Chapter 42 （Continued）
Heat floods my cheeks, and I shoot a quick, pointed look at Tristan, who is taking a seat at the table.
“Fine,” I grit out through clenched teeth. “Gone.”
“Hmmm.” Raiden’s eyes narrow slightly as he crosses his arms over his chest.
“Look, that’s not what I want to talk about,” I continue, pushing the topic aside with more force than necessary. “We need to make a plan to leave for Ethereal Peaks immediately after my coronation tomorrow.”
Raiden’s silver eyes flash with something unreadable before they harden. “Not happening,” he refuses flatly, the authority in his voice unmistakable.
“Raiden,” I growl, feeling the tension ratchet up between us.
“You cannot leave the safety of the castle,” he continues, his tone brooking no argument. “I will send men–”
“No!” I shout, the power thrumming just beneath my skin responding to the surge of anger. Magic hums along my arms, sparking in the air. “I need to do this myself. I need to build trust with the nomads.”
Before Raiden can reply, the door swings open again. Kian and Fenris enter first, their presence commanding as usual, followed closely by Zaria and Nix.
“What’s going on?” Fenris’s focus moves between Raiden and me.
“We are leaving for Ethereal Peaks the day after tomorrow,” I inform him.
“We are?” Fenris pries, looking at Raiden's stiff posture.
Raiden’s jaw clenches, but he doesn’t answer Fenris.
“Okay, what’s happening here? Raiden looks like he is going to blow a horn and you look like–”
“Like what?” I demand.
“A queen.”
His words stall all my thoughts, and I blink.
Raiden shakes his head. “Everly, we can’t risk the Shadoweaver getting his hands on you.”
“The Shadoweaver won’t know I’ve left.”
“How do you figure that?” he growls.
“After the coronation, we say I’m sick. That the absence of my mate has left me weak, and I’ve been put on bed rest. Then we slip into the forest at nightfall. We stay off all the roads and cut through the Feyglades and into the mountains.”
“You’ve been planning,” Fenris mutters. “What makes you think we will agree?”
I take a deep breath, squaring my shoulders. “I’ll go alone if I have to.” If it’s me against the world, so be it. Since I was abandoned in the human world, learning how to survive is all I’ve ever known. “I will not wait any longer. I know in my heart we can find the nomads and rescue our king.”
“What makes you so sure?” Raiden asks.
“Because I’m not afraid. The Shadoweaver thinks she has the upper hand that he can use Maxon as bait, that I’m weak and will give myself over but she is wrong.
I’m stronger than she thinks, and I will set her world on fire.
I will not let her take anymore from me.
” My voice grows stronger, firmer the longer I speak.
They all trade looks as I struggle to rein in my magic. I see shadows move across the windows and jerk my head toward them, but it’s only the vines of wisteria that grow along the castle walls reacting to my magic.
“Wait, you said she?” Raiden questions.
Then remember I haven't told them what Morrigan had said.
“The Shadoweaver is a woman,” I murmur.
There’s a beat of silence before Fenris speaks. “Why do you say that?” His tone is careful, but alert.
I hesitate. The memory of Morrigan’s words linger.
“Morrigan told me when we spoke,” I admit. “Even Maxon mentioned it—offhand, but still.”
There’s a sharp sound, like a growl torn from deep in Raiden’s chest. My head snaps up to meet his glare.
“Why are you only telling us this now?” he demands, anger riding his words.
I frown, tilting my head slightly, confused by his intensity.
“What does it matter?” I ask. “Does the Shadoweaver’s gender really change anything?”
“It changes everything,” he snaps. “We need to know everything. Every thread of truth, every hint of what we’re facing.
This isn’t some borderland skirmish—this is the fucking Shadoweaver.
We’ve spent years thinking it was a man.
Everyone has. If we walked into a room and saw a woman standing there, we wouldn’t even blink. We’d underestimate her.”
I bristle the words. He’s right, in a way I hadn’t considered. In assuming it wasn’t important, I may have missed how much perception could matter in this war.
I open my mouth, then close it again.
“Male or female, it doesn’t matter,” Zaria interjects sternly. “Either way the Shadoweaver is evil and needs to be destroyed.”
“She’s right,” Fenris agrees.
“And who have you planned to accompany you?” Kian says, casually.
I have a feeling he is trying to defuse the situation I've caused. I send him a grateful look, he winks and reaches for a pastry as he takes a seat next to Mia.
Fenris stiffens when Kian smiles at Mia, and I frown, tilting my head to study him before answering.
“I was thinking–”
There’s a knock at the door and Raiden turns abruptly, ripping it open. “Fucking hell.” He steps aside, allowing Valric to enter.
Valric looks around, his eyes lingering on Fenris. “Should I be offended that I wasn't invited?” he asks lightly.
“Not at all,” I quip.
“What are we discussing?” Valric speaks slowly as he reads the tension in the room.
“Everly here wants to go to Ethereal Peaks to search for the Skythari Nomads,” Raiden huffs.
Valric tilts his head, and I can see the gears turning. He’s considering it. Hope rises in my chest.
“What’s your plan?” he inquires, looking directly at me.
Relief floods me, and I rest my hands on the table, looking down at the map.
“While everyone is celebrating my coronation, I will pretend to fall ill. Nolan will inform those gathered that I’ve been put on bed rest. Then a small group of us will leave, slipping into the night.
We stay off the roads and head through the forest to the Feyglades.
” My finger trails over the map. “There we will enter the mountains.”
