Page 94 of Boundless

“I agree,” Maera said, and her voice sent shivers through my body. She was dressed in black clothes, her hair smoothed back, her eyes wide and alert. She looked like she belonged here at this table more so than I ever would. “The fae hold the most power in our realm, and unless that power is balanced between the courts, there will be no more realm for any of us to live in.”

“No more realm—that’s so dark,” Jasewine said. Out of all of us, she looked a bit bored as she played with the rim of the wine glass in front of her. Then she took a sip. “Not to mentiondeceiving. It sounds so easy, like the realm will just stop being here all of a sudden. I don’t believe that will be the case, will it?” This she asked the Seer of Shadows.

“I can only imagine that the shift in power will be bloody. It is already very prominent in certain areas. I feel the fading of the magic. I feel the injustice the land experiences,” the seer said, her blue eyes on the tabletop but she wasn’t really seeing anything. “But when the end does happen, Princess, it will happen all at once. The darkness devours in one bite.”

I squeezed Rune’s fingers without really thinking.

Jasewine closed her eyes and willed herself to take a deep breath, which made me think she was more affected than she wanted us to see. She wore black like it was made for her, her hair shiny and smooth, the thick curls of it so bouncy and perfectI almost wanted to reach out and touch them. The color of her lipstick was the same color as the wine she drank, and if it were any darker in the throne room, it would have looked black.

Every time my eyes fell on her face, I wondered how it was possible that she was real. Thatanyof this was real.

“Well, then, the plan should be simple. We take a portion of the Midnight army to the Unseelie Court to find the heir and put them on the throne. Meanwhile, Nilah travels to the Frozen Court today,” Jasewine said. “By tomorrow, the threat of the curse will be no more.”

It was like she’d slapped me right across the face.

Then Rune said, “No.” His voice echoed in the throne room. “Sending soldiers into the Unseelie Court would only end in bloodshed. The current rulers, regardless of how they came to power, are not to be taken lightly. Their army is small, weak, and killing more Unseelie fae now is not the answer. They are already weaker than the rest of Verenthia.”

“And what’s the alternative?” Raja asked.

“We find the heir discreetly,” Rune said, and I could have sworn Raja wanted to roll her eyes.

“You don’t need to go sneaking around courts—you have an army,” she told him.

“We will not be killing Unseelies, Raja.” Rune’s tone was a warning.

“Why ever not? Those who control the court arenotworthy,” the woman continued. Fire in her voice, in her eyes.

“By Reme, I do so love your bloodlust, Aunt Raja,” Jasewine said with a wicked grin.

“We will not spill unnecessary blood if we can help it,” Rune said, his voice higher now, and I felt his discomfort by the way he held my hand.

“I believe His Highness is right,” the seer said when Raja opened her mouth to speak again. “The Unseelies are weak. Divided. They needhelp,not more bloodshed.”

“Did the stars tell you that?” Raja said, and she tried to keep the bite from her voice but failed.

“I don’t think the stars need to say it. We all know it,” Jasewine said as she sipped her wine.

“The Unseelie are on the brink of destruction as it is,” Maera said. “We feel it clearly in the gates.”

“True,” said the seer. “And no, Raja, the stars haven’t told me that.” She turned to Rune. “But I have seen something else, Your Highness.”

Your Highness.Was I ever going to get used to people saying that to Rune?

I looked at him—the way he sat there, when he gave her a curt nod to tell her to keep going—and I saw it. The focus in his eyes, the attention he gave the seer. Rune really did look like a king. He wasn’t wearing a crown on his head, but he lookedexactlylike I thought a king should, like a deadly storm brewing underneath a perfect calm—and he was in control of both of them.

I was so turned on so suddenly that heat rushed to my cheeks—but it didn’t last.

“The Seelie King,” said the seer, and there went my stomach again, twisting and turning like a fucking hurricane went off inside me. “He’s on his way.”

Rune moved, sat up straighter. “On his way, where?”

“To find the heir.” The seer blinked those wide blue eyes and turned to me. “He heard the reading, too. He’s on his way as we speak.”

“I think we need to go—now,” said Maera through gritted teeth, and she looked about ready to start running out the doors.

The seer smiled like she was sorry for her as she nodded. Sorry for all of us.

“What’s his intention?” Rune asked her, though we all knew what Lyall’s intention was by now.