“Because Lady Mossi and Lord Oren have come to Lochanlee with a small army and they are demanding an audience,” the guard said, shocking us both.
Einar and I exchanged loaded glances, then bolted from the room, leaving the bewildered guard in our dust. On unspoken agreement, we raced up the stairs not to our rooms, but to the highest tower in the palace. The topmost chamber served as the palace’s war room, and the three guards manning it startled as we burst inside.
“Adara. Einar,” Prentis said by way of greeting. He was standing on the far side of the room, right next to the panoramic window that stretched across the entire circumference of the chamber. “I'd hoped you’d come here once you heard the news.”
He nodded toward the hillside just beyond the city limits, where two encampments had been erected. The flags flying from each of them were unmistakable—the blue and yellow of the Gaoth Aire, and the green and brown of Domhain.
“That isn’t what I’d call a small army,” Einar said as we approached the window. His golden eyes narrowed in thought, and I could see the calculations running through his soldier’s brain. “They’ve brought around a hundred warriors each. More like an honor guard.”
“Even so,” Prentis said, his lips pursed. “That’s two hundred too many, especially considering that they showed up without warning.”
I only half-listened to them as I stared at the encampments, my mind racing. The guard had said Mossi and Oren were the ones who’d demanded the audience, but what about General Slaugh? Had he come as well, and if so, had he brought Nox? Was there some way we could sneak into the encampment and find out? Maybe if I could just get a minute alone with her, I could—
“Adara.” Einar’s hand curled around my shoulder, cutting off my train of thought. I looked up into his face, and swallowed at the sympathetic expression in his eyes. “It’s too dangerous.”
“What’s too dangerous?” Prentis cut in, his eyes darting between the two of us.
“Nothing.” I turned away from the window, avoiding his gaze. “I should get ready. I can’t show up to the meeting looking like I just tussled with a mountain troll.”
Einar followed me out of the room, waiting until we were well out of earshot before muttering, “I’ll show you a mountain troll next time.”
Despite everything, I smiled.
* * *
Itook a deep breath as I approached the council chamber doors, nerves digging into my shoulders and churning in my gut. The three most powerful fae in Ediria, the leaders of the three noble houses, waited beyond those doors. One who wanted to manipulate me, one who had deceived me, and another who was unknown. Lord Oren was the only wild card waiting for me inside, but somehow, I doubted he was here as an ally.
No, the reason these two had come was because they’d heard I was here as a guest of Lady Axlya. And they wanted to head off any attempts to install me on the throne.
“Go on,” Einar murmured from behind me. “I’ll be right behind you.”
I nodded, then squared my shoulders and stepped through the doors.
“There she is,” Lady Axlya smiled warmly as I entered the room, as though I was a guest of honor. The seat to her right was occupied by Prentis, the one on her left clearly meant for me, and on the other side of the table were Lady Mossi and Lord Oren with their advisors.
“My apologies for keeping you waiting,” I said, taking the empty seat. “I didn’t know we were expecting company.”
I let my gaze drift across the table, first to Lady Mossi, then to Lord Oren. The former was watching me with thinly veiled contempt, the latter with cool calculation. I sensed more than saw Einar settle into a shadowed corner of the room, close enough to intervene should someone attack, but far enough away as to not draw notice. We’d even dressed him in a guard uniform, hoping he would blend in with the others. After all, if Lady Mossi recognized him, she would likely demand he be thrown out.
“Allow me to introduce Adara, daughter of Princess Olette, and the rightful heir to the Edirian throne,” Lady Axlya said proudly. “As a direct descendent of King Cyrian, she is the only one with a legitimate claim, as I’m sure you two agree.”
“Actually, we do not,” Lady Mossi said, the scathing note in her voice scraping against my nerves. “Adara may be Princess Olette’s daughter, but she is also half-dragon, which weakens her claim.”
“How so?” Lady Axlya asked breezily, as if she herself hadn’t warned me of this countless times. “Olette and Daryan were joined in sacred matrimony, their union approved by the nation. Besides, she is engaged to my nephew, Lord Prentis, who we all acknowledged was next in line for the throne before we knew of Adara's existence. Jointly, the two of them have the strongest claim of anyone else in the kingdom.”
“And why is that?” Lady Mossi challenged. “Because the two of you are water fae?” Her upper lip curled, and the massive vase of flowers planted in the center of the table wilted, the edges of their petals blackening and curling inward beneath the onslaught of her anger. “I don’t know how Lord Oren feels, but I, for one, believe that the water fae have held the throne long enough. It's time for another house to rule."
“Another house.” Lord Oren scoffed, speaking up for the first time. “You meanyourhouse.”
Lady Mossi drew herself upright. “If you have a qualified candidate to present to us, by all means, bring him or her forward. But Slaugh has already made his claim, and he is a far more worthy candidate than Adara. He is a full-blooded Edirian who has served the realm faithfully for decades, and has far more experience than Adara. Besides,” she added, tilting her head up in a manner that could only be described assnooty, “it’s clear from the timing that Adara was conceived out of wedlock. Olette and Daryan couldn’t have had time to consummate their marriage before he was killed—therefore, Adara is illegitimate.”
I clenched my fists beneath the table as the three rulers bickered about legal precedents, as if I weren’t sitting right here. A quick glance told me that Einar was just as enraged about these petty arguments as I was, and I had to remind myself that this didn’t truly matter.
The most important thing was completing the ritual, which I would still do whether or not I became queen. The rest was just noise.
“I don’t think you have any room to talk, considering how you earth fae breed like rabbits.” A snide comment shot from Prentis to Lady Mossi drew me back to the conversation. “How many children have you personally popped out, both in and out of wedlock? I think the number of bastards you have are in the teens, at least?”
Bright pink blossomed beneath Lady Mossi’s red clay complexion. “How dare you,” she hissed, her jade green eyes glowing. The flowers on the table burst into violent life, tendrils skittering across the table in Prentis’s direction. Prentis leapt to his feet, his water whip already unfurling, but I was faster. I slammed my fist into the table, and ice burst from my hand like a shockwave, spreading across the wood and stopping the approaching flora in its tracks. The vase and glasses exploded, forcing us all to duck beneath the table to avoid the glittering shards. When I lifted my head, the entire table had transformed into a block of ice, the flowers trapped within.