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Tonight had gone far better than I could have planned, even though I didn’t get to speak to four of the six kings. I’d get my chance for that tomorrow night after Bash bowed before me and asked for an alliance he already had. Between tonight and tomorrow, the fae would know my strength.
Troi came forward and set down the platter, then straightened to regard us. Bash’s frown deepened at her smirk. “Well done. And you might be the first to survive in our time, but you wouldn’t be the first Mortal Queen to live.”
Bash shot her a hard look and quickly stood. “Troi.” His voice was ice cold, threatening.
“What?” My body went slack. Just as I thought I’d figured things out, another piece of the complicated puzzle came to strike me.
Troi popped a piece of cheese into her mouth. “Legend says another survived before you.”
I slowly turned to Bash. Out of all the thoughts racing inside, the first to spill forth came with a dash of anger. “Liar.”
He shook his head. “No, I was protecting you.”
I drew myself up and crossed my arms. “My protection is none of your concern. So much for ‘an alliance means you look to the interest of both people.’ You should have told me another Mortal Queen lived.”
“Supposedly lived,” Bash said. “It’s a tale that many, including myself, don’t believe. Troi doesn’t even believe it.”
“Don’t drag me into this.” She ate another piece of cheese.
“Drag you? You started this.”
I shook my head, hoping if I shook it hard enough, all the confusion would drift away. “One of you explain. I don’t care which.”
“I will,” Bash answered quickly before Troi could speak. “There isn’t much to the story. It’s been said one girl lived before, but no one knows how. She lived the remainder of her days in hiding somewhere in the fae realm, and apparently her descendants are among us today.” He lifted a hand. “That’s all anyone knows.”
“That’s not true,” Troi put in. “I know one thing more. The girl was from Ruen.”
Bash lifted a brow. “That means nothing to me.”
But that last bit of information captivated my mind. “It means something to me,” I said slowly. She couldn’t have been from Ruen because the fae only accepted girls from the center island. But perhaps she’d wanted to go to Ruen instead of being chosen. She had a Passion for the arts she longed to pursue, enough that she claimed Ruen as her own, even though she never could have belonged to it. Maybe she was an artist. Like me.
The knowledge alone wasn’t enough to save me, of course. I needed more. “How did she do it?”
“If she did it,” Bash corrected. “No one knows how. It’s just a story, Thea, created by some wishful Mortal Queen or by a longing fae foolish enough to have fallen in love with one.” He took off his jacket and hung it on his throne.
“Strip her of all hope, if you please,” Troi remarked. “But not all of us are so cold-hearted, brother.” She tapped the covered box next to the throne.
I peered more intently. I couldn’t identify it the first night, and I got no better look tonight at whatever lay within.
“It’s not cold-hearted, it’s honest,” Bush stated. “I need to take Thea home. I have work to do. Tonight will most definitely have ramifications, and I need to prepare for whatever King Vern is going to do.”
“I have more questions,” I protested.
“I have no more answers. If you push, I’m counting it as the second question I owe you.”
That quieted me. I was saving my final question for a time of need.
In my silence, Bash brushed past me. Troi offered an apologetic smile before retreating to the heart of the mountain with the platter only she had eaten from, leaving no choice but to follow Bash outside. He offered his hand to help me climb into the chariot and withdrew it as soon as I stepped aboard. He rode such a fine line between kind and cold. Luring me in just enough to awaken interest but giving nothing in return.
Stars winked as we passed, growing brighter with signs of morning as we traveled in heavy silence. As soon as we landed, I’d find Talen to ask about the girl who survived. Part of me hoped he’d withheld more information, while a larger part hoped he had no knowledge of it and hadn’t kept anything from me.
We settled into the familiar courtyard with the two torches lit in the center, and the black crown embedded in stone. The seven thrones faced us, a reminder of when I’d first arrived. I must have seen Bash that day, but it had all been such a whirl that his face was lost among the other fae kings.
I’d been convinced this new life would be magical then. That was less than a week ago. What new riddles would this next week bring?
I stepped from the chariot and headed to the door.
Bash was at my side in an instant. “Thank you again, Thea. My sister is everything to me. I’m very grateful for what you’ve done for us tonight.”
