Page 18

Durin

Watching Rue vanish from my sight pierces deep. Once all of this is over, I’m never leaving her side. My mood lifts when I see the green, sandy shore of the dark lake teaming with soldiers. The kelpies, adorned with the sashes and charms, chat with each other and the Alphas. Some of the Alphas are in wolf form, pacing impatiently, ready to fight.

I began this journey with only Farris at my side. Now, I stand among hundreds of allies. I have help. There is hope. I think I may have even made some new friends. The Majestic nods his big horse head at me and chuffs. I spot Sashon’s bright blonde hair weaving in and out of the crowd as he warmly introduces everyone to each other. I can feel Daylor’s influence as waves of courage and drive fill my chest.

But my stomach twists as I search the crowd of bodies but don’t find Kahras.

Farris steps closer and grabs my shoulder, somehow knowing who I’m looking for. “I met with the handler like you asked,” he says. “I illusioned the mixed fae and snuck them out of the castle one by one. They’re in Rue’s old hideaway. Most of them will have to sleep on the grass, but they’re all safe.”

“I hope he brought enough of his elixirs for them to go unnoticed,” I murmur, wondering how he’s going to keep them from being discovered.

“I’m sorry, Durin,” Farris says, wincing. “I couldn’t get the lost ones out.”

My stomach tightens, and I lock eyes with Farris, waiting for him to explain.

“They wouldn’t come with me,” he says, pressing his hands together apologetically. “I tried illusioning Kahras to join each one, but they were just too loud, even with the calming elixir. He tried silencing tonics and sleeping elixirs, but nothing worked. The bloodlust is just too strong. We couldn’t get them out, so he stayed behind with them.”

“Fuck,” I mutter under my breath.

I hope that the queen forgets about them when we arrive or that Kahras will have come up with a solution by then. “It’s okay,” I reassure Farris, forcing a smile. “We’ll figure it out. How about the servants?”

“They’re good!” he says, perking up with the better news. “They’re with your mother.”

My heart takes the blow hard. My mother has always been nurturing. It’s who she is. Naturally, she’d be the best place for Sarra and Leah. Once this is over, I’ll have to face her and my father. I can’t let the guilt weigh over me right now, though. The reason I pushed them away was to focus on this task. I’ve added a couple of significant distractions since then, but that doesn’t mean I should unbury this one and load it onto my back for battle.

Sashon notices me and quiets the crowd with a loud whistle. I take a moment to admire the army before me–an assembly of strong, determined warriors, each one driven by a fierce thirst for justice. They stand united, despite their differences. The nobles are fueled by hate and arrogance. They work alone. There is no loyalty between them, only selfish ambition.

The magic the nobles hold is daunting, but I believe in this army. The sight of them standing proudly together, along with Daylor’s fierce energy, compels me to step forward and speak.

“ You are the true nobles,” I shout, turning around so I can see each of them. “You should be the ones entrusted with the protection of our realm. When this battle is won, you will reclaim the honor that is rightfully yours. It’s time to cleanse the realm of the filth that plagues it.”

A chorus of growls and stomps fills the air, echoing off the water and the dense trees behind me. I raise a hand to caution them. “But be careful. Keep the list of the nobles and their powers in mind. There are more of us, but the queen chose her nobles for a reason. We will find victory, but it won’t be an easy one.”

I glance over at Trass, standing among the kelpies. “Trass will cast an illusion over us to hide our advance. It should get us close to the castle before they realize an attack is coming.”

Trass steps forward and places a fist over his heart. I return the gesture and look back to the warriors.

“We don’t know if the queen will come out and fight or stay hidden in her castle, letting her nobles do the work. We do know that something is wrong with her magic. She’s weaker.” I look intently at the warriors, urging them to take my next words seriously. “This weakness simply makes defeating her possible , not easy. Your focus is the nobles. Slaughter them. If the queen does venture out of her fortress, leave her to me unless I tell you otherwise.”

