CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
Panic shoots through my every nerve like a lightning bolt. The Seelie Court. Apart from me, Isera, and Alistair, all that remains of our people is the fae who live in the lone city that now makes up the entirety of the Seelie Court. If Jessina destroys it, if she flies over that city and spews her ice flames over everything, she will wipe out our entire race.
“We have to stop her,” I blurt out.
“How?” Galen asks, looking from face to face. “We’ll never be able to overtake her. Not even Draven can catch her when she is flying at that speed and has this kind of head start.”
Draven grunts, confirming the truth of that.
“I could portal you there,” Grey says. Then his turquoise and yellow eyes slide towards Orion. “With His Majesty’s permission.”
Orion and Isera, who seem to have heard our conversation, pull back from each other and turn towards us instead. While Isera looks like she is frantically trying to compose herself again, Orion locks eyes with Grey and nods, giving him permission to open a portal.
“To do what, though?” Galen asks, shifting a bewildered gazebetween the rest of us. “Fight another battle?” He motions towards the other three clan leaders and their people, who have clustered together in three separate groups. “They were only able to bring like ten people each. Even if we all go to the Seelie Court to fight Jessina now, we will still be vastly outnumbered since she both has her own clan and the entire Red Clan as well. And besides, if we fight above the city, it’s going to get destroyed by battle anyway.”
I want to snap at him in annoyance. But the worst part of all is that he is right. We’re not in any shape to be fighting Jessina again right now. And if we do, the Seelie Court will end up getting destroyed anyway.
“Can we get everyone in the Seelie Court through the portal and in here instead then?” Lyra asks.
Alistair grimaces reluctantly. “Our city is a lot smaller than the Unseelie Court, but it’s notthatsmall. Gathering everyone, explaining the situation, making them trust us, and getting them all through a portal in time? And all without the Red Clan noticing? Never gonna work.”
“Then what do we do?” I ask, panic and frustration lacing my voice. “Mabona’s tits, we need to?—”
I abruptly stop speaking as the perfect solution hits me like a slap. Blinking against the force of the realization, I slowly turn my head towards the man who has been standing silently at the edge of our group this entire time.
Severin Godblessed.
“You,” I blurt out. “You can raise wards around the Seelie Court.” Lifting a hand, I motion at the faintly shimmering barrier around the Unseelie Court. “Like these. You can raise wards like these around our court too.”
The leader of the Gold Clan just looks back at me with a steady gaze for a few seconds. Then he simply says, “No.”
I jerk back, and so do several of my friends.
“What do you meanno?” I demand. “You can’t raise wards like these?”
“I can.” He holds my gaze with those infuriatingly calm eyes of his. “But I won’t.”
Fury streaks through me, and I end up growling, “Why not?”
“Because the Gold Clan does not intervene. We do not change the will of Azaroth. Not anymore. We have learned our lesson. We only observe. We only follow Azaroth’s will. Whatever he has decided should happen, will happen.” His gaze slides to where Bane’s corpse used to be. “Order has been restored now. Only one person now carries the Silver Clan’s signature magic. We have corrected our ancestor’s mistake. And now, we will not involve ourselves further.”
“You have got to be fucking kidding me.”
“I’m not.” Raising his gaze to mine again, he holds out his wrist. “Now, I ask you to remove this piece of dragon steel and allow me to return to our island. As promised.”
My eyes drift down to that crude bracelet made of dragon steel that is still circling his wrist. The one that he can’t touch himself. The one only a fae can touch. And control.
I think about it for only two seconds before I’ve already made a decision.
If it’s a choice between preserving my moral high ground and stopping the genocide of my entire race, it’s not even a choice at all.
Summoning my magic, I channel it straight through that dragon steel bracelet and order, “You are going to follow me through the portal that Grey creates.”
A ripple goes through the other clans around me. I can feel all the members of the Purple, Blue, and Orange Clan staring at me. Their sudden suspicion is so palpable that I can almost feel the tension vibrating in the air.
My own friends, however, who all seem to have morals thatare as flexible as mine, just watch in silence as I turn to look at Grey.
Since he has already gotten permission from Orion, he simply raises a portal from the grass. Through it, I can see the fields and the stone walls that circle our city.
