Chapter 39
Mother had not been pleased upon our arrival. But this wasn’t entirely surprising, given the state of us. Aurelia had passed out from her injuries, and I had burst into the castle, demanding for our healer. No pleasantries. No welcome. Certainly not what Aurelia and I had planned.
But none of that mattered. I needed her safe. I needed her cared for. We could smooth things over later.
The following day, that was exactly what I was doing, standing in the throne room as my mother paced before me, berating me for my actions. Her inky black skirts swished with each step, her dark eyes flaring with rage. “Careless,” she hissed. “Reckless. Foolish! What in the stars’ name were you thinking?”
“I was thinking we needed assistance,” I said calmly. “And we received it.”
She scoffed. “We received nothing but a loathsome princess who despises our people and would rather die than help us.”
“Do not speak of my fiancée in that way,” I said sharply.
Mother stopped her pacing to stare at me, eyes wide. I didn’t often use a tone like that with her. Generally, it was the opposite. But I wouldn’t have her sullying Aurelia’s name based on gossip alone. “You have not met her,” I went on. “Aurelia is lovely, and she is willing to put aside our differences to forge on with this alliance. I was hoping you would do the same.”
Mother’s expression twisted into a disgusted grimace. “She has deceived you, Fennick. You cannot trust her.”
I said nothing, because her words were far too close to the truth. It was , in fact, a deception. But she couldn’t know that. “I sent word ahead of our arrival. Did you not believe my message?”
“Of course I didn’t! You have been in the bed of practically every female courtier in our kingdom. Never in a thousand years did I expect you to settle down, let alone with an enemy princess. I thought it was some rather hideous joke on your part.”
I sighed. “I have made a bargain with her, Mother. She will give us a dragon.”
Mother froze, looking me over, her eyes narrowing in suspicion. “She swore it in blood?”
“Yes. Whatever dragon possesses the most powerful fire. She will give us what we need.”
Her eyes narrowed further still. “And in exchange?”
“We grant her access to stardust.”
Mother’s lips grew thin. “Foolish boy. You can’t offer something like that. Our stores are low enough as it is.”
“Yes, but with Dragonfire, we can secure our people’s safety. We can increase our coffers with trade once the roads are clear and the unseelie have stopped their attacks. Commerce will flow smoothly once more.”
Mother frowned, her eyes shrewd and calculating as she considered this. “You swore in blood as well?”
“Of course I did. The Summer Princess is many things, but she is no fool. She would not have sworn in blood if I had not done the same.”
Mother sighed, then resumed her pacing. “This is still disastrous. You should have consulted me first.”
“There was not time. We need the dragon now , Mother. To cease negotiations for me to run home and get permission from dear Mama first would have been ridiculous.”
Mother sniffed in disapproval, her nose wrinkling. “I suppose.”
“You needn’t have sent a squadron for us,” I said, rubbing the back of my neck. “We were meant to visit the Court of Twilight before coming here.”
“My mages sensed you crossing the border, and with the unseelie tribes rampaging through the kingdom, I couldn’t take any chances.”
“I need to speak with Marek. ”
“You shall do no such thing,” she snapped. “You are needed here , Fennick, not only to clean up the mess of your engagement, but to put the people’s minds at ease. You can visit your friend later.”
“The matter is urgent, Mother. I must speak with him.”
“Speak with him another time.” Her tone was firm and gave no room for argument.
I bit my lip, remaining silent. Perhaps I could slip away after the fete, while the kingdom was sleeping off the alcohol and merriment. It was less than a day’s ride to the Twilight Palace, and by the time Mother realized I was gone, it would be too late.
But would Aurelia come with me? And if she did, what if we were caught? For me to sneak off in the middle of the night was one thing, but if I was with the Summer Princess, my betrothed, whom the people already suspected of duplicity, that would reflect poorly on her. And we couldn’t afford that.
I frowned as I considered my options. Marek and I both possessed contact runes to reach each other in case of emergency. But it did not allow us to speak to one another; only to send an emergency flare, so to speak.
