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“You summoned me, My Lord.”

Never “Father.” Not in here.

She waited, counting the seconds as her father ripped off another piece of the chicken leg then sipped his wine. He’d never been one to hurry and she knew better than to grow impatient.

As a child, her knees often hurt from kneeling on the floor for hours. He claimed the lesson was to teach her patience and obedience.

She’d learned it well. And had used the time to contemplate all the ways she might kill him.

“Your brother’s scheme failed.”

She clenched her jaw but managed to keep the distaste from her voice. “I see.”

Raevina heard someone pour more wine into his glass. “I’ve convinced Brónach and Móirín that Fiadh had nothing to do with it and that my traitorous son acted of his own accord.” She heard the hateful smile in his voice. “They believe he was attempting to start a revolt against me to claim the throne for himself. As such, he’s been banished from the city.”

The words didn’t surprise her. Nor did her father’s lack of empathy for one of his children. Either you were strong enough to survive, or you weren’t.

She’d never been close to her siblings, and her younger brother was the only one she’d seen in the last few decades. The others were leading warriors or gathering intel on their enemies. Which seemed to be everyone these days.

She’d managed to listen in on her brother’s schemes in recent years. His words were enough to convince Raevina of her youngest sibling’s insanity. Still, she’d kept an eye on him.

And despite his questionable mind, her brother had forced Brónach and Móirín into a decade-long war. She knew the lady of Móirín had perished at The Demon’s hands, but Raevina wasn’t sure what her brother’s role had been in it all.

She was certain of one thing though: If her brother had gotten anywhere near that creature, The Demon would have ripped him in half.

Raevina refocused on the present. “Is there a task you’d like me to complete in his place?” Perhaps now was the time she could rise in rank. Prove herself, get close enough to her father so she could end him and his neglectful rule.

He took another long sip from his glass. “You’ve heard the rumors.”

It wasn’t a question, but she answered anyway, her head still bowed. “Yes, My Lord.”

“I need someone to investigate. Pádraigín is making their move to claim the female and I want a close eye kept on the situation.”

“You don’t trust their word?”

He hissed and she bit the inside of her cheek. “Have I not taught you better? We trust no one and nothing but ourselves. I will not get dragged into a religious mess over some false claim to a throne that doesn’t exist.” He sat back, but she remained still.

“You’ll go and put an end to it.” He swirled his glass. “And once you’ve done that, maybe you’ll finally earn your place in my council.”

Raevina tried to keep her heart steady. A place on his council. She’d get everything she wanted. Access to his whereabouts, his secrets, the plans he kept hidden from everyone else. She’d finally get the opportunity she’d sought for decades. A chance to put an end to the tyrant ruling Fiadh.

“You’ll also take account of those who are summoned to the royal city. I want names and descriptions along with the location of the city. The High Lord never saw fit to trust me with such information.”

She resisted the retort on her tongue. Because he knows what you’d do with it.

“Yes, My Lord.”

She watched the shadow of his hand wave her off. “You’re dismissed.”

Raevina rose with her head still bowed. She risked a quick glance at her father, a large male who hadn’t let his physique wane in the slightest in the centuries he’d ruled. His skin was dark, his jaw squared. He’d always kept his head shaved, with a dark, short, braided beard that carried beads within the twisted knots.

She averted her gaze, stepped back, then pivoted on her heel, her heart still hammering in her chest.

A chance. She finally had a chance, and all she had to do was kill a female the world claimed as their queen.

Chapter Two

Talon