“I was also deeply unnerved by Rian’s power, but you threatened to lock your mate away in your bedchamber! And not in a fun way,” I could not help teasing him.
He merely scoffed at my attempt at humour and did not slow our descent.
“Remember what happened when Helena would tell us not to do something at Ergastiri?” I persisted doggedly.
Riordan’s wings flared, his boots hitting the stairs hard as he stopped so suddenly that I almost flew into him.
“You think she may try to sneak into Autumn Court?” he guessed, turning to look up with frantic concern.
“It’s what I would do if you shouted at me and forbid me to do something without a conversation,” I admitted,hoping he would heed my hint.
“She will not be able to get there once I have blocked the realm from portalling,” he insisted.
“That may restrict the majority of people, but not even you can stop the Tithriall from flowing through the Vale. That means any fey with an ability to travel that way will always be able to get here. And it is a moot point in any case since Amira has your power,” I pointed out calmly. “You could close the portals, and she could open them again if she wanted to.”
This had not occurred to him, and I could instantly tell it may not have been the right thing to say. I had wanted him to realize that he needed to have a conversation with his mate about why she could not go to Autumn. Get on the same page with her. But I could already tell that he had not come to that conclusion.
“I will need to assign her more guards.”
“That was not—” I broke off and pinched the bridge of my nose while I shook my head in frustration with him. “That was not what I meant to suggest.”
“What then, Orion?” he snarled impatiently.
“Perhaps you could trytalkingto her about all of this rationally?” I suggested, failing to keep the sarcasm out of my voice. He glowered at me as his tail swiped back and forth behind him.
“You heard her! She is determined to believe the best of her friend—”
“And we have to assume that is with good reason since Amira knows the dryad and we do not! Besides…”
I trailed off in uncertainty, not knowing how to put my feelings into words. Unsure if I even wanted to.
“Amira could have dismissed me as nothing more than a jealous hothead. Just like everyone else aside from you andmitéra,” I reminded him in quiet earnestness, and his anger softened instantly. “She has proven to have a way of seeing the very best in people who… perhaps cannot see it for themselves. We may not have liked or trusted the dryad, but Amira saw something in her that merited an unshakable faith. And I can guarantee that itwas the dryad who’d already encouraged the Autumn Prince to try negotiation again in the first place. For Amira. So if your mate has so much faith in her friend then… I do too.”
Riordan stared at me, his anger receding as the hint of a smile began to flirt with one corner of his mouth.
“One night with her under the stars and now you will start taking her side in all things, won’t you?” he guessed, looking rather pleased at the notion.
“Hardly,” I scoffed as a flush of heat crept up my neck at the look of approval in his expression. “I do not want her traipsing into enemy territory any more than you do! But even I know that putting your foot down this way is not only unfair to her, but it is not the way to address this. You were too harsh with her,” I stated unapologetically.
Riordan winced in guilt as he glanced away from me. He knew I was right, but I could also feel his desperation to keep her safe practically carving him up inside.
“You have led our people through many trying times before this, and I trust you to do it again,” I assured him. “But how you respond to this threat will determine what kind of king you become after this. Will you allow fear to rule all your decisions or will you trust yourself and the bonds that you have forged?”
Riordan did not speak as he internalized my words for a moment before his resolve began to harden in his eyes. He nodded at me appreciatively and then turned away.
We continued down the stairwell to where two guards opened the iron gate to allow us to pass into the prison. Riordan walked by the hallway that would take us into the cellblock and strode into Beron’s open office door.
“Your Majesty!” gasped the warden as he straightened upright from his desk and bowed deeply. He appeared to be going over my notes on what little I had gleaned from the Spring Court traitors that Rian had left behind.
I had been working almost as tirelessly as my king to track them all down with a collaboration of Vale fey and griffin trackers.The forests were still being meticulously combed, but we were confident that we had managed to capture most of the traitors. Many of them were in the cells under Ergastiri, but Amira had insisted that the fey with children be housed in one of the campus dormitories. It was something I had agreed with her about since the children hadn’t asked to be affiliated with the Wild Hunt, and neither of us felt they belonged in prison. Amira had created a series of binding circles to prevent the family units from leaving their assigned rooms, but they were much more comfortable there than in the prison cells.
“Anything new from the letter carrier?” Riordan asked Beron briskly once the griffin had finished bowing.
“He still maintains that he was only asked to deliver the letter to Lady Amira and return with her response. Orion probably told you a fey from the Autumn Quadrant came to analyze him. He was not concealing any kind of malicious magic or weapons on him,” Beron advised.
“Is he still asking for Amira?” I asked, and the warden inclined his head at me in confirmation.
“We should send a message back to try and gauge their willingness to speak to us now. Perhaps Amira is right, and it is not too late to salvage something,” I suggested hopefully to Riordan.
