Etrix’s butterfly darkened to a shade of teal, the only sign he was growing impatient. “It remains impossible for a worldwalker to utilize their magic to cross the VeilintoEl’Ara. As Ailan already explained, the human queen’s actions were accidental. It was only her connection to a unicorn—and his horn’s ability to pierce the Veil—that allowed her to enter our world last month.”
Last month! Mother Goddess, that’s right. To the Elvyn, it had only been a month since last summer’s events.
Etrix went on. “Preventing a worldwalker from exiting El’Ara through magical means was never woven into Satsara’s wardweaving. She left El’Ara for fear of her life after being targeted by the dragon Ferrah.”
“She has crucial information,” said another Elvyn, this one seated on the third tier. He gestured toward Cora. “Should she give this information to Darius, share how he could utilize a unicorn to cross the Veil, we’ll be done for.”
“Which is why we’re forging an alliance,” Ailan said, her butterfly flickering between orange and red.
“How can we trust her?” said another voice.
Then another. “She’s human! She can’t make a binding vow.”
And another. “I still say she should be punished.”
The voices overlapped, compromising Etrix’s translation magic once more.
Anger simmered in Cora’s gut, melding with the enraged emotions clawing their way past her shields. It sent a piercing ache to her temples.
“I want to hear what Fanon has to say,” said Garot.
Cora shot him a glare across the room. Of all the people to make such a suggestion! And she’d thought he was on her side. Was he simply obtuse?
Fanon’s jaw shifted side to side. His butterfly glowed a deep orange, and he slouched in his chair like he wanted to be anywhere else. Cora braced herself for whatever hatred he was about to spew.
His voice came out tight. “Whatever I have said or done as steward is no longer relevant. We have our Morkara now, and our regent. I condemned the human queen as I saw fit when the authority was mine, but our regent has condemned those actions in turn. We have Ailan’s judgment now. You need not mine.”
Cora blinked a few times, surprised by his words. She wasn’t the only one. While his statement moved some to silence, it outraged others.
“We still can’t trust her!”
“How can we trust an alliance with a worldwalker?”
“She must demonstrate her worth as our ally.”
“She could use her magic at any time.”
Another ache pierced Cora’s temples as the arguments dissolved back into chaos. Devils below, she felt like she was in the council room with Lords Kevan and Ulrich, the target of their ire and suspicion. She never had managed to earn their trust or respect before they’d met their demise, but she had gotten her way a few times with a blend of truth and lies. She tried to think of some way to utilize those same lessons now, but she had just one idea. One that weighed heavy against her thigh and sent a memory of pain through her neck.
Breathing out a slow exhale, she rose to her feet. “Can I speak?”
The arguing voices went silent.
Ailan sat up straighter, brow furrowed. Etrix turned to her, head tilted slightly to the side. His butterfly flickered a deep green, then softened back to blue. “Yes, Queen Aveline. You may speak.”
“Your regent has already spoken on my behalf,” Cora said to the room at large, not bothering to hide the irritation in her voice, “so I will not repeat what has already been said. No, I cannot make a binding vow, and I know a human’s promise means nothing to you without one. All I can offer you is this.”
Cora extracted the collar from inside her robe. Her stomach turned just to hold it. She lifted it for all to see. “If you can’t trust my magic, then collar me until it’s time for me to return to my people. That’s all I can offer you.”
She held her breath, waiting for more arguments, or for one of the Elvyn to act and snap the device around her neck.
But Ailan spoke first. “Where…where did you get that? Why do you have it?”
Cora faced the regent as Ailan rose from her chair to stand beside Cora. The Elvyn woman’s eyes were wide as they locked on the item in Cora’s hand.
Cora was surprised by her reaction. While it was true she hadn’t mentioned the collar when she’d talked about her time in El’Ara, she’d had no reason to believe Ailan would be so shocked by it. “Fanon used this on me. It suppressed my magic.”
Ailan shot a fiery gaze at Fanon, her butterfly darkening to blood-red. She pointed at the device. “That was made for one individual.”
