Chapter 52
I stood, poised and erect on the dais of the throne room. Guards formed an aisle before me, and the council was on either side. My heartbeat hammered loudly inside me as I waited.
At long last, the throne room doors opened, and a pair of soldiers escorted Mother inside. Her expression was twisted in fury, but when she caught sight of me—standing in front of her throne and wearing my crown—her face slackened in shock.
“Fennick,” she hissed, glancing around the room. “What is this?”
“This is a formal declaration that you have officially been deposed,” I said. My insides rumbled with unease, but my voice remained firm. “As of this moment, you no longer hold the right to rule the kingdom of the Midnight Court. The council has unanimously voted me to take your place.”
Mother’s face drained of color, and she staggered back a step. Her eyes swept around the room as if searching for someone to tell her this was a joke. But everyone watched her with a stony expression.
“You—You cannot do this,” she breathed. “Fennick, you cannot do this!”
“It’s already done, Mother.” I stared at her, my expression stoic and impassive.
She held my gaze, eyes wide, for a long moment. Then, her features contorted with fury. “I have sacrificed everything for this crown! And you think you can take it from me so easily?” She elbowed the soldier next to her in the throat. He doubled over, and Mother drew his sword, advancing toward me with the blade aimed at my chest.
The crowd gasped. Someone shouted something, but I couldn’t make out the words. I held perfectly still, panic and fear coursing through me.
All our blades were infused with iron. It was the only way to ensure we could kill the unseelie who attacked us. A normal blade wouldn’t deal me a fatal blow. But this one would .
She wouldn’t… Would she? Would she murder her own son?
I had once believed her to love me. To love her people. But these past few days had shown me how wrong I was. I wasn’t sure what to believe anymore.
“Mother,” I said softly, “you are surrounded. Even if you strike me down, these guards will arrest you immediately. Be rational.”
“Rational?” She laughed, the sound high and slightly crazed. “Nothing about this is rational! You are a child . You’ve been so busy cavorting with women that you don’t know the first thing about ruling a kingdom. And you expect me to believe our people willingly chose to follow you over me?” She huffed another dry laugh. “It’s clear you’ve used your persuasive powers to turn the council against me. And it won’t work, Fennick! They will come out of the spell soon, and when they do, I will have you arrested.”
She inched forward, and the guards closest to her shifted as if to intervene.
“Don’t,” I told them, raising a hand. “Do nothing.”
The council’s frightened murmurs grew louder. But still, Mother drew closer. With each step, an alarm blared louder and louder in my ears, drowning out all other sounds.
When the sword tip touched the fabric of my tunic, I lunged, drawing my short sword until the blades clashed with a metallic clang.
A noblewoman shrieked in surprise. Mother’s eyes widened. It was clear she hadn’t expected me to fight back.
Did she think I would just let her attack me?
I swung again, pressing my advantage. She parried and dodged, backing up to keep me from running her through.
I had no intention of killing her. But I had to remind her I was the better swordsman. I always had been .
She struck, and I blocked. I swung wide on purpose, and when she fell for the bait, I jabbed her in the gut, then wrenched the sword from her hands. She stumbled, barely catching herself before she fell, then glared up at me, panting.
“Yield, Mother,” I said, my voice cold.
“Never,” she growled, then lunged again.
I swung without thinking. My blade struck her chest, but she didn’t stop. With a roar of anguish, she grabbed the hilt of my sword, burrowing it further into her until the blade protruded from her back.
One of the courtiers cried out, making a strangled, horrified sound. My mouth fell open in horror, and I dropped the sword, but it was too late. It was lodged straight through her chest. Blood bloomed on her dress, spreading until the silver fabric turned crimson. She choked, blood bubbling from her lips.
“Mother,” I breathed. “W-What have you done?”
She fell to her knees, a stream of scarlet now pouring from her lips. “I would… rather die… than lose this… crown,” she choked. “And y-you did this… to me… Fennick. You …” She wheezed, spitting up more droplets of blood. Her eyes grew unfocused as she murmured, “At least… the work… is done.”
