“Oh Raena.” I rushed over, throwing myself down to where she’d fallen. “Please don’t cry, you’ve done nothing wrong. This was all me!” I cupped her cheek, wiping away some of the wet mud that had dirtied her face. “It’s me who should be asking for your forgiveness. I never should’ve brought you into all this madness. If either you or Theo get punished because of me, I’ll—”
“Enough with this pitiful behaviour. No one is being punished.” Lukas’s cold voice sliced between us. He was so silent, I’d almost forgotten he was there. “Now get up, both of you.”
Hesitantly, Raena rose from the ground, and I soon followed. The mud had stained her skirts in a filthy brown hue, but for once, the dirt didn’t seem to bother her.
“Theo, escort Lady Raena back to the palace,” Lukas ordered with a scowl, “and see to it that she gets a bath. We’ve been waiting here a while, and I’d rather not be responsible for someone catching their death.”
“Of course, Your Highness.” Theo didn’t spare a moment before whisking Raena away. She tried to protest at first, but one stern look from Lukas sent her scurrying off to the horses.
Soon enough, the sound of galloping hooves faded into the distance, leaving just the furious prince and me alone amongst the trees. Though ‘furious’ wouldn’t even begin to describe the hurricane of anger sweeping across his face.
“I cannot believe what you’ve done.” He spoke first, each word thick with disdain. “Do you even understand the consequences of your actions? You have deliberately defied the orders of your king. You—”
“Your father is not my king,” I spat, already tired of this conversation. “I am the Princess of Corlixir, I answer only to myself.”
“You are a guest of his palace. You owe him,” he seethed as thunder rumbled in the distance. “He built the damned village your people live in! And now you conspire with his enemies – the fae. Of all the beasts in this world, Naria… Why them?”
“You left me with no choice.”
“You cannot blame this on me!”
“Can’t I?” The clouds above us darkened as rain began pouring down in buckets, soaking me to the bone. “If you’d just agreed that you’d help me with my kingdom, then I never would’ve come here. My people need a home, a permanent one! They can’t live in the woods forever, relying on food deliveries sent by Drothmore. What about when your father dies, hmm? Will that food stop? Will they starve because you do not care for them? I won’t let that happen. Ever. So yes, I visited the fae. Only to try and strike up some kind of alliance between us. And when they offered to help, you cannot blame me for accepting it.”
“You are a fool to trust them.”
“Maybe.” I shrugged. “But I’ve heard the stories. I know that my parents were once allied with them. Am I really a fool for wanting to rebuild that connection?”
Lukas shook his head. “You really don’t know, do you?” The rain had lightened slightly, so I could just about make out hisperplexed features. “I can’t believe my father never told you.”
“What are you talking about?” I huffed.
The prince paused for a moment, then took a deep breath. “Naria, you know that the fae…” His jaw tensed. “They were the reason for the Great Blaze. My father never hid the truth from me. It wasn’t an accident. It was them. They started the fire.”
The rain had stopped, but it was as though my ears were still full of water.
“What?” I could barely hear myself over the pounding of my heart.
“You heard me,” he snapped back. “It was the fae. I don’t know why they did it, only they know that. But I do know that they are the reason your parents are dead. So please, listen to me when I say you cannot trust them to help you.”
“No… You’re wrong…” Desperate confusion poured over my soaked face. “That doesn’t make any sense. You’re lying to me!”
“I’m not! I’ll swear to you, I swear on the Forges that I’m telling the truth,” Lukas insisted. “The faeries are liars; they always have been. Why do you think they’re stuck out here, forced to live underground, away from everyone else? After the Great Blaze, the rulers effectively banished them from the human kingdoms. The only reason this was all kept quiet from the people was because otherwise there would be a war. But that fire…” He blinked, straightening his shoulders. “I don’t know what the faeries have told you, but it was no accident. The fae killed your parents, Naria. Your kingdom is dead because of them, and now you run straight into their prison expecting them to help you?” He shook his head, laughing cruelly while my stomach sank to the forest floor.
His words seemed so sincere, but he had to be wrong. This couldn’t be true. Why would the fae be so willing to help my cause if they are the reason my kingdom doesn’t exist? Why would Arenn propose? A pounding headache threatened tooverwhelm me as I tried to understand any of this at all.
“Listen to me, Naria. Come back to the palace, and I’ll take you to my father. I’m sure he’ll tell you himself. He can give you more information than he gave me.” He stepped closer, his hands squeezing my shoulders. “Just please, promise me that you won’t go back to the fae. They’re dangerous and you can’t trust them.” His voice wavered. “Please… please promise me that you won’t visit them again.”
Something lodged in my throat as his gaze searched mine. My thoughts were a swirling mess, but for some reason, when he looked at me like that, I had the strangest feeling that everything would be okay.
“I—” My breath caught. A sudden rustling stole my attention. “Wait… Did you hear that?”
Lukas tilted his head. “What?”
The rustling sounded again. This time it sounded like small footsteps, and they were closer. Much closer.
“That!” I hissed. Something – or someone – was definitely out there.
“I hear it too,” he whispered. Slowly, he lowered his hand to the sword sheathed at his belt. “Get behind me.”
