Page 145 of Boundless

Stop, stop, stop,the voices in my head shouted, because the people were looking at melike that!Like they were disgusted. Like they were enraged.

And there were children there, too. Toddlers, older ones—they were all watching this man lie through his teeth while I shook in place and came apart on the inside.

“I do not come to steal your throne, brothers and sisters. I come to offer my services to guard it. To raise it from the ashes and the ruin it has become and return it to its previous glory.”

Applause.

The people believed him.

“No,” I whispered, but my voice was too soft.

“I have already restored the true Unseelie heir to his throne. My vision is peace. I will bring it here like I have in my own home, and the homes of others.”

Are you fucking kidding me?

“Liar.” The word came out of me from the bottom of my heart.

Lyall turned and looked at me, as if he was surprised that I’d spoken. “You dare call a king aliar?”

Motherfucking prick. Had he really no soul? Had he no morals, no conscience?

I moved, and my legs weighed a thousand pounds each, but they carried me forward down the stairs, until Maera practically jumped in front of me to tell me that that was far enough.

“That’s what you are, Lyall—you’re a damn liar. I saved your life. You almost ruined mine. You tried tokillthe Unseelie heir, tried to feed him to the dragons, and?—”

Laughter.

It was ice-cold and it cut me off—and Lyall continued, “Do you really think anybody will believe a word you say, mortal?” He turned to me with his whole body. “You don’t belong here. I am willing to let you leave, go back to Nerith, out of the kindness of my heart—but if you insist on spreading lies?—”

“For fuck’s sake, do you even hear yourself?!” I shouted at the top of my voice. Because no way was this real. No way could this man, with his golden hair and golden eyes, with his smug smile and red velvets, come in front of me, in front ofall these people,and lie about me in my very presence.

“You’reawful,Lyall! You are a bad man and a liar and a cheat!” I screamed, and so what that the people looked at me like I’d lost my damned mind? Maybe I had. IhopedI had, so that I may have a fucking break for once. “Don’t you dare stand in front of me and spit your lies—I will not stand for it. Not while I’m still breathing.”

A pause.

Nobody in our big audience made a single sound.

“Then perhaps I should change that.”

Those golden eyes I’d thought were the eyes of my savior, of a fuckinghero,for such a long time. Now, I saw what a truly rotten soul they masked.

A growl, and he looked down at Maera, but his smile only widened.

“I’ve come here to offer the good fae of the Frozen Court a solution. A way out. The Bastard King can hardly contain his own kingdom, but while he lives, I cannot help them,” he said—and I just knew that years from now, maybe even months, he was going to usethis very excuseto try to kill Rune and take overthe Midnight Court with the blessing of the fucking people—if he succeeded here today.

If he killed me and took over the Frozen Court first. Backed by the Ice fae.

My God, this is really happening…

And that was why I had to put a stop to this one way or the other, no matter how much it cost me. I would die first before I allowed the likes of this fucking monster throw me out of this kingdom I’d been fighting with my everything to save. This very realm.

“…and that is why, with a heavy heart, I’ve come to speak directly toyou, the people,” Lyall was saying.

My mouth opened and the scream was at the tip of my tongue—but someone else beat me to it.

“Nilah Dune is the chosen heir of the late Queen Veyra.Sheis the rightful queen that the Ice throne has chosen and accepted,” said the silver seer.

She’d come closer, had her arms to her sides, fingers pulled up in fists, and she wasshaking,though she tried to keep her chin up and her eyes ahead.