“To what end?” he asked, squinting some more.
“I asked to see you because I know where Princess Eislyn has gone. Straight back to the Ice Court,” she said.
“She hasn’t,” Aengus said with a frown. “She wasn’t seen leaving the Bay of Wind, and I’ve had my ships watching the coast further north. There’s been no sight of her. She’s gone somewhere else.”
“She’s gonefarnorth. It’s what I would have done,” she said with a shrug. “It makes the journey much longer, but it stops you from finding her.”
Aengus’s frown deepened. “So, she’s gone to the Ice Court. That’s what you came all the way here to tell me? That’s why you’ve dyed your hair silver? Are you mad?”
Oh, Mariel was mad, just not in the way Aengus imagined.
“Eislyn will likely sail to Margaidh. From there, she will be able to send word to her father about what has happened here. The High King likely does not know the fate of his daughters yet. Once he does, he will march on these lands. And you have no army here to stop him.”
Aengus drummed his fingers on the arm of the chair. “That has occurred to me, yes. In part, that is why we’ve been so intent on finding her. She cannot be allowed to get word to her father.”
“She is far out of your reach by now,” Mariel said. “Regardless of what we do, shewillget word to her father, but you have some time yet. Time to prepare, time to call the lords of the Air Court to your side. And their armies.”
“I’ve already tried,” he said with a wave of his hand. “Half of them were already here, and half of those got slaughtered at the coronation feast. The other half, they see me as their enemy. They’ve refused to come.”
“And that is where I come in.”
Aengus arched his bushy red brows.
“Hardly any of those lords will have met Princess Eislyn. The silver hair will be enough for them. The ones who are already here at the castle, the ones you’ve ensnared in your web…when they realize the plot, they won’t dare say a word of it.”
He barked out a laugh. “This is ludicrous. You want to pretend to be Princess Eislyn? What good will that do any of us? She’s an ice fae, not a beloved folk of the air.”
“She might be an ice fae, but she is far better than whatever you are,” she said bluntly. “I say with the utmost respect, of course, but surely you see that for yourself. None of the lords know you or care about you. You’re a foreign stranger with no titles, no family, and you’ve stolen the throne.” She took a deep breath and played her hand. “Eislyn is a princess and the daughter of a well-respected fae who has just become their ally. Thane, the High King, who theydolove, was going to marry Eislyn before he vanished, and now she will be ‘speaking for him’ in support of you. She can gain their trust in a way that nothing else can, at least right now.”
Aengus continued to drum his fingers on his makeshift throne’s arm. “It is a very convoluted plot.”
“And it’s the only plot you have.” She smiled. “Sloane Selkirk sent most of your army into the wood fae lands. You don’t have much protection against an invading army. You need my help.”
He drummed his fingers ever onward, and then stopped, leaning forward. “I just have one important question.”
“Yes?” Mariel asked, trying her level best not to sound as eager as she felt.
“You are not Princess Eislyn. You cannot say you are because that would be a lie. How will your scheme ever work?”
Mariel smiled. “We mince our words. We’re fae. It’s an easy enough thing to do, especially when we’ve both had years of practice. You, of all people, should know that.”
Aengus pursed his lips. “Perhaps. I also know that fae do not offer favors. You’ll want something in return. What do you hope to gain from this?”
Should Mariel tell him the full truth of it? She had toyed with the idea the entire walk from Drunkard’s Pit. If he knew who she was, he would take her much more seriously. He would understand at once why she had come here to hatch this strange plot. But he would also see her as a threat.
Because Mariel wasverymuch a threat.
“I want power,” she said instead of revealing her true name. “A seat on your council. A seat by your side.”
“I should have known.” Aengus nodded slowly. “All right then. You’ll have your seat. Let’s summon the lords.”
16
Eislyn
The crew was wild. Eislyn had never seen anything quite like it before. They were up on the tables, stomping their feet, shouting out the words to a song she’d never heard, drinks sloshing from their mugs as they danced. Half of them were fully naked. Now,this, this was a revel.
Neck flushed, Eislyn backed toward the door. They looked like they were having fun, of course. The kind of fun that Eislyn had never experienced for herself. She just did not feel prepared to face it now. Not when her thoughts were so thick with shadows. The visions had gotten worse as the days went on. Memories of death and screams were always so close by.
