Chapter 31
Every word that leaves Hali’s mouth lands like a blow, cracking the fragile understanding I had of Virendrell.
The horrific deeds carried out by the leaders of this country are unthinkable… unbearable. It’s impossible to reconcile them with the gleaming palace around us.
And yet something fierce ignites in my chest, answering my rage before I can temper it. Not for myself, but for Hali. For every soul trapped behind Virendrell’s beautiful lies.
“So,” Hali murmurs, rocking back on her heels and lacing her hands behind her back. “There it is. The truth of my homeland. The part no one likes to say out loud.”
My hands tremble. Not with fear, but with the injustice of it. With the knowledge of what these glittering walls conceal.
My magic screams to act, to do something, anything.
And to think…I thought the Elders in Verdanthia were cruel. But they never did anything like this.
“I’m so sorry, Hali.”
Her jaw tightens. “I don’t need pity. I need help.”
“Why not ask Augustus to leave? If you win the contest, doesn’t he owe you a favor?”
A sneer twists her mouth. “Helen would never allow it.”
Helen’s cold gaze flashes through my mind, her casual cruelty. The way she looked straight through Hali during the last contest, sharp and dismissive.
“What I need to know is, will you do it?” Hali asks when I don’t speak, her deep-brown eyes searching mine with something close to desperation. “Now that you know what I’m up against, will you help me?”
Damn it.
This will cause trouble.
I can already see the fallout—the ripple my choice will send through Virendrell, through the Shadow Fae, through me.
I should say no.
I should walk away and protect my own well-being for once.
But I’ve never been that person.
Not when someone is hurting. Not when I can help.
I close my eyes with a heavy sigh.
This is who I am.
For better or worse.
I just pray to the Gods that the repercussions won’t be too much for the Shadow Fae to handle.
Then I step into the chaos with one single word.
“Yes.”