2 THE QUEEN
I clawed at the hand covering my mouth. Another hand pinched the skin beneath my ribs, and I bucked.
“Shh.”
That voice was familiar.
I let out a grunt, and the hand tightened. “You made a mistake coming here, Your Majesty. I suggest you pray to whichever gods you favor that we will live through this.”
Pelysian allowed me to turn my head just enough to meet his gaze. His eyes were hard, and something in my chest relaxed as they left my own, lingering instead on the thousands of monsters chained within the mine. For the first time since I’d known him, his face drained of color, terror tightening his features.
“We are leaving,” he whispered. “Now.”
Slowly, as if he couldn’t trust me not to scream and get both of us killed, he removed his hand from my mouth. I gave him the look his actions deserved.
He ignored me, jerking his head and gesturing for me to follow. But I still wanted that amulet. When I hesitated, he bared his teeth in a way that made it clear he would carry me out if he felt he needed to.
Once, I’d thought him a loyal subject. Now, Pelysian knew neither of us could afford for the other to be caught. And he was treating me accordingly.
I didn’t like it.
But I followed him back down the passageways, gratefully inhaling the fresher air as we left the monsters behind us. Still, the sight of them straining at their chains would be forever imprinted into my mind.
We turned left, and I searched for a hidden spot we could use to have a quick conversation. I wasn’t going anywhere until I had that amulet.
Pelysian froze. Every muscle in my body stiffened in response. His power allowed him to hear even the quietest whispers.
My heart jumped in my chest as he whirled toward me, eyes darting. Grabbing my hand, he pulled me into the tiniest crevice. I shook my head. It was too small.
His expression turned thunderous, and he roughly shoved me between his body and the stone wall, pressing me against it. Thankfully, the minimal lighting at least worked in our favor, but the chances of discovery…
Pelysian’s heart pounded against my ear. I was wedged between him and hard granite, both of us trembling.
Finally, I heard it too. Booted footsteps walking toward us.
Low voices sounded, and a rush of adrenaline hit me.
What was I doing?
I’d had the opportunity to run. I could be anywhere, and I was in this hell Sabium had built, just footspans from the creatures he would turn on his enemies and the guards who would arrest me without a thought.
Was I so used to living with terror that I was unable to choose a life without it? Was I truly going to last this many years under Sabium’s control and throw it all away with one stupid choice?
“The creatures are restless today,” a feminine voice said.
“Probably need to be fed. The king likes to keep them half starved so they’ll stay vicious. You’re new, right?”
“Yes.”
A low chuckle sounded from the male. “What did you do to be demoted to this position?”
The woman hissed but didn’t reply. They were so close now, and their voices seemed to echo through my bones. Pelysian’s hand moved near my hip. He’d unsheathed his dagger.
I was more than happy for the guards to die, but if they were discovered before we left this place, our own chances of survival greatly decreased.
I strained, and my power jumped within my grasp. Perhaps it would help just enough for us to live through the next few moments.
“How did he get…so many of them?” the woman asked.
“Some fae woman has been handing over creatures from her territory for years. Calls herself a warden or something.” He laughed, and the sound was so close to us, I flinched. Pelysian’s hand tightened warningly on my arm. “Those fae bastards have no idea what’s coming for them.” His voice faded as he continued walking past us. The creatures began to screech, likely sensing their approach.
Sweat dripped in a steady line down my back.
Pelysian kept us hidden for several long minutes after they had passed. Finally, he pulled me out of the shallow alcove. His hand remained around my arm as he practically dragged me down the passageway.
I allowed it. He would be alerted to anyone else coming our way long before they heard us.
We approached the entrance of the mine. I clamped down on the urge to sprint into the wide expanse and fresh air outside. Instead, I studied Pelysian. He was covered in dust, and he had the wary look of someone who had been traveling for days.
“How did you know I was here?” I asked.
“My mother. Will your power work on both of us?”
“It’s unlikely. It’s weak.” Admitting such a thing burned, but Pelysian had always known the reality of my magic. Although…perhaps it had just helped us avoid detection. “We can’t leave yet. The amulet is here somewhere.” And everything would change once I took that little artifact from Sabium. Finally, I would be the one with the power.
Pelysian’s hands gripped my upper arms, fingers digging into my skin as he glared at me. “The amulet is hidden in a cavern somewhere below us. There is no way for us to get to it tonight.”
