All the monarchs were present, and Solis had chosen a pleasant room, well-lit by sunlight from the giant windows on either side of the door, which bounced off the many mirrors hammered into the white plaster walls.
A round table was placed in the center of the room—with a massive sun design cut into its wooden surface. I had imagined the monarchs would sit around the table and exchange insults.
Instead, they had erupted into a brawl.
Verdant jumped on Birch’s back, and was attempting to put a choke hold on the Summer King. “You killed mystag!” she screamed at the Summer King—whose veins were starting to pop on his forehead.
“Verdant, this is not the wisest course of action.” Solis tried to pry her off without injuring her, and he got elbowed in the nose for his trouble.
He slapped his hands over his nose and staggered backwards a few steps as Birch roared and tried to shake the determined queen off.
“Then you shouldn’t have been weak—urk!” He yelped in pain when Verdant grabbed a lock of his hair and ripped it out of his scalp.
Rime,of all people, gripped the front of Fell’s tunic, and the pair was growling at each other like territorial dogs.
“You dropped an undefeatable monster into another Court’s territory!” Rime snarled.
“It was just the Night Court—I didn’t know she had a hydra under her sway!” Fell tried to brush her off, but Rime just grabbed him by his gaudy pauldrons instead.
“You could have wiped a whole Court out!”
“What was I supposed to do?”
“Call the Curia Cloisters for help!” Rime said.
“And let them trashmyrealm? Besides—why are you upset? I just used the Night Court.”
“Because you obviously are willing to do it toanyof our Courts, which means you’re a liability!” Rime snapped.
Fell scoffed, and glanced at Solis, who had recovered enough from the elbow to the face to stand upright again. “Solis, back me up—it was within my right to act as I did.”
“No.” Solis shook his head. “I agree with Queen Rime. That you were willing to sacrifice anentire realmbecause you refused to call for help signals you are not of sound mind. What would you have done if Leila hadn’t defeated it?”
“Last I checked you werewellbelow me on the power structure.” Fell turned away from Rime and poked a finger in Solis’s direction. “Don’t forget to whom you speak.”
Solis caught Fell’s wrist. “Of course I know whom I’m talking to—you’re a puppy that’s constantly yapping.” He shoved Fell’s arm away with enough force to make the Autumn King stagger.
“What?” Fell snarled.
I stared at the scuffle in a mixture of awe and shock. I figured the other monarchs hid themselves behind their fancy costumes and pointless ceremonies like all the other fae, but I never suspected that when it was stripped away I’d get to see howemotionalthey really were.
Huh. This is educational.
I watched Birch fall to his knees then keel over backwards, crushing Verdant underneath him. “Well,” I said. “There goes my big entrance.”
“This is an unusual situation,” Indigo agreed.
“Congratulations,” Rigel told me. “You are so heretical, you are able to get the most powerful fae in the Midwest to brawl like drunks in a bar.”
“Hey, I wasn’t even here when they started this,” I said.
“Indeed,” Skye agreed. “But how are you going to use it?”
I hesitated, and looked back at the fighting monarchs. “Rigel, could you get their attention?”
I don’t know how he did it—I didn’t even see him pull his daggers from his bracers. He just casually flicked his hands and threw one dagger between Fell and Solis, and another that almost nicked Verdant on the arm.
Verdant let go of Birch and scrambled to her feet, and Solis, Fell, and Rime all turned in our direction.