I scan the faces before me, looking for any signs of objection or discontent. All I see is a determined group of soldiers proudly accepting the instructions they’ve been given.

“You carry the hope of your kind’s freedom on your shoulders. Use their faith in you. Trust in your training, trust in each other, and trust fate. Today, we reshape the future.”

Sashon shifts into his wolf form and throws his head back to the sky. His thunderous howl is answered by the rest of his kind, filling the air with a primal call to battle. The kelpies join in, rearing up on their hind legs and pounding their hooves into the ground. The air is charged with their own kind of bloodlust. This energy is exactly what we need. We’re ready.

Once they’ve quieted down, I pull Farris forward. “This fae will illusion the four of us going after the queen herself. We need to move quickly through enemy territory. We’ll look like nobles, but our uniforms will be off-white so you can easily spot us.”

No fae would notice the difference, but it will be glaringly obvious to the Alphas and kelpies with their keen sight.

Farris has been in and out of the castle enough to create realistic illusions of Nydal and the fallen elementals for us. He makes quick work of casting double-layered illusions over each of us. In seconds, we stick out like harpies in a gryphons’ den. I’m glad he chose Nydal for me. I don’t need the distraction of seeing his disgusting face.

I glance at Vaegon, who’s been quiet up to this point. I nod at the elf, and he steps forward to set things in motion. “It’s time. In a moment, you’ll all appear in the woods near the castle. The battle will begin as soon as you encounter the first noble. Luck and victory to you all.”

I stand with my son, watching as the shore gives way to the thick, ominous forest that sits near the castle. He’s aware of the queen’s formidable power. He knows his magic is modest compared to its source. Yet he stands with his brothers, willing to risk it all for a realm that isn’t their own.

They’re fighting for the innocent. I’m fighting for Rue. But my son also has mates waiting for him to return. They deserve to be fought for just as hard. I will bring their family home just as I will return to Rue.

There will be no sacrifices today.

Vaegon catches my eye and winks at me. I huff a laugh and shake my head while moving to the front of the line.

The kelpies gather in a large wedge formation made of sleek, black bodies with green sashes. The rich brown, deep gray, and striking white coats of massive Alpha wolves weave themselves among the dark figures. More wolves move to the rear to protect the group from behind.

Lucas, Vaegon, Anders, and I stand to the far right, hoping we can slip around the fighting and sneak into the castle. Or sneak up behind the queen herself if she decides to show her face. Trass hurries to the front and turns to face us all. His vibrant pink hair flows like a banner over his shoulders as he raises his arms to do his part.

“I’m creating the illusion of an empty forest,” he says. “You’ll be concealed from the front and sides, but I can’t cover you from the back. Watch closely what’s behind you. You’ll also need to be as quiet as possible, for my illusions cannot muffle sound.”

Stealth won’t be a problem for the Alphas, but the kelpies will have to tread lightly to keep from giving us away with their hooves.

Trass clenches his hands into fists before throwing them open again, casting an unseen illusion around us. “I’ll need to stay in front of you to sustain the illusion. As long as you’re behind me, you’ll remain invisible from the front,” Trass explains.

We move quietly behind him as a group, doing our best to remain silent. Despite our efforts, there’s a low hum from so much movement in such a tight place. We have no choice but to move on, hoping it’s not enough to draw attention to ourselves.

A few minutes later, we blessedly reach the edge of the trees without being spotted. Those of us in front carefully step out onto the grass behind Trass. The castle wall stands about one hundred paces away, tall and lifeless behind its stone fence. Two guards are stationed outside the gate, as usual, watching Trass as he slowly approaches them.

I’m impressed by how quietly we cross over the healthy grass. But when we reach the barren ground, the soft thuds of feet and the crunch of dead plants surely reach the ears of the two guards.

But they don’t look curious or alarmed. They simply turn and open the gates wide for Trass to enter.

There’s no way they aren’t suspicious. I step forward and signal everyone to stop. The whole progression comes to a halt just as an ugly, orange-haired Alpha struts proudly through the gates.