I looked into his eyes. They were filled with rage, but I couldn’t discern any hint of a lie. Besides, if he could get to the amulet, he would likely attempt to take it for himself this very moment.
But… “You know how to get to it.”
“Yes. But believe me, we would need a group of powerful fae or hybrids.”
Frustration bit at me with sharp teeth. All of this was for nothing. The time I’d lost, the risk I’d taken… worthless.
Pelysian released me, shaking his head. “The barrier has fallen, Your Majesty.”
My breath caught. “Jamic?”
“Safe.”
My chest lightened, until it felt as if I might float away. The hybrid heir had somehow managed to keep my son safe, while also dealing Sabium a blow he would not forget.
Perhaps she was even more of a threat than I had first anticipated.
“According to reports, Jamic helped bring the barrier down himself,” Pelysian said.
Pride roared through me. My son was powerful. It didn’t matter that Sabium had forced that stolen power into him. That power was now his. And clearly, he knew how to wield it. While he had made the wise choice to ally with the hybrid heir to prevent Sabium from receiving that power, it was a temporary alliance.
The moment I came for him, we would work together.
“And what of the amulet?” I demanded.
“If you are truly determined to risk your life, we need the book you saw the king take from the castle that day. That will turn the tide in this war.”
My heart raced. I’d known that book was important simply by the way Sabium kept it so close. “How will it turn the tide?”
“The book is a grimoire filled with ancient knowledge and dark magic. It is this grimoire that has allowed Sabium to lie and manipulate with such ease.”
I fought to keep my expression blank. This whole time, I had imagined Pelysian as my tool. The tool I was dispatching to complete various tasks that would help me achieve my revenge.
Instead, he was keeping things from me. He likely knew exactly what that book did and why it was so important. And he hadn’t told me.
I silently seethed as he pressed closer to the wall, peering out at the guards. Perhaps Pelysian’s usefulness had come to an end. I could use him as a distraction, ensure he was killed, and make my escape.
But if they didn’t kill him and chose to torture him instead, I wouldn’t be able to return to the castle to find that book.
Could I even return, after the way I’d escaped? Perhaps if I convinced the guards I’d lost consciousness in that market. Maybe a kindly merchant had healed me? I would only need to be in the castle for a short amount of time while I searched for this grimoire.
I froze. Was I truly contemplating such a thing?
Yes.
Jamic was free, but Sabium would still kill him if he could. He’d said as much.
And if you find the grimoire, you’ll be as powerful as Sabium. This continent will bow toyou.
It was a heady thought. Everything Sabium had achieved, the power he had amassed, the creatures he had leashed…
All of it could be mine.
Together, Jamic and I could rule this continent. And one day, we could turn our sights to other kingdoms in distant lands.
I would make the territory Sabium had ruled seem paltry in comparison. I would be the one who was ageless. And he would just be dead. My lips curled at the thought, and the expression felt strange. It had been so, so long since I’d genuinely smiled.
“Nelia is here,” Pelysian whispered.
My muscles locked up. I’d ordered Nelia to leave.
Craning my neck around Pelysian’s huge shoulder, I caught sight of a bush rustling within the forest above our heads.
“She’s going to become a distraction so you can escape,” Pelysian said.
“No. I’ll use my power.”
“She knows the limitations of your power.”
The one person who had always been loyal without anything in return. The closest person I’d ever had to a… friend.
Loyalty should always be rewarded. It was the one thing my father had taught me that I still believed.
“She’s throwing her life away,” I snapped. “Stop her.”
“It’s too late.” Pelysian’s voice was mournful. “She knows I am here, and she knows we are trapped. Prepare to run.”
A stone rolled down the bank, coming close to one of the guards. He froze.
“Show yourself,” he demanded.
The branch of a tree snapped. The guard launched himself up the bank, moving faster than I could have imagined. Several other guards immediately deserted their posts, giving chase.
Pelysian was already pulling me away from the mine. I sprinted, cursing Nelia as her screams pierced the night. I’d told her to leave.
But she’d known. She’d known I’d need a distraction, and she’d sacrificed herself.
A smart sacrifice. My life was, after all, worth more than hers. Still, I would have preferred to think of her living the remainder of her life as a wealthy woman somewhere safe. A fitting reward for her loyalty.