She slumped over, blood pooling from her form as she jerked once, then went still.
I could do nothing but stare, shock numbing my entire body as I watched the life leave her eyes.
Mother was dead. And I had killed her.
Soldiers gathered up Mother’s body. It didn’t take long for the council to spring into action, peppering me with questions about a funeral and a formal coronation ceremony. I didn’t remember speaking at all, but somehow, I answered their questions and made it through the day.
Only when I was alone in my chambers did I allow myself to feel. And I felt all of it. The regret. The rage. The shame. Pain and sorrow exploded within me, and I fell to my knees, sobbing so hard my throat ached and my chest burned. Tears streamed down my face, but I let them come, furious and ashamed with myself for feeling anything for the savage woman who had once been my mother.
She was a monster. Deep down, I knew she deserved to die.
But she was still my mother. And, as much as I didn’t want to, I mourned that loss. I mourned the mother she could have been; the mother I had always believed her to be.
And I mourned the Fennick who had died with her—the version of myself who thought he could let her rule forever, who believed he never needed to assume her responsibilities or play this role.
Those days were over. I would never be the same again.
And for that, I wept.
I only took a moment to grieve. After that, there was no time. There was too much to be done.
My thoughts were constantly on Aurelia. As soon as I could get away, I raced downstairs to the dungeons to search for her. The guards immediately turned over the keys to me.
“Aurelia!” I cried out, peering into every cell as I ran past.
But she wasn’t there.
With each stride, panic built up more and more in my chest. Had Mother moved her? Had she had her killed?
And I would never know, because my mother was dead.
Shit, shit, shit…
The final cell, our largest one, held a very cramped and restless Mal. He thrashed against the metal bars when he saw me, the loud clangs bouncing off the dank walls.
“Mal!” I drew closer, and he fixed his golden eyes on me, grumbling something I couldn’t understand. “Mal, where is she? Where is she ?”
He roared, pushing more fervently against the bars.
I fumbled with the keys, trying three different ones before I was able to unlock the cell. The metal door groaned as it slid open, and Mal immediately bounded forward. It was only thanks to his massive size that I was able to follow him; he had to wriggle and squeeze to make it through the dungeon, which slowed him down.
As soon as we were up the stairs and in the courtyard, he took off, his wings spreading wide as he rose several feet in the air. Several people screamed, cowering and covering their heads with their arms. The guards swarmed, swords drawn, but I threw up a hand to stop them.
“No!” I shouted. “It’s fine. He won’t hurt anyone.” I gazed up at the sky, following Mal’s dark shape. “Mal!” I shouted, waving my arms frantically. “Mal, wait !”
But he was in a frenzy, desperate to find Aurelia, and it was as if he couldn’t hear me. He soared higher and higher, but he lingered by the stone walls of the castle. I frowned, squinting at him, until he drew closer to a window on the fourth floor, his wings beating to keep him hovering in the air.
He growled, baring his teeth, his eyes flashing. As his head swiveled down so he could glance at me, I understood. My heart gave a painful jolt in my chest, and I was running before I knew what I was doing, legs pumping furiously as I bolted up the flights of stairs, barely pausing to catch my breath. I flew down the hallway, counting doors until I reached the one with the window facing the courtyard. The one Mal had been looking into when he’d been flying.
When I reached the door, I found it locked. With an angry roar, I aimed a high kick and slammed my foot into the door repeatedly. On the third blow, the wood splintered, and it banged open.
I raced inside, stopping short at the sight before me. Aurelia was lying motionless on the bed, her hands clasped demurely before her and her eyes closed. Her face was paler than death, making the freckles stand out against her skin. She was so still, it didn’t even look like she was breathing.
I hurried to her side, taking one of her hands in mine. It was ice cold. “Aurelia?” I whispered.
She did not respond.
Swearing, I turned away from her, then jumped back with a startled yelp.
Sapphire stood in the doorway, her eerie lavender eyes fixed on Aurelia.
