‘Bride?’ She laughs. ‘But?—’
MacGowan pushes himself to his feet. ‘Everyone is talking in riddles. Tell us what we are here for.’
Carruth laughs. ‘They are fighting about who gets to be the next King of The Unseelie Court. And whether Cillian remains as Hunter.’
‘But Vincenzo isn’t even dead yet,’ MacGowan points out.
‘Quite. And yet these two Kin continue to think that it is somehow their right to rule the rest of us,’ Carruth says. ‘But heredity only plays one part in the decision. And in the end, the Court itself will decide.’
‘From candidates I put forward,’ Vincenzo insists.
‘Only if you are prepared for your death, Vincenzo.’
‘I’m preparing now.’
Carruth takes a moment, to look around the chamber, then stands. ‘With all due respect, you have held the position of King for the past ninety years, mostly because no one else really wants it. It’s a poisoned chalice with a lot of responsibilities and very few benefits. And during that time, the Court has faded. I will not support any Riali’s claim to the throne after Vincenzo.’ Carruth motions to the others of his Kin that it’s time to leave.
‘Cillian wants it,’ Vittoria responds instantly. ‘And the only way he can be assured of the position is by marrying me. We all agree on that.’
I clench my fists. She’s right. I do, if only because I know I could do a better job than Vincenzo. I know that given the chance, I could reverse the decline. Push back the Blight. The Rialis were incomers when they arrived here little more than a century ago. A Kinfolk family powerful enough to replace one of the Kin at The Unseelie Court within a decade of arriving, but since they took the throne, only they have thrived.
‘I do,’ I admit finally. ‘Or I did, at least. Maybe then, the Kinfolk would stop fading out of existence, the Blight would stop spreading through the Underworld and the Court. Then we could begin to re-establish the Kinfolk as true powers in both worlds.’
Carruth chuckles, and Vincenzo moves as if he’s going to rise and challenge me for my impudent statement, but Vittoria stays unnaturally calm, putting a hand out to calm her father. I watch her for a long moment. She sits there so composed, and yet when her eyes meet mine, I can see the hatred burning deep in them. She wants to be queen for her own gain, to carry on her father’s work. With her by my side, I will never be able to tackle the Blight.
‘Tonight, Vittoria told us a very plausible tale, about a human plotting to kill Kin, successfully, I might add. During my brief interlude in the Underworld, I discovered that Vittoria has taken matters into her own hands. She broke the sanctity of St Marnox by poisoning one of the seekers on the grounds.’
‘A murderer,’ she spits. ‘And the rules state that seekers are only guaranteed safety within St Marnox walls.’
It’s funny how so often we take words and phrases for granted without thinking about exactly what they mean. AsKinfolk, we should know better, but as St Marnox is an island, I have always assumed the seekers were safe at all times, not just within the literal sanctuary walls, and so I’m relieved that Niamh survived.
‘She deserves to suffer for what she did. She drugged your sister, put her in danger, killed three of my Kin.’
But I shake my head. ‘No, Vittoria. I don’t believe that. Niamh would never do anything to hurt Rose. You’ve not shown us everything about that night. You’re intentionally deceiving the Court.’
‘How can she be worth it, Cillian? I could have offered you so much more.’ Vittoria sounds the closest to desperate that I have ever heard her. ‘Are you really willing to give up everything, your position, your future, just to have her?’
‘You’re really in love with a human?’ Carruth scoffs, and all around the Court there’s laughter. ‘Then Vittoria has a point. Not only will you not be king, but you’ll also forfeit your position as Kennard if you marry her.’
‘I willnotstep down,’ I announce.
‘There is no other option,’ Vincenzo says. ‘You cannot marry a human and remain Kennard of one of the Kin. You will marry my daughter, and together you will control both the Hunters and the Rialis, as well as The Unseelie Court. It has already been agreed.’
‘No.’
‘I tried to give you a chance to keep your position as Kennard of the Hunters, your chance at becoming king,’ Vittoria responds.
‘No, Vittoria, you are trying to ensure that you retain your chance at becoming queen. But everything that has happened over the past few days has taught me that I can’t marry you.’
‘You still want a dead woman?’ Vittoria screams. Rose leaps to her feet and stares at me, her hands over her mouth.
‘She’s not dead,’ I say. ‘You failed, Vittoria. There is so much wrong in our world, and that starts at the top.’
‘How dare you!’ Vincenzo stands up. ‘I have given everything to ruling this Court. The Blight?—’
But whatever Vincenzo is about to say doesn’t get said as a light starts to glow in the centre of the chamber. The glow expands, forming a column of light. It grows wider and wider still, and, inside the thin place to St Marnox, begins to open. Two figures step through, and I close my eyes, praying that I’m not about to see what I think I’m about to see. I don’t want her to have done this. I don’t want her to die trying to save me.
Chapter30
