Page 150 of Boundless

“This token was created and given to King Helem by the Ice Queen. We offer it back to you. The Frozen army belongs to its queen.” My hand was moving—why is my hand moving?!I couldn’t really control it, but it was moving because there was something about that diamond, and every fiber in me wanted me to grab it.Now.

So, I did.

I took the diamond from his hands, and it was vibrating worse than the rest of my body.

“Your army is at your command.” Rune waved a hand behind him—at the soldiers on horseback, who, one by one, bowed exactly as they were, sitting on their saddles.

They bowedto me.

“Queen Jasewine of the Midnights sends her regards—and the entirety of the Midnight army, should you need it for any reason. They are and will be at your disposal indefinitely, Your Highness.”

Queen Jasewine.

As inhis sister,Jasewine?

Fuck, what the hell was happening?

Once more, laughter erupted from Lyall, who’d gone almost all the way to the beginning of the gardens, surrounded by his soldiers—a fucking coward playing the tough guy.

“Yougave up your throne?!”he screeched, like a fucking vulture. “You…you…are you insane, bastard? You were finally worthsomething,and you gave it away?!”

Rune hardly turned his eyes toward him before he turned to me again. Smiled.

“You gave it up! You gave up your throne!” Lyall continued. “AndFOR WHAT?!”

Those last words he shouted at the top of his voice so thateveryoneheard them.

I heard them, too, but I still couldn’t make sense of them.

Runegave uphis throne?

Absurd. Unreal. Impossible.

But Rune climbed up the stairs slowly, came to stand beside me—while I could do nothing but look up at him, mouth open, eyes wide, heart determined to beat against my ribcage until it broke.

“For the queen, of course,” Rune told Lyall—and the way he was looking at him.

He wasn’t concerned. He wasn’t afraid. He wasn’t stressed out or even fucking suspicious—he lookedexactlylike he had in that image the Illusion Game had showed me once in the mist over the river.

A carefree Rune. A happy, calm, completely peaceful Rune.

A second of silence. Nobody in the entire kingdom seemed to even breathe.

“I willnotaccept this, bastard,” Lyall then hissed and stepped forward. His soldiers moved with him—but they weren’t the only ones. At least two dozen of those wearing silver armor jumped off their horses and gathered at our sides, went around us, drew out their weapons. Aimed them at Lyall.

This isn’t happening.

The laughter this time came from behind me—Hessa. She was laughing her heart out while Lyall looked like he was about to choke on his own rage.

A diamond the size of a Ping-Pong ball was in my fist. Rune was by my side and a werewolf in front of me, not to mention soldiers who looked like me and who were actually turning against Lyall todefend me.

This was it. This was happening.

“You have two choices,” I heard myself say, as if someone else was in charge of me. My voice was louder than I expected or maybe it seemed so because of the silence that had fallen like a blanket over every single person around us.

My legs were strong enough to carry me forward. I raised my chin even if it felt so damn unnatural to do so, the fear a fucking cloak over my shoulders.

Lyall looked at me like he couldn’t believe his own eyes, and I hardly believed mine.