“My fatherloathedthe Skell King,” David continued. “Said he was too power-hungry, too reckless. After we banned all trade with Hallow Land, the King went eerily quiet. That should have been our first warning. There’s nothing more dangerous than silence.”
He turned to me, eyes serious. “Loveland’s downfall was the perfect distraction to cover up the news of their beloved Hallow Queen’s mysterious death. She was highly regarded by the common people of Hallow Land—they saw her as one of them. Rumors spread about a rebel group uprising. The Skell King couldn’t afford to add more fuel to their hatred of him. So I imagine he chose to create the perfect diversion instead.” David’s voice was steady, but his words cut.
“Beyond that, I think Loveland was also a test bed—the first experiment for whatever monstrous weapon he’d created. I don’t think he expected it to be so successful.” I swear I saw a faint red aura hum around David’s body, pulsing for a moment with wrath. “After the attack, we worked to rebuild—in secret. Many died that day, buthearts be blessed, not all. Survivors remain. But hidden, rebuilding, living in secrecy. A rare few live scattered across the realm, but most chose to stay.”
A chill pebbled up my legs.
Here I thought I was the one dropping the bomb of bombs tonight. But no,this—this right here, was the atomic one. This changed everything.
Holy shit.I shook my head, unable to form a response yet.
I didn’t think a new level of cunning cruelness could be unlocked for the Skell King. Yet here we were. The weight of murder, of genocide, ofwar. . . stabbed my chest.
My hand involuntarily rubbed at my sternum, urging my breath to steady.
“So,” I started. “Everyone else in the realm thinks you ran off?”
His gaze locked on mine, searching for my understanding.
“I’ll gladly take whatever poor reputation they give me,” he said, unwavering. “So long as the target stays off my people. They’ve suffered enough.”
A heavy sorrow grew within me—but a piece of it was laced with pride.
David, the Lord of Loveland, still protected his people. I’d always known his heart . . . how deep that well ran. But this—this was loyalty in its purest form. Not just from a Lord to his people, but from my mother’s best friend, who upheld his promise to her too. I couldn’t imagine the heaviness of carrying both.
For the first time in my life, I understood the full truth—I wasn’t abandoned. I waschosen.
“Faelad knows,” David said suddenly.
A zap of surprise jolted me.
Faelad?The hermit-like, never-seen, whiskey-sipping Lord of Luckland?
David continued, “Before your mother died, she told me to warn as many rulers as I could. As you know, she believed the Skell King wanted more than just power. He wants domination, realm wide.”
An invisible cold hand slithered down my spine.
“Most accused us of fear mongering. But not Faelad, he believed us.” A small smile tugged the corner of his mouth. “Though, in fairness, it didn’t hurt he was more than a little taken with your mother.” He softly chuckled. “My own fault. I tried to play matchmaker with them when we were younger . . . forbidden or not.” The shake of his head was slight. “But we’ve been working together ever since. For Faelad, playing the lazy Lord and letting Lochlainn run his circus, lets his spies work unnoticed.”
I blinked.
Well, I’ll be damned.With the way Lochlainn always looked down his nose at his uncle, I bought the whole useless-figurehead act.
Clever. Very clever.
Something in me eased, knowing the Lord of Luckland was on David’s side. Onourside. But another part of me recoiled. A slow and unwelcome needling sensation.
“What about Lochlainn?” I asked, voice tighter than I wanted it to be. “Does Faelad suspect him of—?” I didn’t want to say it, let alone think about Lochlainn betraying his own.
I froze. Half the words were already out, and I couldn’t take them back. But some part of me didn’t want to go down that rabbit hole.
“Lochlainn’s reckless, selfish, and a complete twat,” I muttered. “But, stupid? No.” I shook my head.
Lochlainn was always calculating. Like he was watching the board shift beneath our feet and already planning his next move. He wouldn’t be so foolish.
But if I was wrong, and he was working with the Skell King?—
No.I slammed the thought away, a vaulted door I wasn’t going to open.
