Chapter 33
I don’t dare speak.
A single word could doom Hali, and I refuse to be the cause of her downfall.
My gaze locks on Anders, waiting for his next remark. His next move.
He is a respected citizen in Virendrell. The mayor trusts him. So does Helen.
If the Mountain Fae knows about Hali’s plan, he could sabotage everything before I can reach the Shadow Fae.
Before I can reveal to them the mandatory breeding cycle Augustus and Helen will impose after their son’s betrothal celebrations.
Before I reveal that Hali and nearly a dozen friends wish to escape the island, but only if they can bring their children with them.
Anders watches me calmly. He’s waiting for a confession I will never make.
I made a promise to Hali. I won’t be the one to ruin her plans. Not if I can help it.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” I finally say.
Again, his lips twitch. “I admire your dedication to a cause you just joined, but you must understand, I have wanted this outcome for far longer than you or young Hali.”
The back of my neck prickles. “And yet you didn’t intervene.”
“Because there was none on these shores powerful enough to fight off Helen. Not until—”
“Rian.” I lift a hand to rub my suddenly throbbing temples. “You think Rian will go along with the plan.”
“I don’t think,” he says. “I know.”
“How?” I drop my arm and shake my head. “How do you know? He is the prince. Surely politics would dictate he not interfere with Virendrellian customs or laws or whatever the hells this barbaric mating practice is.”
“The Shadow Prince is many things, but he is not the puppet you make him out to be.”
I balk, the accusation stinging my chest. “I never said—”
“It does not matter.” He crosses his arms. His voice is even. Unhurried. “What matters is this: I want to help you. I want to help Hali.”
My objection fades from my lips.
“What’s in it for you?” My eyes narrow. “Why would a full-blooded Fae care what happens to a part Fae?”
A sneer mars his lips. “You assume I believe myself better than part Fae?”
“Don’t you?”
“No,” he snaps, the skin around his eyes tight. “I had a younger half sister, and her grandson has been marked as…talented. I hope to save him from the same fate Hali wishes to escape.”
Once more, my stomach roils at the reminder of what’s really going on in Virendrell.
I despised Verdanthians for pushing teenagers into marriages they weren’t ready for.
I hated how parents encouraged the unions, eager to get their children off their hands while urging them to replenish the human population decimated by the Shadow Wars.
But their actions are nothing compared to what is happening in Virendrell. The citizens here don’t care about increasing their population for the sake of survival.
No.
Helen has created a lottery program where citizens with the most potent magic are matched up if they have not produced offspring by the age of twenty-two.
The goal of these forced unions is to produce children, but not just any children. Powerful children. Children who, according to Hali, are taken from their families the moment they present abilities. They are raised as wards in the palace. And the parents have no say in their lives.
It’s disappointing. Unfair. And horrific.
I believed Virendrell to be a safe haven, a place where humans and Fae coexist peacefully. But that’s an act. There’s no justice in controlling citizens in such a way.
I swallow the bile clawing up my throat. “What happened to your younger sister?”
“The same thing that happened to most of the Fae who fought in the Shadow Wars.” A dark cloud rolls across his blue gaze. “She never came back.”
A gust of air flows over the balcony, pushing the curls hanging at my back over my shoulder. “But you did? Come back, I mean?”
“I wasn’t permitted to go.” A muscle in his jaw ticks. “None saw the value in sending a Mountain Fae healer to the continent for a war they believed would be easily won.”
My heart squeezes at the look on his face. “I’m sorry.”
“It was a long time ago.” He jerks his head. “I’ve come to terms with my inaction, but I will not stand by and do the same now. I’ve been watching Hali and her conspirators for a while, trying to figure out a way to offer my assistance.”
Understanding dawns. “And then she spoke with me, and you saw a way in.”
“Exactly.”
“And…what?” I cross my arms. Goose bumps pepper my skin. “You assumed I’d agree to her request without question? That I would agree to let you in on the plan?”
“Precisely.”
“Why in the Gods’ names would you think that?”
His features soften. “Because I know the look of someone who has suffered. Of someone who has endured injustice and wishes they could’ve done something to prevent it.”
My magic heats at the words, stoking the flames of action. I pour water on them, refusing to make a hasty decision, once again insisting they rest after burning out just last night.
“You lived a hard life in Verdanthia,” he continues. “I can’t begin to understand the wrongs you and your loved ones endured, but you are in a position of power here. You can help so many.”
“I have no power,” I object. “Rian has all the power.”
And though he may not be the monster the stories say, or at least not just that monster, I can’t imagine the Shadow Prince supporting a cause that is sure to enrage the leaders of the island nation.
Anders rocks back on his heels. “Come now, Elara. Surely you are not that naive.”
“Excuse me?”
He tilts his head to the side, gaze searching. “Hm…perhaps you are.”
My cheeks heat, but I don’t say a word.
I don’t know what to say.
Anders rolls his shoulders back and lifts his chin. “Follow through on Hali’s plan this evening. Discuss the matter with the prince. I think you’ll be surprised what he’s willing to agree to when the request comes from you.”
My heart gives a small, traitorous flip.
I clear my throat. “And what will you do?”
His lips lift into a sly grin. “Me? I have a ship to procure.”