“You gave up your throne after everything we did to save it?”
He shrugs. “It is but a partial loss. I have every intention of remaining King of Autumn.”
“How? If the council has determined Cobalt has the throne—”
“I am claiming Unseelie King of Autumn according to the Old Ways. The rulers of Earthen, Wind, Winter, and Lunar support me. When Cobalt is defeated, I will once again be the only King of Autumn.”
What he’s saying shouldn’t be possible. Since when is there both a seelie and unseelie ruler in one court? The question is quickly overshadowed by what it suggests about Aspen’s allegiance. Unseelie King of Autumn. My blood goes cold, even as flames lash my palms, begging to be unleashed. “You’re turning unseelie? What about the balance of the council?”
“All hope of maintaining balance on the council has been lost. I’ve had enough. The only thing to do now is to break the council completely.”
My rage grows to a fiery inferno at his matter-of-fact tone. “If you destroy the council, what is left to secure the treaty?”
He throws his hands in the air. “Why not ask a better question? If we destroy the treaty, what is left to enforce your exile? Evie, if the treaty breaks, you can’t be forced to leave. The Legacy Bond breaks with it.”
My voice comes out barely above a whisper, shoulders trembling as I fight to suppress my fire. “They have my mother, Aspen. Without the Legacy Bond, the promise to keep her alive until her trial will be nullified. The humans will execute her on the spot.”
His expression alternates between stoic and wounded as silence falls between us. Finally, it settles on steely. “If you are so determined to return to your vile human world, we won’t make our stance known until you and your mother are safely on the mainland.”
“Your actions will still condemn all the people of the Fair Isle to war. All the people I’m trying to protect with my exile.”
“Once you leave the isle, it won’t be your problem anymore.” His words hold a bitter edge.
“It is my problem. This ruins everything. Everything I care about!” Hot tears spring to my eyes, a sob building in my chest.
Aspen’s face falls, eyes turning down at the corners. He lifts a hand as if to bring his fingers to my face but stops himself halfway. He lowers his arm, tensing as he pins it stiff at his side. “Maybe it’s time to reevaluate what you think you care about and make a different choice.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?” I say through my tears. “Are you insinuating I don’t care about the right things? Are human lives not worth saving?”
He lets out a low grumble. “Human lives. Even with proof of your heritage, you still care more about them than the fae.”
My breath hitches when I realize what I said. I didn’t mean to say human lives. I meant to say lives in general, but the word came so naturally. In all honesty, I’ve been growing more and more enamored with the fae, even the unseelie, as of late. I still don’t trust them, especially outside a controlled environment, but I’ve seen for myself how amiable they can be. How wild, beautiful, and unrestrained.
Before I can say any of this, Aspen takes a step away, shoulders rigid. “I must return to the meeting.” His eyes lock on something behind me, narrowing as his lips raise into a snarl. “Perhaps Prince Franco can see you back to your room. He’s quite adept at that.”
He stalks back behind the double doors, leaving me feeling empty in his wake.
21
When I turn around, Prince Franco stands in the middle of the hall. He smirks at the closed doors of the throne room until his eyes meet mine. His expression softens, cheeks flushing to a pale rosy hue.
With hesitant steps, he approaches me, lips flickering between a frown and a wary smile. “I should apologize.”
“It’s not your fault.” It’s everyone’s fault. Everyone’s including mine. Everything is ruined. White hot rage continues to burn after my argument with Aspen. I let it sear away my sorrow and pain, let it char the remnants of my hangover-induced headache to nothing. The result is a sharpening of clarity. Strength.
“I said I should apologize, but that doesn’t mean I’m sorry. Causing you pain was never my intention, but I don’t regret kissing you.”
I’m at a loss for words, surprised by his candor. I, however, don’t have any honest words to meet his. Do I regret kissing him? Do I regret the fun and freedom I had last night? I regret that Aspen is under a false impression about my involvement with the prince, but it’s hard to be sorry when my anger at the king is stronger.
