Page 36 of Curse of Thorns
I let out a huff that’s part laugh, part cry. “At least until your dwarf kings takes back his kingdom.”
Tyadin’s eyes shine. “A man can have two kings.”
“We can figure this out,” Caelynn says. “Do not let the queen or your father or anyone else see your weakness.”
“They’ll exploit it,” Ty agrees.
“So, you’re going to show up to that gala, with your head high and eyes bright. And you’ll show them the kind of leader you will be. Brave and poised, even in the face of adversity.”
I cover my mouth in my hand, not even believing what I’m hearing. From her. Caelynn of the Shadow Court. My brother’s murderer. The fae I vowed to kill.
And right now, she’s the only thing holding me together.
Caelynn
Isprawl out on theluxurious bed in my own room and stare at the invitation. The High Queen invited me, Caelynn of the Shadow Court, to a ball. Average members of the Shadow Court haven’t been invited to events like this in several hundred years. The Shadow Court queen hasn’t even been invited to ruling court events in a decade.
The fact that I was invited is significant, even if Rev doesn’t understand how much. I don’t know if the queen has ulterior motives, but I can’t discount the message this sends.
The Shadow Court matters.
There’s a gentle knock on my door, so I leave my invitation on my pillow and hop up to answer it. Tyadin leans against the frame, his hands in his pockets.
“What’s up?” I ask.
“Just checking on you,” he says.
I hold the door open wide, inviting him in. He enters slowly, eyeing the parchment on my pillow. “It’s crazy, isn’t it?” he says. “Being invited to the High Court palace.”
I rock back on my heels. “Yeah.”
“No one from the Crumbling Court has ever been invited.”
“Ever?”
He shakes his head. “One of the reasons the trials were such a big deal for us. They’d never recognized us as a court before.”