It’s Mannus, that filthy excuse for an Alpha who took Rue. There’s only one reason he’d be allowed inside those gates–he must have found out about our plan and run to the queen. He flashes a smug grin at Trass, blocking his path.

I should have melted him into the ground before we left that wretched camp. I’m thrilled to have a second chance at it. We can easily take him and the two guards out and move on. This isn’t an issue.

But the fae who steps out behind him is a real problem. It’s Vernan.

He can see right through the illusion. He strides forward and calmly surveys the army we’ve amassed. He knows exactly what our numbers are. I expect him to alert the guards and then flee back inside the walls, but he’s not finished here. He raises his hand and crosses it over his body, then swipes it to the side like he’s clearing branches from his path.

The gesture doesn’t register with me, but Trass understands right away. He panics and turns back to us. “He’s broken the illusion!”

What the fuck?

I didn’t know Vernan had that ability. I’m not sure anyone did. Our element of surprise is gone. And if he spots Nydal and the elementals among our ranks, our cover will be blown.

I realize it’s too late to worry about that when soldiers begin pouring out of the gate and forming a line. More nobles climb over the walls and join them in their ranks. Their white uniforms almost blend into the stone behind them, but their ugly faces stand out like dark stains.

My heart races as the reality of the situation sinks in. I glance over at Vaegon to see a mix of dread and determination on his face. To my other side, the wolves growl and hold their position, and the kelpies stomp and toss their heads in defiance.

Even with the unexpected turn in the plan, they’re still ready.

Trass runs back toward the protection of our group, but a noble named Jenne grabs him with her binding magic. He freezes, rendered immobile by her power, leaving him defenseless and exposed in the open.

Derris, a weather elemental, jumps forward. He raises his hands to the sky and calls down a blinding streak of lightning over a frozen Trass. Derris’s aim is notoriously poor. Any moving target would be safe. But with Trass out in the open and rooted in place, his aim hits its mark.

Trass’s body stiffens, then collapses to the ground, convulsing violently as the energy courses through him. After a moment, his body goes limp. His clothes sizzle and smolder where the lightning struck, but he doesn’t move.

Derris is untrained, but his magic is powerful. Trass is surely gone. An Alpha might survive that, maybe a kelpie. Not a fae.

The first loss hits hard. My soul cries out at me for what I let happen. I’m failing. Right from the start. My pain quickly morphs into an overwhelming fury, and I’m tempted to snuff them all out with one giant surge of my magic. But I resist. The seer’s words are rooted deeply into my brain. I look over at Vaegon’s clenched jaw and bared fangs. When I catch his gaze, I shake my head, reminding him not to use his magic if he doesn’t need to.

Everything has moved slowly to this point. Shock rendered us all unmovable. But that’s over. The battle truly begins when a stampede of kelpies charges at Derris. Trass saved a kelpie foal from the nobles, and now the kelpies seem to have accepted him as one of their own.

Derris doesn’t know any of that. He just sees a wall of black muscle barreling toward him. His smug smile disappears just before he’s trampled by the hoard. I can’t see through the mass of bodies, but Derris’s screams and the spray of blood in the air tell me he’s gotten what he deserves.

The other kelpies and the Alpha wolves have charged ahead, attacking any nobles they can find. Two weaker empaths try to redirect them, but their efforts only slow a few at the front. There are too many attackers for the empaths to focus on.

Jenne frantically tries to bind the wolves closing in on her, but she misses one. A black Alpha wolf clamps its jaws around her waist and slams her to the ground. He shakes her violently for a few agonizing seconds before her body nearly rips in half. He dumps her on the ground and races toward another noble, bearing his bloody fangs as he closes in on them.

I motion for Vaegon to follow me toward the castle wall. Our small group slips through the chaos unnoticed, almost making it around the far side of the wall. An angry roar from the kelpies halts my steps and draws my attention back to the battle.

Lex, a gravity bender, is holding the heavy kelpies in place for other nobles to pick off. But the Alphas are ruthless. Somehow unfazed by the pull, they blast forward to tear Lex into pieces, freeing the kelpies from their bonds.

