40
Valen
“This morning went wonderfully, don’t you think?” Suveo claps as everyone returns to the throne room from their quick break.
Normally we meet in one of the other rooms, but I moved today’s chat to the throne room, where the tree still pokes from the ground. Everyone is at each other’s throats, and I hope the tree will serve as a reminder of what we’re up against. What the real threat truly is.
Suveo, Wren, and Gensted are standing in the center of the room, across from Celpin, Zana, and Guria. Suria is lingering again in the corner, pretending to read a book, but I know she’s listening to everything we say. I’m not sure why she’s so interested in these meetings and have chalked it up to childhood curiosity. Delkin paces from one end of the room to the other, stealing glances at Tania, who hasn’t ventured farther than just inside the door.
She’s been acting strangely today, but we haven’t gotten a chance to speak.
This is it. Our final decision on when—and how—to strike at Aphelian. While the scouts haven’t pinpointed her exact location, we have a general idea. Strange growth in the forest, odd disturbances in the wildlife… It’s not perfect, but it will have to be enough. If the others can’t come to a civilized agreement, then I’m prepared to do it for them.
I just hope it doesn’t come to that.
“Are you in a better mood now, druid?” Suveo flashes Tania a toothy grin. He’s still trying to bait her at every turn, and it’s grating on my nerves. I know we need him, but if he keeps this up, I may kill him myself.
Tania says nothing, and Daroose, who is standing beside her, growls at the Summer monarch. He sent word to the kelpies after the most recent attack and is hoping they arrive in time to help. Whatever Aphelian has planned, it won’t be a fair fight. While the other courts don’t have armies at their disposal like we do, I fear the Winter Guard won’t be enough. If the kelpies come to our aid, maybe it will cut back the loss of life.
There’s an odd sense of calm around Tania. A stillness that’s cold—so unlike her normal peace. This is…dead. Like there’s a piece of her missing. It’s as if something has been snuffed out.
“All ideas are on the table,” I say, glaring at Suveo.
“We’ve progressed,” Wren says. “We’re not at the level we need to be for a full defensive line, but we won’t be useless, either.”
Gensted looks to Tania. “How are you doing with the druid magic?”
She holds out her hand and clutches her fingers into a tight fist. When she slackens them, the tree, still growing from the center of the throne room, shudders. Everyone stumbles back as the floor shakes, and, as we all watch, the intrusive thing begins to shrink.
“I’d say I have a fair handle on it.” Her voice is flat, and there’s not even the smallest flicker of emotion in her eyes.
The tree continues to recede until it’s nothing more than a small stem poking from an obscenely large hole in the floor.
“Amazing,” Delkin says, coming up behind her. He places a hand on her shoulder, and I doubt he notices the way she stiffens. Maybe I’m reading too much into things. She’s raw. After everything that’s happened, all that we’ve been through, she’s on edge. We all are.
“There is only one way forward at this point.” Suveo flicks a finger in Tania’s direction. “The druid appears to have learned control, so the only thing to do now is use her. We attack.”
Use her. I bristle at his choice of words, but I have to keep my emotions in check.
“I don’t think it’s that simple.” I move to the center of the room, to the edge of the hole where the tree was.
“Sure it is,” he counters. “She’s here, and she’s powerful. Send her out to trample the enemy.”
“Tania is not a weapon ,” I say firmly. “I have no intention of sending Tania in to fight Aphelian alone.”
Suveo snorts. “Why not? It’s what she was bred for, is it not? Protecting you?”
Guria and Zana gasp, while Gensted stands, primed to fight. The rest of the room falls eerily silent.
“Please,” Suveo scoffs. “Don’t act so scandalized. She’s a tool. Use her .”
I grit my teeth. If he says that one more time…
“Aphelian was a tool, too,” Tania says calmly. Too calmly. She takes a single step toward Suveo, and the entire room holds its breath. “Servis used her. Are you so eager to do it all over again? Make the same mistakes?”
He quirks a brow. “Are you saying you’re just like her?”
“I’m a druid,” she says, matter of fact. “And you’re a filthy Fae.”
Tania, what are you—
“How dare you!” Suveo spits.
She isn’t fazed. “A previous Winter Lord betrayed her trust. He used her. Yes, she’s horrible for the things she’s done. For the things she wants to do, but never forget…” She takes a step back and looks at each of us in turn. There’s sadness in her eyes, but more than that, there’s…fury. “She was innocent to begin with.”
Suveo rolls his eyes. “She’s attacked us outright. The poor, abused druid act doesn’t really fit anymore, does it?”
