Page 17 of Trial of Thorns
Annoying. Vain. But lovely.
She’s also one of the strongest fae in the competition, and as the High Queen’s niece, incredibly influential, so I forgive her vanity. We all have our vices.
Beauty without substance is a weakness. Beauty with power behind it? That’s what faeries are all about.
“So, what happened? Something happened, right?”
“We ran into the murderer on the trails.”
Her eyebrows flick up. “Is she alive?”
“For now.”
Brielle nods, fire burning in her amber eyes. “If you don’t do it, I will you, you know?”
I don’t respond to that.
“Or Rook. Or Nante. Or Crevin. Any of us. If you ask it, we’ll do it. We want her gone. We want her dead. And we want you as king.”
“You want me as king, but how many of my friends will lay down this competition to assure it to me?”
She purses her lips. “None.”
I nod. “I very well may need this win. The queen is not a fan of mine. My father’s outbursts have not helped my case. And with little to no accolades to my name, other than a famous dead brother, I need this.”
She sighs. “We won’t lay it down, but we will work together. We’ll cancel out any threat other than each other. Starting first with that witch. Then we’ll work it out from there. You need to prove yourself more than you need to win.”
“I need both.”
She nods. “Prove yourself first. Trust us in the beginning while we have a common enemy.”
“Then we turn on each other.” My voice is low, harsh. I won’t be looking forward to that part of the trials, but I know they’ll come. I know my own friends will rip my head off in order to win. Each one of us want to be the hero.
But only one of us can have it.
Caelynn