The unseelie king. The king who is plotting war at this very moment.
“Anyhow, I came to give you this.” Franco holds out an envelope.
My heart leaps into my throat as I take it. The envelope holds no seal, no address, and I tear the letter from inside with trembling fingers.
Franco doesn’t say a word as he leaves me to read the letter alone.
I’m grateful for the privacy because I’m quickly undone by the words I read.
Dear sister, I thank you for your concern. I assure you, I have received word of the allegations against our mother and the summons for my presence at her trial. However, as Faerwyvae is my home, I will not leave it to attend.
The letter ends there, unsigned. However, the script is familiar and written without haste, Amelie’s elegant loops and swirls intact. Could she have written so neatly under duress? Were these words forced from her by Cobalt’s demand through the Bond? Or are they entirely her own?
Anger and sorrow clash as I fall to my knees. My sob is accompanied by a shout as I slam my fist into the opalescent floor. The ground rocks beneath me, and I feel a wave of heat burst from my palm. I’m so startled, my emotions drain in an instant. When I turn my attention to the floor, I find several fissures darting from where my hand made contact. The damage isn’t deep, but it’s obvious. With a gasp, I leap to my feet and run from the scene of my destruction.
I don’t realize where I’m going until I find myself outside Lorelei’s open door. She and Foxglove rush toward me, taking in my blank expression. My tears have already dried with my violent outburst in the hall. I’m not sure what to say, so I hand Foxglove the letter.
He and Lorelei read it in tandem, then their wide eyes meet mine.
“I’m so sorry,” Lorelei whispers. She puts a hand on my shoulder and guides me into her room until we reach her couch. “Here, sit.”
I do as I’m told, finding a glass in my hands a moment later. As I bring it to my lips, a familiar aroma sends my head spinning. “Midnight Blush?”
Lorelei grimaces. “I might have smuggled a bottle under my gown from the revel last night.”
I don’t hesitate a moment longer before I take a drink, letting the wine slide down my throat and warm my stomach. With eyes closed, I savor the way it eases my breathing and slows my racing heart. It helps me find a sense of calm amidst the chaos in my mind. Once I’ve managed to regain some semblance of composure, I say, “Tell me everything. What happened last night?”
Foxglove takes a seat on the couch next to me while Lorelei perches on the armrest. “It was madness,” Foxglove says, adjusting his spectacles. “We knew it would be messy, of course, but things went far worse than the king expected.”
“What did Aspen expect?” I say, forcing my words to come out evenly. “How long had he been planning on refusing to marry his Chosen?”
“I doubt he ever planned to marry her at all, so long as he could guarantee his actions didn’t put you or your mother in danger. When Queen Nyxia informed him in private that you were safe in Lunar, he was confident in his decision to refuse the marriage alliance. However, I do believe he was under the impression that if you were in Lunar, you were resigned to stay in Faerwyvae.”
That explains why he seemed surprised when I told him I still planned to attend my mother’s trial. “Did Nyxia not tell him the truth? That my stay here is a temporary one?”
Foxglove frowns. “Omissi
on is a great form of deception when one can’t lie. Especially when the result suits one’s needs quite well.”
Of course Nyxia wanted Aspen to compromise the treaty. Her omission helped hurry his resolve.
Foxglove continues. “Once the king made his stance clear to the council, the majority reacted as he anticipated. The unseelie supported him, but most of the seelie were in an uproar. The king even expected what happened next, although it was a surprise how it came to pass.”
I sit forward in my seat. “What?”
“Queen Dahlia suggested the council allow Prince Cobalt to secure the treaty and strip Aspen from his throne.”
“Queen Dahlia made that suggestion? Why am I not surprised?” I knew there was something about her I didn’t like. Well, aside from the grudge I’ve carried against her for not taking better care of Faerwyvae’s only other living Chosen—the aging Doris Mason, a lonely woman spending her miserable final days at Queen Dahlia’s Summer Court. After my most recent unsettling conversation with the queen, I thought perhaps it was Aspen’s affection she wanted. I wouldn’t have guessed she was after his demise.
