“He has dealt with far worse when it comes to me,” she replied. “I never wanted to be a princess. A life has a Shieldmaiden has always been my calling. I’ve been...distracted these past few months. I forgot who I truly was inside and what I stand for. Being here, being with you, it has reminded me of what I am. My father may not like it, but he will understand. I am my mother’s daughter. I always have been.”
His eyes softened. “And you are certain you shouldn’t return home? It hasn’t been safe here for you and Eislyn. What of your sister?”
Reyna let out a heavy sigh. “My dear sister has fallen in love with the king. I doubt I could drag her away from this city, regardless of what I say. Besides, Sloane, the traitor amongst us, has been defeated, and we’ve stopped the Wood Court for now. Things could get better here in court, as soon as Thane returns.”
Lorcan winced. “And you truly believe that?”
“No,” she said with a laugh. “As much as I want to believe otherwise, I have quickly learned one thing about the Air Court. Life will never be easy here. But, perhaps together, we can make it better than it was.”
62
Imogen
Once she got out of this cell, Imogen was going to murder Aengus. She glared at the guard who strode through the dungeon tunnel, his flickering torch highlighting the dirt and grime that clung to the ancient stone walls. He carried a small loaf of bread in his other hand, a sight that caused Imogen’s growling stomach to echo around her.
He came to a stop before her. Imogen recognized this one. The one with the short hair and the mismatched eyes. He had been a member of Thane’s personal guard. Vreis was his name. Narrowing her eyes, she pushed up from the ground on her bare, dirt-flaked feet.
“I’ve brought you some food,” he said when he reached her cell door. But instead of opening it, he flipped the small hatch to the right and shoved the bread through. Greedily, she grabbed it and sunk her teeth into the soft, warm dough. It had been far too long since she’d had a proper meal.
Vreis nodded and turned to go, but she quickly pressed up to the rusted bars and spoke around her mouthful of food. “What news of my son?”
Most of the guards had refused to speak with her about Thane. She knew that Aengus would have no right to his rule once her son returned from going after that insufferable princess, but she did not know how many days had passed. The hours blurred together in these dungeons. She did not even have a window to tell whether it was day or night.
The guard paused but kept his focus forward instead of turning to face her once again. “Our High King has still not returned from his mission to rescue the princesses.”
Imogen sighed and slumped back against the bars, wincing as the iron burned her. She wanted nothing more than to see Thane’s twinkling golden eyes, to hear the rumble of his voice. The two had never fully seen eye-to-eye, and they had disagreed more often than not. But her heart ached for him. She would do anything if it meant his safe return, even if that meant sacrificing herself.
Vreis cleared his throat, causing Imogen’s head to jerk up. With an uncomfortable set in his jaw, he edged closer to her cell and dropped his voice low. “There is other news, however. The princesses have returned. They were with Lorcan. They believe the High King is alive, but they do not know where he is.”
Imogen’s heart sank. “They believe it, but they do not know?”
“I’m afraid not,” he said quietly. “There was a fight, and they all got separated. Lorcan and Princess Reyna have suggested that they will go in search of him, but the...ah...Grand Alderman has ordered that they stay.”
Imogen’s hands fisted. Aengus could toss her into the dungeons. He could get her husband to give up his throne. And he could sit on the damn throne himself for as long as he could.
But he wouldnotput her son’s life at risk. He was all she had left. The world,the shadow fae, had taken everyone else.
“I would like to see Princess Reyna,” Imogen said, scarcely believing the words coming out of her mouth. Of all people, she never would have expected to pin her hope on her. “Please. And do not tell anyone else of this request.”
63
Eislyn
Eislyn found herself standing outside the door that led into Thane’s chambers. His rooms were still in the North Tower, far enough away from the Grand Alderman that she wouldn’t be spotted lurking around. Thane had never been given the chance to move his belongings into the chambers of the High King, located deep within Mistral Tower.
Sighing, she pushed open the door and stepped inside. The antechamber spread out before her. Lush furniture sat around a fireplace that hadn’t been lit in days. Thick golden rugs stretched across the stone floor, and the window overlooking the sea shuddered from the force of the wind.
Eislyn closed the door behind her and sat hard on the nearest chair. They had returned to the castle three days past, and there was still no sign of Thane. Reyna had insisted that she and Lorcan would go and find him, but they had been stopped in their tracks. The Grand Alderman had forbidden it. If they went regardless of his orders, he had threatened to have them hanged for treason.
Eislyn wasn’t entirely certain that Aenguscouldeven do such a thing. However, she did know that he would try it.
With tears in her eyes, she pulled her knees up to her chest and stared at the empty fireplace. She had come to this court to find a cure for the Ruin. Instead, she had failed. She had gotten herself captured. And she had been the reason that Thane had become lost to the grasslands. The High King. The one person over all others that the air fae needed more than anything.
It was becoming clearer every day that Aengus did not care about the low fae. He had heard no complaints from the city. He had not listened to any pleas for help. Instead, he had holed up in his tower discussing military strategy with a very select group of nobles.
No one knew what he plotted up there. Reyna had theories, of course. Even though Aengus had not been involved in the wood fae plot, she worried that they had somehow gotten to him as well.
Regardless of what he was doing, one thing was certain: the war was nowhere close to an end.
