Page 47 of Crowns of Ice

It wasn’t hard to gather the laborers and other villagers in the middle of our small main street. Everyone was eager to learn how I fared, to know more of Cailis, and to learn why the prince and I had returned to my home.

I smiled as reassuringly as I could as I promised all of them that Cailis was safe, but I wished so desperately that I could tell them the truth. That, not only was my sister safe and alive, but my parents and brother were too. But our visit today wasn’t to divulge the truth of the haven on the Cliffs of Sarum. That would have to come later, when we knew the king couldn’t get to them.

One step at a time.

“Gather round. Everyone, come on now, get closer.” Nish made a swishing movement with his hands. He signaled all of the villagers to stand before me and the prince.

Haxil, Ryder, and Sandus did the same until wehad a crowd of a hundred fae, nearly all of the citizens from my home, surrounding us.

The prince placed his hands on his hips, his huge frame towering over everybody. The tips of his talons, one on each wing bone, shone like onyx in the sunlight.

I took a deep breath and gazed at the fae I’d grown up with. “I have something I need all of you to see. It’s the truth of what has been happening on our continent for the past full season.” My voice carried through the air as snow swirled around us. “I know you previously all believed that Prince Norivun was to be feared, but he’s not who his father has made him out to be. The king has been lying to you.”

Perplexed expressions shown on all of the villagers around me. Some looked to one another in confusion, others crossed their arms and waited for me to continue, but one of the villagers cocked his head, then yelled, “What are you talking about, Ilara? King Novakin has never lied to us.”

Nish grumbled from behind me, and Ryder’s lip curled.

The crown prince didn’t move a muscle. The stoic mask he always wore had descended, and it struck me that such a mask was how he’d survived. He’d grown accustomed to wearing his emotional armor when pitted against the fae he’d so desperately tried to protect. For winters, Norivun had done everything in his power to keep them safe.

And they’d hated him in return, none of them knowing the truth.

But today, their perception would change. I would make sure of it.

Raising my voice louder, I called, “I don’t expect all of you to believe me immediately. You know that Prince Norivun is my mate, so of course, I will do everything in my power to protect him. But what I’m about to show you is thetruthof what’s been going on, and it’s the truth of who King Novakin really is.”

I extended my hand to the prince. Slowly, he withdrew the looking glass and gave it to me.

A few mumbled in the crowd. Even though only two in my village had enough rulibs to afford a looking glass, everyone knew what they were.

I held up the magical mirror, the shiny surface reflecting the snow and sun. “Only weeks ago, we discovered the truth of what has been happening within our land. You’ve all heard the rumors. You’ve all heard that crops have been dying, our fae have been starving, and nothing’s been done about it.”

“Indeed we have, Ilara. It’s why Tormesh and your parents died!” a male called as a look of unease filled his face when he eyed my mate. They all still believed that my mate had killed my family.

I glanced at Norivun, emotion making my voice break when I said, “The prince is not who you believe him to be. He’s not evil. He doesn’t have a heart of stone. He doesn’t relish hurting those around him. The truth is that he’s been working tirelessly to prevent innocents from dying, and he’s done everything in his power to stop needless deaths.” I gazed at the crowd again. Ahush had descended over all of them, and I gathered my courage. My next words would condemn me as a traitor and undoubtedly seal my death if the council failed to dethrone King Novakin and if the king got me in his clutches again.

Steeling myself and knowing there was no turning back after this, I shouted, “The truth is that King Novakin is behind the poison that has spread throughout our land, killing the crops. The king has been causing dissent!”

Silence followed.

A few villagers shuffled their feet, most glancing at one another in confusion.

“Ock, that’s preposterous!” a female finally yelled from the back.

A few other villagers grumbled in agreement. Some even shook their heads in disgust as though horrified that I could even claim such a thing.

I fisted my hands. Everyone was so quick to defend the king. Taking another deep breath, I worked at calming my rage before igniting the magic that rolled between my shoulder blades. I called upon my angel affinity, and my wings burst from my back in a flurry of power.

A collective gasp emitted from the crowd—a crowd that several months ago had always thought I was a defective.

I shot upward, flapping my wings until I was hovering above them all, then used my air affinity to amplify my voice even more. Through the bond, I feltNorivun’s pride, his love, and his unfailing belief in me. I latched onto his emotions so tightly it felt as though he were in the sky beside me.

I used his unwavering support to fuel my courage, then thrust my arm out in front of me and activated the looking glass’s magic. “It’s not preposterous. It’s the truth. See for yourself.”

Light burst from the looking glass before a scene was projected over the crowd. I called upon all of the looking glass’s magic to portray what they needed to see, and the image projected in a huge recording in the sky.

Every villager’s eyes went wide. Their jaws collectively dropped as the scene of what we’d done in Isalee began to unfold.

“The crown prince and I found the source of the deadly poison that had seeped into our land. It took all of our magic and the help of a male from theotherrealm to destroy it.”

---