“I always thought she was fake,” Lorelei says with a sneer.
“Aspen had his suspicions about her as well,” Foxglove says. “It’s unclear whether she was in contact with Cobalt during her entire stay, but it can be assumed the betrayal was set up from the start.”
“What happened when she petitioned for Cobalt to take the throne?” I ask.
“Well, it certainly put the council further at odds. Arguments were made that Cobalt had lost his right to rule Autumn when the All of All chose Aspen. But other council fae insisted the ruling of the All of All encompassed that incident alone, and that Cobalt could still be considered an eligible heir now that Aspen was compromising the treaty yet again. The debate went on and on without resolution as the council was split half-and-half. You see, one ruler was missing from the festivities up to that point.”
His grim expression sets me on edge. “Who?”
“Queen Melusine. Queen Dahlia got the council to agree that the Sea Court would have final say over the ruling. And that, my dear, is when Cobalt came waltzing into the palace like he owned it.”
Lorelei mutters a string of curses.
A rush of indignation heats my core. “How did Cobalt have the nerve to show his face before the ruling was made for or against him?”
“He was protected,” Foxglove says, “by his claim that he was now King of the Sea Court.”
“Wait, did Melusine...give her throne to Cobalt?”
His voice lowers, tone grave. “Not willingly. He made his apologies, stating he was late because he’d spent all day dealing with the murder of his mother.”
My throat goes dry. “Murder?”
“He went on to claim she was found dead in one of the collapsed underwater caves near the shore with an iron blade buried inside her. Your iron blade, to be exact.”
“Mine?” The room begins to spin around me, the blood leaving my face. I remember what Aspen muttered to the wolf king in the throne room. It wasn’t her. “The council actually believed it was I who killed her?”
Foxglove wrings his hands. “It was a devious accusation, one that served several purposes. Not only would your guilt weaken Aspen’s position, but your innocence would reveal your whereabouts to King Ustrin. You see, neither Aspen nor Nyxia could provide you an alibi without giving away your location.”
I shake my head, wondering how long this plan has been in motion. All this time, Cobalt had my missing blade, the one I lost when he captured me in the coral caves. He’s likely been waiting for the perfect opportunity to use it as revenge, and what better way than to condemn me and his brother while earning himself a new crown? Then again, the iron blade should have made my dagger impossible for him to wield…
A chill runs up my spine. But not impossible for Amelie.
My heart races as another chilling thought creeps upon my awareness.
Melusine knew this would happen.
I put my hand to my heart as I sink into the back of the couch. “It’s my fault,” I whisper.
Foxglove and Lorelei exchange a glance. “Why would you think that?” Lorelei says.
“The day the letter came, after the explosion and the attack on the coral caves, she came to me while Aspen was still fighting Cobalt’s fae. She told me she feared for her life, begged me to petition Aspen on her behalf. With everything that happened after, I never gave her request a second thought. I...never said a word to Aspen.”
Foxglove’s eyes turn down at the corners. “That doesn’t make it your fault.”
“I may not have killed her like the council thinks, but her death is on my hands.”
Without a word, Lorelei refills my glass with more Midnight Blush.
I down it as quickly as I can. “Let me guess what happened next,” I say, voice hoarse. “Cobalt ruled in favor of himself on behalf of the Sea Court and became King of Sea and Autumn in a single day.”
Foxglove nods. “It created a violent divide between the council. The unseelie held their stance that making Cobalt King of Autumn was the worst kind of blasphemy against the All of All and deemed the council disbanded. The meeting ended, as you might imagine, with bloodshed.”
“Was anyone fatally wounded?”
He returns to wringing his hands. “Guards, mostly, but none of the royals. Aspen made the call for his allies to retreat, although it pained him greatly to leave his household staff behind. But with Cobalt ruling the Sea Court, Bircharbor had become too vulnerable for him to try and stay. We fled in the night and came here to Lunar.”
