My stomach tightened as I braced myself. She’d danced around whatever reason it was she’d brought me here, and now I was finally going to find out. It felt like standing on the edge of a cliff and looking into the abyss below.
“I’ll be honest, Fallon. I barely slept last night. I kept thinking about the cursed Bane girl who keeps saving my life when she doesn’t have to.”
I squirmed in my seat. “Any decent person would have done what I did.”
She barked out a laugh, her loose blond curls shaking around her as she did. “Most wouldn’t have fought the Grim on my behalf, I assure you,” she said.
Silence stretched between us. Was she scared? Her fingers twitched slightly, and she swallowed hard before finally speaking.
“Some information has come to my attention recently that I feel would be better shared with you. That way, in the spirit of what Master Clarke is trying to do, we can work to head it offtogether.”
I nodded, my concern for what she was about to tell me growing, yet I felt optimistic she wanted to work on it together. “I’d like to work together.”
She blew air through her teeth and then sat next to me in the most casual manner I’d ever seen her. Leaning back against the couch, she peered over at me. “I have recently learned, through my council, that Marissa seeks to gain permanent bodies for herself and all of the Nightlings under her command.”
I nodded, realizing just now that in all the drama of saving her life and then spending all night healing the wounded, I’d forgotten to tell her I knew that. “Ariyon said something similar, but he didn’t really know what it meant. He said he wanted to talk to you about it. It isn’t possible, right?”
The queen frowned. “That’s what has recently come to light. It may be possible. With you.”
I froze. “What do you mean?”
“As an heir to the Bane throne, you carry a special fae magic that connects you to your people, just as I am connected to my people. Because my mother was from the House of Light and Ether and my father from the House of War and Bone, my magic is connected to both houses, and every fae in The Gilded City from those houses.”
I nodded. “So my magic is connected to every fae from the House of Ash and Shadow?”
“Yes, includingallNightlings. It’s bloodline magic not commonly known about.”
AllNightlings. Like Marissa. The fact that I was connected to the undead caused shivers to race up my spine.
“Okay…”
Solana squirmed in her seat and then looked over at me. “The Old Law states that each of the nine royal families would take turns ruling, one after the other.”
I frowned. “But haven’t the Maddens ruled forever?”
She cut me a glare, and I quieted.
“Well, yes, that’s what has come to my attention, Fallon.” She gave an exasperated sigh and continued. “Apparently, some several centuries ago, my ancestor Graysen Madden changed that law by royal decree. There was an uprising over it, which led to a war that he won. Then he conveniently edited all of this out of the history books.”
My eyes widened at her admission. That was messed up. “And I’m the one with the dark history?” I gave her a little smile to let her know I was joking, and she returned it—thank the Light.
“So, now, what do I do with that information, knowing someone in the Madden history changed our oldest laws and covered it up?”
That felt like a heavy burden, and I was glad I didn’t have to deal with it. “Maybe reinstate the original law? Finish out your reign, and when you pass, the next royal family in line gets the throne?”
She nodded, a crease forming between her eyes. “Therein lies the problem, Fallon. The next family in line to rule was yours.”
I froze beside her. “Oh.I see.”
The Banes? Idefinitelydidn’t want to be queen, not now, not in a hundred years. That kind of responsibility was my worst nightmare. Besides, I didn’t have children or cousins or anyone else in line to rule. I was pretty sure you needed an heir to do that.
“You could skip me. I could sign something or forego my family’s spot, and the throne could go to the next.”
Her eyebrows shot up to her hairline. “You would do that? Give up the chance to rule an entire kingdom? To be the leader of the most powerful cities in our realm?”
I nodded, and she waved me off with a dainty hand.
“You’re young. You might change your mind. Besides, it doesn’t work like that. It would be Marissa’s turn, not yours. She may be a Nightling, but technically she still lives even if it’s in her own special undead way. She walks this realm and therefore could be queen.”
