyes snapping to me.
“I summoned you here today for many reasons,” I say. “Firstly, to say we have found and confirmed the existence, location, and contents of the weapons stash. There is indeed a room full of iron weapons here at Irridae Palace. My steward, Fehr, confirmed Ustrin had made a private alliance with the humans, particularly Councilman Duveau, which granted him access to these weapons. To what end, I am unsure.”
“We know to what end,” Minuette hisses. “To use them on his own kind. Disgusting.”
“But what did the humans get in return?” Aelfon asks.
“That’s what I’m not entirely sure about,” I say, “but it leads me to my next piece of information. A human infiltrated the palace last night and went straight for the weapons stash.”
Nyxia’s eyes go wide, and Flauvis lets out a rumbling growl.
Tris scoffs. “Oh, so now that Ustrin is dead, they want their weapons back?”
“Not the weapons,” I say slowly. “The assailant paid the weapons no heed. He was coming for this.” I wave my hand at Fehr, who had been standing near the guards at the perimeter of the room. He steps forward and brings the small wooden crate I’d brought him just before the meeting and sets it on the table in front of me.
Gingerly, I remove the lid from the box, letting its contents fill the room. Even within the enormous atrium, the light is blinding. Squinting against its luminance, I grasp the orb of light in my palm. Considering my hands are much smaller than the assailant’s had been, I’m only able to mute a minor portion of the light, but it should be enough to let the fae glimpse its shape. I hold it out for several silent moments before returning it to the crate and shutting the lid. Then I reach beneath the sashes tied around my waist to retrieve the Chariot and place it on the table next to the box. My tone sharpens as I pin Estel beneath a glare. “The human came here with this.”
My indignation immediately dims as I take in the horror on her sparkling face. Her expression shifts again and again, eyes not on the Chariot but on the crate, and each new countenance she wears is only more terrified than the last.
Nyxia’s face whips toward the Star Queen, rage heating her cheeks. “You have some explaining to do.”
Estel brings a shimmering hand to her lips, the particles that compose her body buzzing faster than I’ve seen before. She takes a step back, and Aspen stiffens at my side. The nearest guards reach for the hilts of their swords and shift their spears. But she doesn’t try to flee, eyes still trained on the crate. “It was supposed to be destroyed,” she whispers.
“What was?” Aspen says through his teeth.
