She nods in understanding, slowing her pace to remain close at my side.
We come to a stop several feet from the wall and wait for Mayor Coleman to close the remaining distance. He narrows his eyes at my companions, going a shade paler at the sight of Dune. It’s rare for a human to come into contact with a fae who isn’t an ambassador, and it’s an even rarer thing for them to see an unseelie. When they do, it almost always ends in trouble from one side or the other.
“I thought you’d come alone,” the mayor says as he halts before us.
I keep my posture erect, my chin lifted in a regal air. “You thought wrong, Mayor Coleman.”
He turns his gaze to his niece, offering her a curt nod. “I certainly didn’t expect to see you here, Marie.”
She gives him a small smile. “I wanted to see you, Uncle. Her Majesty was so kind as to offer me the chance.”
He shifts his jaw, making his bushy mustache twitch. “Are you being treated well?”
“Of course I am,” she says. “That’s why I’ve chosen to stay with Queen Evelyn and King Aspen.”
I put my arms around her shoulders and pull her close to my side, doing my best to appear domineering despite the fact that Marie is nearly my same height. “We’ve been given no reason to treat her with anything but kindness.” My words come out slow to emphasize the feigned threat beneath them.
“Right,” the mayor says, and I can see in his eyes that he understands completely.
I withdraw my arm from Marie’s shoulders and bring it to my hip. “So, why did you ask me here to talk?”
“I said in my letter. I have vital information regarding the safety of the isle.”
I pin him beneath a glare. “You’re going to need to be more specific than that.”
With a deep breath, he takes a step closer, flashing a wary glance at my mate. “Eisleigh’s council has been given a twofold warning, straight from King Grigory,” he says. “First, that the isle will be under attack by the king’s own army coming from the mainland. And second, that only the most prestigious families are to be given notice and urged to vacate.”
Dread sinks my stomach, but I do my best to appear aloof. “This news isn’t surprising. The fae already know we’re at war with the humans. It was only a matter of time before the King of Bretton got involved with the matters on the isle.”
“There’s more.” His expression darkens. “I looked into this matter, spoke to someone I thought would know more. Turns out he knew a great deal more.”
From the way he speaks, I already know who he’s referring to. “And what did this dear friend of yours say?”
The mayor opens and closes his fists, his cheeks turning crimson. “The king is in possession of a weapon that could destroy all life in a matter of seconds. Not just the fae.Alllife here on the isle.”
Marie bites back a cry of alarm, pressing a hand to her mouth to stifle it. It’s obvious this is the first she’s heard of the Parvanovae and its threat.
I can’t keep the steel from my gaze. Even though the news is of little surprise to me, it confirms Mr. Duveau gifted the bomb to King Grigory. Not just that, but he did so fully aware of the power the weapon possesses. Part of me has kept a flicker of doubt over whether he sought it without understanding how powerful the bomb could be, but now all doubts are erased. He knew all along that the bomb would destroy the isle, and he gave it to the human king.
The king who now seeks to kill his own people just to end the fae.
The mayor’s eyes go wide. “You knew about this too.”
I press my lips tight.
“Do you know when the king plans to unleash this weapon?” Aspen asks.
The mayor looks from me to my mate, shaking his head. “No, but I’m sure it’s soon. The last of the covert ships transporting the elite to the safety of the mainland depart from Eisleigh tomorrow night.” He opens and closes his fists again, forehead wrinkled. “Do you know what the weapon is?”
There’s no use denying it now. “A bomb,” I say. “One created by the fae at the end of the first war. I was tasked with protecting it from being used until it could be destroyed, but your dear friend stole it from me.”
Mayor Coleman scowls. “Mr. Duveau is no friend of mine or the council’s.”
I raise a brow. “Is that so? It seemed at my mother’s trial he had all of you wrapped around his finger.”
“That was before the treaty broke,” he says. “We may not know what happened, but we know he failed to keep the treaty intact. And now I know he’s directly responsible for this newest threat.”
I release a frustrated sigh. “Well, I appreciate the warning, Mayor Coleman, but if you have no more specific intel on the king’s plans to attack, then I must bid you a goodnight.”
