And in addition to all that, there was the truth about who he was.
“What about my reign?” Taveon asked, striding back over to the edge of the tower to gaze across his realm. The sky split with lightning once more, illuminating the verdant fields and endless forest just beyond them. He loved this place. He always had.
“I think it’s time you broke free of your bonds, old friend,” Rafe said quietly. “Tell them everything. And whatever happens is what was meant to be.”
He shook his head. “That is easy for you to say. I fought hard for this crown. I took it to keep someone far worse from sitting on that throne. They’ll replace me. And we will have no control over who that replacement might be.”
“We’ll cross that bridge when we come to it. You know I’m right. As the current king of this realm, you have to value the safety of your people ahead of your own ambitions. Your father wouldn’t have. But you aren’t that kind of ruler, and you never will be.”
Taveon’s entire body sighed as he leaned against the half-wall jutting out from the top of the tower. This was the last thing he wanted to do. He’d tried so hard to hide the truth about his heritage from everyone. Coming clean…what would the dark fae do to him? He couldn’t do any good if he spent the rest of his life behind bars.
“Before we do this,” he said, hating that he was even considering this, “we need to have someone else lined up who can take my place. Someone we trust. Someone who we know will do the right thing. But it also has to be someone that the dark fae would accept. There are not many fae who are both powerful enough and trustworthy enough to carry this burden.”
Rafe nodded, running a hand through his silken silver hair. “What about Eurig?”
“Eurig?” Taveon asked, alarmed. “He’s an outposter. They’ll never accept him.”
“He’s strong. He has royal blood. And we know that he would do the right thing for the realm. And for the Tithe.”
Taveon shook his head. “He’s hotheaded and stubborn. It would never work. Any other ideas?”
Rafe pressed his lips together, and that was when Taveon knew that his frienddidhave another idea. But it was one he thought Taveon would not like, so he was wary of mentioning it. With narrowed eyes, Taveon cocked his head. “Out with it, Rafe. I know you too well, remember? I know when you have something on your mind.”
“This is one better kept to myself, I think,” Rafe said quietly. A strange light flickered in the depths of his old friend’s eyes. Taveon’s stomach clenched. He’d seen that light in him before. Whatever this idea was, it had something to do with Bree.
Footsteps suddenly sounded behind them. For a moment, Taveon’s heart leapt up into his throat as his mind immediately went to Bree. She’d been gone for well over a day now.
But no, it wasn’t Bree at all.
Lord Dagen strode out onto the tower, his face grim. “Taveon. Fillan has just been to see the council, and he brought with him some disturbing news. We need to talk.”
7
BREE
She rode beside Eurig at the head of his army. In the end, it hadn’t taken him long to convince the outposters to follow him back to court where they would fight against an unseen army. They’d all seen the storm grow these past few days. Rain now poured from a grey sky, bulbous clouds obscuring the moon from view. A dread seemed to creep along the ground, whispering of darkness and hate.
Bree didn’t know what that meant. Had the demons arrived? Or were they still on their way? Regardless, she did know one thing for sure. The storm was a dark sign of things to come.
The horses slowed to a stop on a muddy field just beyond the castle. Lights twinkled from within. A welcome sight after the past few days spent trudging around in the rain-drenched nights. Even when camping, the outposters had been restrained and silent. It seemed everyone was on edge.
Eurig wiped the back of his arm across his forehead, but that did nothing to free his eyes from the downpour. Instead, all it did was leave behind a swipe of mud. “Do you want to ride ahead and tell Taveon we’re here?”
Her heart thumped at the thought of seeing the king again. Taveon was not going to be happy to see her, especially now that she’d brought another army onto his lands. Well, he would just have to deal with it.
“You’re his friend,” she said softly. “He’s more likely to listen if you come with me.”
“All right.” Eurig gave a nod and dismounted his horse before conversing with one of his fellow warriors. On the way to the castle, she’d seen him with his people. They respected him. They listened to what he had to say. Not once had he ever acted as though he were above them. He was deep in the thick of it, a warrior just like them. And that was exactly what the outposters needed in a ruler.
Eurig rejoined her at the head of the party, nodding. “Micah will keep the army at bay while we negotiate with Taveon. Come on. Let’s go ahead and get this over with. Before that storm gets any worse.”
* * *
The gates and walls were manned by warriors, but they stood aside and let Bree and Eurig pass. Bree frowned at them as she made her way inside the castle. That wasn’t a good sign at all. It looked as though they were preparing for a fight. Against Norah’s army. She had to hope Taveon was not that stubborn. Surely he had to see that the Otherworld fae had come here to be allies.
And yet…something didn’t feel right. A strange magic seemed to swirl through the dark castle corridors, prickling every hair on the back of her neck.
“Do you feel that?” she murmured to Eurig, their footsteps echoing through the silence.
