“Do you know of any magic imbued into it?”
“Do you?”
He hesitated but then shook his head. “No. But Heliconia specifically mentioned wanting a seat on the harvest throne as my queen. I’ve wondered…” He trailed off and looked at me again.
“Do you think she knows something about your throne you don’t?” I asked.
“I plan to look into it when I return home,” he said quietly. “But she will send for an answer soon, and I wanted to speak with you first. To see if we might come to an arrangement. Like before.”
I met his gaze as his meaning dawned. “You’re asking me to marry you again.”
“I’m asking you to save what’s left of this realm.” His voice softened, genuine for once. “You said once that I couldn’t see beyond my father’s shadow. Maybe you were right. But now the shadow is all that’s left. If I join Heliconia, Autumn survives as her puppet. If I stand against her alone, my kingdom will fall. I need another way.”
“I will not be made a pawn again, Callan. You’ll have to find a bride elsewhere.”
He flinched—then hardened. “Marry me, and I’ll pardon you for killing my father.”
“At least, now you aren’t pretending to care for me.”
“I do care for you.”
“You never wanted me, Callan. You wanted the version of me that would make you into a great king.”
His eyes narrowed, but he only continued to negotiate. “I could give you an army.”
“If you were not your father’s protégé after all, you would offer them to me freely.”
“You still plan to fight her,” he said as if only now realizing it.
“My birthright has always been that of a warrior. It’s time I acted like it.”
“To face her alone would be fatal,” he said.
“I am not alone.”
“You think a handful of Midnight fae?—”
Furyfire sparked, landing on the rug at his feet before fizzling out. He fell silent, our gazes locked.
I smirked, choosing one of his expressions. “Reminds you of old times, doesn’t it?” He said nothing. “Those Midnight fae are braver warriors than you could ever hope to be. And when I leave here, it will be with them and the Withered you have so graciously brought me. But don’t forget that I am not Summer’s daughter, submissive and sparkling beneath your thumb. I am Hel’s heir, and I have furyfire in my veins and vengeance in my heart.”
Callan’s mouth tightened, but I didn’t wait for a response. This meeting was over.
I started for the door.
Callan’s words stopped me. “Is that why you chose him over me? A warrior at your side instead of a prince?”
Slowly, I turned. “You think I chose Rydian over you? I chose myself, Callan. I encourage you to do the same.”
Chapter Twenty-One
Aurelia
By the time the morning mist began to lift, Callan and his men had ridden out. Vanya ushered Keres and me into her tent where we changed into dry clothes and then dried our hair by the cooking fire.
Rydian returned an hour later and didn’t ask where his half-brother had gone. I suspected he’d tracked the Autumn king himself just to make sure there wasn’t a trap laid in his wake.
After a brief meal of stew and hot tea, we gathered in what had been Callan’s command tent, a structure of green and gold canvas sagging slightly from the damp. Someone had stoked the brazier in the corner, but the heat did little against the chill that crept through the seams.