I’ve got to stop letting the battle distract me. They don’t need me. I push ahead, focusing on the queen instead. We’ve nearly reached the corner of the castle walls when a ripple of low sound waves presses against my skull. It intensifies, reverberating through my brain until I’m forced to cover my ears with both hands. I look to see everyone in the fray doing the same, even the nobles who are deeper within our lines.

The kelpies are shaking their big heads around, trying to shake off the painful vibrations. Wolves are on their stomachs, rubbing their paws against their ears.

“Sound elemental! Purple hair!” a kelpie booms out over the noise, recalling the list I gave them.

The kelpie is right. It’s a sound shaper named Crait. But who can fight back through the pain? If nothing changes, the nobles will be able to remain at a safe distance while picking off our soldiers with their magic.

It can’t end this way. Just one blast of my magic could take him out. It might give me away if any of the nobles see where the blast comes from, but there isn’t another option.

I raise my hand toward Crait, but I notice Daylor stumbling forward with his fingers in his ears. He growls and lowers one hand, reaching it out in front of him. He flinches, then blood begins to trickle from his unshielded ear. But he presses on, using his empathic power to make Crait believe he’s his own enemy.

Crait gapes at his hands as they turn against him, pressing tightly against his own ears. The horrible vibrations release my brain as they’re redirected toward the noble himself. He screams in agony, but Daylor maintains his grip. Then, with a sickening boom, Crait’s head explodes, showering blood and brain down on the nobles around him.

They react in disgust, gagging and cursing as they try to wipe the chunks of flesh from their uniforms. But the kelpies and Alphas seize the moment, charging over and tearing through any noble in their path.

Our side is holding its ground. Daylor pulled me back from ruining our chance at victory. I need to distance myself from this chaos to clear my mind. Vaegon seems to be struggling to contain himself, too, based on the glowing hands he’s hastily stuffing into his cloak.

We continue creeping along the wall until we’re almost in line with the castle. The queen hasn’t shown herself yet. It seems she’s letting the nobles do her dirty work while she conserves her magic. We need to keep our eyes open for her and any straggling nobles, but this seems like a good place to climb over.

“Hear anything?” I whisper to the Alphas.

They all shake their heads.

“Okay, we scale the wall here,” I say.

I watch the three spring effortlessly to the top of the wall with their impressive Alpha strength. It’s almost comical seeing them move with such finesse while illusioned as three sloppy elementals. I laugh to myself and pull myself over the wall, landing softly on the other side.

The courtyard is as lifeless as ever. Even the nobles don’t linger among the black, thorny vines or dead shrubs. But today, the main castle doors are unguarded. All the nobles must be involved in the fight.

I lead the Alphas to the entrance and drag one of the heavy doors open. When I peer inside, I find an empty, silent foyer. No guards, no servants rushing by, not even a single gryphon flying to or from the treasury.

I don’t trust it, but we have to find the queen.

The Alphas follow me inside and close the door behind us. “We’ll check the throne room first,” I whisper as I walk in that direction. We move quietly along the wall toward the doorway up ahead. I feel a tug on my sleeve and turn to find Anders holding a finger to his lips. He cups his ear and then points to the wall.

Someone’s inside.

He takes a deep breath through his nose and holds up one finger, then points to himself, Lucas, and Vaegon. He holds up another finger and then points at me. I understand it to mean there’s one shifter and one fae inside. It’s incredible what an Alpha’s nose can pick up.

Mannus is the only shifter who could be here. As far as the fae, it could be Vernan. Or maybe Folas, hiding like the coward he is.

“They’ll think we’re nobles,” I whisper at a level only an Alpha would hear. “Just stay casual until you’re close enough to take them out.”

Anders steps up beside me while Lucas and Vaegon stand as a pair behind us. We stroll through the door to find Vernan standing beside a large fireplace with the greasy Alpha who sabotaged our initial attack. They both jump at our sudden entrance, but only Mannus relaxes upon seeing what looks to be four other nobles.

