Page 78 of A Bargain with the Fae King

“Two lovely ladies taking a stroll. That sounds quite enticing.” Sigurd’s rumbling laughter chases his words.

It’s all I can do not to cringe.

Solona’s pleasant smile thins infinitesimally, so slight I almost miss it. “This stroll is ladies only. You’ll excuse us for needing some time in each other’s confidence.”

“A pity. You wouldn’t rather catch up with an old friend?” He leans back in the chair, rocking on its legs, that terrible smirk back on his face.

“I’m certain we’ll have time for pleasantries later,” Solona says before turning her back on him.

She leads me away from the crowd, my arm looped through hers, until we reach the edge of the courtyard. My lungs filled with mossy, floral air as I breathe deeply, willing my body to relax.

“Sigurd called you a friend,” I whisper. “Is that true?”

Solona pats my arm. “An old friend, he said. And yes, once we were, long ago when our two courts were allies and mingled like this often.” She turns us around, her golden hem swishing on the stonework. She sighs. Her gaze both takes in the sights before us and is far away all at once. “We had parties like this often when I was younger. I looked forward to them.”

“Before Sigurd let Riven’s father die in battle?” I whisper, conscious of fae hearing which is, sadly, much stronger than my own.

A pained expression crosses her face. “Yes, just so. Riven told you about that, did he?”

I nod. “He said Sigurd could have saved him but chose not to.”

“That’s what we were told. I still wonder if we were too harsh and acted too quickly, cutting ties with the Court of Air the way we did.” Her gaze wanders back to where the kings occupy the main table.

Riven still wears the mask of the cocky, amused fae king, that side of him that’s so different than the one I know. He looks for all the world as if there are no problems weighing on his shoulders, as if his reign is strong, secure, his lands blossoming in prosperity, but that’s far from the current situation.

Her eyes follow my gaze, looking from me toward her king. Her voice drops low, conspiratorial, as she leans her tall form over to whisper to me, “That’s not him. Not his true form.”

“I know.” I do. He plays a game, the same way I’d been trying to play one all evening.

“Good.” She parts my arm again. “Don’t forget it. No matter what you see. He tries so hard to act like Theon, to project the unfailing confidence he had even unto the end.”

“Theon?” The unknown name has my brows wrinkling.

“Lutheon Silvanus, his father.”

“Oh.” My shoulders droop.

“He was beloved, respected. His reign a time of prosperity for the Court of the Forest.”

I study her expression, the softness in her dark eyes.

Riven’s isn’t so far. She doesn’t need to say it. This mask he wears, it’s all an attempt to act like his father, to be someone he’s simply not.

“Enough about that. More importantly, I wanted to tell you I found something that might help our cause.” Her hands clasp over mine.

I straighten, pulled up by the hope in her voice. “What?”

“Spells to heal their land. They’re old, complicated, but it might be enough to sway them.”

“That’s…” I’m speechless with relief.

Her smile is tight. “There’s no guarantee it’ll work, but I thought it may lift your spirits.”

Guarantee or not, it’s something.

Solona pulls me along, walking slowly back toward the assembly. “I have appreciated your company in the library.” Her voice returns to its regular pitch. The time for secrets is over. “Perhaps you’d continue to help me, even when our current quest is done? I’ve been looking into ways to improve the economies of the smaller cities, and I could use your assistance. If you’re willing, of course.”

A laugh catches in my throat. Before the accident, I’d been studying business. Focusing on growth and development strategies proved impossible after that. I dropped out, walked away from that dream. Well, took a mental health break was what I told everyone, but really, how could I go back? Still, there’s a kernel of my heart that leaps at the thought of stretching those mental muscles again. I’d been good, promising, one professor said.

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