“Is Ethan around?” I asked. I was hoping he was in the hall, waiting for me.
“The guys are already there,” Delmare said. “We should go to them.”
It was only the thought of seeing my mate that pushed me on. I got dressed in the bathroom— I threw up twice. Delmare put a water bottle into my hands the moment I came out, and made me drink it. I took short sips, hands shaking as we made our way to the royal palace.
Dolinska was still in shambles, but at least the bodies had been removed, including those of the monsters. A light coating of snow covered the rubble, and disguised the blood that still stained the cobblestone.
When we came to the square that was before the royal palace, I froze. There were so many people here. Too many. My sight searched the crowd for my beloved’s face, but I didn’t see him anywhere.
I didn’t want to be here, packed in again amongst thousands. It felt far too much like last night. I was terrified something awful might happen again. My body shook, wanting to cut and run, but Odette threaded her fingers through mine and held tight. I stayed put.
There was the sound of trumpets— those terrible trumpets— and Gabby appeared on the balcony of the royal palace, flanked by the Circle. They were clearly still supporting her. She wore a ballgown of red, the royal crown atop her head as she approached a microphone stand. She hardly seemed bothered by last night’s scandal.
The crowd began to boo, but it wasn’t everyone— not even half. Gabby raised a gloved hand, and the crowd fell silent.
“People of Malovia,” Gabby spoke, “Last night was a terrible tragedy. King Elijah and I, as well as our armies, did what we could to save the city. But we could not save all. The bodies have been counted, and we have found three-thousand fae have died at the hands of the Black Claw’s efforts— two-thousand of them children. Therefore, the king and I have deemed to call such a catastrophe the Slaughter of the Innocents.”
Such a great cry of grief welled up amongst the crowd that I’d never forget it. Two thousand children gone, just like that. And for what were they sacrificed?
But this didn’t seem enough to placate the crowd. “Tell us about the video!” a man cried, and the crowd roared in agreement.
“We deserve an explanation!” another woman shouted.
Gabby stepped aside, and Steward Soloman walked forward. “We have examined the video of our queen supposedly performing Unseelie magic, and have found it to be a fraud,” Solomon began. “After careful inquiry, the Circle is certain that this video was carefully released the same night of the Slaughter of Innocents in order to provide even more chaos. Therefore, we must regard it as nothing more than a cruel trick.”
“Just like that?” Kiara yelped, but I’d expected as much. I knew Gabby and the Circle would deny it was real. The timing of our release had been at the worst possible moment, but what could we do?
The crowd murmured, and as far as I could tell, most bought her argument. It was hard to convict the queen of Unseelie magic when, by all appearances, she’d once again been the savior of the people last night by chasing the monsters out of the city with her army.
Steward Soloman backed away, and Gabby spoke again. She came forward with more explanations. Her voice was like static. I didn’t comprehend her words, but I knew they were all lies to manipulate the people.
Didn’t matter. It was over now.
“Hey,” I heard Stefan say. Delmare sighed as he took her against him, and he said, “Glad to see you all safe.”
There were similar notes of relief from the other girls. My body tensed, expecting to feel my mate’s broad arms around me, but my body was barren. I circled in place, seeing Theo, Alexei, Stefan… but not my mate.
Ethan wasn’t here.
“Where’s Ethan?” I asked. My tone was high and on edge.
Stefan’s brow wrinkled. “What do you mean? He left early last night to be with you.”
“We haven’t seen Ethan all day,” Delmare said.
“We thought he was back at the university,” Stefan said, voice beginning to show panic.
All at once, every face among my friends went pale. I began to hyperventilate.
“Ethan!” I cried out, wanting him to be here, needing him at my side. A couple of people glared at me, but I ignored them. Alexei reached out— he pinned me against his body, and I tried to fight back. His emotion magic attempted to calm me, but I didn’t allow it— I couldn’t feel an inch of peace when I was this hysterical. The voice of Steward Soloman broke through my insanity as Alexei refused to let me go.
“We have determined,” Steward Soloman continued, “That the video was the work of none other than the city’s menace, the Phantom.”
I realized Odette’s first visionhadbeen true… but not in the way we were expecting. We’d interpreted her prophecy wrong. We had the alicorn stone in our grasp. But Ethan wasn’t with us. Odette’s foresight had been a warning from the gods that we’d lose my mate after we acquired the alicorn stone, and now, that horrible future was coming true.
Ethan wasn’t here.There was only one place he could be. I clawed at Alexei’s arms, and my eyes went upward.
To the balcony.
