“You are right,” I say carefully.
She laughs. “Again, you make that statement under duress.
I smile, but it quickly fades. “You are good at reading people. You are right about needing a united front. It is going to take everything and everyone working collectively to destroy her.”
She gets this faraway look. “Yes, we will. That would include all seven kings. Do you have any idea where she is hiding Salvorne?”
“Me? Why would I know that?”
“You were hidden, too. I thought perhaps that you might have encountered others in the same situation. How is it that you were freed?”
“I haven’t seen any of the others.” I shake my head. “I was hidden in plain sight. Kept as a servant in my own court, my mind fogged by magic. I had no knowledge of who I was until recently,” I tell her. “I was a blind clerk until a singing performer set me free with her magic.”
“A blind clerk. You were blind?” She sounds shocked.
“Yes.” I nod. “I have a theory. In order to see shadows, you need to be able to see the light. Shadowfae need shadows to pull up our magic. Isla used her powers to help me see again. That brought forth the magic in my veins.” I pause a moment. “Have you been in contact with any of the previously Lost Kings?” I ask, even though I can guess the answer.
“No.” Kilara’s jaw tightens. “We have always kept to ourselves. The shifterfae prefer isolation. It is our nature. But that needs to change.”
“This is a long shot, but do you know where any of the Lost Kings might be?”
“I do not.” She studies me. “I have heard rumors, but nothing concrete.”
“What kind of rumors?” I’m desperate to find them. I have nothing to go on.
“If you use your magic, they will be able to find you, just as Snow is able to find you.”
“That’s risky,” I say, more to myself.
“It is. I’m not sure it’s worth the risk, given that it’s just a rumor…not much more than a story.” She pauses. “Talking of stories, I heard of your bravery on the battlefield. How you tried to take on Snow alone.” Her expression shifts into something close to respect. “I also heard that it backfired.”
“I had to try,” I tell her, my voice rough. “I knew it was a long shot.”
“We felt the same way.” Kilara nods slowly. “When we rode to face her, we knew we would lose lives. Snow does not leave the Ice Court very often, so her appearance was an opportunity we could not ignore.” She reaches out and adjusts one of the furs beside her, her movements deliberate. “We did not see our defeat as a failure. We saw it as an opportunity to learn more about the queen.”
I consider her words. “We did learn a great deal.”
“Yes.” Kilara’s eyes sharpen. “One of the most important things we learned is that a half-breed like your companion could be the answer to ending Snow.”
I go very still.
“Snow can take any fae magic used against her,” Kilara continues. “Even that of a king. She almost drained you to thepoint of death. But she did not fare as well against a half-breed with magical abilities. Your Isla wounded her. Knocked her back. It was a revelation.”
Your Isla.
I don’t correct her, even though I should.
“That is why she fears half-bloods,” I say.
“Our thoughts exactly. It is why mixed unions are forbidden. We need to find more of them. We are hoping Isla chooses to stay on with us,” Kilara says, and my blood turns to ice. “We will sniff them out.” She wiggles her nose. “Isla can help train them. There will be others scattered across the realm. Half-bloods with power they’re too afraid to use. If we can gather them together—”
“No.”
The word leaves me before I can stop it.
Kilara’s eyebrows lift. “No?”
“She’s not staying here.” I hear the edge in my voice and don’t care. “She can’t.”
