Estel’s chest heaves. “The Parvanovae.”
“That’sthe Parvanovae?” Nyxia’s tone is shriller than I’ve ever heard, her composure shaken as she points a trembling finger at the crate. “The thing Queen Evelyn was just holding in herhand?”
Even Flauvis is unnerved, his hackles raised along his back. “It can’t be.”
Tris throws her hands in the air, shaking her head of cherry blossoms in confusion. “What is a para…parva…”
“It’s a star bomb, Tris,” Nyxia snaps before burning me with a glare. “A tiny, living star encased in crystal, and it could have killed us all, should it be dropped.”
My mouth goes dry as the implications wash over me. I recall the chilling instinct I had to catch it when the assailant nearly dropped it. And Iheldit. A bomb. In my hand. “Blazing iron,” I mutter.
Aspen runs his hands through his hair, shifting from foot to foot. “So, the humans are after a bomb.”
“But what exactly is it?” Aelfon asks. “You say it’s a star bomb, but why does it even exist? It isn’t a human creation.”
“No,” Estel says with a breathy sigh. “It’s fae. My sister created it.”
“Queen Estora?” Aspen says, eyes incredulous. “Shemadethis abomination?”
“You never knew my sister well,” Estel says, her tone calm despite its defensive edge. “She was a brilliant inventor, even more talented than I am. She worked not only with time and space, but on the cutting edge harnessing the power of the stars. When the war with the humans began, she put all her efforts into creating something that could defeat our enemies. Just before the war ended, she invented this, the Parvanovae. It wasn’t meant to be an abomination; it was meant to save our realm. It was…a mistake.”
“My mother told me about it,” Nyxia mutters, eyes fixated on the crate, shoulders tense as if she expects it to burst open at any moment. “The final, desperate move the fae were prepared to take before the treaty was made.”
“This was the final motion the council was going to pass?” Aspen asks, mouth twisted with disgust. “The one to rid the isle of humans forever?”
Estel nods, expression grave as the shimmering particles tug her lips into a frown. “The very same. The council had gotten word that the mainland king was now involved and was preparing to send in armies to invade. Their weapons were said to be far more destructive than anything we’d seen used on the isle yet. The Parvanovae was our final defense.”
Nyxia’s eyes are glazed. “It would have killed everyone. Including the fae.”
“Almost everyone,” Estel corrects. “Some of the fae could have survived, but yes, most would die. Worse, the isle would take centuries to recover, leaving even the survivors with little to live off of.”
Nausea churns in my stomach as I envision the carnage, the damage. If this star bomb can cause such detrimental effects, it must be far more powerful than any human explosive that exists today. The fact that the fae were willing to use it chills me to the bone. It’s no wonder even the cold, cruel Melusine was willing to stop it. Despite the terrible mother she eventually became, my heart aches with the understanding that she alone saved the Fair Isle. Or perhaps I should say it was Aspen alone. For his birth was what swayed her heart, convinced her to shift to the seelie side and forge the treaty with the humans.
My gaze slides to my mate, taking in the distress on his face. I wonder if he’s thinking about his mother too.
“It was supposed to be destroyed,” Nyxia says through her teeth, eyes burning into Estel. “Why is it still in existence?”
Estel shakes her head. “Estora said—”
Her words cut off, and she closes her eyes. When she opens them, her expression looks puzzled. “No, I suppose she never did outright say it was destroyed. Only hinted that it was. Hinted it was no longer a threat to us.”
“Did she give it to Ustrin, then?” I ask.
“I don’t know,” she says. “Even when I took her place as queen, she never said a thing about it. However, she was never the same after the war ended. She was bitter and weak, which was why I challenged her as alpha. She must have sided with Ustrin before she left us for the stars.”
I furrow my brow. “Left you for the stars?”
“She died.” Nyxia doesn’t bother with any pretenses of sympathy.
“So, Ustrin has had the star bomb this entire time. But what about this?” I point at the Chariot. “It looks just like yours.”
Estel opens her palm, revealing her own Chariot that she arrived here with. Setting it next to the other confirms they are nearly identical, aside from the scratches and signs of age on the one the human brought. “Yes, that is one of the first I ever made.”
I bristle. “How did a human come to have it?”
She seems unconcerned by the suspicion in my tone. “When the war ended, one of my Chariots was given to the councilman who exiled King Caleos. It was an additional gift to ensure the balance established by the treaty. He never used it, nor any of his descendants, to my knowledge.”
“That likely changed with Mr. Duveau,” I say. “He must have used it to meet with Ustrin, to transport the weapons here with ease and without any of the other fae royals knowing about it.”