I stumbled, and Pelysian pulled me to him, practically carrying me up the bank in the opposite direction of the guards. They would search this forest in an attempt to find anyone who might be with Nelia.
A thud sounded, and as if compelled by some strange power, I turned. Nelia’s body rolled down the bank, coming to rest near the entrance to the mine. Her head sat oddly on her neck, her eyes staring blankly—almost accusingly—at me.
Pelysian shoved me down into the underbrush. My hands shook, an endless rage slithering through every inch of my body.
Nelia was mine. And Sabium’s men had taken her from me.
I met Pelysian’s eyes. They were darker than usual, filled with grief. I hadn’t known he was close to Nelia.
It seemed there was much I didn’t know.
“These are called consequences, Your Majesty,” he said bitterly. “I told you not to come here. You refused to listen. Now, stay here while I find our horses.”
Kaelin Stillcrest was a tall woman who walked with the swaggering self-assurance of a fae male. Usually, I would have admired her for that alone.
Unfortunately, there was little else about her to admire. I watched her for several long moments as she snarled into the face of a pale man who did nothing but nod, his knuckles turning white where they clutched his crossbow.
When she turned, she swept her gaze from my head to my feet, sizing me up. I gave her a bored expression as she stalked toward me.
“Who are you?”
“Madinia Farrow.”
“And what do you want?”
I gave her a dismissive look. “I’m here to see Vicer.”
One of her men moved as if to go find him, and Stillcrest lifted her hand, stopping him in his tracks.
“And who exactly are you to come here and demand to see my people?”
I kept my expression bored. I could already tell it would infuriate her.
“We both know Vicer isn’t one of your people. Now, are you going to find him, or do I need to do it myself?”
I let my hand light up with a ball of fire, carefully studying her reaction.
She stepped back, positioning one of her men in front of her. That, more than anything, solidified exactly who and what she was.
Prisca would have shoved her body between a threat and any one of her people. It was how she was made. I might not agree with her blind loyalty and self-sacrificing nature, but they were some of the traits that would make her an excellent queen.
I let my gaze flick between the guard and Stillcrest, making it clear I’d noted her actions. Her cheeks flushed, her eyes fired, and she opened her mouth.
“Madinia.” Vicer neatly stepped between us. “What are you doing here?”
I turned my attention to him. His eyes were filled with warning.
I pulled my power back into me. It took longer than usual, a stubborn spark lingering in my palm, as if it, too, was disappointed that we wouldn’t be setting anything ablaze.
“I was sent. Because you didn’t reply to our messages.”
Vicer went still. His gaze slid to Stillcrest, and he was quiet for a long moment. When he spoke, his voice was deadly. “You prevented me from receiving messages from our queen?”
Stillcrest’s face paled and then immediately flushed. “I prevented you from giving detailed information about my people. And she’s not my queen until she’s sitting on her throne with a crown on her head. Even then, she will have to prove herself worthy to rule us. My people are tired of their lives being dictated by royals.”
That was a reasonable point. And I would have believed her, if I hadn’t already watched her walk around this camp as if she wore a crown.
Vicer gave her a look of such disgust, Stillcrest dropped her eyes. She immediately snapped her gaze back to his, her cheeks heating. I was small enough to enjoy her discomfort.
Vicer’s eyes met mine. “Come with me.”
I followed him into the camp, weaving through tents in neat rows, all of them in various shades of earth-toned canvas. The camp blended seamlessly with the surroundings of the forest, and the hybrids who lived here wore various shades of greens and browns to evade prying eyes. Even with the directions Vicer had passed to us, it had been difficult to find. But Regner’s soldiers could simply use the process of elimination as they searched every inch of his kingdom. Eventually, they would find this camp, and all the camouflage in the world wouldn’t help them.
Several pairs of curious eyes turned toward us, but Vicer quickly led me to a tent situated on its own, near what looked like their armory. Paths weaved through the camp, while the air was thick with the mingled scents of campfire smoke, roasting meat, and pine.
“I know you brought the barrier down,” he said as we stepped inside the tent. It was sparse, with a small cot and one chair. He gestured for me to take it, and I shook my head.
“There are humans here who suddenly received an influx of power,” Vicer said. “Even Kaelin was forced to admit how incredible an achievement it was.”
