Page 45 of Queen of Thorns
“She’s going to see the queen?”
“No,” someone says. “Sheisthe queen.”
Uncertain understanding seems to settle in some of the onlookers, others remain dubious or concerned. Some eyes turn to me. Hatred and curiosity swirl in stormy dark eyes, but the focus remains on Caelynn. Her dark cloak billows dramatically.
I realize that this is something I’ll never have. Taking the High Court crown will ever be like this. This is something more. Something bigger.
Something sorightI’m shocked I hadn’t seen it before.
Caelynn could have never remained in the High Court, and I think it took me seeing this place firsthand to understand that. I wanted to give her what she wanted, to grant her wishes, even if they pained me, but this, I realize now, is and always has been fate.
Almost like... her kingdom—her court—is her true mate.
She belongs to it, as much as it belongs to her.
I’m not jealous that something else has as strong of a claim on her—if not stronger—as I do. But I am jealous that I don’t have the same sense of belonging.
Which is maybe a silly thought considering I’m the High Heir. I’ll be the High King in a few years. I’ll have more power than anyone else for a full century.
But somehow this, this is more meaningful.
My twinge of jealousy is fleeting, though. I am so incredibly happy for my mate, who is finally getting what she deserves.
I don’t want to distract attention from her right now, but I ache to follow. To witness this.
I slip into the crowd, moving down the alley below the palace, where hundreds now wait, watching.
“It’s Caelynn,” they whisper.
“Caelynn the assassin?”
“The hero!”
My stomach twists as the people whisper excitedly about Caelynn’s most famous act—killing my brother. Not that I blame her for it, not anymore, but there is still an ache in my gut when I hear people speak of it with glee.
I try to understand. To them, my brother was a symbol of power that was stolen from them. He was a powerful prince from far away that none of them had ever seen. A prince that would not have cared for them.
That was true for Reahgan, but not for me.
Though, I admit to not understanding the full scope of what’s happened in this court. Or why. Without Caelynn, I wouldn’t have ever realized.
I push forward, closer to the gates.
The ground trembles, and my heart plunges. A crack appears straight down the middle of the Shadow palace gates, growing steadily as it swings open.
Gasps reverberate through the crowd, and still more than a hundred feet away, Caelynn stops in the middle of the street. The crowds file in but leave a wide-open gap where Caelynn stands before the gates.
At the top of the steps, a female in a billowing black dress and shining black crown stands.
“The queen,” someone whispers.
The Queen of the Whisperwood, the current Queen of the Shadow Court, is waiting for Caelynn.
