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A grimace. ‘Exactly.’

Because even the serene peace of the Cobalt Court wouldn’t last if, a few hundred miles away, the Crimson Court threw itself back into senseless warfare before the decade was over … And how would we ever sleep soundly in our beds if we knew troublewouldbe coming from that direction sooner or later?

I buried my face in my hands. Somewhere in the distance, a roar of triumph went up – the alves hunting fae defectors, lost in their game, having no idea that a few hundred strides away, in a quiet conversation between the reeds, crowns were being handed around like flower baskets. The Crimson Court … Unsalvageable, the rational side of my mind informed me. A pit of vipers loyal to no one but themselves. And yet … hadn’t we seen even the most fixed of loyalties waver in the past few days?

Which meant …

‘What if we hand it over to Thysandra?’ I said, lifting my head.

Creon’s eyebrows shot up half a mile. ‘What?’

‘We could make Thysandra deal with the Crimson Court.’ Now that I heard myself say it, the idea somehow seemed far less outrageous than it had at first spark. ‘At least she hassomesort of moral code, and I’m pretty damn sure she wouldn’t do half a job. If she accepted the responsibility, she’d either manage it or die trying.’

‘Ifshe accepted the responsibility,’ he retorted, visibly wrestling with far less nuanced replies. ‘As far as Agenor told me, she’s locked herself back into her cell after spilling the secret of the bindings and has refused to speak a word to anyone since, Naxi included. I doubt a court is what she’s looking for right now.’

‘I wasn’t really planning to give her achoice,’ I said, straight-faced.

He huffed a laugh. ‘Monster.’

‘It’s better than keeping her in that cell for years.’ I shrugged. ‘For all we know a new goal in life might be exactly what she needs, now that she’s given up on pleasing the Mother.’

Creon groaned, rubbing his face. ‘And if we’re unlucky, she interprets that goal as “restoring the Crimson Court to its former glory”. I’m not sure if that’s a risk you’re willing to take, given what she’s capable of.’

An even more outrageous thought whispered its way into my mind. ‘Do you still think it’s a risk if we send Naxi after her?’

He stared at me.

‘That is,’ I amended wryly, ‘I’m not sure anyone couldstopNaxi from going after her – but if she’s going anyway, we may as well ask her to make sure no one tries to turn into a second Mother and—’

His befuddled laughter interrupted me. ‘Cactus, how in the world do you keep coming up with these mad suggestions and somehow persuade me to like them, too?’

‘It’s brilliant, isn’t it?’ I beamed at him. ‘And if it doesn’t work out after all … Well, who knows. We might get bored with the peace. A little scuffle to restore order at the court may be just what we need in twenty years’ time.’

‘Twenty years?’ The gleam in his eyes went suddenly dangerous. ‘Oh, you’re underestimating in just how many ways I’m planning to keep you entertained for the time coming, Thenessa. Tell me if you need a list.’

My cheeks heated. ‘I’m trying to work out world peace, you degenerate!’

‘And doing an excellent job of it.’ He raked a hand through his hair, the black strands gleaming like silk in the sunlight – a gesture thatmusthave been designed to make my mouth go dry, the way it emphasised the sharpness of his features, the grace of his movements. ‘So what exactly do you have left to decide now, if I may ask?’

I stared at him, my mind suddenly vacant.

‘Because to my humble ears’ – the flash of a smile on his face was anything but humble – ‘it rather sounds like you’ve covered everything of importance for now. Other people will be far better suited to deal with the administrative nitty-gritty of it, and either way, that can wait a few days. There are lives to be saved first.’

‘Yes, but—’

‘Which means,’ he continued, as if I hadn’t interrupted him, ‘that the next urgent point on your list is to take a break andcelebrate, Em. You just singlehandedly won an entire bloody war on behalf of us all, if I need to remind you. You’re done. You’re free. So unless there are any other existential doubts we urgently need to discuss …’

Those doubts.

Those cursed unknowns that had sent me floundering into this hiding place, far away from every enviable person whoknewwhere they belonged, every fortunate individual with a purposeto fulfil and a home to return to … I tried to find them now, festering where the triumph should be, and found …

An image.

Of long black beaches at dusk, the sky a primrose pink deepening to violet. Of stone arches towering over the surf, a rugged cliff beyond, and crumbling walls rising from its edges, looking out over the crashing waves. Overgrown gardens and the quiet wilderness beyond, beckoning to be explored …

How had I never thought of it as a place to call home before, when it slid into the blanks of my future so very easily?

‘No,’ I whispered, heartbeat finally settling. ‘No more doubts.’