I just shrugged. “Lorian and Prisca want to know the status here,” I said. “From what I can see, there hasn’t been any movement toward the Asric Pass.”
Kaelin likely had spies in this place, and I wouldn’t risk her learning that the hybrid heir was currently still unconscious.
Vicer pinched the bridge of his nose, his gray eyes glinting. “The hybrids we managed to get out of the city… most of them stopped here for food and rest, and then left in small groups, continuing their journey. My people set up hidden camps with food and water in various locations on the way to the pass. They’ll wait there for the signal to cross—once the soldiers Regner is hiding in the pass have been dispatched.”
That part of his plan made sense. It was brilliant, even. But…
“What about the people remaining in this camp?”
“I’m trying.” He opened his mouth, closed it. Frustration slid through his eyes.
“What is it?”
“Regner’s scouts have been drawing closer. Kaelin insists her people will kill any who discover the camp. But if the scouts don’t return to their commanders, more will be sent. These people are running out of time. But this is their home. They refuse to leave.”
Several children ran past the outside of our tent, laughing in the unrestrained way such children did. If Regner’s iron guards found this place, that laughter would end. Forever. I met Vicer’s eyes. “Here’s what we’re going to do.”
I was so very, very comfortable.
The world spun around me in a sickening whirl. But here, with my cheek pressed against the hard ground, I was safe.
Nothing could touch me here.
There was no pain. No grief. No responsibility.
Coward, a voice whispered. He’s waiting for you.
I felt myself frown, but the movement was distant, as if it didn’t belong to me. Still, the spinning slowed, and a gruff voice called to me from a great distance.
“Prisca.”
Something about that voice made my heart ache. Made me want to lift my head, even if it meant losing myself to the awful, dizzying mess around me.
“Wildcat. Please.”
That voice pierced the dark chaos above me, stabbing deep into my gut. I never wanted to hear that powerful, male voice beg. Ever.
Lifting my head, I pressed my hands into the firm ground below me and pushed.
The world came into focus.
Lorian’s eyes met mine, dulled with exhaustion. Why was he so tired? It wasn’t like him to sleep poorly.
His hands cupped my face. The world continued its slow spin. But he’d joined me here in the eye of the hurricane.
“You’re awake.” His kiss was desperate, tasting of grief and hopelessness. Dragging his lips away, he pressed his mouth to my forehead.
I wasn’t lying on the hard ground at all. No, the pillow beneath my head was soft.
“Healer!” Lorian roared. A door was flung open, and a woman was suddenly bustling toward us. She pressed her fingers to my pulse, frowning as my heart began to pound faster and faster.
The room listed slightly, and this time, I knew it wasn’t just me. Ship. We were on a ship…
Blind terror slammed into me, and I clawed at Lorian, dragging him close.
“You’re alive.” I leaned into him, saturating my lungs in his scent.
Confusion creased his brow. “You were the one who nearly died.”
I’d done it. He was talking and breathing and alive. I’d defied the gods for him. And I would do it a thousand times if I had to.
But my memory still served up the image of him, shattering into a million pieces. Anguish stabbed into my chest, and my entire body shuddered.
“We need a moment,” he said to the woman, who fled the room, not even bothering to close the door behind her. Despite myself, I felt my lips curve.
“Have you been completely unreasonable again, prince?”
He ignored that. “Prisca. What is it?” His voice was low, soothing, but a muscle ticked in his jaw, and his eyes were dark with concern.
“When…when Conreth attacked Regner, the human king used a mirror to reflect Conreth’s attack back at us. I think it must be the mirror given to the humans by Faric—one of the meddling gods who started all this,” I said bitterly. “Conreth’s power…it hit you.” My mouth turned watery as that sickening terror lurched through me once more. “You died, Lorian.”
My voice cracked, and I blinked back the tears that flooded my eyes. “You turned to ice. And I watched you sh-shatter.”
His face lost color. “And you brought me back. That’s why you almost died.”
Someone sucked in a sharp breath. Conreth stood, one arm braced against the doorway as he stared at us, his expression devastated. His gaze met Lorian’s, and my chest burned.
I’d vowed that one day I would make Conreth pay for everything he’d done to Lorian. But now…now, I didn’t need to.
