My only hope is there’s still a shred of it to keep me alive for the next few minutes.
“Mother.” I bow my head before her. “Welcome to the Summer Realm.”
She flicks her gaze toward me. On the outside, I’m perfectly still. On the inside, my pulse races. Can she tell how nervous I am? Does she know I was involved in the breaking of the crystals?
Did Father tell her or is this another one of our little secrets?
Her lip curls slightly. “I didn’t expect to see you here. You always seem to be missing when I need you.”
“Apologies,” I breathe.
“Perhaps you can be of use. Sit.” She waves a hand.
I nearly let loose a sigh of relief but keep my face a steady mask. I hate the feel of these shadows beneath my feet. It seems as if I should slip right through, but somehow my weight holds. Though, it’s an always present reminder that anytime she wants, the Queen of the Below could whip them out from under me.
“You’ve brought the Baron’s army to the gates of Hadria,” I say mildly. “Birdy’s plan wasn’t working fast enough for you?”
I looked for my sister after leaving the parade of heroes, but she was nowhere to be found. With Dayton and Rosalina’s mate bond forged, and her plan in shambles, I expect she’s in no hurry to report to our mother.
A twinge of worry and unease passes through me. A desperate Birdy is a dangerous one. There’s no telling what she’s capable of in this state.
Sira doesn’t respond for a long time, her gaze out on the horizon. There’s something different about her face. Her black eyes are shiny …
She’s about to cry, I realize. She’s fighting not to.
My mother, the Queen of the Below, who I have never seen have another expression beyond what I call “intense constipation.”
“She almost escaped, Cas,” Sira breathes. “Where were you last night? I needed you. Everything broke down.”
“I’m sorry, Mother. I was trying to find the Golden Rose.”
She buries her face in her hands. “I am cursed with a flippant son! He leaves me defenseless against invaders!”
I gently place a hand on her arm. She peeks out from between her fingers at me. “I’m sorry, Mother.”
Truly, I am. Even though every word from her mouth is a lie. I have never been flippant. She has never been defenseless, and I am no savior.
I see what mood she’s in. One that strives to guilt and cajole. It still works on Birdy, but I was broken of my sympathy for her after the hundredth beating I received at her order.
In fact, these tears—however real they may be—make me sick. I need to leave, even if I choke on filth from my lungs. I can’t sit here, batting my eyelashes anymore as she sits outside of a city filled with innocents.
But Birdy! What of Birdy girl?
“Those damned High Princes did something,” Mother says. She grabs my hand with both of hers and wrings it tightly as if for support. “One of them got in, I think. Broke your father’s crystals.”
“Did Aurelia escape?” My voice is barely more than a whisper.
“No, of course not.” Mother sits back on her throne. “She won’t leave. I know it, too, but still the thought …” Those tears are back, glistening like oil down her face.
“She’s still imprisoned?” Damn it, Kel! Everything Farron and I risked was for what? For nothing? She’s still there. Rage and grief war up in my chest, and it takes everything I have to keep the gentle smile on my face.
“I’m going to do something drastic, Caspian. I don’t want to. Draining her slowly is so much more effective in the long-term, but they’ve pushed me too far. I’ll have to take all her magic. At once.”
“She won’t survive. You could lose everything if she dies too soon,” I say, fighting my rising panic.
“I know. But there’s always the Golden Rose.” Mother waves a hand as if to displace the bothering thought. “Those pesky princes may have slowed us down, but we’ll remake the crystals. We’ll summon enough magic to turn the pool into a portal to bridge the gap between worlds. Your father will reunite with us, Caspian.” She runs a hand along my cheek, a shaky smile on her face. “We’ll be a family soon. Your father, me, you, and your sister.The four of us will see this world renewed from the ashes of the Green Flame.”
“What a day it will be,” I say.
