Page 66 of A Court So Dark
We had left the breakfast table and were now in Naesala’s study. She had left us to argue, saying we were giving her a headache. I didn’t blame her. We’d been in here for an hour, trying to dissuade Kalyll.
“You can’t take such a risk.” Jeondar stood next to a tall bookcase and spoke with his usual composure. “You need to stay in Elyndell and get back on the throne. You can stop the deployment of the Seelie troops and keep the Summer and Spring courts from war.”
“Only for the moment,” Kalyll replied. “War will still come to them. To all of us. This isn’t an opportunity we should squander.”
“No one said anything about squandering the opportunity,” Kryn said.
Rubbing his forehead, Kalyll sighed and took a seat in one of the empty armchairs. “For the last time, I’m not letting anyone take my place. It’s too dangerous, and I would never ask you to—”
“You’re not asking. I’m offering,” Kryn said, nearly shouting.
In one swift, abrupt motion, Kalyll rose to his feet and actually shouted his next words. “I am your king, and you will obey.” His voice was so deep, several octaves lower than his natural tone, that for a moment, I expected Wölfe to make an appearance. But, though his eyes flashed for an instant, his features didn’t turn razor-sharp.
No one dared speak, not even me.
“I will pose as Mylendra, then,” Cylea said.
Arabis shook her head. “No. I will. No offense, but my power might prove more useful.”
Cylea threw her hands up in the air. She resented her simple power of plant healing. She would’ve likely preferred being able to turn people into empty husks.
“Yes, Arabis can—” Kalyll started, but I interrupted him mid-sentence.
“I will go with you.”
Kalyll’s head whipped in my direction, and I could almost see the protest hanging from his lips. But he bit it back, and though he clearly didn’t want me to join him on this mission, it seemed he remembered the promise he’d made me.
“You two are insane,” Silver said. “But I respect it.”
The others gave him a dirty look.
“What?” he said. “I do. I like knowing that my king and future queen are honorable, that they are willing to make sacrifices, and don’t only expect others totake the bullet.” He winked at me, proud of the use of another human phrase.
It was easy to see the others holding back their protests. They were not only frustrated. They were angry, and I understood why. If Kalyll died doing this, his death would bring about everything he was trying to avoid. Cardian would remain king. The Seelie troops would march to the Summer and Spring Courts while the Unseelie Court threatened the Fall and Winter Courts from the north. The war that would ensue would likely destroy Elf-hame, and whoever survived the atrocities of the conflict would end up living under a reign of terror.
But if Kalyll didn’t do this, the outcome might very well be the same. Mythorne wasn’t backing down now, even if Kalyll retook the throne. War would still come. Elf-hame would still suffer.
So yes, I understood why Kalyll wanted to take this chance, why he wanted to infiltrate the Unseelie Court while pretending to be his father, Earl Qierlan.
And if I had to change my appearance once more, this time to that of the woman who almost became Kalyll’s wife, I would do it because nothing and no one would keep me away from him.
CHAPTER 24
DANIELLA
Therewasnotimeto waste. The Earl would be taking Mylendra to Nerethien tomorrow, so we transferred to the vicinity of the Qierlan castle immediately. We couldn’t appear inside due to blocking spells, but Kryn knew how to get us in unnoticed.
The entire group—except for Shadow, Kalyll had ordered her to stay behind despite, or perhaps due to, her eagerness to accompany us—materialized in a patch of woods behind a tall stone wall.
As Kryn made his way toward the front entrance, where he could waltz in unbothered, the rest of us skulked behind the tree trunks until he appeared at a small private gate and let us in. Once inside, he guided us down several winding passages until we arrived at his chamber, and he locked the door behind us.
Exhaling in relief, I set down my messenger bag on a tall, round table adorned with a vase full of roses. Their scent brought back panicked memories of my time trying to climb out of the depth of my frozen sleep, and I had to step away in order to think clearly.
Kalyll walked up to me and rubbed my arms for warmth. “Are you all right?”
I had no idea how he always knew when I needed him. “I’m fine now.” I wrapped my arms around his waist and rested my head on his wide chest.
He pressed his nose to the top of my head and inhaled as if I were an infusion from an aromatherapy machine, and he was drawing peace and calm from me, which was exactly how I felt about him.
