“Attack,” he said. “She would send out her guards to kill these fae.”
“Exactly. And then what would the Wood Court do in response to that?”
“I see what you’re getting at. But this wouldn’t start a war. We’re already in one.”
“The battles have died down,” she whispered. “This would just stir things up all over again.”
“Reyna. They sentassassinsafter you.”
“Because they feel threatened by the alliance.” She sighed. “Truth be told, I would love to fight every last one of them. I’d love to wage war and take them down, to show them that they cannot threaten Reyna Darragh. But my vengeance is not what will keep our realms alive. My desire for justice will not save the lives of the low fae who must fight in the battles. We made one alliance. Perhaps we can make another. I came here to try and deal with them.”
Lorcan stared at her from across the cage. Her eyes flashed, and dirt stained her cheeks. The passion running through her veins was unlike any he’d seen before. After so much war and so much death, so many of the low fae wore despair like a familiar cloak. They had all but given up, even the safest among them. The ones who could sit inside the castle, protected by ancient walls that had never fallen.
And yet here Reyna was, rushing headfirst into danger, all for a hope that things could change.
Out of the corner of Lorcan’s eye, movement caught his attention. He turned to see two wood fae slowly stomping across the field toward them, the ends of their bows jutting up behind their heads, backlit by the Brigantu moon hanging low in the sky. Reyna sucked in a breath and straightened up a bit. This was her chance. The only one she had to make this right.
Lorcan did not have the heart to tell her that she was going to find herself sorely disappointed. Thane would never ally with the Wood Court.
“All right, you two,” one of the incoming warriors said while the other waited at a safe distance. He was a slight and spritely thing, all long limbs and tree-like features. Like many wood fae, his hair was long and green, just like the color of his leather armor. “We have our orders. You’ll be executed at first light.”
“What?” Reyna asked with a gasp, half-standing. “I came here to make a deal. Your High King doesn’t even want to hear me out?”
“No deal you can make will give us a better advantage than if you were dead.” The warrior shrugged. “Sorry. Not my call. We’ll give you tonight to pray to your god and say goodbye.”
The warrior turned to go. Lorcan cleared his throat. Slowly, the warrior paused and glanced over his shoulder.
“No deal for you either, I’m afraid. As an Air Court castle guard, you can’t really do much for us.”
“You’re making a big mistake,” Lorcan said in a low growl. “I know why your High King wants Reyna dead. It’s so that you can marry your own princess off to Prince Thane. And it might be a good plan, but only under different circumstances.”
The wood fae frowned, inching closer to the bars of the cage. “What do you mean?”
Lorcan hesitated. To pull this off, he would have to lie. Reyna would likely guess he was fibbing. It was a risk, playing his hand before her so blatantly. But it might be the only way to save her life.
“Prince Thane will never marry your princess if you murder Reyna. He’ll be far too distressed by her death to consider marrying for a very long time.” Lorcan could not help but shift his gaze to Reyna, who was watching him with a very odd expression on her face. One of disbelief. He turned back toward the wood fae. “Thane Selkirk has fallen in love with Reyna Darragh. He will be devastated by her death.”
The wood fae frowned. “And what would you suggest we do instead? The king refuses to make a deal with Princess Reyna. Her word means nothing to him. She has no power as of yet. She’s only the prince’s betrothed. He isn’t a king, and she isn’t his wife.”
“Send a note to Prince Thane telling him that you have his betrothed. He will come and make whatever deal you desire, in order to keep Reyna alive.”
The wood fae nodded slowly. “Interesting. I will take this up with my king.”
At that, he and his fellow warrior strode back to the camp. Reyna still stared at him with disbelieving eyes, but she did not comment on his lies. Perhaps she even believed him, though he doubted she would. She knew just as well as he did that Thane Selkirk was not in love with her, nor would he mourn her death for years.
Still, he had risked revealing himself for one reason and one reason only: to keep her alive.
And he had. For now.
36
Thane
“My liege.”
Thane glanced up from his desk. Candlelight flickered throughout the study, and he noticed that the sky outside had become thick with darkness. How long had he sat here reading? Hours. So long that the morning sun had quickly vanished into the night. He had yet to press forward with his challenge for the throne, but he had been so engrossed in his research that he hadn’t even thought to step away from his desk.
A boy messenger in simple brown garb stood in his open doorway, clutching a rolled-up parchment in trembling hands. Thane motioned him forward.