The room is utterly silent, and I should say something, but I can’t form actual words. Suveo’s not wrong.
“Aphelian wasn’t innocent,” Tania says. “But had Servis not betrayed her, it’s possible we wouldn’t be here right now.”
“Perhaps having this meeting today was a mistake.” Delkin wedges himself between them. “Let’s meet again tomorrow—”
“No,” I say. “No. We’re done meeting. We’re done discussing and arguing and being indecisive. The damage that’s been done is extensive, and our people are cowering in the caves like animals. Start gathering the troops. Have the scouts see if they can narrow down Aphelian’s location further. This needs to end.”
Tania turns and storms from the room. I don’t care how it looks. I follow her out.
“Wait, Tania!”
She keeps walking, increasing her pace.
I rush ahead and step into her path. “Would you please just stop?”
She doesn’t answer, but at least she stops walking.
“What was that about?”
Her response is to open the link. The sudden anger that rushes over me makes it hard to concentrate. It’s thick and suffocating and poisonous, and I can taste it. Foul venom coats the inside of my mouth, streams down my throat. It makes it hard to take a deep breath, to swallow.
“I’m worried about you.” I take her hands, and though I can feel her wanting to pull away, she doesn’t. A small flicker of calm filters over me. It’s an ember I need to fan, to foster. Whatever is going on here has nothing to do with Tania and everything to do with that damn tear. “The magic is affecting you.”
A rush of irritation hits me, followed by a more subtle twinge of guilt. “It’s…a lot. But I’m handling it.”
I lean my head forward and rest it against hers. It’s dangerous. Anyone could see us—but I’m more concerned about her right now. “It’s too much for you, Tania. Channel it. Purge it and we’ll find another way—”
“Purge it?” Her expression twists, and there’s a bitter gleam in her eyes. “You’d like that, wouldn’t you?”
I pull back. “What?”
“If I channel it back into the tear, then you can take it.” She pushes me away, rips her hands from mine, and staggers back.
“You know better.” I keep my tone as even as possible. My body is still. “I would never do that.”
“You…” There’s a flicker of rage in her eyes. It flares and dissolves, leaving a pool of bottomless agony. Whatever is going on, she’s aware of it. Aware but unable to rein it in. She shakes her head again. “Valen, I’m…I’m seeing her.”
“Her?”
“Aphelian. All the magic in the tear—it was inside her. She channeled it from the land, from our people, and took it in. That same magic is now inside me. It’s connecting us.”
I knew this was a bad idea. “She’s spoken to you?”
“Sort of.” She sighs. “Whatever this is—whatever she’s doing? It started a long time ago. She was out to get Servis before she even fell in love with him. Her plan goes that far back.”
“What?”
“She had an agenda. When she met him, she had this…plan. But the whole thing slipped away when she fell for him. So when he betrayed her…”
“She picked it all back up again.” I pull her close. “I don’t want to lose you over this. Whatever we need to do, we can do it together.”
She sags against me, and it’s clear how much of a toll this is taking on her. Tania is the definition of restraint. She would never condone this display out in the open, where anyone could happen upon us. “I don’t want to lose me, either.”
“We need to act.” Reluctantly, I pull away. “Whatever we’re going to do to take down Aphelian, we have to do it now. Maybe it doesn’t matter what she’s planning if we can take her out before she does it. If you have control over the magic, we need to move. We have a rough idea as to where she is, but maybe you could narrow it down? The sooner we take her down, the sooner—”
The breath is knocked from my lungs, and I grab the wall to keep from falling to the floor. The intensity of Tania’s rage is crushing. A rush of images swarms me. They’re too fast to process the small details, but the gist of them is me wielding Tania and the druid magic for my own means.
I recover enough to take one step toward her—
“ No — Stop!” She throws up her hands to keep me from coming any closer. She shakes her head, eyes closed and breathing heavy. “I need to go.”
“Tania, please—”
I try to grab her arm, but she jerks away and narrows her eyes.
“I need to clear my head, Valen. I need to— Just let me be alone for a bit, okay? I don’t want to hurt you, and right now, the magic…it wants to make you bleed.”
“I’m on your side, Tania. Always.”
She shakes her head again. At me or herself, I’m not sure.
This is crushing her, and my instinct is to protect her. Shield her from it. But she’s right. She has to figure it out on her own.
“Go,” I say.
She doesn’t hesitate. And as she walks away, the link fades into nothingness, and I feel so much colder than I normally do.