“My father is dying.”
Feel nothing, she told herself.
“And so is the Crown,” he said. “But that’s not surprising to my kind, because that is how it has always been. The Throne and the Crown rule and they die concurrently. But until now, they’ve done so apart. That will not be the case for me. I will be King, but my queen, my Crown, we will rule together and we will die together, as it was meant to be.”
“My people would die before they bowed to the Throne. I don’t know what the oracles saw, but they were wrong. And the small folk, after what your kind has done—”
“Ah, yes, those poor small folk, just as innocent as the oracles,” he said, glancing down at the bloody handkerchief. “Or so I’m sure they’ve told you.”
“You’ve been razing their forests, their homes, driving them out—”
“Yes, we have. We do not tolerate criminals and insurrectionists. If they do not wish to abide by the laws of the Realms, then they will have to leave.”
“Brownies are criminals?”
“Brownies have long conspired with the oracles, both to continue the dragon poaching, funneling the hearts to those who have survived in exile, and to undermine and weaken the King. They themselves set the ancient woods of Green-upon-Thrushtun, killing thousands of innocents because they discovered it was one of my father’s heart-places, and they knew it would weaken him.”
“So the Elves are innocent. Do you expect me to believe that?”
“If you did, you would be a fool,” he said. “We both know better. No one in Alfheim is innocent. Not even you, Magpie. Have you not killed to save yourself or those you wished to protect?”
The ghostly sensation of blood running over her hand, hot and slick, returned.
“I know you have.” He held up the bloodied handkerchief. “And I know you will again if you have to.”
Her head throbbed. Resisting her attraction to him was the least of her headaches. She no longer knew what to think or to believe, who was lying, who was telling the truth. She was torn between wanting to run back into exile and wanting to beat everyone bloody until they told her the truth or stopped talking altogether.
“Lavana’s warriors are close,” he said.
She pushed through her headache to meet his gaze again. Some weak, aching part of her lurched, wanting to fall into his arms, but she didn’t move.
“You give me back my knives. You warn me about Lavana. Yet you’ve already told me that no matter who becomes Radiant, you will attempt to join with her. What am I supposed to do?”
“Become Radiant,” he said.
“That won’t change anything between us,” she said. “I don’t trust you.”
“Because I’m an Elf?”
“Because you’re manipulating me,” she said, “to get what you want.”
“And what do you want, Magpie? You want me to be someone else? That’s the one thing I cannot give you. I am an Elf. My father is the King. My duties come before all else. I’m doing what I can to help you, but yes, if you fail, I will take Lavana. The Realms are on the brink of war. My people, my father, your Crown, your people, they are restless and afraid. Skirmishes have been increasing on the supposedly neutral border islands. If I don’t succeed, there will be more bloodshed, on both sides. And no, I don’t want that.”
Her chest tightened around the helpless feeling within her, keeping it down and away from her thoughts.
“I’m helping you as much as I can, but already my counselors are calling me home. They think I’m interfering too much. They say I must allow you and your cousin to resolve this matter on your own.”
“They’re watching you?”
“In a manner. They are connected to me. They know my thoughts. My feelings...”
Another trembling twist inside.
“But my father does not know I’m here,” he said. “My counselors also fear that I will give myself away and my father will send his troops across the gulf preemptively.”
“Why would he do that?”
“Because he does not want peace. His heart-places have been methodically attacked and wounded and some destroyed altogether.”
