Page 53 of Destined for the Fae King

“Before we begin, you’ll have noticed that our party is a little different than planned,” Elaine says, her strong, clear voice in sharp contrast to her aged appearance. It’s easy to see why she has such respect from the court, not to mention theking. No matter the effects of age and her human fragility, she carries herself with dignity and authority—it hangs about her like a cloak that she never needs to take off. “My son, Lysandir, is absent today, and I feel you should all know why.”

My stomach bottoms out. Adeline stares at me hard from across the table, and even though no one else turns their gaze from the dowager just a seat away from me, itfeelslike they do. I grip the seat beneath me so hard that I feel a fingernail give way against the wood.

“The Unseelie have breached our boarders and harassed a settlement,” Elaine says.

Gasps ring out around the table. I blink, my brows knitting as some of the tension loosens from my shoulders. The Unseelie?Of all the things I expected, that was not it.

“Was anyone injured?” Zoe asks.

“What happened?” Grace asks at the same time.

Elaine raises a hand, calling for silence. “Prince Lysandir and Captain Avara are investigating with a squadron as we speak, but know that we will not let such atrocities continue.”

Investigating. I shift in my seat. It implies the attack is over, but if they sent someone with his authority and a whole squadron of guards, it cannot be without risk.

“The ball,” Gabriella says. “Will it be safe for our families?”

“The Unseelie would be foolish to attack while the other fae delegations are present, and we’d feel their presence at our wards far before they could ever hope to make it remotely close to the capital,” Advisor Danai says with calm surety.

A round of murmured agreements follows, but I’m far less concerned about the upcoming ball than whatever Lysandir and the others are facing presently.

“Is the conflict ongoing? Prince Lysandir, and the others,” I tack on quickly, “are they at risk?”

“The conflict with the Unseelie is always ongoing,” Advisor Memnon grumbles from his seat next to Adeline. A bang of his tightly clenched fist on the table rattles the dishes. “We should take the offensive. Stop them before they can cause further harm.”

Advisor Efthymi lets out a dramatic sigh and leans back in their chair as if they’ve heard this speech a million times.

“This is hardly the time for a council discussion,” Elaine says. And though her voice never rises is pitch or volume, the rebuke is clear enough for Memnon to snap his mouth shut and frown toward the other end of the table.

“Indeed,” Vasilius echoes. But his voice lacks the softness of his mother’s, as does the hard look in his gaze as he stares across the room at nothing. “But I should be there to deal with them myself. To show that the Court of Fire is not to be trifled with.”

“Why aren’t you?” The table falls deathly silent at Bailey’s question.

Vasilius twists his head to stare at her, expression unreadable. A beat passes. Then two. I can’t help but sink back in my chair, bracing for the worst.

A huff of air slips from his nose, and the king’s features even out into a half smile that’s only for her. Thank God it was Bailey who asked and not anyone else. The thick bubble of tension seems to slip away as several of the women’s gazes dart between one another before settling back on the king who has yet to speak, caught in a silent conversation with the woman at his side.

I’m starting to think they don’t intend to let us in on it when Vasilius raises his arm and taps on the binding marks encircling his wrist. “Remember our bond? If I were to shift to the edge of my territory, for example, you would feel a strong tug on your bondmark that would persist until I returned. But for me, bound to you all, the pull would be excruciating.”

When he initially bound us, Inever considered that—that the protection the bonds offers us might have a negative consequence for him. Surely, they thought through that beforehand, but I wonder if they regret it now.

“So, I cannot go. Not unless you all go with me,” he finishes.

And there’s no way he’d take a bunch of human women into a war zone.

Bailey’s brows scrunch. “But if it’s for the good of the court…”

Vasilius shakes his head before finally turning to look at the rest of us. “My brother and Captain Avara are capable of dealing with the incursion for now. They’ll see that things are set right and our border is resecured.”

What’s probably supposed to be a reassuring grin breaks across his face, but it does little to settle my nerves.

“But,” he begins once more, this time with a pointed look at his stepmother, “once the ball is over, we may need to move to a city closer to the border so that I can address this threat myself.”

Elaine gives a dramatic huff. “Enough on that.” She claps once, the sound ringing through the open space. At once, fae servers snap into motion, bringing platters of food and pitchers of drink toward the table. “Let’s move on to happier topics, shall we?”

Conversation picks up. Food is scooped onto my plate. But I can’t summon much appetite for either. One thing is for sure, it’s going to be a long luncheon, but for entirely different reasons than I expected.

Chapter 21

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