She had not assumed much of Imogen, but she had certainly expected far more than this. Fae were dying. Fae who would become the Air Court’s responsibility. And yet, she’d insisted on doing nothing to help.
The fire inside Reyna roared to life. As long as the Selkirks controlled the Air Court, the ice fae would never receive help with the Ruin. Hundreds more could die. Dozens more villages could fall. If she did not have reason enough to take the throne before, she certainly did now.
* * *
When they reached the double doors, the prince led her into the corridor and then turned back toward the hall. “Apologies, but there are still many things I must attend to with my mother today.”
Reyna ground her teeth but nodded. She couldn’t very well insist he shirk his courtly duties just because she had been offended by his mother. Besides, she’d had enough of the Selkirk family for one day, except for Thane’s uncle. He was the only one of them who seemed decent enough to care about her kingdom. She said her goodbyes to her betrothed and took off down the corridor, looking forward to an afternoon spent alone for the first time since she’d arrived in Tairngire. Time alone meant time to think about her next steps.
“I will escort you back to your chambers.” Lorcan appeared out of nowhere and fell into step by her side, one hand lightly thumbing the hilt of the sword belted around his waist.
She huffed. It truly was impossible to find privacy inside this castle.
“That is hardly necessary. I know the way.”
“After your little spat with the High Queen, I thought it best to ensure you return to your chambers safely.”
“It was not aspat.” She shot him a harsh look. “Has anyone ever told you that it is entirely unnerving the way you creep around in the background? Why are you always around?”
His lips curled into a wicked smile. “Oh, yes. Why do you think Thane is so fond of having me as his personal guard?”
“Guards should fight, should they not?” She slowed to a stop to give him an appraising glance. “You act more like a spy than a warrior.”
He stiffened, but then continued on beside her. “Perhaps guards should be skilled in more than just combat.”
Reyna sighed. It was difficult to argue against that. She cut her eyes sideways. “And perhaps princesses should be skilled in more than just intrigue.”
“I did not realize that needlework and manners were considered intrigue.” Lorcan paused to open the door that led to the towers beyond the Great Hall. Reyna strode through, even if she did want to tell him her mind. She could open her own door, thank you very much.
“Being a princess is wrapped up in shiny things. Pretty gowns. Fancy feasts. Glittering golden castles such as this one.”
“And yet…” Lorcan prodded.
“It is all about intrigue beneath the surface. Who can get on top. Who can smile at the right fae and then frown at the other. It’s all about power. It is what everyone wants, whether they deserve it or not. We both witnessed it just now. The High Queen played her hand. She does not want a rogue princess from the Ice Court to have any power at all, so she turned me down. If a different fae had asked for her assistance with the Ruin, I am certain her answer would have been very different.”
Lorcan did not reply. Reyna had likely said too much, but she did not care. There was nothing in it that she wanted to keep to herself. Several moments passed along in silence. They made their way through the maze of the castle, until they found the dark and winding stairwell that led to her chambers.
“The prince is a good male. He will serve the realm well, including yours,” he finally said as they reached the door to her chambers.
She frowned up at the warrior. He was so odd. She was still certain that there was something not quite right about him. He did not look like the nobility of the air fae, but that did not mean anything. Most of the low fae didn’t either. Still, she could not help but think it was something else, something beyond his dark, curling hair and those raven eyes. It was the certainty that he was hiding something.
And, maybe, just maybe, she could use that to her advantage.
Reyna turned her attention back to the topic at hand—the prince. “Maybe Thane would help with the Ruin, but he does not have the crown. His mother does. It will be years upon years before his reign begins.”
Lorcan looked surprised. “You sound disappointed. And here I thought that you, of all fae, did not want to find herself perched on a throne wearing something on her head much heavier than that little circlet of yours.”
Absentmindedly, Reyna reached up and fingered the ice sigil on her silver circlet. She had not been forced to wear a different one yet, at least. One with the sigil of the Air Court—a gleaming golden crown. It took a certain level of self-importance to fashion an entire realm’s sigil after their own crown. When Reyna became High Queen, that would be one of the first things she would change.
“For a guard, you are curiously interested in my motives.” She smiled, a move that she hoped put the warrior on edge.
But he smiled right back. “I see you did not deny it. Do not assume that because I am a warrior, I’m unaware of the courtly way of mincing words.”
She sidled up to him, tipping back her head to smile even more brightly than she had before. “I did not assume anything of the sort. In fact, Lorcan of the grasslands, I think there is far more to you than meets the eye. You’re hiding something, and I intend to find out exactly what it is.”
A strange look flashed across his face so quickly that she might have missed it if she hadn’t been watching for it. It might have been surprise or annoyance, but it might have been something far more interesting: panic. With one last glance in his direction, she pushed into her chambers, her own mind whirring. If Lorcan truly were hiding something, then she might be able to use it against him, to further her scheme. She would do anything to save her kingdom.
And she would certainly not hesitate to resort to blackmail.
