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I paused to remove the little soldier toy from my pocket and place him back on the desk.
“We’re still here,” I told him. “But I’m going to find a way to get us home to Cal and Malcom. I promise.”
A second note on the balcony caught my eye, this one held down by a rock so black it might be ore. Sheer red curtains framed the doors to the balcony, and I pulled them back. Then I pushed the door open, welcoming the cool mist of the night. I’d never get used to this much moisture in the air.
I picked up the note.
Tomorrow there is a feast at King Vern’s home. If you’ll do me the pleasure of attending, I’ll pick you up. In honor of my word, I won’t tell anyone we are aligned until you are ready.
—Bash
I read the note twice, then stared into the sky to see if I could find him among the stars with his cloak trailing behind him like a river.
If King Vern was hosting a feast and Bash would be attending, then perhaps other fae kings would attend as well. I almost smiled. My plan took shape, still fuzzy around the edges but brimming with hope.
I’d unite the kings. All six of them. And using their combined power, they would free the Mortal Queens.
Cal’s voice prompted me to keep thinking. They must have tried that before, he said in my mind, if they were truly in agony each time the queens died.
They’d have tried to help, but this realm was obsessed with power, both obtaining it and keeping it. I didn’t believe this fate was something that needed to be broken, but rather a wrong that required a penance be paid.
Paid by a sacrifice.
It was a king who wronged the realm. It would be the kings who sacrificed to mend it.
If I could trap them into obligation, then I could push them to do whatever was needed, including draining all their power, to free me. And perhaps the same magical force that first doomed the queens would be satisfied with their sacrifice in return for the loss of the first Mortal Queen.
I’d be willing to let the kings die if that was what it took. I’d be willing to die alongside them. Anything to save the thousands of girls who would come after me from this death.
All I needed was a trap for each of the kings. A cleverly phrased favor, beseeching them to my aid.
I dropped another chocolate into my mouth. A dangerous thought came. Or I stay here and reign, free to visit home whenever I please.
The warm water greeted my tired body and offered peace the day had lacked. I had two years to ask the fae kings to help me, and to manipulate them if needed. That was ample time to save myself.
Only last night I’d been told I would die, but now I had hope, and I sank into the bath contemplating how I’d trick the six fae king into freeing the Mortal Queens.
Bash arrived with a large chariot, holding his arm out as soon as he landed. I gathered my skirt in my hand, the black lace billowing with each footstep and the tips of my heels peeking out. A gold ring circled my nostril and jewels hung across my forehead. I’d pulled my hair back so all could see the seven earrings and know that I was a queen.
I’d eaten my fill just before dressing so nothing at the feast would distract me from my mission. I’d find the fae kings and ask them to join me in repealing the hold over the Mortal Queens. Then I’d spend the rest of the night learning all I could about anyone who turned me down. I’d use my name and the promise of friendship, though not alliance.
If they all refused, I’d trap the kings, one by one, and force them to help me. The power of them together would undo the fate of the queens. Or forge a new and much better one.
My red-painted nails clung to Bash’s arm as he helped me onto the chariot. He’d traded his cloak for a long-tailed suit and navy cravat, and he’d painted the right half of his face gold to match his mask, even coloring his lips.
“You’re leaving your little toy behind this time?” He looked straight ahead as the chariot took off.
“I don’t need Antonio tonight,” I said. “I can handle this all on my own.”
As we passed the palace, Gaia stood on her balcony watching us. When our eyes caught, she drifted back into her chambers and shut the doors. I swore a warning rested in her place.
My dress rippled like a black sea against the twinkling sky we soared through. “Where does King Vern live?”
“The farthest region. It will give us enough time to prepare.”
I had to tilt my head back to look at him. “For what?”
“Vern is a cunning king, more so than the rest.”