Vernan, however, doesn’t look so at ease. Somehow… he knows.

He lifts a hand and swipes it in a downward motion before backing away. Anders looks like himself again. I look over my shoulder and see that Lucas and Vaegon have returned to their true forms as well. Vernan must have stripped away our first layer when he shattered Trass’s illusion. He probably wishes he hadn’t, as he now faces two angry Alphas and a double portion of my magic.

“Kill them!” he orders Mannus, revealing the first trace of emotion I’ve ever seen in his eyes.

Fear.

I would love to take them down myself, really draw out their suffering. Sadly, we don’t have time for torture. This is a fight for the realm, not personal revenge.

“What do you say we leave these ones for your brothers?” I ask Vaegon, pulling my magic back inside. He smirks and does the same, stepping aside to let them through.

Mannus shifts into his wolf form, drooling and just as scruffy. I scoff as he crouches down and leaps at me. Lucas doesn’t even bother to shift; he simply snatches Mannus from the air with his massive arms and slams him to the ground.

“Shift back!” Lucas growls, pinning him down with his heavy weight.

Surprisingly, Mannus obeys. It must be that Alpha control Rue was talking about. Lucas slings a leg over his body and presses a knee into his back. Mannus reaches behind him, trying to grab Lucas’s hands, but it’s no use. In a blur, Lucas grabs him by the head and snaps it to the side.

I realize I lost track of Vernan while watching Mannus’s fate unfold. I whip my head toward the other doorway, expecting to see the end of his cloak disappearing down the hall. But he’s right where he was. Only now, he’s missing two eyes and bleeding from the hollow sockets.

Vernan is in shock, his mouth gaping open as he touches his face in disbelief. Beside him stands a pale Alpha wearing a far more composed expression than Vernan ever managed. Anders casually flicks the missing eyeballs from his claws, then looks up to find the three of us staring at him.

He quickly slashes Vernan’s throat like he’s been caught wasting time. Vernan crumples to the ground, instinctively clutching at the gaping wound. Anders leans down and wipes the blood from his fingers on Vernan’s cloak before stepping over the growing pool of blood on the floor. My bloodlust cheers for the intense Alpha, sated just by watching the attack. Anders is a real enigma. If he’s part elf as the seer believes, I can’t help but wonder if this is how the rest of them would fight.

We could certainly use more of that on our side.

It’s unsettling how quiet the room is with Vernan dying in the middle of it. Hopefully, the queen doesn’t exit this world so gracefully.

If she’s hiding, she’ll be in the dungeon with her mixed fae. If she’s feeling confident in her noble army, she’ll be holed up in her chambers. I decide to check her room first, not wanting to disturb the lost mixed fae if we don’t need to. We hurry down the deserted hallways, not passing a single living thing. Vaegon growls low in his throat as we pass the grotesque display of cruelty in the tapestry corridor. When the queen is dealt with, my son and I will burn every one of them off the walls. Along with every wall in this wretched place.

When we reach the queen’s door, it’s hidden by its usual illusion. I lean in and press my ear against the cold wood. I hear nothing. I glance up at the Alphas for confirmation and curse when they shake their heads.

“Let’s go in, anyway,” I tell them. “We might find something useful.”

Nothing ever stood out to me in her room, but she wouldn’t leave anything significant in the open. Still, we can spare a few minutes to check. I feel for the invisible knob and pull the door open. The Alphas follow closely behind me in case of any surprises.

The room is empty, just as we expected. Except for the ornate bed I spent hours being tortured in. My stomach roils, but I hold back my rage. It would have been so satisfying to kill her here, to stain her pristine, silken sheets with her dark, greasy blood. But she’s not here, and we have a mission to complete.

We tear through the room for any hint about where she might have gone, but nothing stands out. I drop the handful of enchanting crystals I found back onto her desk. The dungeon is our best hope now. I head toward the door, but Lucas steps in front of me, blocking my path.

