“We’ve had an additional witness demonstrate the humans’ desire to obliterate the fae as quickly as possible.” I fill my words with enough emphasis to mask what I’m hiding—that the witness was a human who attempted to steal a bomb that could kill us all.
“Why should I believe you?” She gives a shrug, but the tenseness of her shoulders betrays how shaken she is.
“They’re coming,” I say. “If you don’t believe me, let any of my allies confirm my statement.”
“Am I supposed to believe this meeting is all an act of goodwill? A kind warning?” She scoffs. “I doubt that.”
“No, it’s to discuss the necessity of a ceasefire between us.”
She barks a laugh, mouth falling open. “Why would we ever agree to that?”
“Because it’s a matter of survival. We can’t face a human army if we’re divided, distracted by our civil war.”
Dahlia’s lips pull into a sneer. “Just because you and your pathetic allies will be distracted, doesn’t mean we will be.”
I bristle and force myself to keep my fury at bay. It takes all my control to hold my voice steady. “We’ll be stronger together. Then as soon as the humans are dealt with, we can return to sorting out our grievances.”
She doesn’t even give it a second’s thought. “I appreciate the warning, but no. We will not agree to a ceasefire.”
I clench my jaw. Time to step up negotiations. “I have something you want.”
Again, her composure falters, expression going blank. Her words come out clipped. “What would that be?”
“The very thing that made you try to take my palace,” I say with a grin.
She studies me in tense silence before saying, “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
I put my hands on my hips, aware of their proximity to my hidden blades. “I think you do, Dahlia. Iron weapons. If you agree to a temporary ceasefire that lasts only as long as we must fight the human army, we will deliver the weapons to you once the army is defeated.”
She pops a hip to the side, wings buzzing in agitation. “We do not agree,” she finally says, although I swear there’s a hint of regret in her tone.
Fire heats my cheeks at her easy dismissal. It wasn’t supposed to go this way. I haven’t even brought up the wall yet! No, this can’t be how this ends. I must regain control over this conversation at once.
My gaze flashes to the gathering behind her. “I suggest you reconsider. Your allies are dwindling. All you have are pretenders. Without a united front, your littlecouncilwon’t survive the oncoming attack.”
“That’s what you think,” she says with a grin that doesn’t quite reach her eyes.
I study her, analyzing every tense muscle, the tick in her jaw, seeking the truth beneath her feigned casual demeanor.
“How about this,” she says, her mask of confidence regaining its hold over her features. “We will agree to a ceasefire, but we will not trade it for weapons. Instead, we will trade for something else, something we will claim at once. Otherwise, we will make no deal.”
Dread sinks my gut, every instinct telling me whatever she has in mind can’t be good. “What is it you propose we trade?”
“We will agree to this temporary ceasefire,” she says, lips pulling into a devious smirk, “in exchange for you.”
24
Istare blankly at the Summer Queen, blood draining from my face. When I regain my composure, I pin Dahlia with a glare. “What do you mean you want to trade forme?”
She looks at her fingernails, as if I’m no longer worth her attention. “It’s exactly as it sounds. Give up your claim as queen, surrender to us, and we will agree to a ceasefire.”
My fingers clench into fists as fire roars through my shoulders, my arms, my palms. “Why in the bloody name of iron would I surrender to you?”
She puts a hand on her hip, a scowl twisting her lips. “It’s because of you that we’re in this mess to begin with, Evelyn. You’ve already caused enough trouble, breaking the treaty and all. It’s your fault this human army comes in the first place. Don’t you think you owe it to your allies? To all fae? To the humans, even? For all we know, you stepping down as queen could be the very thing we need to repair the treaty or forge a new one.”
My fire falters, draining from me at her words. Guilt sinks my heart, making my legs feel heavy. I feel how I did when I first learned my pairing with Aspen had been invalidated, then later when I learned my heritage was putting the treaty in jeopardy. All I wanted to do then was sacrifice myself. To do whatever it took to prevent war and bloodshed. The treaty was the only thing that stood between peace and war, and I was the only one who could stop it.
In this moment, it’s like that all over again. Once again, I alone am responsible for the threat, and this one storms across the sea from the mainland. I feel like I’m the one at the helm of each of those warships, and only I can call them back.
