Reyna’s heart pounded hard, and she was forced to look away. She stared out the window at the windswept clouds, barely able to breathe. There had been so much passion in Lorcan’s words. He deeply cared for the prince. For some reason, it touched her far more than she wanted to admit.
And it surprised her. In the Ice Court, it was not unheard of for kings and princes to form brotherly bonds with their guards, but she had not expected it here in these cruel lands.
Despite her hardness toward Thane, she could not stop a sliver of guilt from creeping in. Could she knowingly take Lorcan’s help when his missive was to keep his prince alive? When she planned to kill Thane in the end?
She saw no other way around it. Thane had killed innocent ice fae on his way to Falias. He had murdered poor Zed. He had killed her kin during the war. Hundreds had died by his hands. At the moment, he was only bearable because an even worse tyrant sat on the throne. But when it came time for his reign, he would surely become the monster Reyna knew he was deep down.
Reyna steadied herself, standing tall. A few weeks spent inside of a foreign court, and she was already beginning to doubt herself. She needed to steel her nerves and remember exactly what she was fighting for. Her people. The low fae she had to protect. Their blood would be on her hands if she didn’t stop the prince.
“You may be right in that. The High Queen might set her sights on the prince next.” Not a lie. Thatmighthappen, though it was doubtful. Reyna could not imagine the High Queen killing her own son, regardless of how desperately she wanted to retain control of the throne. Imogen felt disdain for her son’s choice in a wife, but that did not mean she was willing to spill her own blood.
Lorcan arched a brow. “You must think this family mad if you believe a mother would kill her son. Why marry into it?”
He had asked her this question before. Reyna could not help but wonder if he noticed her the same way she noticed him. Did he suspect she hid the truth?
“For my people,” she said honestly. “As for what the High Queen is willing to do...I’ll admit, her killing Thane seems unlikely. That doesn’t mean it’s impossible.”
Lorcan frowned and turned his gaze toward the window once again. “If the High Queen had anything to do with this, we must find out before anyone else does. The repercussions could be...”
“Kingdom shattering?” Reyna suggested.
“The low fae would riot if word got out,” Lorcan said. “Supporters of the High Queen fighting followers of the prince.” His strong jaw rippled as he clenched his teeth. “Word would soon reach the Wood Court. They would no doubt feel emboldened to attack while the city was in chaos. This assassination plot could very well end in so much needless death.”
Reyna looked up at him curiously. “So, do you wish to find the culprit or not?”
Lorcan suddenly reached up and clutched his shoulder, wincing slightly.
“Wemustfind him. Or her,” he said quietly. “But we must also make an agreement here in this room, bound together by our words. We cannot speak of this with anyone else. Not until we know the truth.”
Reyna almost smiled, but she held it back. “Agreed.”
“Good.” He nodded. “Now, here is what I have planned.”
24
Eislyn
An hour had passed. Perhaps two or three. Eislyn could not be certain. She and Thane had downed two more tankards each, and the rowan berries had most certainly gone to her head. Bards had come and gone on the stage, each one picking up the pace from the previous one until the entire tavern had broken out into one big ridiculous party.
A revel, she supposed some might say, though it was nothing like the revels of her imagination.
There was nothing dark about this night. Every fae and human in the building was happy, laughing, dancing. Even she and Thane had joined the crowd up at the front, twirling in circles, holding tight to each other’s arms as they spun.
As one song ended and another began, Eislyn motioned for Thane to join her at the back. Breath heaving and sweat glistening on her skin, she dropped onto an orange Alder Tree chair and sighed. Eislyn had spent most of her life in a fog. There were years of her childhood that she could not even remember. Her sisters had spoken of it occasionally but never her father. There wasn’t much she knew about that time. Only that she had not spoken for years.
Even after the world had restarted around her and she had found her voice again, she had still struggled to feel normal. There was always a haze surrounding her. A heavy force pressing down on her head.
This night, she felt none of that. She supposed it had something to do with the magic of those berries.
“That was a lovely song. Quite an eye-opening one at that. To imagine that you, Prince Thane, warrior and future High King, once hid under your mother’s skirts as a small child.” She couldn’t help but laugh. Another effect of the rowan berries, no doubt.
“You seem to be enjoying yourself. Mostly at my expense.”
She might have worried that he had taken offense, but the sparkle in his golden eyes said otherwise.
“I am.” She fanned herself with the back of her hand. The air felt thick and hot, squeezing tight around lungs that were already struggling to breathe. “Although, as an ice fae, I am not accustomed to this kind of warmth.”
Thane stood. “Some fresh air then. We have revelled for hours.”
