His mark ached, of course. It burned so terribly that tears had formed in the corners of his eyes. A little voice whispered inside of his mind, but he ignored it. No longer would he follow those orders. Never again would he send information to the shadow lands. For so long, he had been torn in two. Half of his soul had been stuck in a land where he had been unwelcome, unwanted, and cast aside. And half of it had been here. With his true brethren.
Lorcan would protect Thane’s life, even if the mark killed him.
“I should not be in here hiding like a small child,” Thane said, still pacing. “I should be with my people. Fighting.”
“The fight has surely ended, Your Majesty. We should await word to know who has won this day.”
Thane scowled. “Please. I don’t want to hear you of all people use my title when my coronation was interrupted by savages.”
“All right then,” Lorcan said. “You need to calm down, Thane. Removing you from the situation meant protecting the crown. If the wood fae succeeded in killing you, then...well, we both know what would have happened.”
“The Wood Court is trying to overthrow me,” he muttered. “They’re trying to seize control of this court, but not through traditional battle.”
“It certainly seems that way.”
“And where is my mother?” Thane demanded. “Why is she not here with me?”
“She fled before I could remove you from the hall. I wager she has taken shelter in her own chambers.”
“And what of Eislyn?”
Lorcan pressed his lips together. “Reyna will have seen to her sister’s safety.”
But Lorcan could not help but worry about the princess, even as strong as he knew she was. When the fight had broken out, she had not done what every other courtier had attempted to do: run. Instead, she had whipped a dagger out from the folds of her gown and had ripped the skirt right off, revealing hidden trousers beneath. For a small moment, he had been distracted by the sheer beauty of it. And then he’d been forced to focus on the fight.
Lorcan knew that Reyna was very capable of taking care of herself. That did not stop him from being concerned. He had looked for her as he’d rushed Thane through the door, and she’d still been in the thick of the fight.
“Did I hallucinate or did Princess Reyna truly jump to her feet to fight for me?”
Lorcan nodded. “She did.”
“She will need to be rewarded for her bravery,” Thane said quietly. “Perhaps I was wrong to spurn her as harshly as I did.”
“You’re not thinking of changing your mind about the betrothal again, are you?” Lorcan frowned.
Thane waved his hand in dismissal. “Certainly not. This only proves that I was right about her. She is a Shieldmaiden. But nevermind all that. Why do you think we haven’t had word? It has been—”
A heavy knock sounded on the door. Lorcan pressed a finger to his lip, insisting on Thane’s silence. Edging sideways, he pressed an ear up against the wood, listening. Only the ragged breath of a single fae answered.
“Who is it?” he asked quietly.
“It’s Vreis. Let me in, Lorcan.”
“Are you alone?” Lorcan asked.
A pause. “That is a yes or no—”
“Answer it!” Lorcan growled.
“Yes,” he said with a sigh. “I’m alone.”
“Good.” Lorcan ripped open the door to find Vreis on the other side. Frowning, Lorcan grabbed ahold of his tunic and pulled him into the chambers. Before hearing his news, Lorcan stepped out into the corridor and stared hard and long down one end before turning toward the other. All was silent, empty, and dark.
Satisfied, he stepped back inside Thane’s chambers and slammed the door.
Vreis lowered himself to one knee and bowed his head. “Your Majesty. I come bearing news of the battle.”
“Why are all of my friends treating me differently now? Stop that. Stand, why don’t you, Vreis?” Thane scowled. “And I would hardly call that a battle. It was a slaughter. One that will change the future of this court irreparably, I’m afraid.”