He’d just learned what he’d done—that he’d killed his brother.
And his eyes…
Something had broken in the fae king. Within a single moment, he’d become a shell of a man.
And even knowing he deserved it, pity stirred within me.
Without a word, Conreth backed away, shutting the door behind him. Lorian immediately turned his attention back to me, his gaze searching my face.
I cleared my throat. “I want to sit up.”
He shoved several pillows beneath my head while I surveyed the cabin. My stomach rumbled, and he stepped away, opening the door and speaking to someone.
“The healer will return in a few minutes,” he said. “Tell me. All of it.”
So, I did. Tears streamed down my cheeks as I told him of my desperate, stumbling gait as I’d attempted to cross the ship to get to him. I told him how he’d left me, and the way I’d felt his presence for a single moment right next to me. I told him of the way Telean had screamed at me, warning me not to do what I’d done next. And I told him about my mother, my grandmother, the consequences they’d warned of, and the fact that I could no longer feel a single spark of my power, even with the hourglass around my neck.
By the time I finished, my voice was dead. No more tears flooded down my cheeks. Lorian looked like I’d punched him in the gut, and when he caught my chin, his hand shook.
“You… I don’t need to tell you how dangerous that was. You already know it. Any consequences, we’ll face them together. But I need you to promise me, Prisca. Promise you will never do such a thing again.”
“I don’t think I’d even be able to,” I said. I didn’t tell him how I’d been feeling tiny slivers of my soul burning to ash. That I’d felt the gods take everything I had to give and demand more. And that if my mother and grandmother hadn’t been there to give me the tiniest pieces of whatever was left of their being…
I likely wouldn’t be here either.
Part of me wondered if I had hallucinated my mother and grandmother. If coming so close to death had simply allowed my imagination to provide me with the people I had wanted to see most.
But I remembered my mother’s gentle smile. And my grandmother’s wicked eyes.
“Change the world, granddaughter. And heal our kingdom.”
Heal our kingdom.
“What happened?” I asked. “I felt the barrier come down.”
Lorian nodded. Getting up, he opened the door, gesturing for the healer to enter. She was a small woman, with dark hair almost as curly as mine. Her eyes glimmered with curiosity, but they shifted immediately into the appraising look I’d seen on Tibris’s face a thousand times over the years.
“I’m Ceri,” she said. “How do you feel?”
“Fine. Weak,” I admitted when Lorian narrowed his eyes at me. “And…I can’t feel my power.”
After a few minutes of taking my pulse, checking my breathing, and examining what felt like every inch of me with her magic, she pronounced me in need of rest. I wasn’t surprised. My body had begun to tremble from fatigue.
“And my power?”
“I don’t have much understanding of power like yours,” she admitted. “But I’m assuming it is simply a burnout. It is unlike anything I have seen before, but I expect your power will return.”
“Thank you,” I told her, attempting to silence the voice that asked me what I would do if it didn’t return.
She just nodded, opening the door and waving through a young girl who carried two bowls on a tray. She took the tray and nodded to the girl.
“Thank you,” Ceri said to me. “My grandmother’s mother had family in Myrthos. The continent to our east,” she clarified when I frowned. “I’ve dreamed of visiting them my entire life. Now, with the barrier down, I’ll be able to.” She bowed her head at both of us, placed the tray on the bedside table, and bustled away.
“So, I died,” Lorian mused. “I knew something had happened, because I saw a single glimpse of Cavis. But I’d never imagined that could be it. Because our ship exploded, and you were drowning. I couldn’t get to you.” His eyes turned haunted. “It felt like several eternities before you began breathing again.”
Cavis. My eyes stung at the thought. I’d hoped he was truly at peace.
I frowned, my mind lingering on Lorian’s other words. The ship had exploded? Of course it had, because Conreth’s power must have missed Lorian. But that meant…
“Telean?” I gasped, sitting up.
Lorian gently pushed me back down. “She’s fine. One of Daharak’s people kept her safe.”
I collapsed back against the pillows, exhausted from my sudden movement. I attempted to ignore the panic that fluttered inside my chest. I wouldn’t be like this for long. I’d regain my strength. And my power.
A knock sounded on the door, and Lorian gave me a rueful smile. “Clearly, people are learning you’re awake. Enter,” he said, and the door swung open, revealing Rythos, Galon, Marth, and Telean.
