Page 53 of King

I realize I lost track of Vernan while watching Mannus’s fate unfold. I whip my head toward the other doorway, expecting to see the end of his cloak disappearing down the hall. But he’s right where he was. Only now, he’s missing two eyes and bleeding from the hollow sockets.

Vernan is in shock, his mouth gaping open as he touches his face in disbelief. Beside him stands a pale Alpha wearing a far more composed expression than Vernan ever managed. Anders casually flicks the missing eyeballs from his claws, then looks up to find the three of us staring at him.

He quickly slashes Vernan’s throat like he’s been caught wasting time. Vernan crumples to the ground, instinctively clutching at the gaping wound. Anders leans down and wipes the blood from his fingers on Vernan’s cloak before stepping over the growing pool of blood on the floor. My bloodlust cheers for the intense Alpha, sated just by watching the attack. Anders is a real enigma. If he’s part elf as the seer believes, I can’t help but wonder if this is how the rest of them would fight.

We could certainly use more of that on our side.

It’s unsettling how quiet the room is with Vernan dying in the middle of it. Hopefully, the queen doesn’t exit this world so gracefully.

If she’s hiding, she’ll be in the dungeon with her mixed fae. If she’s feeling confident in her noble army, she’ll be holed up inher chambers. I decide to check her room first, not wanting to disturb the lost mixed fae if we don’t need to. We hurry down the deserted hallways, not passing a single living thing. Vaegon growls low in his throat as we pass the grotesque display of cruelty in the tapestry corridor. When the queen is dealt with, my son and I will burn every one of them off the walls. Along with every wall in this wretched place.

When we reach the queen’s door, it’s hidden by its usual illusion. I lean in and press my ear against the cold wood. I hear nothing. I glance up at the Alphas for confirmation and curse when they shake their heads.

“Let’s go in, anyway,” I tell them. “We might find something useful.”

Nothing ever stood out to me in her room, but she wouldn’t leave anything significant in the open. Still, we can spare a few minutes to check. I feel for the invisible knob and pull the door open. The Alphas follow closely behind me in case of any surprises.

The room is empty, just as we expected. Except for the ornate bed I spent hours being tortured in. My stomach roils, but I hold back my rage. It would have been so satisfying to kill her here, to stain her pristine, silken sheets with her dark, greasy blood. But she’s not here, and we have a mission to complete.

We tear through the room for any hint about where she might have gone, but nothing stands out. I drop the handful of enchanting crystals I found back onto her desk. The dungeon is our best hope now. I head toward the door, but Lucas steps in front of me, blocking my path.

“Wait,” he says, pointing to the wall beside me. “Someone’s in there.”

The queen’s room is at the end of the hallway. There shouldn’t be any more rooms on this side. I glide my hands along the smooth surface of the wall, searching for a doorknob. It takesa minute, but I manage to find a sliding bolt positioned at eye level. It’s unlocked, but the door is closed tight. I’m shocked that the queen is shamefully hiding in a secret room, but it gives me hope that she’s even weaker than we thought.

I pull on the bolt and open the wooden door as quietly as I can. The Alphas move closer as it swings open, revealing the unillusioned side to their view. I don’t know what kind of defenses she has in this unfamiliar room. Anything could be waiting for us. But whatever’s in there with her, it’s just as cornered as she is.

I let my magic swirl inside me. It pushes forth through my hands, igniting them in crackling blue flames. Vaegon stands by my side with arcs of blue lightning racing up and down his arms. Could I have killed the queen on my own? I think so. Would I have survived it, though? I’m not so sure.

The confidence I feel with my son at my side is more powerful than the adrenaline shoving its way through my chest. I throw open the door, and we surge inside, ready to confront whatever awaits us.

A shriek fills the air, but it isn’t the queen’s.

It’s someone I don’t have time for right now. Someone I forgot even existed. It’s Folas, and he’s curled up on the floor, hugging his knees and hiding his face.

The queen isn’t here, just this pathetic sack of slime trying to save his own skin. Before I can demand to know why he knows about this room, my attention is pulled away by the space itself.

It’s unlike any other room in the castle. It’s brighter. There’s a large window allowing the sun to spill a warm glow across the floor. To my left, a small bassinet with white, ruffled linens rests against the wall. Behind Folas stands a small wardrobe with pixies and moonflowers intricately carved into it. Every inch of the floor is covered with plush, fluffy white rugs. Shelves run along the walls, filled with jars of shimmery sprite dust andjumping bubbles, along with story stones and little instruments.

They’re toys. It’s a nursery attached to the queen’s own sleeping chambers.

“Do we kill him?” Anders asks flatly, pulling me back to the present and out of my surprise.

“Wait!” Folas croaks, holding up his hands. “Please, don’t. I know I’m an ass, Durin. I’m sorry. Just don’t kill me!”

“Where is she?” I demand, wishing I had time to enjoy his groveling.

“I-I don’t know,” he stammers. “When I heard an army was coming, I came here to hide with her, but she was gone.”

“Hidewithher?” I echo, wishing I’d looked into my curiosities about him. “What are you to the queen, Folas?” I demand through clenched teeth. “Tell me your role, and I won’t kill you... yet.”

He looks up, searching my face for sincerity even though he knows I cannot lie. After he finds what he’s looking for, he rises to his feet. He slowly straightens his robes, then utters the last words I would have ever expected.

“I’m her son.”

What the fuck did he just say?

“This was my room,” he huffs, twisting his fingers as he looks around. “It’s waiting for her next youngling, one less disappointing than me. But yes. I’m the queen’s son.”

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