“Wait,” he says, pointing to the wall beside me. “Someone’s in there.”

The queen’s room is at the end of the hallway. There shouldn’t be any more rooms on this side. I glide my hands along the smooth surface of the wall, searching for a doorknob. It takes a minute, but I manage to find a sliding bolt positioned at eye level. It’s unlocked, but the door is closed tight. I’m shocked that the queen is shamefully hiding in a secret room, but it gives me hope that she’s even weaker than we thought.

I pull on the bolt and open the wooden door as quietly as I can. The Alphas move closer as it swings open, revealing the unillusioned side to their view. I don’t know what kind of defenses she has in this unfamiliar room. Anything could be waiting for us. But whatever’s in there with her, it’s just as cornered as she is.

I let my magic swirl inside me. It pushes forth through my hands, igniting them in crackling blue flames. Vaegon stands by my side with arcs of blue lightning racing up and down his arms. Could I have killed the queen on my own? I think so. Would I have survived it, though? I’m not so sure.

The confidence I feel with my son at my side is more powerful than the adrenaline shoving its way through my chest. I throw open the door, and we surge inside, ready to confront whatever awaits us.

A shriek fills the air, but it isn’t the queen’s.

It’s someone I don’t have time for right now. Someone I forgot even existed. It’s Folas, and he’s curled up on the floor, hugging his knees and hiding his face.

The queen isn’t here, just this pathetic sack of slime trying to save his own skin. Before I can demand to know why he knows about this room, my attention is pulled away by the space itself.

It’s unlike any other room in the castle. It’s brighter. There’s a large window allowing the sun to spill a warm glow across the floor. To my left, a small bassinet with white, ruffled linens rests against the wall. Behind Folas stands a small wardrobe with pixies and moonflowers intricately carved into it. Every inch of the floor is covered with plush, fluffy white rugs. Shelves run along the walls, filled with jars of shimmery sprite dust and jumping bubbles, along with story stones and little instruments.

They’re toys. It’s a nursery attached to the queen’s own sleeping chambers.

“Do we kill him?” Anders asks flatly, pulling me back to the present and out of my surprise.

“Wait!” Folas croaks, holding up his hands. “Please, don’t. I know I’m an ass, Durin. I’m sorry. Just don’t kill me!”

“Where is she?” I demand, wishing I had time to enjoy his groveling.

“I-I don’t know,” he stammers. “When I heard an army was coming, I came here to hide with her, but she was gone.”

“Hide with her?” I echo, wishing I’d looked into my curiosities about him. “What are you to the queen, Folas?” I demand through clenched teeth. “Tell me your role, and I won’t kill you... yet.”

He looks up, searching my face for sincerity even though he knows I cannot lie. After he finds what he’s looking for, he rises to his feet. He slowly straightens his robes, then utters the last words I would have ever expected.

“I’m her son.”

What the fuck did he just say?

“This was my room,” he huffs, twisting his fingers as he looks around. “It’s waiting for her next youngling, one less disappointing than me. But yes. I’m the queen’s son.”

My mind is reeling. I’ve never heard of her having an heir. Folas isn’t treated like royalty. He seems more like a servant, a mere errand runner for the queen. And he’s weak. There’s no power radiating off of him, no hint of the strength one would expect from the queen’s lineage.

And if she needed a spawn to sacrifice, why the fuck would she spare this fool?

“You’re lying,” I say, shaking my head. “You’ve found a way to lie.”

“No, I’m telling the truth,” he sighs, dragging his boot across the fur rug. “I inherited her timeless magic but not her battle magic. I’ve been here for hundreds of years, waiting to be blessed with something more. Anything. But nothing else ever came.”

“Why didn’t she sacrifice you?” I ask, more to myself than the ratty fae in front of me.

The darkness had continually demanded her spawn, yet she insisted she was “trying.” Why go to such lengths to produce an heir when she already had a perfectly sacrificial one at her disposal?

