Page 60 of The Mortal Queen

“Are all mortals as incapable of being silent?”

“Only the ones who know when to fear for their lives.”

“That’s the fun of all of it, isn’t it, princess?” Lir grinned wickedly. Aisling couldn’t argue, stumbling along after him as he led her to the edge of the forest.

Beyond the thinning woodland, in a wide and rocky clearing, rested three colossal mountains. But it wasn’t a clearing at all. In fact, this grey, gravelly expanse of mountain and stone was once a part of the forest, now caked with black dust. Dust that smothered the great crater, wilting all the greenery beneath it. And carved into the mountains were three large caves. They tunneled into the summits like gaping mouths waiting to snap shut. Dark and deep. Silent and eager. What Aisling imagined were bats, hanging from the cave’s gums and blinking back.

Lir shielded Aisling against a tree. The mortal queen opened her mouth to speak but Lir lifted his finger against his lips, silencing her. Were they near the Unseelie?

Lir reached for the mortal queen’s hand. His fingers holding her by the wrist, palm up. Aisling paled as the fae king then drew one of his throwing knives, the edge glinting yellow-gold and boasting its sharp edge.

“Remember, this is for your kind too,” he whispered. “Negotiations with the Unseelie could save us all the bloodshed of mortals and Sidhe alike.”

“Aren’t we waiting for them to find us?”

“They won’t approach if they know I’m with you,” Lir said, “so we’ve come to them.”

So, the fae king hadn’t planned to tether Aisling to a sacrificial rod, like she’d anticipated. A way to lure the Unseelie without Lir being near her, a fear Aisling hadn’t realized she harboreduntil now.

“And what of me as bait?”

Lir’s eyes flickered with something Aisling couldn’t place. “You’re still going to help.”

“How?”

“You’re going to lure them from their caves.”

Aisling’s legs grew numb as her gaze darted between the hollows: black, bottomless, and glaring back. Thresholds to the inner workings of the mountains, where some hideous, bestial aberration no doubt lurked.

“Why don’t you simply get them to come out yourself?” Aisling demanded, more curious than anything else.

“It wouldn’t be tactful to enter their lair with only a handful of Sidhe. Besides, the fomorians will interpret any such liberties as a direct insult and threat to their municipality. Territorial fiends.” Lir said, “I’m trying to avoid further bloodshed.”

The fomorians. That was who called this dreadful, stony expanse their lair.

The fae king slipped the dagger beneath the starlight tether, wrapped it around Aisling’s wrist, and pulled, severing the thread that bound the mortal queen and fae king together.

Aisling watched the thread uncoil and slither from her wrist, tangling about the floor: a silver snake.

“Aren’t you afraid I’ll run?”

“No,” Lir said. “I believe you’ll do anything for your kind.”

“And what if you’re wrong?”

“I’m not,” he said, meeting her eyes. “I know what it is to want to protect those you love. It’s not always possible but when it is, there’s little to prevent either you or I from doing so.”

“How do you know that?”

“Because you’ve already done it. By tethering your fate to mine,” he said.

Aisling’s heart panged––with what, she did not know. Only that it hurt. For her union to Lir felt like an eternity ago andall that occurred before their marriage was another life.

“Do not be weak,” Nemed had always told her. This was her opportunity to be as strong and as brave as her brothers. To participate in the danger of it all as she’d always craved. She couldn’t wither now. Not when she could play a hand in protecting her people from these beasts.

Aisling tried to swallow but her tongue turned dry and brittle, an immovable stone in her mouth.

“This is for cutting me beside Yddra,” the fae king said, lowering the knife to poke her fingertip. A ball of blood bloomed from the puncture, dripping onto the forest floor between them. Aisling winced, startled by the prick.

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