Page 34 of Queen of Thorns
The breath catches in my throat.
“You rebuilt it,” Rev says, voice hushed.
King Raijin nods. “There were bits and pieces lying around haphazardly. It was a safety hazard.” He shrugs casually.
The stone appears perfect. Brand new. No evidence at all that it was in pieces recently, likely days before, besides a few small pieces of rubble scattered within the dirt around it.
“When was it destroyed?” I ask, and I run my fingertips over the cool stone.
“Oh, at least a hundred years ago. All of the courts destroyed their Shadow portals by then. Some destroyed them the moment the Shadow Court was removed from the ruling courts. Some waited to see if the decision might be reversed. But eventually, every court gave in and accepted this new reality. I’ve heard that even the Shadow Court destroyed their portals out of spite—not that they’d work with no connecting portal.”
I sniff. “Why did you rebuild it if there is no place to connect it? If there is no magic?”
“Because I intend to finish it. I have a set of workers readying to travel to the Shadow palace to build the Crackling portal in the shadow lands and complete the spell to bind them. If you wait here for three days, we should have a portal ready to take you home.”
Rev
Achill washes overme as Raijin’s words sink in. He’s creating a portal from his court to the Shadow Court.A royal portal.
Caelynn is still as stone.
So many thoughts rush through my mind at this revelation. This is incredible for Caelynn, and for her court. I don’t think even Rai could fully comprehend the kind of hope this will give them.
There are some interesting political complications here—complications that Rai is willing to take on because he knows this means a lot to me.
He’s doing this for me.
I know how he feels about Caelynn. He has never acted kindly toward the Shadow Court in general. He made this portal because he knows that I love her. And he did it even before he knew Caelynn would choose to rule the shadow throne.
I can’t even fathom the level of courage and heart and sincerity this shows in a fae that has quickly become someone I consider a true friend.
After moments of standing in shock, I throw my arms around Raijin, pulling him into a tight embrace. He stumbles back with a laugh and then returns the hug.
“Consider it a gift to the new High Heir.”
I pull back, hand still firmly on his shoulders. “It’s incredible.”
