“I’m going to the king’s chambers and when he arrives, I’ll be ready for him.” Before Anna could argue, I slipped around her and into the secret passageway.
I refused to let anyone else I cared about die. He killed my daughters and stabbed my friend. If he thought he was stabbing me then I needed to act quickly.
Rage filled my thoughts, washing away any fear. I didn’t care what the consequences were. I was queen of the fae and my job was to protect them and my family. This wasn’t treason. This was duty. He wasn’t our king. He was a usurper I stupidly fell for.
I followed the corridor to the left, which curved toward the king’s quarters. I waited, looking through the peephole to see if he was in the room. When I heard nothing, I pressed down on the latch and the wall opened. I stepped into the quiet bedroom bathed in firelight from the fireplace. I thought of where I should stand. If I should stay by the door and attack him when he first walked in or something else.
I examined his bed, looking at the messy covers. Remembering that once we were lovers. But that time had long passed, and I did not miss it. I touched my lips, still tasting Tallis on them and wondering if we would ever have a chance to be together. If we both survived, then what? I was queen. I couldn’t marry him, and yet I could never be with anyone else.
The drawer to the nightstand was open and I peeked inside. There were some coins, cigars, and a black velvet case. I opened the case and saw six clear vials, one empty. I took one and undid the top and smelled it. There was a distinct scent of mushroom, valerian, and something else I couldn’t place. A floral aroma, but what was this? It wasn’t a tonic I knew of. He had suffered from insomnia, and it wasn’t uncommon for him to take a sleeping potion, but this was something else.
This was some type of psychedelic, something to cause illusions.
Why would Kyros have such a thing? Was this the medication the witches had been giving him? They were supposed to be slowing the dragon sickness, not making it worse.
The door opened and I spun around, holding the vial. Kyros glared at me, splattered blood on his white shirt as if he was the one who had been stabbed.
“What is this?” I held up the empty vial.
He stomped forward, taking the bottle out of my hand and the box and shoving both back in the drawer. “Where were you? Why would you glamor your pixie?”
“Why did you kill her? Were you trying to kill me?”
“She’s a pixie,” he said with utter disgust. “I’m surprised she’s lived this long. Replace her if you wish and no, I saw through your weak glamor. The illusion was fading.”
I stepped back in horror. “Replace her? Olivia has been my friend and my attendant since I was young. Have you no heart? What has happened to you? You once cared about all the things I did.”
“You know what I care about?” he said, holding his finger out and poking me in the chest. “I care about my son. Your grief has taken over any sense. I’ve been patient with you, but that leniency ends now.”
At the mention of Kane, I stilled, remembering my purpose here.
“It’s time to end this madness.”
“No. You’ve gone completely mad.”
“I’m mad?” His voice rose. “You call me mad after what you have done?”
“Me?”
He pushed forward. The back of my legs hit the bed.
“I’ve heard of how you speak about me. The whispers, the rumors. How many times have you wished me dead? And I’m beginning to think there was no assassin and you were the one to kill Bianca. Whether out of jealousy or pure insanity.”
“Is that what your whores are telling you?” I yelled, sliding away from him. “The witches that whisper cruel deeds in your ear.”
“You will bring my son back home.”
“Never.”
He screamed and I dashed around the bed. He snatched my cloak and dragged me closer until he could grab my hair. “You will do as I say or I will burn this entire palace to the ground and you along with it.”
Yanking my head back, I elbowed him in the stomach. With a roar, he slammed me into the bed, releasing my hair. I rolled across the mattress, calling my magic around me. A magical viper snapped at his face. He stumbled back, swatting the vision, and it gave me enough time to crawl out from under him.
Sliding my hand into the pocket of my cloak, I gripped the dagger hilt.
Kyros leaped onto the bed, grabbing my throat and pressing me back into the pillow. “You will not take him from me.”
Casting a shimmer around my body to distort the surrounding air, I slid out the dagger.
