Page 91 of Song of the Heart Scale
“This is your chance, Klaus. To change everything. If you align with Damien—”
“You’re assuming he wants the throne,” Klaus interjected.
When I hesitated, he chuckled.
“What? You hadn’t thought of that?”
“Of course I have,” I lied. Damien didn’t want it, but I couldn’t tell him that.
“Hashe?”
I frowned.
Klaus took a few lazy steps closer, folding his arms as he towered over me. “What if I don’t want to align with Damien? What if I want the throne for myself? The fae ruled Elaria once,you know. Long before your dragons slithered their way into power.”
My stomach dropped. “Is that what this is about? You want the throne for yourself?”
I’d forgotten Klaus was the grandson of the last fae king. As such, he had the same right to the throne as Damien and Thorne. Shit. I should have thought this through a bit better.
He held my gaze for a long beat. Then he burst out laughing. “By the Immortals, your face! I haven’t had that much fun since I poisoned the wine at the High Council Summit!”
“You did what now?”
“Relax, Kitten. Just a mild laxative. For years afterward, they referred to it as the ‘Sitting Summit’.”
I groaned. “You’re a menace.”
“You love it.”
I didn’t argue.
He sighed, his expression turning serious again. “Truthfully, no. I don’t want the throne. I want my people safe. Free. Able to live and breathe and walk under the damn sun without some warlock binding their essence to tree bark.”
“You knew the iron was no longer holding your people to the forest?” I furrowed my brows in surprise.
He nodded. “It was why I made the bargain with you. To escape for a bit and figure it out. It was how I learned the mines were empty.”
“Then help me.”
He rubbed the back of his neck. “How?”
I grinned. “Maeve is fetching Garrick right now. When he gets here, he’s going to test the wards. If they’re as weak as I think, we may have an opening. Literally.”
Klaus squinted. “You think he has the power to free us?”
“You already know my family’s iron mines are drying up. The iron is what’s holding you here, so if the source is nearly gone... maybe the prison is, too.”
He let out a low whistle. “That’s clever. Dangerous. Possibly explosive.”
“Sounds a lot like me.”
He laughed again. “Fine. I’ll wait for your little warlock to show up. But Kitten?”
“Yeah?”
He stepped close again, his voice dropping to a whisper. “If you get us out and Damien turns out to be just another tyrant in prettier armor... I won’t hesitate to burn this world down.”
I swallowed. “Fair.”
