The floor slips out from under me. I drop a curse as I collapse onto the settee, and Sophie slowly lowers into the remaining chair.
What has my life turned into?Caeo can’t have known this—he’d never have been able to keep it from me. He’s a terrible liar.
Oh. That makes sense now.
“You’ll need to explain that,” Alexis says.
Emlyn paces the room, the only one still standing. “The Border Wars ended twenty-one years ago, yeah? That’s when Queen Esyllt was overthrown by her husband. She was exiled to your realm, and Aedys’s new king ordered an end to hostilities. That’s why you’ve known peace all these years.”
“So Caeo’s mom is the one responsible for my parents’ deaths?”
Emlyn winces. “Thaaat’s oversimplifying a complicated situation.”
“Then explain it.”
“Sure.” Emlyn drops forcefully onto the settee next to me, way closer than necessary. Not that I’m paying attention. “A long time ago, all the realms were fae, until those living in the western realm—Lyndir—betrayed the Land by trying to control Her. The Land abandoned them, and they lost their ability to wield Her gifts freely, including their long lifespans. Those were your ancestors, the Fallen.”
The three of us exchange confused glances. I’ve never heard anything that would even suggest that’s true; there must’ve been some kind of trick in how he worded that.
Alexis opens her mouth, but Emlyn cuts her off.
“Thus began the war between the remaining fae realms and yours. Many saw it as our duty to restore your realm to what it was, but the Land requires balance—our realms must always be the same size as one another. So the southern realm, Ystyr, couldn’t claim your land unless we took the same amount. Every time we took ground from you, we ceded some to the east.
“When our new king called off the invasion twenty-one years ago, that angered Ystyr’s king. He’s been violently encouraging us to reengage with you ever since.”
“And we’re supposed to thank you for that?” Alexis’s voice drips with sarcasm as she sits back in her chair.
Kind of sounds like we should…
“I’m telling you this so you can understand thatIam not your enemy. About a week ago, our king was assassinated. And our exiled queen—your friend Caeo’s mother—has now crossed the border back into our lands with her son in tow.That’swhy you can’t find Caeo. He has a half-brother, our prince, who survived the assassination plot. He’s the one who took Ellie.”
My brow furrows. “Why?”
“If the queen’s returned, she’ll name Caeo the new Crown Prince when the realm belongs to Taran. And from everything I’ve seen, Caeo would do anything for Ellie.”
While probably true—he’s never been as happy with any of his other girlfriends as he is with her—there’s one glaring problem.
“If he remembers her,” I grumble.
Emlyn waves his hand. “Details.”
Uh huh.Even without Ellie, I can’t imagine it’d take much to convince Caeo to turn away from his mom. It almost seems like this Taran took Ellie on impulse rather than thinking things through.
“Wait—who cursed Caeo and Ellie to forget each other?” Alexis asks.
Emlyn’s shoulder bumps mine as he leans back. “I can’t say definitively because I wasn’t there when it happened, but I assume it was the queen.”
“Caeo’s mom? Why would she curse her own son?”
He rolls his head in her direction, his voice exuding impatience. “She’s an exiled queen who wants to take back her kingdom and renew the war with the mortals. What reason could she possibly have to curse her son to forget he loves a mortal?”
Sophie stands, staring down Emlyn from across the tea table. “So what’s your role in all of this?”
His muscles tense where they press against me. “I’m a spy for Prince Taran. I’ve been watching the queen and informed him when she disappeared.”
“So, you’re complicit in this.”
“I’m complicit in doing what my prince commands to prevent my people from going to war against yours.”