All of them were alive and healthy. My cheeks ached from my grin.
They crowded into the small cabin, Rythos sitting on the end of my bed. “You scared us, darlin’.”
“I know. I’m sorry.”
Lorian nudged me until I began to eat, while everyone seemed to talk at once.
“Regner fled,” Rythos smirked. “With Eryndan dead and the barrier down, he obviously decided the gods weren’t on his side that day.”
“Biding his time,” Marth muttered.
Galon raised his eyebrow at him but nodded. “He’ll be regrouping.”
I glanced at Telean. She hadn’t said a word but was watching me silently. Her gaze dropped to the hourglass lying against my chest, and she studied it for a long moment before her eyes finally met mine. A chill rippled through me.
“Since the moment I was pulled out of that water, I’ve had a feeling of wrongness,” she said. “As if the world has shifted. As if I’ve forgotten something of utmost import.”
“Ask me,” I said, my heart sinking.
“I can see from the look on your face that I don’t need to. You used your power in the one way that is forbidden. For your own gain. You risked all of us. You spat in the face of the gods. And you almost died.”
My aunt shook her head, and I hunched my shoulders. Telean was the closest thing I had to a mother. I’d known she’d be disappointed, but seeing her disgust… It hurt more than I could have imagined.
But everyone in this room deserved to know what would happen. Because any consequences I faced would likely affect them too.
“Yes. Lorian died, and I turned back time.”
No one spoke. Galon’s jaw was tight. Marth’s skin was draining of color. Rythos was staring at Lorian with horror in his eyes.
Telean flicked Lorian a single blistering glance, as if he had been the one to do this. “Then that was the will of the gods.”
Fury rattled my bones. “Fuck the gods,” I snapped.
Telean’s eyes went wide, and I kept speaking, unable to stop. “What have the gods done for our people? How have they helped us? All they’ve given us is suffering. I won’t apologize for saving my mate.”
She took a step back from my bed, and her gaze cut through my chest. It was as if she could no longer recognize me. “I expected better of you. Your mother and grandmother would be ashamed.”
I opened my mouth to tell her I’d spoken to them, but Lorian was already getting to his feet, expression flat.
“Leave,” he said.
I wanted to argue, but Galon shook his head at me, flicking his eyes toward Lorian. Tiny sparks were darting across his skin.
Turning my attention back to Telean, I stared at her with no idea what to say. Her eyes softened, but she clenched her jaw, making her way out of the room.
“She’s right to be ashamed,” I said into the silence. “And disgusted. She warned me over and over that I could never use my power that way. I did it anyway.” I met Lorian’s eyes. He watched me carefully, as if bracing for a blow. “And I’d do it again.”
“Of course you would,” Galon said. Lorian continued watching me, and his eyes had turned tender.
“Your aunt will forgive you.”
I hoped so. But even knowing the gods would likely make me suffer for this, I didn’t have it in me to regret it.
Lorian ordered the others out of the cabin when I began to yawn. When I woke a few hours later, I insisted on speaking to Natan—since Galon had mentioned he was currently staying on this ship.
Once, Natan had been just another boy from our village. A friend with an easy sense of humor but a caged look in his eyes, who drank to numb the pain of the Gifting and Taking ceremonies.
I’d thought he was dead. And yet I’d never forget the way he’d joined us in that barely seaworthy merchant ship, as many humans as he’d been able to gather on board, working to bring down the barrier.
I wished Tibris could have seen it. He wouldn’t have recognized his childhood friend.
“Prisca…” Lorian’s voice had turned cajoling, and his eyes flickered with frustration. I understood. It hurt him to see me this weak.
“Galon’s right. Regner will be making new plans. We need to begin preparing.”
“Fine,” he conceded, holding up a hand as I attempted to swing my legs over the side of the bed. “But he can come here. I’ll send word.”
While we waited, one of Daharak’s pirates brought warm water. I freshened up, then sat on the edge of my bed, forced to admit I couldn’t have made it up to the main deck anyway. I would need to shake this off quickly. We didn’t have time for me to be lying around.
Lorian watched me the entire time, his eyes dark. When Natan knocked, Lorian opened the door. “Five minutes,” he said.
