I knew that wasn’t a normal dream.
“Did you wonder why no one is coming to your rescue?” Tasia asked, her voice like a song. “All of your guards are asleep! Anyone who isn’t in this room is trapped in a dream.”
“Clever,” Damien complimented. “Your treachery went undetected and you’ve isolated us. Tricksters are finally figuring out strategy.”
Tasia scowled at him, displeased that he wasn’t flirting with her anymore.
“You’ve always had a smart mouth, Fontaine,” Haydn said. “Is that why you like him so much, Evelyn?”
“Damien doesn’t hold my friends and family hostage,” Evelyn sneered.
“Remind me to show you how much blood he spilled during the war. Did Fontaine tell you that he murdered my cousins? They were only children.”
“I was fightingforLochmatten,” Damien argued. “You know that!”
“And if you make it out of here alive, I’ll find a way to use your skills again.”
“The four dead soldiers,” Evelyn said. “Was that you, too?”
Haydn shrugged. “Of course.”
“What about the messages you left in blood?” Damien asked. “They were behind illusions, but you don’t have that magic.”
“I don’t, but there’s no shortage of Vision fae around here. Do they count as allies if I threaten their lives?” Haydn chuckled at the memory.
“Gods, help us,” King Tristan whispered.
Haydn turned to him. “You should be grateful,Your Majesty. You wouldn’t have a crown if I hadn’t killed the Kennedys.”
The blood drained from King Tristan’s face.
“They were a family!” Evelyn yelled. “King Nolan and Queen Sophia, the twin princes and… the girls were only children!”
“I would’ve done it sooner if I’d known you were waiting for me,” Haydn said sweetly.
“Why?” Evelyn asked. “What’s the point in all of this? What do you want?”
“I want the continent. I want the kingdoms under my rule. And I wantyouat my side, gorgeous.”
“What about Heinrich?” Damien interrupted. “Why is he here?”
“Heinrich has a particular talent forexplosivemagic,” Haydn explained. “He didn’t quite killeveryonein the bar that night, but his efforts were a success overall.”
“You caused the explosion in the city?” Leo asked, horrified.
To demonstrate, Heinrich clapped his hands once and all the glass windows along the back wall shattered. The patio was burning with fire that would soon spread to the garden.
Evelyn flinched at the cuts along her arms and legs from falling glass. Haydn waved a hand over her, removing shards of glass from her hair and skin. He even cleaned up the broken glass around her feet so she wouldn’t step on it.
Sweat rolled down King Tristan’s forehead. “Councilor Heinrich, our lands are allies. Stop this now!”
“I’m afraid I won’t be doing that,Your Majesty,” Heinrich said, the royal title dripping in acid.
“Is the entire High Council behind this?” Leo asked, his eyes flitting between Haydn and Heinrich.
“Of course not.” Heinrich scoffed. “Moeller and Wendell are too…”
“Boring,” Tasia finished for him. “They would sit with their books until the end of time while Lochmatten wasted away.”