But what if I could find a rune that could allow us to speak across long distances? I was sure I had encountered one in the books I’d borrowed from the witch clans.
If I couldn’t go to Marek, then I would find a way to speak with him through magic. If he or his wife knew anything about the Dream Mage, I had to try.
It wasn’t just Aurelia’s kingdom at stake anymore. The Winter assassin had told us the Dream Mage had already seized the Lunar Court. It was only a matter of time before she reached our court as well.
“Did you hear me?” Mother barked.
I blinked, realizing she had asked me a question. “I’m sorry, what did you say?”
She sighed, casting her gaze toward the vaulted ceiling as if praying for strength. “You are impossible, Fennick. I was asking if you know what breed of dragon she has promised.”
I frowned. “What does that matter?”
“Not every dragon can produce Dragonfire.”
My eyes narrowed as I scrutinized her. The pinch of her lips was a telltale sign she was hiding something. “How do you know this?”
She sighed. “We have a dragon in custody. But it is unable to produce any fire, whether from injuries or some other ailment, I do not know.”
I blinked, uncomprehending. “You have a— What ?”
“We captured a dragon,” Mother said, her words slow and measured, as if I were daft. “We procured it a few weeks ago. It’s in the dungeon now.”
I felt the blood drain from my face. Oh, gods… “Mother, what have you done?” I breathed. I remembered the rumors I’d heard of how we had captured a dragon. When I had asked Mother, she’d dismissed it. But she hadn’t outright said the rumors weren’t true.
I covered my face with one hand, my heart seizing in my chest. Gods, Aurelia would be furious. How could I tell her?
“I did what was necessary for our people,” Mother said in a clipped tone. “But it was all for nothing, as the beast is useless.”
“You cannot do things like this!” I bellowed, dropping my hands and glaring at her. “I am trying to forge alliances and foster trusting relationships with other kingdoms, but when you send soldiers into other kingdoms to steal from them, it undermines everything I’ve been working toward!”
“Well perhaps if you had told me of your plan to strike a bargain with the Summer Court, I could have acted appropriately,” Mother said with a sniff.
Gods, she was impossible! I wanted to keep shouting at her, but I knew it wouldn’t do any good. My blood boiled with anger at what she’d done. And now…
“After everything that’s happened, I don’t think we can smooth things over with our people if you are to announce your engagement to their enemy,” Mother said, as if the matter of her stealing a dragon had been settled. “Perhaps it would be best to wait until we have received a dragon with proper Dragonfire first.”
I was shaking my head, prepared to argue, when shouts echoed from the other side of the closed doors. I stiffened, turning toward the commotion. The muffled voices rose in volume, and I made out Aurelia’s loud voice.
“I said let me through!” she cried .
Oh, shit. I hastened to the doors and threw them open, ignoring my mother’s protests. There stood Aurelia, dressed in a glittering silver gown, her body adorned with diamonds that made her whole figure sparkle. Beside her were the two soldiers tasked with guarding the throne room. Aurelia’s cheeks were pink, her eyes flashing with anger and irritation.
For a moment, all thoughts fled from my mind as I was wholly and completely consumed by her stunning appearance.
“Beloved,” I said softly, unable to keep myself from looking over her beautiful figure once more. “I didn’t realize you were awake.”
“These imbeciles are trying to keep me from you.” Her chin lifted, and I bit back a smile at the haughty royal mask she wore. Oh, she would be a formidable presence in our court, that was for sure. I couldn’t wait to see how she fared against my mother.
My good spirits faltered when I remembered what my mother had just confessed to me. Our people had snuck into the Summer Court and stolen a dragon. Stars, how could I tell Aurelia? It would have to wait until we were in private; if I told her now, it would shatter her carefully crafted mask.
“Let her through,” I told the guards, waving my hand at them. “She may enter.”
The men nodded, though one of them shot Aurelia a glare before they returned to their station. I took Aurelia’s elbow and guided her forward, leaning close to whisper in her ear, “You look radiant.”
She shivered slightly, and judging by the way her cheeks reddened, it wasn’t from the cold, but from the way my breath tickled her ear. I offered a crooked smile.