I didn’t bother arguing. I was too busy studying the man who’d once been a friend. The day Lina had lost her grandparents and been taken to the city, he’d attempted to pretend not to be affected. But I’d seen the terror in his eyes.
There was no sign of that boy now. Natan’s expression seemed carved in stone. Dark circles had hollowed his eyes, but he stood tall, with an easy confidence that had replaced the swagger and bluster he’d once worn like a favorite tunic.
“Prisca.”
I nodded. “Natan.”
“No one will tell me where Tibris is.”
I sighed. I wasn’t surprised that everyone was being closed-mouthed. “He’s attempting to convince a group of rebels to ally with us,” I said, leaving out the fact that he was technically a hostage. Vicer may have arranged for Natan to meet us, but that didn’t mean I would immediately disclose all of our plans.
Natan’s eyes gleamed with curiosity, but he turned his gaze on Lorian. “They said you’re mated to the Bloodthirsty Prince,” he mused, meeting my eyes once more. “I didn’t believe them until I saw you standing next to him on that ship.”
“Don’t call him that.”
Lorian shot me a look caught somewhere between tenderness and exasperation. Natan just narrowed his eyes at me as if he no longer recognized me. I sighed. “Things are complicated.”
“I understand that much.”
“I thought you’d…” Died. I thought he’d died along with the rest of our village.
He swallowed. “I was away, selling my father’s wolfskins at Mistrun. By the time I returned, it was too late. Everyone was gone. There were only a few of us left.”
My chest tightened. “I’m sorry.” The words were inadequate, but Natan nodded all the same.
“Vicer told me what happened to Thol.”
I nodded, picturing him all alone in that dark cave. It took me three tries to speak around the lump in my throat. “We’d hoped to bring him home, but Regner’s soldiers are crawling over the area. We’ll give him a proper burial when all this is over. I promise.”
“He was hunting you.” Suspicion slid through Natan’s eyes, and Lorian angled his head. He didn’t make a single movement, but Natan stiffened.
I’d forgotten just how intimidating Lorian was to those who weren’t in his inner circle. I gave him a warning look, and his lips twitched.
“He was,” I said. “But he joined us in the search for this.” I held up the hourglass. “I didn’t kill him, Natan. You know me better than that.”
He frowned. “Never said you did.”
But he’d wondered.
I let it go for now. “How many people do you have?”
“If you mean humans who have turned against Regner? Thousands. Caddaril the Cleaver and his criminals are creating chaos for Regner throughout Eprotha. If you mean me personally? A few hundred. More and more villagers have been fleeing from conscription. One of the villages to the east of ours turned on the assessor during a Taking ceremony. The guards killed half the village, but they were eventually killed themselves, and anyone left alive decided to join with us.”
It was hard to imagine. Regner’s guards, priestesses, and assessors had ensured the villagers I’d known would turn on one another at the mere suggestion that one of them was a hybrid. The day Lina’s grandparents had died, the priestess had announced a reward for anyone who would inform them of the presence of one of the “corrupt.” One hundred gold coins. For a villager with little to spare, it was enough to ensure their children’s children wouldn’t go hungry.
Natan must have been following my thoughts because he shook his head. “It’s different now, Prisca. I know it’s difficult to believe. Of course there are some who will always believe the king’s lies, but more and more people are waking up.” He grinned suddenly. “And now that the barrier has fallen, and many people will find themselves with more power…it’s just further proof that their power wasn’t gifted to the gods.”
Pride warmed my chest. We’d done that.
“And those who don’t manage to flee?” I asked softly.
Natan’s grin dropped. “You know what happens to them. And it’s getting more dangerous every day.”
“Perhaps we don’t need all of them to join us,” Lorian said. “At least not right now.”
“What do you mean?”
Lorian pushed himself off the wall. “It’s going to get worse for those who flee. But those who stay will be perfectly positioned and armed with fae iron.”
My heart kicked in my chest, and I pictured the chaos we could cause. “They could turn on Regner’s armies when they least expect it.”
Natan picked at a loose thread on his shirt. “It’s dangerous.”
“All of it is dangerous.”
He raised his head, and his eyes gleamed. “I’ll talk to the others.”
“Thank you, Natan. For…everything.”
“Don’t thank me. One day, you’ll return to your kingdom with your people. We humans will be left with whatever remains of Eprotha. We have no choice but to make sure there is something left.”