“Queen Leila,” Lord Rigel said in a tone of voice I was pretty sure most people didn’t survive hearing.
I blew out a breath of air. “You’re overthinking things, and trying to connect my actions in patterns that a fae would move in.”
“You are not a naïve human.”
“No.”
“Then that makes you a threat, because the way you plan to play the game—”
Something in me broke. I don’t know if it was the irritation of all the fae pressing me to try to see the world in the broken, horrible way they saw it, or if it was the sheer frustration that the Night Court was so backwards no one could even fathom escaping these politics.
“I don’t want toplaythe game,” I shouted. “I want todestroyit!”
Lord Rigel fell silent, but he’d pushed me into talking.
“I amsickandtiredof all these time-consuming, energy-wasting politics the fae play, when the Night Realm is crumbling around us, the Court is in debt up to its ears, and the fae want to use stupid, sneery little insults to try to score a point over one another? Who has time to care about that?”
“While your motive is…noble, you can’t break out of this game. It’s been going on for centuries, and no one has successfully been able to stay out of it,” Lord Rigel said.
“I never said I wanted to break out—I said I wanted toendit,” I growled.
“It’s the same thing.”
“Youare a fae, and you’ve escaped the game!”
“It might appear so, but how do you think I got everyone to avoid me?”
I paused.
Is he—no. No, he can’t be saying he became an assassin to keep everyone away?I just figured it was an example of his terrible morals.
I set my jaw. “I don’t care. I’m going to end this game. I don’t know if it’s because I’m half human, or because I’m only half fae, but I can see that these stupid ploys are going to be the end of the Night Court if someone doesn’t change something. And if there’s one thing I’m good at, it’s bringing change to this stale Court.”
Lord Rigel shifted, briefly ringing the alarm bells in my mind. “I don’t think you can do it.”
I leaned against the railing of the bridge. “And I don’t think you’ve truly seen fae cunning crossed with human ingenuity yet—especially if you think humans are idiots.”
Lord Rigel briefly touched his arm bracers in a way that made me think there was a hidden blade in them. “I suspect it will be apparent very quickly whether or not you can win. After all, events like today will never stop if you can’t bring the Court to heel.”
AKA, he thinks I’ll get myself killed if I don’t start playing the game. Whatever.
Aloud, I said, “It’s fine.”
“You tend to say that a lot—typically when itisn’tfine.”
“I’m still alive, aren’t I? It’s fine,” I insisted.
Lord Rigel turned, and the magic bubble popped. “It is to be hoped, for your sake, that you are right.”
He left as silently as he had arrived.
I shivered a bit, watching when Lord Rigel reached Lord Dion and exchanged a few words with his friend.
The red haired fae lord smiled at him, but brightened even more when Lord Rigel looked back at me. He slapped the Wraith on the back, then started in my direction—probably continuing his plan to win me over for marriage.
And that’s the best option I have—a fae who will marry me for the good of his Court. What’s the likelihood he’s not going to be thrilled with my ‘destroy the game’ goal?
I looked from the incoming Lord Dion to the rest of the Court.
