Page 137 of Realm of Wind and Vines
“Barely,” he growls, fury flashing in his black and silver eyes as he instead stabs his finger towards Draven. “But you don’t know that, because you didn’t see all the traps we walked right into.” His gaze snaps to the rest of us. “Malachi’s balls, you’re supposed to be smart. Do you have any idea how close we came to losing today?”
“But we didn’t,” Isera retorts, her eyes as hard as his.
“We almost did! And do you know what would’ve happened if I had been caught impersonating Bane Iceheart?” He flings his arm out and stabs his hand towards the horizon. “That fucking psycho dragon shifter would’ve made it his mission in life to slaughter every single person inside my court.” A snarl rips from his lungs as he rakes his hands through his hair. “I cannot keep risking my court like this.”
“Yes, you will,” Draven reminds him. “Because you don’t have a choice. So if you think our schemes aren’t good enough, feel free to actually start contributing more.”
“Contributing more?” He shoots Draven an offended glare full of disbelief. “We only pulled off this insane scheme because ofme. Because I ordered Nysara to glamour us.” Narrowing his eyes, he turns to Isera. “And I will not risk my court like this again until you prove that you are a descendant of the Seelie Queen’s second daughter.”
A hysterical laugh suddenly rips through the air.
I jump in surprise and whirl towards the source of it. Lavendera, who is now blinking her eyes back into focus, turns towards Isera and Orion while continuing to laugh. It’s a strange laugh. It doesn’t sound mirthful at all. Instead, it’s laced with insanity.
“No,” Lavendera begins, while still chuckling like a crazy person. “I can tell you, without a doubt, that Isera is not a descendant of the Seelie Queen’s second daughter.”
Dread crashes over me.Fuck.
Orion’s gaze sharpens as he snaps it back to Isera. “So, you did lie, little viper. Our entire bargain is based on a lie.”
“No,” Isera counters, keeping her chin raised and her expression one of calm composure. “I was telling the truth.”
He stabs his hand towards Lavendera. “She just told us you were lying!”
“And you’re just taking her word for it? Where is her proof? Can’t you see that she is just trying to sow discord? Because she is on the Icehearts’ side, for Mabona’s sake! Use your head.”
Lavendera stops laughing, and her eyes become serious as she looks between the two of them. “Isera is not a descendant of the Seelie Queen’s second daughter.”
“How can you be so sure of that?” Isera demands. “The dragon shifters claim she died, but her body was never found. So where is your proof? How can you prove that I am not a descendant?”
Pain flickers in Lavendera’s eyes. “BecauseIam the Seelie Queen’s second daughter.”
CHAPTER FORTY-SEVEN
My jaw drops. “What?”
“I always hear the whispers, you know.” A faraway look blows across Lavendera’s face for a moment as she draws her fingers over the scar that cuts across her cheek and jaw. “From people wondering how I got this scar. I got it in the war.”
“What war?” I breathe, my heart now pounding in my chest.
“Thewar.” Her gaze sharpens, and she looks from face to face with a serious expression on her beautiful features. “I was there. Six thousand years ago. I fought in the war. I was nineteen when the Icehearts decided to slaughter my entire people for a crime committed by a small group of outcasts.”
“I don’t understand.” I stare at her while shock and disbelief clang inside my skull. “How can you be over six thousand years old? That’s six times longer than a fae is supposed to live.”
“I know.” A laugh slips from her lips until it turns into a sob. Pain and insanity flicker in her eyes. “Trust me, I know.”
Dead silence falls over the thick woods for a few seconds as we all just stare at Lavendera. In the distance, dragons roar and beat their wings as they fly back and forth across the city, tryingto figure out where we went. But I can barely hear them over the ringing in my ears.
The first person to break the stunned silence is Alistair.
“Mabona’s fucking tits.” Anger pulses across his face as he flings his arm out and stabs a hand at Lavendera in accusation. “If you’re the daughter of the Seelie Queen, then why the hell are you fighting for the Icehearts now?”
Pain and desperation once again shine in her eyes. “Because only they can give me what I want.”
“And what is that?” I demand.
“The Soul of Trees,” a new voice suddenly says.
We all whirl around, half of us dropping into fight stances, before we find the source of the voice.
