Page 31 of Secrets and Starlight

The headache had passed, but his increased presence remained. I could sense the shadows around him stronger than before, far more certain of exactly where he was. The sense of death was far less alarming than before, becoming a natural part of him.

It made me wonder what sensation my magic gave him. Was it like trapped starlight ready to burn? Because that’s what I felt. So much power with nowhere to go.

Except I couldn’t lose control. The guests had watchful eyes, and I’d already gathered more attention than I wanted. As the skin prickled on the back of my neck, I struggled to keep my limbs loose.

Aida’s curious,I reminded myself, working to stay in character as we approached the throne room.

My stomach pitted as I stepped into the pavilion. Made from so much marble, the throne room was blindingly bright in the daylight, but even that couldn’t hide the way countless fae turned toward me.

“Ah, Aida!” The Starlit King motioned to me from where he sat. “The surprise guest of the hour. Come closer, my secretaryand I had a few questions about Valterra we hoped you could answer.”

Chapter eleven

Long Shadows

Zayne

To her credit, Ayla’s hesitance to the Starlit King’s request, with her eyes wide and a growing blush, gave the illusion of an awestruck admirer. Only I could feel the way the attention set her nerves on fire.

She’s so much better at pretending than she thinks.

I hoped she could feel some of my admiration.

She stood taller, approaching the King and his fellow fae. The two had taken one of the many small, circular tables now strewn throughout the pavilion, each claimed by a royal house or merchant guild. The chatter was light, everyone waiting for the discussion to begin.

“How can I be of service?” she asked, reaching the king.

“We were wondering, with regards to the loyalty of their people, how does it sway?”

Ayla cocked her head, clearly confused by the question. “The queen is well loved.”

“Queen Aveline is ill.”

Ayla blanched. “I didn’t know.”

The king’s secretary, surrounded by parchments, spoke up. “The queen’s condition has been kept quiet, but we have contacts within the court. And if we’re in the business of asking you about Valterran sentiment, you should also know that the queen’s bastard has gone mysteriously missing.”

“Princess Ayla?” She swallowed. “The part-fae eldest.”

The Starlit King leaned closer. “Did you know her?”

Ayla shrugged. “I’ve seen her. We visited some of the same fiddle bars—Valterra only has so many of them—but we never did more than dance.” She took a steadying breath, and I sent her all the calm I could muster. “What happened?”

The secretary answered. “To the bastard princess? She vanished on the night of Princess Mariana’s coronation ball, so it’s thought she ran away out of spite. As for the Valterran Queen” —he sighed— “she’s taken to her rooms and sees almost no one but her daughters and the physicians. My correspondents can tell me nothing more.”

“She doesn’t see the King Consort?” Ayla asked.

“It seems not.”

“Which is the reason we’re curious,” the Starlit King continued. “If something has happened to their beloved queen, who are the Valterran people more loyal to, the King Consort or the Princess Heir?”

Ayla glanced away, deep in thought, her concerns radiating into me. The whole situation was alarmingly relevant to this assembly. Grayson, the King Consort, had only married the Queen to secure an alliance for the movement of fae goods.

He was a prince of a southern kingdom—one of many countries that sprawled across the continent beyond the mountain ranges that separated Valterra from the remainder of the human kingdoms. In the years since the collapse, while fae goods had become sparse in Valterra, they had become exceptionally rare further south.

If Grayson took control of Valterra, he would certainly facilitate the movement of fae goods further south. It had always been his goal.

Finally, Ayla answered. “Why would the people have to choose between them? I thought the King Consort and Princess Heir were friendly, so she would ascend, and he would support her. After all, she is his firstborn.”

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