Following that, she sat back in her seat and returned to ignoring me, but even she looked intrigued when my father reported what the Council had discovered about the creatures, facts he had told me the previous day.
Of the twenty-eight who’d entered the maze and subsequently been burned, along with the ones Kole had killed while I’d been hunting the Stone and then the half-dozen more that’d been found and dispatched in Whiteolf in the previousweek, half were male, and the other half were female. He listed their ages, professions, where they’d lived, what interests their relatives said they had, and who their families were.
“Yet no connection has been established between them?” Lady Ryderdim arched an eyebrow. “Nothing has been found that they all had in common?”
My father sighed. “Only one so far. All of them typically disappeared each month for a few days around the same time, but as for where they went, we don’t know yet. However, another new discovery is something Primelle found in her research regarding the God of Night and Goddess of Light. The Council is looking more into it, so with any luck, we’ll know more in the coming days.”
Everyone’s eyebrows rose, and some looked at me with looks of newfound respect.
My father continued. “To note, the Imperial Council has confirmed that it was likely a potion similar to the one we’ve recovered that turned all of those fae. Their most advanced spellcasters have been doing tests on it, and they managed to alter the potion slightly into a new stable form. It’s the altered form that resulted in one of their test subjects turning into a creature that closely resembles the creatures that penetrated the maze.”
I straightened at that statement, and even Kole cocked his head, making me think this discovery was extremely recent. To think the potion could be altered, and to think the creatures coming from it resembled the monsters from the maze and the less horrifying version that Timith had been turning into was entirely mindboggling.
Lordling Deerwood cocked his head, surprise evident in his expression. “Your Majesty, if you could please elaborate.”
My father explained how the Imperial Council’s spellcasters had done tests with the potion recovered from Verin’s chambers,along with the drink they’d found in the alleyway that had flown off my carpet. “Two test subjects have been given the potions, each ingesting a different one. The first subject has been slowly turning into a creature similar to the ones that breached the palace, but the other, is turning into whatever Timith Hollaran was becoming.”
I brought a hand to my throat. Nausea roiled within me. It was now common knowledge amongst the king’s council what had happened to my uncle. Timith had returned to work the week prior, and everyone was amazed at what he’d endured and how the Stone had saved him, but his trials also highlighted how horrific those potions were.
Mouth dry, I somehow managed to rasp, “Testsubjects? You mean, two fae wereforcedto consume potions to turn them into monsters?” Horror made me gape
My father’s eyes gentled. “I know it sounds awful, but both are convicted criminals and were sentenced to full gargoyle leeching. They volunteered for the test, since they were going to die anyway due to their heinous crimes. Instead of a full gargoyle leeching, they volunteered to drink the potions. Doing so means the crown will supply their families with five hundred seasons of generous annual incomes.”
I leaned back in my seat. “So they did it to help their families?”
“Indeed. Both may have monstrous impulses that they never learned to curb, but each has a family member they would like cared for.”
“Are either fully turned yet?” I asked hesitantly.
My father shook his head. “Both were executed this morning when the final stages of the changes were upon them.”
My nausea grew, and I couldn’t help but glance over my shoulder at Kole, yet even though Kole’s face was its usual blank mask, his aura was brimming with energy, making me thinkthis was new information to him too. In other words, only the most senior members of the Imperial Council and the crown had known.
“That’s simply atrocious.” Lady Ryderdim turned her sharp gaze on me. “And all of this is somehow related to Princess Primelle?”
My father inclined his head. “Unfortunately, yes.”
“But why?” Koraline asked. Her lips downturned. “Why do they want Primelle to be a monster?”
I started at her question. One, because it was the first time she’d ever uttered my name that wasn’t said in disdain, but also because a hint of genuine concern filled her words.
“That we still don’t know,” my father replied quietly.
“And tell me, Your Majesty,” Lady Ryderdim cut in, “has any connection been made between the creatures and the princess?”
My father’s head snapped in her direction, and even Koraline’s eyebrows rose.
My jaw dropped. “You think thatIhave something to do with turning those fae into those monsters?” At the wall, Kole’s sword scraped against the stone, and I could have sworn he’d just locked down a soft growl.
Lady Ryderdim lifted her shoulders. “I’m just saying all angles should be looked at.”
I sat back in my seat, my stomach tumbling, but I supposed I shouldn’t be surprised by the elderly House leader’s comment. As much as I hated to admit it, it was a valid concern, even if such suspicions made me feel sick.
When the discussions about the creatures at last concluded, all eyes turned back to my father.
“And what’s the next item on the agenda, my king?” Lordling Ary angled back in his seat, his brown hair shining in the fairy lights.
My father leaned forward, and an air of authority clouded around him. “The last thing I’d like to discuss today is the reason I’ve asked my youngest daughter to attend this meeting. We’d like to provide all of you with reassurance that you have nothing to fear from her.” My father gestured to the chambers’ corner door. It opened, and two dozen fae marched through it.
