“Excuse me?” Gabby whirled toward me. “You’re not in a position to bargain.”
“Oh, yes I am.” I yanked my phone out of my pocket. I pressed play, and showed Gabby the video of her performing the Unseelie ceremony. I’d gotten the whole thing on tape— from her murdering the fawn, to her drinking the blood and the hole that had opened up in the earth afterward, sealing her guilt.
She didn’t react. Not at first. But her eyes narrowed, and I could tell she was being careful as she said, “I can get rid of that phone.”
“I have other copies. I was sure to get witnesses,” I hissed. “Remember, human technology can’t be manipulated by magic.”
Gods, it feltso goodto be on the other side of this now after she’d done this to me last semester. Gabby watched the video again. When she said nothing, I added, “Everyone thinks you’re some kind of powerful sorceress. That you’ve been blessed by the gods. But what are the people of Malovia going to say once they find out your powers come from dark magic instead of Seelie?”
“People won’t believe you,” Gabby sneered. “Videos can’t be edited by illusion magic after the fact, but illusionscanbe caught on tape. If you release that recording now, everyone will think you fabricated an illusion to get me off the throne. It would be easy to say you faked the whole thing to set me up.”
My stomach dropped. Gabby grinned, sensing she was gaining the upper hand. “It’s not like that with the video I have on Ethan. People might think it’s fake at first, but he has too much circumstantial evidence against him. All I have to do is plant some seeds of doubt in people’s minds, and all the little things about him that don’t make sense will start adding up. Just the question of if he’s the Phantom will be enough to expose him for good.”
“What makes you think I can’t do the same to you, huh?” I asked. “We all know you’re too powerful for a First Year, and not everyone’s so gullible to think you’re some saint blessed by the gods.”
Gabby’s eyes darted up to mine. It was like she was trying to calculate the risk of telling people she was using Unseelie magic, just to keep me under her thumb. “Do you really think people will believe you over me, after I saved everyone tonight? I’m a hero to them, and you’ve been shunned.”
“They won’t believe me at first,” I responded. “But fae are going to wonder why a nineteen-year-old sorceress is throwing around spells like a high priestess, and sooner or later, people will start having doubts. Even if everyone thinks you’re some kind of savior.”
“What do you want?” Her nose wrinkled.
I paused as I mulled over the question. I could force Gabby to abdicate— but I wasn’t sure if it would work. She’d throw me to the Circle, and those bastards would get me locked away on some baloney charge, even if I had the video. She was right when she said no one would believe me— I’d cheated in the Contest, and lost my honor because of it.
But this video was enough proof to create questions. Maybe even a rebellion from the people who really hated Unseelie magic. No matter what Gabby wanted me to believe, this evidence posed a threat to her rule.
Yet... there was something more at stake. My mate’s freedom. If I showed this video to the world, Gabby would let it be known that Ethan was the Phantom.
I wanted to get Gabby and Elijah off the throneso badly.But Ineededmy mate more. Even if it felt like I was aiding and abetting a murderer, and sacrificing my country in the process, we had to obtain the Crystals of Harmony at any cost.
And I didn’t think I could get them without my mate. Ethan couldn’t help us locate the rest of the stones if he was in jail or dead. We had so little time left to find the remaining crystals and repair the portal to Edinmyre, before all the fae turned to dust.
Without him, I didn’t think we’d ever find the crystals. Ethan had connections and could go places the rest of us couldn’t through his title. We needed him to spy on the Circle and remain in the royal society to obtain information. The wolven stone had been passed down through the monarchy. What if the other stones were in possession of the other high-born Factions? We’d never get our hands on them without Ethan’s help.
“Swear you won’t turn Ethan in, and agree that the White Rose no longer works for you. Otherwise, I’ll blast this thing all over Dolinska,” I snarled. “And you’ll be totally fucked.”
Gabby’s lip curled. It looked like it took all she had to spit out, “Fine. I won’t blow Nowak’s little secret, so long as you keep quiet about mine.”
She waved a hand casually, like she couldn’t give a damn. “And I release you from your contract as the White Rose. You were a shitty vigilante anyway. You never could do what I asked— stop the Phantom for good. Seems like he cares more about that mask than he does about you.”
My heart sank with her words. I always thought Gabby could no longer hurt me, but then she dug at the parts of me that were the softest... all of which included Ethan.
I turned my back on her. Not a smart thing to do, because I’m sure she was always looking for an opportunity to shove a knife in it, but fuck her. As I hobbled out of the room, Gabby cried out, “You’re looking a little stiff there, Sosna. You and your mate have an argument?”
Gods, I couldn’t stand her. That woman always found a way to break more pieces off of me. It was like I was a fragile little doll when it came to my mate. Easily shattered.
I didn’t want to be like that anymore. I desired to become iron— something so dangerous all fae would fear me.
I took a carriage back to the university. My eyes welled with tears and my heart grew heavy, because I knew what had to be done, even if it killed me to do it. As much as I hated to give an ultimatum, Ethan had to make a choice— the Phantom, or me.
I had a horrible knot in my gut that already knew what he was going to say.
Whatever he decided, I resolved I had to be okay with it. I’d been battling for us, for our relationship, for ages. Now all the dark secrets and nastiness was in the light. I knew who Ethan was now at his core, and I wasn’t sure if we could fix what had been broken.
I was the Worldweaver. My people were depending on me. As Milonna’s champion, I was the only one who could save the fae from a horrible fate.
Ethan would not get in the way of that. I wouldn’t let him. No relationship on earth was more important than the lives of thousands.
In this chess game of royals and betrayal, I had thought myself the queen. I was wrong. I was a pawn, easily sacrificed by those who moved pieces around the board. I should’ve seen that from the beginning. But I was wiser now, and wouldn’t make that mistake again.
