Darius rose from his chair and set his empty wine glass on the table. “Come, I grow weary of this place. You make for a poor drinking companion.”
She opened her mouth, but before she could speak, he grasped her shoulder. Vertigo seized her, and she found herself stumbling over her feet. Sound cut off, as did the stench of smoke and ale. Darius released her, and she managed to regain her balance, but as the dizziness cleared from her eyes, she found their surroundings had changed.
Her bare feet rested on the smooth white marble of a long rectangular balcony. Behind her was an enormous open-air space with several seating areas, potted plants, and ornate rugs. Before her was an elegant balustrade interrupted by thick marble columns.
Darius stood before the rail, as unflustered as ever, gathering lungfuls of air. Cora glanced beyond the balustrade and found they were high above the sloping hillside, with a full view of the multi-layered city beneath them. She must have been right about the opulent building she’d glimpsed on their way to the pub; this must be Darius’ palace. There were no guards or servants near the balcony, no nearby strains of emotion to suggest anyone was close by. It made sense that his palace would be so quiet at present, considering the king was supposed to be in Norun.
“Look around,” Darius said. “My kingdom is beautiful. What I’ve created is fair. Syrus flourishes even when its king is not at home. You can see that with your own eyes.”
She scoffed. “If it’s so beautiful, why didn’t you want me to hear more of what that man was saying?”
“He’s none of my concern. His peers and the principles of his chosen establishment determine his value. If he’s so worried about being reported for a demerit, he should have worked harder to prove his worth.”
“You let your people police each other?”
“I give them the authority all citizens should have.”
“You encourage a mob mentality. What happens to those who receive demerits? What happens to those you and your society deem of low value? What happens to those born without able bodies or minds?”
“And you’re back to clinging to your prejudices. Look with your eyes, Aveline. Look at this peaceful city.Thisis all I wanted to bring to El’Ara.” He gestured toward the sloping hillside. “I succeeded in Syrus, after I won the throne from my brother, and this is all I wanted for the fae realm too. Yet the elite—the Elvyn—wouldn’t see reason. Just like you refuse to see reason.”
“The Elvyn refused to see reason, as you call it, because you invaded their realm.” Wind blew over her cheeks, colder than it had been farther down the hill.
“Such is the way of war and progress,” he said. “It is a dark and treacherous thing, and not something to take lightly. You don’t want war, do you?”
“Of course I don’t.”
“Nor do I. I value the lives of my people. I want to see a bright future for all of them. As monarchs, we should do whatever we can to ensure the least number of casualties, don’t you think?”
“This is where you propose an alliance between us, isn’t it?”
He turned away from the balustrade and faced her fully. “I’m not coming to you empty-handed. I will offer you the very thing the Elvyn want to take away.”
“What’s that?”
A confident grin stretched his lips. “Lela.”
She blinked a few times. “What are you saying?”
“You, Aveline Corasande Caelan, will be Queen of Lela.”
46
Her mind emptied.
Queen of Lela.
She…she didn’t want that.
Did she?
“El’Ara needs its heart before it can be whole again,” Darius said. “Themoraseeping into this world must hold terrible consequences for the fae realm. Before the Veil, themoratraveled through the veins of magic that wove through the land and met at the heart of the world, at the Morkara’s palace in the Elvyn city of Le’Lana. The Morkara would direct the flow ofmorafrom there to wherever they sought to send it. But the Veil must have compromised that.
“First, there was no Morkara in either world to direct the magic, thanks to Ailan’s idiotic plan to pass on her legacy to an unnamed heir.” His tone took on a sardonic quality. “Yes, I remember all of that now that I have my memories again. But now the Veil has torn, which, according to Desmond’s report, means we have a Morkara again. Goody. Yet still, themoracannot flow like it could before, for the Veil blocks its return. Not even the tear can allow enough magic to bring themoraback into balance. No, there are only two solutions: either the Veil must come down completely, or it must be completed to incorporate Lela. The Elvyn will obviously choose the latter, for who knows what repercussions could arise should the Veil be fully erased while the fae and human realms are connected through Lela. Our worlds could collide. Yet as a result of completing the Veil, Lela will return to El’Ara and every human on this land will cease to have a home.”
She hated that he was voicing her greatest fear—that everything she was preparing to fight for would result in her people’s exile. Ailan had all but confirmed it.
He continued. “The Elvyn will never agree to let humans live in El’Ara. Even if they did, the humans would be considered low-value members of society due to their blood. Because—as I’ve already stated—the Elvyn cling to principles that only benefit themselves. Yet there is another option that will require neither exile nor subjugation. The answer is written in the prophecy. And that is where you come in.”