“ Sacrifice me?” Folas recoils with a horrified look on his face. “What are you talking about?”

“You say you’re her blood, but you know nothing about the sacrifices?” I ask sharply. “The offerings she’s laid at some dark spirit’s feet for more power? She promised it her spawn in exchange for even greater power. You claim to be her spawn, yet here you are.”

“I had no idea about any of that,” he says grimacing. “But it doesn’t surprise me. Her timeless magic seems to be drying up. She’s been after my own for years. I’ve tried giving it to her, but it seems timelessness isn’t a magic that can be shared.”

I take a menacing step closer, smiling to myself when he flinches. “Why doesn’t anyone know about you?”

The Alphas look between us, completely in the dark. I don’t have time to fill them in. I need the precious minutes to drag something useful out of Folas.

“Answer me,” I press, letting my fingers glow as a subtle threat. “Why are you treated like a pest instead of a prince?”

“Okay, okay!” he says, raising his hands defensively in front of his face. “Short version… My mother wasn’t always so cruel. My father made her that way.”

“Your father?”

He nods vigorously and continues. “He was her consort. The only one she ever truly loved. But she loved him a little too much.”

“Too much?” Vaegon grunts. “How do you love someone too much?”

Folas looks from Vaegon to me a few times before finding his focus again. “He was a typical fae, drawn to many. He was passionate about the other species. Especially one elf in particular.”

“Shit…” I say, my head whirling with new realizations.

“Yes,” Folas says softly, so meek now compared to the brash asshole I’ve grown to know and despise.

“When she found out she was pregnant with me, she became fiercely possessive of my father. She forbade him from taking any other lovers, which is where the strict rule for her consorts began.”

“I’m guessing he didn’t comply,” Lucas says.

“No, he didn’t.” Folas grabs the little pillow from the bassinet and squeezes it in his fists. “He just couldn’t let go of that damned elf!”

“Perhaps they were fated mates,” Anders suggests. “The connection has a way of taking control of your actions, whether you want it to or not.”

“I doubt it,” Folas scoffs bitterly. “His actions lead to a spectacle of the elf’s tragic death. Then, my mother locked him in her chambers and refused to let him leave. When I was born, she convinced herself that my father was content with only her. Perhaps he pretended to be happy, I don’t know. But eventually, she allowed him some freedom. He used it to escape her.”

“How do you know all of this?” I ask, still skeptical. “No one seems to know who you are.”

“I had a guardian named Seraphine,” he says with a small smile. “She raised me right here in this room. Obviously, the decor changed as I grew, but Seraphine told me everything.” His slight smile is impossible to miss as he speaks of his caretaker. He must have cared for her very much. I don’t even want to ask what happened to her when he was old enough to care for himself.

“My mother glamoured herself when she was carrying me. She worried the fae might see her as weak and try to overthrow her. No one ever knew I existed. Seraphine said that after my father left, my mother became even more paranoid. She feared someone would use her love for me against her or take me away, leaving her with nothing of my father.”

He sighs and tosses the crumpled pillow back onto the mattress. “Honestly, I think it’s the only reason she keeps me around. She doesn’t hide her disappointment in my magic, but she sees my father in me. It’s enough to keep her from getting rid of me.”

“She never found him?” Vaegon asks, voicing my own curiosity.

He shakes his head somberly. The way his curls bounce around his face gives him a youthful, almost innocent appearance. A big part of me wants to feel sorry for him, but he treated me like dirt. He also did nothing to persuade his mother to change her ways. Now I’m stuck putting hundreds of lives at risk to end her cruelty.

“If she did find him,” he says quietly, “she didn’t bring him back alive. When I matured, she let me out of my room but never revealed my identity to anyone. She told me not to, either. That’s why no one knows about me.”

I have so many questions, like why he had to be such a giant dick to me . But there’s no time.

“I’m not done with you,” I warn him. “But we need to find your mother.”

I grab him by the tunic and shove him through the doorway. He’s coming with us. And if he ends up being the key to our victory, I might even let him live.