Page 147 of Beneath a Shattered Sky
Her males are already pulling her away, and I listen shamelessly to them banter between themselves as they head for the door, giving us a wide berth.
“Val’s gonna be so pissed. We weren’t supposed to be gone this long.”
Nilsa scoffs. “Well, he should’ve come with us instead of babying his boat.”
“Ship, princess. It’s a ship.”
“You know she only calls it a boat to mess with the captain, right?”
The doors close behind them, and I sigh, resisting the urge to run after them and interrogate them. Learning about their realm and their Goddess would be so much more interesting than dealing with Cedwyn, Hawkith, and the rest of these assholes.
I nod to Bree, who releases the magic on a suspiciously calm Cedwyn. One glance at the stray wisps of his aura reveals it’s a façade. That awful puce colour has deepened, becoming twisted with shoots of red rage.
That’s fine. I’m furious, too. I swing down from Wraith’s saddle and take a step forward, my hand finding Jaro’s fur as I use his presence to steady myself.
“I will be blunt. I have been played for a fool by every single minor royal I’ve encountered so far, King Cedwyn. So whatever excuses you have undoubtedly saved up, I don’t care to hear them. I am owed your vow of allegiance, and you will give it to me. Your army will join Spring and Autumn and help me reclaim Elfhame City from the Fomorians before any more of my people are killed. Are we clear?”
I stride forwards as I speak, drawing closer and closer to the throne.
“I don’t have to—” he begins, every inch the confident, unaffected ruler.
“You don’t.” I call his bluff. “But I have very little patience remaining. If you refuse, I have a hungry barghest and a bored redcap who would be happy to fix our little issue, and you have a brother who can inherit your throne. I’m tempted to do it myself simply for how you’ve treated my mate. I am not pleased witheitherof the noble houses of Winter.”
That last sentence is all Danu. The two of us are so closely entwined right now that I can’t tell where she ends and I begin. The Goddess is right there with me as I stare down the King of Winter and his… mate.
The king’s aura is reaching for her, and though Hawkith’s is perfectly shielded, I imagine hers must be the same. It’s a phenomenon I’ve noticed before with Prae and Gryffin.
“You’re mates,” I whisper, eyes darting between him and Hawkith. “Danu made you mates, and you… you twisted that gift into something that’s brought ruin to everyone around you.”
It’s there between them, so obvious to anyone with the sight who cares to look. But everyone else in the room has turned to literal stone at the revelation.
“It is no gift,” Hawkith retorts calmly. “No worthy mate would do half of what?—”
“As if I would ever mate the female whose father murdered my parents, and who tries to have me killed at every turn,” Cedwyn says at the same time, looking pointedly between me and Caed. “Not all of us are so eager to side with the enemy?—”
“I side withpeace.” Danu’s power ratchets up a notch, my body no longer my own as she shoves forward. “My Nicnevin works to bring about an era where all those who live in my realm may do so in harmony.”
Her power fades a little, giving me just enough room to take back control, and I work hard to summon the calming breath I need to continue.
“It is none of my business what you two choose to do to each other. Now give me your vow and send your armies to Elfhame.”
I don’t bother repeating my earlier threat. I let it shine in my eyes instead, the promise of violence there at my fingertips as Maeve and Mab crowd me on both sides, ready if I need them.
The seconds stretch on, becoming silent minutes as we size each other up. Danu is right there—probably the only reason I haven’t lost my nerve yet. Alone, I have no delusions about how much of a threat I am, but with the Goddess and my mates around me, I’m stronger than he is.
Just when I think he’ll call my bluff, he sighs and slips from his throne.
“I hope Danu knows what she’s doing, providing such an emotional Nicnevin to deal with the largest threat Faerie has ever seen,” he grumbles as he sinks to one knee. “I swear my fealty to Nicnevin Rhoswyn. Never will my deeds bring harm to her, nor shall I hear of harm to her, unless it is to obstruct it. I accept her as my Nicnevin, on condition that she rule my subjects with the Goddess’s fairness, and that she will perform all duties as they are written in the Treaty of Marlen. May Danu witness my vow and strike me down if I recant.”
The words are smooth, with only the slightest hint of reticence colouring his tone.
“Accepted,” I announce, before he can take it back somehow. “Now, we’ll need rooms for the night, and you might as well open up the city to all the fae who accompanied us on the pilgrimage.”
It’s rude and presumptuous, but honestly, he’s earned it. He should be lucky I’m letting him live.
After weeks of trekking through the snow and the cold, I want nothing more than a bed, and I imagine the same is true for the fae who faithfully followed us here.
I turn to Drystan, letting my shoulders fall just the slightest when I see the way his molten eyes have lit slightly with surprise. He didn’t think I could do it.
