“Lord Lucien. Thank Milonna you’re here,” I breathed. He was my favorite professor, and one of the greatest sorcerers I’d ever met. He was also a lord on the Circle. Maybe he could do something to stop this.
“I apologize we’re in this situation,” Lucien said as he let me go. “Though rest assured I’m doing everything in my power to contain the madness of the king.”
“Can you save him?” I asked.
“There might be a way,” Lucien said. “Trust me, Emma, and be patient. I will not let you down.”
I relaxed a little. If Lucien promised me he could set Ethan free, I knew he’d do whatever he could to make that the case. Lucien wouldn’t lie to me.
Still. He was only one man. What could he do against the entire Circle, and the king?
“I don’t believe we’ve met.” A warm smile crossed Mom’s face as she extended a hand to Lucien. “I’m Evonna Sosna, Emma’s mother.”
Instead of touching her, Lord Lucien bowed. “An honor, Miss Sosna. It’s a pleasure to finally meet your acquaintance. Emma is one of my brightest students.”
“Oh, well.” Mom fluffed her hair. “She gets it from me.”
Lucien didn’t appear amused. “Have we met?” he asked with a wry smile.
“I don’t believe so, but we should’ve!” Mom burst, giving a little shake of her shoulders.
Ugh, was Mom flirting at a time likethis? She really needed to pull it together. He was my teacher, for the gods’ sake. I knew she’d been single since my dad died, and had to be lonely, butcome on. This wasn’t the moment, and on top of it all, it was gross.
Lucien cupped my face in his hand and brushed back my hair. “Keep the faith. You’ve acted on behalf of so many of us before. Now it’s time to let Malovia repay the favor.”
Lucien gave a nod to my brother, then swooped his cloak around him in an arc as he strolled away. Mom was fanning herself.
“Gods, Emma, when did the university start hiring such attractive instructors?” Mom asked. “I’d have certainly noticed if a man like that was walking around whenIwas in school.”
“Mom,” I growled. I gave some side-eye to Arthur. He bustled forward, so he could handle our mother while I was busy dealing with the shit show of the day.
Stefan looked around. “Should we get seats, or—”
“Miss Sosna. Queen Gabriella requests your presence before the trial begins.” An armed guard had come up behind us, his voice short.
“She’s not going anywhere,” Mom snapped, and Arthur took a step in front of me.
I waved them off. “I can handle it, guys,” I told my friends. “I’ll be back in a minute.”
I’d expected this. Though my friends were reluctant, I marched after the guard with a sense of purpose. I wasn’t worried as the guard led me to an isolated corridor of the tower. Gabby couldn’t kill me here— not with all these people around.
The guard opened a door into an office. It was decorated with grand portraits beside book shelves of rare Seelie tomes.
Behind the oak desk, Gabby strolled. She was wearing a long red gown, a crown perched atop her head. The guard bowed before he closed the door behind me, leaving Gabby and I alone.
Gabby’s red lips were twitching with amusement. “Well, we all knew Ethan would end up heresomeday.I’m glad you’ll have a front row seat to watch the spectacle.”
“You didn’t bring me here to gloat,” I snapped. “Just get on with it. I know you’ve already got an offer in the bag, or we wouldn’t be speaking.”
Gabby’s nose twitched. Then she leaned forward to place her hands on the desk. “I know you have three of the six Crystals of Harmony,” she said coolly. “The wolven stone, the dragon stone, and the alicorn stone are in your possession.”
Fuck. How had she found out about that so quickly?
Gabby noticed the shock flicker across my face, and she grinned. “The Alicorn Court sang like canaries before we executed them. They told us everything we needed to know. Lady Iris was the only one who kept her mouth shut. I’d tell you to thank her, if she wasn’t already dead.”
“You bitch. You tortured them.”
“And I got rid of them.” Gabby shrugged. “I can get rid of Ethan, too. Or I can spare him. It’s all up to you.”
