Finally, Cora forced herself to meet Mareleau’s gaze. She expected to find red butterflies all around her in a halo of rage, but instead, they only flashed yellow. With a deep breath, Cora opened herself to her friend’s emotions, sensing shock, confusion, and…
The emotions lifted.
Dispersed.
The butterflies deepened to a bold shade of green.
A bark of laughter escaped Mareleau’s lips. “You’re claiming Vera as your own and demanding that the Elvyn accept my husband and mother as citizens.”
“I am, and I will brook no debate on the matter. No one can remain in the human world who can contest my rule. Lela is mine.”
Mareleau blinked at her a few times. Then her lips curled into a trembling smile, and her emotions swelled with an unexpected warmth. Cora knew then that Mareleau had seen through her demand to her true intentions. Although Cora would be making this choice even if Mareleau hated her for it, she was determined that Mareleau and Noah wouldn’t be separated from Larylis and Helena.
Ailan wasn’t quite so moved. “You aren’t giving your friend a say in the matter? She hasn’t decided if she wants to live here yet.”
Cora lifted her chin. “No, I’m not giving her a choice, or you, and I have my reasons.”
“Explain them then.”
“As Queen of Lela,” Cora said, “I will have access to the magic that seeps from Centerpointe Rock into the human world. I’m going to utilize it.”
Ailan’s nostrils flared. “You can’t harness the magic.”
“I won’t. I’ll push it back.” She shared what Darius had told her, about the loophole he’d found in the prophecy. “One only becomes Morkaius after they harness the magic. So I won’t. I’ll go to Centerpointe Rock and use whatever temporary power I’m granted as Queen of Magic and push themoraback through the tear. With the veins of magic on this side of the Veil where they belong, you—or your strongest wardweavers—will seal the tear. Once it’s sealed, a new heart will be forged, and your mother’s wardweaving will no longer be incomplete.”
Ailan’s expression went blank, demonstrating her awe-laced shock. Then she shook her head. “I can see that as a possibility, but my people will never agree. You’re asking us to position you as Morkaius of the human world. Someone who could take everything from El’Ara.”
“I can’t take everything without harnessing the magic, which would destroy me. Pushing themoraback to El’Ara is my only choice if I want to survive.”
“My people won’t?—”
“They will,” Cora said, tone firm. “You will make them agree. Tell them anything, I don’t care what it is. Tell them I’m exactly what they fear me to be, an evil witch bent on taking Lela for her own. Tell them I’m a bloodthirsty worldwalker, and the only way to keep the peace with me and defeat your brother is to give me what I want.”
Ailan set down the spray bottle and folded her arms. She paced before the climbing vines before she spoke again. “I can get the tribunal to agree if you proceed with your plan to push themoraback to us at once. You will secure Mareleau and Larylis’ word of abdication?—”
“So soon?” Mareleau straightened. “That’s all it would take? Just a word of abdication, no formal process? No coronation? Just like that, she’s Queen of Lela?” There was no ire in her tone, only curiosity.
“This is a matter of themora,” Ailan said. “Fae magic. While it will likely take more work to formalize Cora’s position in terms of human politics, the magic will recognize her role once you and your husband state your abdication, just like the role of the Morkara can be relinquished upon a single verbal statement.”
“That may be true,” Cora said, drawing Ailan’s attention back to her, “but I am not going to push themorato El’Ara while Darius still lives. That would trap him in the human world and leave us to deal with him.”
Ailan arched a brow. “Then what exactly are you proposing?”
“You said we need to outsmart Darius to defeat him, so we will. All he truly wants from me is the location of the tear. So I’ll give him a false location. I’ll lead him to a predetermined place where we will ambush him.”
“You’re forgetting he has no reason to stay and fight once he discovers he’s being ambushed. He can worldwalk away before anyone can lay a finger on him.”
“He will have a reason to stay if you’re there.”
Ailan’s eyes widened. “You want me to serve as bait.”
“I’m acting as bait myself by bringing him to the ambush site. The least you can do is face him. You have the one thing that can stop him, don’t you?”
Ailan thinned her lips as she reached into the folds of her flowing robe and extracted the magic-suppressing collar. “Yes, though I failed the last time I tried to trap him with it. I got only a single talon hooked into his skin, but he merely tore it out, tossed it aside, and worldwalked away.”
“Then you’ll have to try harder this time. Unless…there’s more of those?”
“No, this collar is one of a kind. Berolla sacrificed two talons to create it, and it can’t be replicated, even if she were still alive.” At Cora’s questioning look, she went on to explain. “She was trapped on this side of the Veil when my mother died. According to Fanon, she took Last Breath shortly after.”
