Page 105 of Kiss the Filthiest King

Ichor.

It still does the trick; my blood may not be exactly like my mother's anymore, but it has the high queen's authority over those immortal prison cells.

The door disappears, freeing the first and most terrible of our many prisoners.

In each court, there's a primal tree and a gate that I open, after extorting promises of peace from each occupant.

We're all surprised Eris chooses to remain where she is, in the court of bones, right below Valdred's keep. "Mine is a thankless office. If someone else wants it, it's for the best."

I frown. "Wouldn't you at least like to be free to roam?"

"Would you like strife and retribution to take root in the hearts of all your subjects?"

I leave her to her isolation, promising to visit and bring wine.

"I wonder if due to her influence that bone is so brutal?" I ask Ryther, thinking about the way Valdred grew up in the fighting pit.

"You're sure we can’t ship her off to another world?"

"I'd rather not force her to do anything."

And I certainly won't forget to bring the wine I promised.

There's no need for any of us to be enemies, provided they're reasonable.

It takes all day, but at long last, we return to the palace in the Hollow. I am curious about the wild, but more so about everyone we left asleep, or, in the case of my brother and sister, very concerned.

Hypnos kept his promise; everyone's awake, and greets us with cheers and screams.

I receive a hundred crowns—several from every court, including wings. The duchess writes to me, albeit a little formally, addressing her letter toHigh Queen Darina. Reina, the bright queen, visits herself, bringing wagons of flowers, fruit trees, and crops, plus the staff to tend it all. Her court feeds most of Ilvaris, and the seeds she brought will grow even in our winter nights, making the Hollow the only land completely independent from hers.

The tributes are nothing; the unvarnished fact I'm no longer prey and a target is what matters.

"You deserve it," Ryther reminds me.

I shake my head. "Not yet. But I will."

There's one thing I intend to do for Ilvaris. I've not told Ryther, preventing him from glimpsing the vision in my mind, lest he stop me.

The lords and ladies of the court will come to the Hollow for a conclave on the next solstice. He'll hear about it then, like everyone else.

I know that if it wasn't for the power now coursing through our veins, the gods locked up here would have gladly decimated Ilvaris on their way out. We stopped them. But it was Gaia and her mate's decision to let us be that truly saved us.

All of a sudden, I have to wonder about everything that brought us here. The decisions my mother made about Loch and me, and even the nixie whose head currently rests on my lap.

Did she see this? Did she realize Loch would live, that Death would be released without destroying every living thing, that so many horrific creatures would spare this land because it would be under the protection of Gaia's power, only if she took this path? Petrify her own daughter, banish her to a world where she'd suffer every day for decades, force her son to sacrifice himself for hundreds of years? All for peace?

But no. Morrigan was just a bitch.

Right?

46

BROKEN

Darina

Given the last time the leaders of Ilvaris came to the Hollow, I wasn't looking forward to welcoming them again, but this time, they come as friends, with a generous tithe, and plenty of praise.

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