Page 79 of Queen of Thorns
“Caelynn is settled?” she asks without looking up.
“Yes,” I say, mouth dry.
“Good.” She looks up for the first time since I entered the room, her amber eyes focusing on me. “It’s for the best.” Her smile is reassuring, but it only causes my gut to clench even harder.
Where is your shade witch mate?the voice echoes through my mind
I bite the inside of my mouth and force a nod.
“Reigning without a partner will be a challenge, but you are more than capable, Reveln.”
“Thank you,” I say, voice still too quiet. My chest still tight. But I do mean the words. Her confidence in me is encouraging.
“The council will be meeting later this afternoon. There have been a few events we must discuss.”
“Events?”
The queen nods. “More wraith attacks. Two fae deaths in the Twisted Forest last night and an attack on the Whirling Court palace.”
My stomach drops. “What... will be done?” I ask carefully.
“We are completing our investigation on the rebels. Three have been arrested and interrogated, they are awaiting trial. And on the wraiths, we have traced the attacks to wraiths residing in the Cave of Mysteries.”
My heart pounds, mind spinning. The pieces all align. An attack on the Whirling Court, wraiths inside the shadowlands... Drake is planning to attack the Shadow Court. He is building his own justifications.
“The Whirling Court, what has been their response?”
“They are reasonably increasing their defense.”
“Defense. You mean they are assembling an army.”
“I have spoken with the King Tommin. They will attack no one without clear cause. We do not have a cause if we do not know who orchestrated the attacks.”
“Drake did,” I mumble.
“Excuse me? Do you really still believe that narrative, Reveln? I know you do not trust Drake, you believe him in bed with the monsters you fight, but do you really think he’d attack his own court?”
“He would if it gives him justification to attack the Shadow Court.”
The queen shakes her head. “You concern me, Reveln. You do not think clearly when it comes to her.”
I stand, chest heaving. “No. I think very clearly. The Night Bringer sent Caelynn a message telling her he would destroy everything she loves. An hour later, we learned of the rebel attack and Kari’s injury. He can’t attack Caelynn outright, so he’s looking for ways to take away everything she cares for. Including the Shadow Court. He will vilify her court using the rebels—a real issue, I admit, but one we could handle. He will use that threat to justify the destruction of her entire court. It makes all the sense in the world.”
The queen takes a long breath through her nose. “Sit, Reveln.”
I obey, but my face is still hot, my heart still pounding.
She taps her forefinger on the table for a full minute, staring at the chandelier of flickering flame. “You believe the Night Bringer is behind all of the wraith attacks.”
I nod.
“Did you know that the shadow rebels have been known to work with wraiths in the past?”
I frown.
She sighs. “The Whirling Court is not acting on anything yet. We have a council meeting tomorrow to discuss this. Take time to consider how you will approach the issue with the council, and get a firm grip on your feelings.”
I nod, forcing long breaths.