“Forgive me,” she said softly, her white hair seeming to float around her as if underwater. “I should not be here, but…” She tr ailed off, her eyes turning somber as she stared at Aurelia. “My sisters believe it is too late for her. That we cannot help. ” Her gaze shifted to me. “But you can. And I will do what I can to help you.”
“There—There is a way to bring her back?” Hope bloomed in my chest.
“Yes. If you enter the Dream Realm and retrieve her, you can bring her back.”
“How do I do that?”
“The spinning wheel.” Sapphire gestured to the large contraption by the fireplace. I hadn’t noticed it there before. “The Dream Mage has enchanted it. Whoever pricks their finger on the spindle will be transported there.” She leveled a stern gaze at me. “But if you do not have an anchor tethering you to this realm, then you will be stuck there just like her.”
I swallowed. “And… I suppose you’ll be providing this anchor for me?”
Sapphire sniffed in response, as if bestowing such a gift was beneath me because I was a man.
“Why are you helping me?” I asked. “I know you despise me. You’ve made that abundantly clear.” Of the three witches, she had always been the one to reprimand me just for speaking.
“My sisters are far more accepting of what Fate deals us than I am,” Sapphire said. “I, however, enjoy tempting Fate now and again. They would believe that Aurelia is doomed. That there is no hope for her.” Her eyes took on a steely edge as she looked at me with fierce determination. “I do not agree. And although I cannot go into the Dream Realm to revive her, I know there is no one who loves her as you do. No one else who is more fit for this task than you.”
My eyebrows lifted at her praise. “Well… Thank you.”
“It was not a compliment, you foolish boy,” she snapped, then waved at the spinning wheel. “Come. We must hurry. There isn’t much time left.”
“What about my kingdom? The court, the council?—”
“My sisters and I will manage things here for you,” Sapphire promised. “Besides, if this works, it will be as if no time passed at all. That is why she is looking so ill now. She has been there for far too long.”
Concern wrenched in my gut. Gods, I’d been so busy planning my ascension to the throne while Aurelia had been stuck in this dream world, suffering. I felt so foolish. How could I have believed Mother would leave her alone? Of course the wretched woman would torment Aurelia further. As if kidnapping her dragon and imprisoning her hadn’t been enough.
I suddenly straightened, turning to face Sapphire with wide eyes. “Can I bring a dragon with me?”
Sapphire barely reacted as she said, “You mean the dragon in the hall?”
My mouth opened and closed as I glanced over her shoulder. In the hall, Mal’s familiar grumble echoed.
He was making his way to Aurelia. His size was likely slowing him down again.
I nodded. “Yes. She is bonded to Mal. If I can’t bring her back, then her dragon certainly can.”
Sapphire was silent as she considered this. Then, she nodded once. “Yes. You can bring the dragon with you. I will tether him to myself as well to anchor him here. It should be easier for him, as a beast.”
I frowned. “But you won’t come?”
“I cannot. The Dream Realm is warded against us witches. All I can do is serve as your anchor.”
“All right then.” I drew my short sword and held it above my wrist. “How much blood do you need?”
Sapphire reached into the pockets of her cloak and withdrew a vial. “Fill that please.”
I nodded, slicing into my wrist and letting the blood droplets poor into the vial. When it was full, I handed it back to Sapphire. She corked it, then lifted it, inspected it closely. “I think I was wrong about you, child.” She offered me a wry smile. “You are not as useless as I believed.”
“What a glowing compliment,” I said with a chuckle. Then, I glanced at the witch. “And the dragon?”
“I will get his blood after this so he can join you. Do not worry. Dragons trust witches.”
I edged closer to the spinning wheel. I rolled up my shirtsleeves and took a steadying breath, unsure how to prepare myself for something like this. “Are you ready?”
“I am.”
Before I could talk myself out of it, I stretched out my hand, pricking my finger on the sharpened point of the needle. The room around me went blurry, and I felt myself falling, falling, falling into utter darkness.