“Are those in the throne room Aspen’s only allies?” I ask.
“For now,” Foxglove says. “They were the royals firmly against Cobalt. However, some of the neutral seelie might be persuaded, like the Earthen King was. It will be a challenge to convince all the neutral seelie to join the rebellion, though, when it would mean fighting for the Old Ways to return, for with that comes the end of the treaty and the dissolution of the Council of Eleven Courts. And war.”
The final word chills me, but my attention snags on something else. “I’ve heard the term the Old Ways before. What does it even mean?”
“The Old Ways were how Faerwyvae operated before the war began. The Council of Eleven Courts was only established to mirror the humans’ efforts at the start of the war. When the treaty was forged at the end of it, the fae council was solidified in turn, and the Old Ways fell out of favor.”
“And the Old Ways state Aspen can rule as Unseelie King of Autumn even though Cobalt has claimed power?”
“Yes,” Foxglove says. “Long before there was ever a fae council, the All of All chose its rulers by blessing an alpha during a show of dominance. When humans came to the isle and fae started taking on seelie forms, there were often two rulers in each court, a seelie and an unseelie. Of course, that was when seelie and unseelie lived in balance and both agreed to follow the Old Ways. But simply declaring a return to the Old Ways isn’t enough to bring that balance back. Not with the remaining council fae determined to maintain their authority at all costs. The rebels must overthrow the council. Aspen will have to take down Cobalt.”
“It sounds like the fae are at civil war.”
His expression turns bleak. “They are. Not everyone knows it yet, but there’s no turning back now.”
Anxiety tickles my chest. “What does this mean for the treaty? Do we know for sure that Cobalt secured it? Are the rebels considered a threat to it?”
“As far as the humans are concerned,” Foxglove says, “the treaty is secure. Nyxia’s spies have confirmed that Cobalt performed all three steps to secure the pact. The spies say the humans are aware of the unrest amongst the fae royals but have been assured the threat will be dealt with.”
“So, my mother might be safe,” I say under my breath. For now, I add, the contents of Amelie’s letter hitting me like a blow to the heart. “This is a mess,”
I whisper. “Not only are the fae at civil war, I have my own personal matters of life and death to deal with. If Amelie doesn’t come to the trial, my mother will be executed. I doubt my willingness to attend will count for much, as Mr. Duveau assured me my sister’s presence is vital. Even if I show up, they...they’ll kill me alongside my mother.”
Lorelei puts a soothing hand on my shoulder while Foxglove leans in close. “You have one option,” he says. “I know about the offer Nyxia gave you.”
My eyes go wide. “You think I should make a bid for the Fire throne? Nyxia will have me paired with her brother for it.” I say this last part with disdain, although that doesn’t reflect my true feelings about the matter. In all honesty, I like Franco. As a friend, at least. But do I like him enough to make him my mate? I can’t imagine the term mate belonging to anyone but Aspen. Then again…
My chest squeezes as my argument with Aspen echoes through my head.
“Evelyn,” Foxglove says, tone gentle, “you don’t have to do anything you don’t want to do. Nyxia is a clever fae. She will support her own cause in any way she can. In this, she is simply trying to secure an alliance between her court and yours. I have no doubt she would support the Unseelie Queen of Fire regardless of mate, and if so, those allies you saw in the throne room would be your allies too. I wouldn’t underestimate that kind of backing.”
Unseelie Queen of Fire. I shudder. “How would that help my situation?”
A spark of excitement lights his eyes. “If you were queen of your own court, you would have a say alongside the other royals. You could use your influence to temper the most violent whims of the unseelie. Your position would give you the means to protect those you love and shape the future of the Fair Isle. If you wanted, you could strive to maintain the treaty after the rebels win the war against the council fae.”
My pulse races at the last part. If what he’s saying is true, there’s a chance I could prevent a second war with the humans. Still, there’s something missing. “I don’t see how that saves my mother.”
To Wear a Fae Crown (The Fair Isle Trilogy Book 2) Page 15
