Page 199 of Children of Fallen Gods

“Fey have gone missing. Not many of them, but the king is certain it is the work of the humans.”

“The work ofwhichhumans?” Max said. “There are millions of us, in hundreds of totally unrelated countries.”

“The humans did not care which of our people, our Houses, they had to slaughter to get what they wanted,” Ishqa said, sharply. “Forgive us if many are not willing to extend a greater courtesy, not when our—”

He shut his mouth abruptly, letting out a long breath. When he spoke again, his words were careful and measured.

“If I am to be honest, I hate your kind too for what you have done. But my king walks a dark, dark path.” He stepped forward, his gold eyes burning. “Perhaps I have not been clear. He wants to killallof you.Every last one.He is a great king because he values every Fey life. And for that same reason, he will be a ruthless adversary.” Those eyes fell to me. “And he has been looking for you, in order to do it. For what you hold. Forwhoyou hold.”

My mouth was dry, my head swimming. And through that fog, a slow realization fell over me.

The stare I felt in my dreams. The whispers. The reaching hand.

I have been looking for you.

No. They were just dreams.

You knew they weren’t just dreams.

My mouth opened, but I couldn’t speak. I felt as if I was going insane. As if the incredible odds against us weren’t enough. As if we didn’t already have such awful threats looming over us.

And now… this?

“Then I have some bad news for him,” Max said. “Reshaye is gone.”

Ishqa’s eyebrows lurched, even though the rest of his face remained completely still. “Gone?”

“Dead,” I said.

Ishqa frowned. “I do not know if it is possible for such a thing to die,” he said, quietly. “And he will still come for it, even if it’s just for the ashes. He is obsessed. He will never stop looking for it. Not in you.” His eyes slid to Max. “And not in you, either.”

Every time I closed my eyes, I saw that box full of hands. My nerves were raw, too close to the surface of my skin.

“And the Zorokovs?” I asked. “What role do they play in this?”

“The…Zorokovs?”

“The Zorokov family. The Threllians. The ones responsible for those— those things. The message they brought us came from them.”

Ishqa stared blankly at me. And then, realization flooded his face. “The king would be willing to craft temporary alliances. I have… left his inner circle. But the last I knew, there was talk of such a thing. Alliance with some humans, to get the numbers he needed to do what he wished. For all his faults… he is not willing to jeopardize Fey lives.” A wrinkle deepened between Ishqa’s brows. “If he has done that, then perhaps things are moving even faster than I feared. And it is greater proof than ever that we must act quickly.”

“I told you it’s gone,” I choked out.

Even if I wanted to help, I couldn’t. I was useless.

“I do not believe it is truly gone. It would be difficult, if not impossible, to truly destroy. If you let me try, I could—”

“You could what?” Max said. “Bring that thing back into the world? Everything that you’ve just told us is just another reason to leave it buried.”

Ishqa gave Max a look that veered on pity. “It will not remain buried. It is just a matter of whether we are the ones to use it, or he is.”

A shiver ran down my spine.

“We?” Max said. “And what would this ‘we’ do, exactly? Let’s say we agree. Let’s say we let you… let you use your mystical Fey magics to drag Reshaye back to life. Then what?” His gaze slid to me. “Does she become your weapon, in this plan of yours?”

Ishqa was silent, just long enough to give the answer he didn’t voice.

“I take no pleasure in asking you for this,” he said.

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