“Norah.” Kael’s deep melodic voice washed over me. “What in the name of the forest are you doing here? Did you stay up all night to read about...” He picked up the open book and scanned the page. “The History of the WinterCourt?”
Squinting against the sun streaming in through the nearby window, I nodded. “I couldn’t sleep, so I thought I might as well make myself useful. I guess I fell asleep at some point. As interested as I am in learning the history of our realm, some of these books are reallydry.”
“What’s going on, Norah? Does this have something to do with your research into the Redcaps and theTithe?”
“No, I’m trying to learn how to rule,” I said. “The first step toward that?Knowledge.”
Kael pursed his lips as he studied me. “What’s brought this on? Back at the Academy, you were much more interested in learning how to fight. If I recall correctly,youwere the one who wanted to focus on your powers instead ofbooks.”
I let out a heavy sigh. “Exactly. And I was wrong to do that. The people of this realm will never want me to be Queen if I have no experience. I didn’t grow up here. I don’t know what the world is like. Did you know that our trek up here was the first time I even realized you have minstrels? I don’t know how our people live. I’ve shut myself off to it, too concerned with learning how to use my powers and practicing how to shoot a target with my bow. That needs to change, Rourke. Especially when I’m going torule.”
He gave a nod and smiled. “You are far more ready than you think you are, Norah. Most rulers wouldn’t concern themselves with the people’s lives. They would sit on their thrones and rule from afar, much like Queen Violadid.”
“Well, I don’t want to be like Queen Viola when I take thecrown.”
“No. And you won’t be.” He smiled and took my hand in his. “Don’t think I haven’t noticed that you’re now sayingwhenand notifwhen it comes to your rule. Have you decided you want to take thecrown?”
I glanced down at the table. “Maybe. But only if I can do itright.”
He squeezed my hand, and a bolt of electricity shot through my veins. “Then, we’ll make sure you do it right. After today’s meeting with the representatives, I’ll take you down to the market. You can see the daily life of the Winter fae. How does thatsound?”
“It soundsperfect.”
Chapter Sixteen
After I gotmyself cleaned up, representatives from the Spring, Summer, and Autumn Courts arrived. We gathered in the throne room along with several of the Hunters from the Winter Court. When I first entered, I took a long moment to stare at the throne that sat high above the rest of the floor. Only a few weeks ago, Viola had chained my mates to that throne, threatening to take them away from meforever.
Shivering, I turned my back on that throne and settled down at the head of a long oak table that the Hunters had brought into the room especially for thismeeting.
“Thank you all for coming,” I said, nodding at each representative in turn. The Spring Court had sent one of their Hunters, a tall willowy female with bright white hair. The Summer Court had sent a distant cousin of the former King. He was young, maybe only fifteen, and the scowl on his face was never-ending. And then there was the Autumn fae who had joined our little pow wow. Now, he was someone I very much recognized. He was the male rebel who had approached me that day in the forest, the one who had pointed out the necklace I’d worn. Somehow, he’dknown.
Everyone at the table regarded him with suspicion, though I didn’t know if that was because he was a Rebel or because he was an Autumn. There were still so many fae in that court who had been loyal to Viola. But surely not thismale.
“I’m surprised the court would send a Rebel as their representative,” I finally said to the Rebel male before me, whose name I had been informed wasUngus.
“Well, you would certainly be correct in that assumption.” The smile he gave me glittered underneath glow of the sconces that lined each wall of the throne room. “But that court no longer exists as it once did. Or have you not heard? The Rebels have taken over the castle. We run thingsnow.”
With a flicker of alarm, I glanced at Rourke. His expression was a mask of indifference, though there was a sharp glint in his eyes at the Rebel’s words. No one had told me the Rebels had taken over the court. Not that anyone could have stopped them. Some of Queen Viola’s men would have fought against the takeover, but plenty more would have fled or joined theircause.
“The news hasn’t spread,” I finally said, turning back to Ungus. “We weren’t aware of thesituation.”
The Redcap’s words echoed in my ears. And so did Desmond’s. Ivory tower. Ivory walls. I’d been too tucked away from the reality of it all. Things were changing in the realm already, and I couldn’t keep up unless I was in the middle of itall.
Ungus flashed me a sharp smile. “You sound as if you don’t approve. Would you rather one of Viola’s former Hunters take over? Or perhaps one of her forgotten kin? Then, things can go back to just how they were. Four courts divided, each driven by their own selfish needs, each yearning to take ahold of Marin’scrown.”
“Of course not,” I snapped. “To be honest, I’m surprised you’d actually make a move for the castle. As far as I can see, you’ve done nothing to help the realm until now. You didn’t fight against Viola. You didn’t help protect the Academy. You just roamed around your forest doingnothing.”
The room fell silent, and a strange tension filled the air. Rourke coughed into his hand, trying to hide his smile. He’d known these Rebels. Hell, he’d been one of them. And he’d left their group because they wouldn’t stand up and fight for what was right. Now, they were trying to claim the court like they’d earned it, but they didn’t deserve a damnthing.
Still, now wasn’t the time for any infighting. We would never survive against what the Dark Fae had planned if we weren’tunited.
“Would you rather I leave?” Ungus asked in a low and dangerousvoice.
A part of me wondered if we’d be better off without him, but I knew we needed all the fighters we couldget.
“No.” A quick shake of my head. “None of that matters now. What matters is that the Dark Fae have returned to Otherworld after centuries away. We don’t know what they have planned, and we don’t know when they’ll make their move. But they want something, and we need to be prepared for whatever itis.”
“The Dark Fae?” The young Summer barked out a laugh and shook his head. “Is this some kind of joke? I can’t believe I came all the way here for this. I thought we were coming together for some kind of meeting about you finally taking the crown. But instead, you’re talking about the DarkFae?”