“Aurelia, I’d like you to meet my mother, Queen Sonara of the Midnight Court,” I said loudly, still clasping Aurelia’s arm as I presented her to my mother. The queen had made her way to the throne on the dais and was now perched on it, her chin high and her eyes sharp as steel as she surveyed us both.
Aurelia sank into a low curtsy, her head bowed. “It is an honor to meet you, Your Highness.”
“I find that hard to believe, since you barged your way into a private conversation with me and my son,” Mother said coldly.
I sighed. “Mother?— ”
But Aurelia cut me off. “All due respect, Your Highness, but I sought out my betrothed immediately upon waking, knowing we had fires to put out after our chaotic entrance yesterday. I thought it best to get started right away, beginning with a formal introduction to the great queen of this court.” She sank into another curtsy. “So, Queen Sonara, it is a deep honor and pleasure to finally meet you. I hope this introduction is the beginning of an amicable relationship between our two kingdoms.”
I raised my eyebrows, impressed by her boldness and flattery, even as my stomach twisted into knots at the words amicable relationship. There was nothing amicable about our relationship. Not once she found out that Mother had stolen a dragon.
Mother only offered a single slow blink; other than that, her fierce expression remained unchanged. “I want to know why you two entered into this agreement,” she said.
“Mother, I’ve explained this to you,” I said.
“I want to hear it from her .” The queen kept her gaze pinned on Aurelia.
The Summer Princess was unfazed. Her blue eyes sharpened as she said calmly, “Fenn and I entered into an agreement that would benefit both our kingdoms. He needs dragons. I need stardust. We both need the appearance of a strong alliance to signify to the realm that we are a powerful force to be reckoned with.”
Mother chuckled, the sound low and full of ire. “I seriously doubt you were willing to put to rest the centuries of turmoil between our kingdoms simply because you needed stardust. I’m surprised your people didn’t invade my land to just take it for yourselves.”
Aurelia’s nostrils flared, her face turning pink with anger. I bit down on the inside of my cheek to keep from intervening. Aurelia would need to prove herself to my mother one way or another. But could she keep her anger in check? Or would this encounter turn volatile?
A few tense seconds passed before Aurelia responded, “Fenn is the first representative of your court who was even willing to negotiate with me. Now, I cannot speak for my parents. If they were unwilling to smooth relations with you, then I apologize. I do not know their thinking or their reasons. But I am different, and I hope to lead my court differently. I do not hold petty grudges simply because my ancestors did.”
Mother’s thin eyebrows lifted. “Is that so?”
“It is, Your Highness.”
“Well, if it is only an alliance with my court that you need, then may I suggest marrying my nephew, Sir Cordon? Or Lord Halsburg, a wealthy noble in my court? Anyone will do. Just not my son.”
My stomach hollowed. Shit, what was she doing?
Aurelia’s face paled. “Forgive me, Your Highness, but our bargain has already been struck.”
“You and I both know that any party of a faerie bargain can dissolve the terms if they only speak the words. Even with a blood bargain. As long as the bargain has not been fulfilled, it can be annulled in the same way it was contracted: by blood.”
Aurelia exhaled in frustration. “I am next in line to my throne, and Fenn is next in line to his. It is a fair match.”
“And I am asking for a show of good faith. If your intentions are as pure as you say, then marry someone else. Make that first step, Princess Aurelia.”
My heart slammed against my ribcage, my pulse roaring in my ears. This was falling apart. We needed to salvage the situation, and quickly.
“That will not do,” I said loudly.
Aurelia and Mother both looked at me, the former with alarm, the latter with annoyance.
“And why not?” Mother demanded.
“Because you and I both know you don’t give a damn if Cordon or Halsburg live or die. Neither of them would provide enough leverage to ensure this court keeps our side of the bargain. But I do.”
Mother opened her mouth to object, but I spoke over her, my stomach fluttering from the prospect of what I was about to do. “Furthermore, to arrange a marriage between Aurelia and another man would be devastating to me, because—you see—I am utterly and hopelessly in love with her.”