I look up, meeting each and everyone’s eyes one by one. “Fenris will stay behind and take the army to Escalle. It’s the closest place to set up a base to enter the Outlands.” I meet Fenris’s gaze. “There you will wait for us to meet you.”
He runs a hand over his face and lets out an exasperated growl. “I don’t like this.”
“Agreed,” Raiden says, his silver eyes swirling.
Everyone starts talking at once, making my magic rise, humming along my skin, and I see tendrils of vines creeping down my arms under the sleeve of my overcoat.
“Would everyone shut up!” Fenris’s voice rises over the group.
“Maybe you could shut up,” Scarlett shoots back, not missing a beat. “Everly doesn’t need a lecture right now.”
“I don’t need you all fighting,” I mutter under my breath, clenching my fists to keep my magic from flaring in response to my rising frustration. The tension in the room feels like static electricity prickling at my skin, making it harder to focus.
“I don’t like this,” Fenris repeats.
“Too bad. It’s happening.”
Valric leans on the table across from me, his dark purple eyes trailing over the map before looking up at me. “It’s been two weeks since the king was taken, and now is the time for action. I’m in agreement with you, but I insist on coming with you.”
A smile spreads across my face, and I nod, my heart overflowing with gratitude. “Tristan and Kian, you’ll both be coming with me.”
“I think the humans should remain at the castle. Or be taken back through the gate,” Fenris advises, interrupting me.
I straighten up, opening my mouth, but he holds up his hand. “I’m not saying this to be a prick, but they have nothing to offer and will only get in the way. Plus, they are fragile.”
“Sounds like you’re being a prick to me,” Mia mutters, and Scarlett snorts in response.
“And how do you think she’d feel if you got killed?” Fenris snaps, his body vibrating with rage as he flings his arm at me.
I walk around the table and stop next to Fenris, putting my hand on his arm to draw his attention away from my friends. His deep brown eyes meet mine and flicker with an emotion that looks a lot like regret.
“You're right, and you're wrong,” I whisper, emotions riding my words.
His face turns into a severe frown, and my lips tip up as I shrug. “I’d be devastated if I lost any of you.”
Fenris blinks, his head dipping in acknowledgement of my words, but then he turns to me fully, crossing his arms over his chest. “If they are to remain in Faerie, then I think they should stay at the castle.”
“You’re not our keeper,” Scarlett argues, standing from her chair.
“He’s right though.” I turn to face them, my hand dropping from Fenris's arm. “If you disappear, people will become suspicious. I need you here to keep up the ruse. I don’t want anyone outside of this room knowing our plan.”
Mia slowly stands, her gaze flicking between me and Scarlett. “You want us to stay?”
“Yes.” This isn’t ideal, but there are few options left.
Scarlett huffs and plops back down in her seat, crossing her arms with a dramatic sigh. "Now I don’t like the plan."
I can’t help but let out a soft breath, half a laugh despite the tension in the air.
“Are you sure about this?" Mia asks again, her worry deepening. Her usual calm demeanor is slipping, and I can see the unease in her eyes.
"It’s the best way," I reply as calmly as I can, though even my own doubts claw at me.
“Everyone will think I’d want you close. So, if you’re here, they will think I am, too.”
Mia hesitates, then slowly lowers herself back into her seat.
Her gaze drifts to Fenris, and I can’t help but notice the subtle blush that creeps up her cheeks.
I bite my lip to keep from smiling. Fenris always manages to get under her skin, and as much as she tries to hide it, I can tell she isn’t immune to his good looks.
"Nix will stay with you," I continue, shifting the focus back to the plan.
"She will keep an eye on things here. I will speak to Alivar tomorrow and see if he is still willing to aid us.” I look over at Fenris.
“Fenris, you will gather the soldiers and lead them to Escalle. The rest of you are with me."
Raiden stiffens beside me, his jaw tightening. "Zaria should stay." His tone leaves no room for debate—except that Zaria has never been one to follow his orders without a fight.
Before I can even respond, Zaria steps forward, her gaze cutting sharply toward Raiden. "I’m coming," she asserts, her voice steady. "Everly wants me with her. I’m coming. I can shift now, so I’m not helpless."
Raiden frowns, but before he can protest, Tristan blurts out, "You can shift? Like completely, without getting stuck?"
Zaria just smiles, and with a swirl of magic, she transforms in front of us, her body rippling into the sleek, powerful form of a leopard. She slinks around Raiden, the movement fluid and graceful, before shifting back in another flash of magic. Her grin is wide, proud.
"I’ve been practicing," she says, a hint of satisfaction in her tone.
“But you still have your cat ears and tail?” Scarlett points out.
Zaria shrugs. “I’ve grown used to this form and prefer it.”
Raiden grabs her shoulders, spinning her to face him, his expression troubled. "Are you sure?"
"I’m sure," she declares. "I can handle myself. I’m not the girl you need to protect anymore, Raiden."
Raiden exhales sharply, a mixture of pride and reluctance crossing his face. “I will always protect you, whether you need it or not.”
His silver eyes swirl as he studies her, then dips his head. “Okay.”
Zaria grins widely, her warm brown eyes dancing with purpose as she glances at me. "So, two soldiers, a shifter, a paladin, Batman, and a druid," she says, almost giddy. "Sounds fun."
"Sounds like the start of a joke," Scarlett mutters dryly from beside her, her arms crossed but with a hint of a smirk tugging at the corner of her mouth.
I can’t help it—a soft laugh slips out, and I shake my head, feeling a moment of unexpected lightness amidst the tension of what’s to come. Grinning, I look to each of them.
"Maybe we’re all just one big punchline."