Page 123 of Boundless

Lyall threw his head back and laughed. “You mean, the bastard king? Oh, he’s a bit…tied up at the moment. I will get to him once I’m done with you, though. You’ve caused quite the trouble, mortal.” A step forward, and the asshole spread his hands to the sides. “Thankfully, I was able to strike a deal with the Unseelie royals to put an end to this once and for all.”

That my heart broke still to see him like this made no sense. How I’d trusted this guy. How I thought I knew him. How I’d done everything in my power to come save his life.

No matter,I told myself. Rune was alive. Whatever he’d done to him, Rune was still alive, and right now everything else came second.

“I believe I should thank you lot,” said the woman to Lyall’s left—Codessa. Fucking hell, she was absolutely breathtaking with her bright ginger, long wavy hair, and those eyes that spitflames as she took me in. She wore a crown of gold, but she wasno queen.I couldn’t even tell you how I knew, but I felt it.

“After all those years trying to get inside this room, you finally made it possible.” Hands covered in silk gloves the same rusty color as her dress clapped. “I’ve always wanted to sit on that throne.”

“That throne isnotyours,” I said through gritted teeth. “It belongs to Hil. He is the legitimate heir.”

Silence.

The woman looked at the man, who also wore a crown on his head—a big guy with wide shoulders and a ginger beard that covered his mouth completely, his clothes the exact same colored velvet as hers—and they both exploded into laughter.

“Oh, how deliciously naive,” said the woman again, a hand to her chest. She had wide shoulders, too, and a tiny waist before the skirt of her dress flared out from the hips. She looked almost like a drawing rather than real. “You brought the legitimate heir to us, too!”

Then the man turned to Lyall. “The very last, I presume?”

“Absolutely. That is my seer’s prediction,” Lyall said without batting a lash.

My stomach twisted and turned, and it was difficult to make myself speak, but I did anyway. “He’s lying to you, whatever he told you. He plans to kill the both of you the second he gets the chance. Even if he doesn’t, the curse will. It will kill all of us.”

“How about we killyoulot first, and see what happens?” This from the man wearing that crown—Lox with his small eyes and his snake-like smile.

My God, he wasn’t kidding.

Yet somehow, I wasn’t afraid. Or maybe I was but I was ignoring it because what the hell would be the point of shaking in fear now?

“Lyall, don’t do this,” I whispered, even knowing that he wasn’t going to listen to me—of course not. This was allhisdoing. He had been waiting for us to fall in his trap possibly since Ashfall. And we’d played right into his hands.

“I didn’t even have to do much. You did everything for me, brought yourselves in front of me all at once.” Crossing his arms in front of his chest, he grinned. “At this point it would be criminalnotto take advantage of this opportunity.” A step forward, and my skin rose in goose bumps. “I told you you’d regret turning your back on me, filthy mortal. Iwillhave my rule, and the likes of you isn’t going to stop me.”

His voice dipped dangerously low, and for a second there, I swear hetransformedright before my eyes into the man I now knew him to be, the man who would brag to Hessa about the brilliant way he’d thought of killing me—through Rune. The man who would throw his best friend into a fighting ring with a giant to get rid of him.

The man who would really stop at nothing.

It’s done,a part of me whispered in my ear, and that thought chased all others away instantly. My hands no longer shook, and when Lyall and the other two exchanged glances and whispers, I didn’t even care to hear it. It wouldn’t make any difference. This was where we were now. It was time to play the cards we’d been dealt.

So, I leaned down on one knee, put my arm over Maera’s wolf. She was still baring her teeth at them, growling low in her throat, and they watched us curiously, together with the soldiers spread to the sides and the morvekai standing sentinel at their backs.

With my eyes closed, I hid half my face behind Maera’s ear before I whispered, “Find Rune, Maera.”

A growl—she saidno.I understood it as if she’d said the word.

“Pleasefind him. I can handle this. Trust me,” I insisted, gripping her soft fur. “Trust me and go find him.”

“Come, now. Don’t make this more difficult on yourselves. The harder you fight, the more it will hurt,” said the fake queen, stepping closer to us, and by the sound of her footsteps, she wore high heels underneath that dress.

I stood up as Maera growled again—at her—and the woman flinched.

“Ugh—nasty,” she said, disgusted. “You—come down here at once. Let me see your face before I cut off your head.”

This she said to Hil.

I looked back only for a split second to find him standing in front of the throne chair, completely disoriented, but he didn’t look afraid. He looked like the wheels were turning in his head, but he didn’t look afraid.

Or maybe he hid it. Because I was scared shitless right now, but I wasnotgoing to back down or go down without a fight. There was magic in me, a lot of it, and hopefully it would be enough to push these people out of here. Hopefully, it would be enough for at least a little while, until Rune was free from wherever they’d put him, and we could leave, regroup, make another plan. Come back with a fucking army because Lyall was here.