40. Aldrin #2
Perhaps it is blind prejudice. Maybe Leonardo holds on to this bad reputation for the sake of peace for his people, with all other courts too afraid to poke at the beast. I have witnessed nothing but honor from the fae of the Starlight Court and the Assassins of Belladonna, but this war isn’t over yet.
And why would he show me his darkest side, if he wants me as an ally?
I consume myself with the fighting as a long stretch of time passes.
It could be an hour, it could be five minutes, but it feels longer.
Like an eternity. I find Edmund in the press, letting him know of the change in plans and exactly where I need him and his forces for this to work.
I give Cedar the same instructions so that the human and Spring fae armies will be in position when I call for them.
A long, low horn blasts from just within the palace foyer and a change ripples through Titania’s force here on the balcony. They retreat immediately and barricade themselves behind the immense doors of the grand entrance. Even the archers on the roof charge back inside.
We could follow them. Use this gap in their defenses to break into the palace, but their forces are stationed just beyond the door.
I know the cue they are waiting for. I know exactly what will come next.
It falls into my own plans. I don’t need to slash my way into Titania’s domain to kill her—not when Leonardo will bring me right to her.
Inky tendrils of smoke churn at the center of the balcony, and we all back away to give them space. The darkness deepens and thickens, until a small army materializes before us, with maybe a hundred fae in the matching armor of the Starlight Court.
In their center stands their king.
My stomach tumbles.I hope I am not making a terrible fucking mistake.
Leonardo strolls over to me, his cane clicking on the ground and a black feathered cloak fluttering around him like a bad omen.
“Ah, Aldrin. I was starting to think you would never take me up on my offer.” He glances around, those crimson eyes fixating on all the gore. “So much spilled blood. Such a waste.”
I cringe, not knowing if he refers to the waste of life, or the blood itself that he is known for drinking and weaponizing.
I straighten to my full height. Cyprien, Hawthorne and Klara take defensive stances around me.
“Is it done? Is the bargain set?” I ask.
Leonardo tips his head to the side. “It is done. I negotiated with your High Chancellor through the official communication channels between courts, and the bargain terms were set at long distance, using bottled magic. There is no going back now.”
“And what exactly were those terms, if I am to hand myself over to you?” I clench and unclench sweat-soaked hands. I am making a deal with a demon while holding absolutely no power.
“All you need to know is that I will get you and your entire elite force into Titania’s throne room and before her feet, past all of her guards.
You can even keep your weapons. Our original agreement stands.
All you have to do is place your life within my hands.
” He lets out a dry laugh. “The entire fate of your court, really.”
I glance up to where I will find Keira.
All of this is for her.
My heart stops when I find the row of cages missing.
I can only hope Edmund and Caitlin found a way to free them. A baseless, childish hope.
When my eyes flick back down a fraction of a second later, Belladonna’s form materializes out of shadows right before me. Her face is so close it is all I can see, the skin rapidly turning black with inky lines and swirls. Only her head and arms have taken physical shape among the inky smoke.
She grabs my cheeks and forcefully plants a kiss on my lips.
I rear backward in shock as her deadly poison seeps down to my bones. My blood turns to ice and my muscles shut down one by one, becoming numb and weak. I bend forward and retch, but nothing comes out. My heart rate slows dangerously despite the frantic thoughts whirling through my mind.
Belladonna is so fast my eyes can barely keep track of her as she pounces through shadows at each one of my closest allies, poisoning them in turn. Horror churns through me as thick, black veins quickly colonize their exposed flesh, running up their throats and across their faces.
Cyprien falls to his knees beside me. Hawthorne grips his throat as he struggles to breathe.
Klara, Silvan, Jasper and Lilly all falter and weaken.
Every single member of my elite force that Leonardo promised to bring to Titania has been poisoned, and I know from experience just how deadly that toxin is.
Is he dragging us to her in this condition for our benefit or hers?
I fall on my hands and knees, gasping for air, as another horn blasts.
Pure agony ripples through me as my muscles clamp tightly then release, again and again.
The Wildrose Guard marches out of the palace in neat columns.
I can barely make out their ranks with my vision fading in and out.
They surround us while King Leonardo’s soldiers lift us from the ground.
I expect his forces to carry us through the palace in this state, to dump us at Titania’s feet, but instead, wisps of darkness swirl around us, preparing to transport us straight to the throne room.
He must have really garnered Titania’s trust for her to have finally allowed shadows to form in the palace for his kind to transport.
The darkness thickens. As my body fades from the balcony and is drawn elsewhere, intense fear is born within my belly, clawing at me.
I negotiated for Leonardo to get me on the inside, but there was nothing stopping betrayal.
With the poison coursing through my veins, I regret ever making a deal with the Starlight King.
The Assassins of Belladonna have tried to kill me before because I wasn’t ruthless enough in removing Titania from the throne.
They planned for Cyprien to be placed upon it instead.
Perhaps they still have more faith in him than in me.
Or maybe Titania offered them something in the bargain that I could not.
Something they couldn’t refuse. Maybe they hedged their bets this entire time, and have flipped their loyalty once again.
I am trapped in a moment of full darkness, between physical places. Either I will overcome all odds and kill Titania, or I will die from this poison. I am completely at the mercy of fate.