Page 33 of Tale of the Heart Queen

“You weren’t the king?”

“Oh no, that was my brother. I don’t have the right constitution for ruling. Coral chose Cyan to follow him.”

“And he lets you clean Coral?” I ask, feeling terrible for how I’m about to take advantage of this poor man’s delusions.

“Yes,” he says proudly.

“How do you do it? Do you get in the water?”

“Sometimes,” he says. “But that doesn’t get her as clean as I like. There’s a mechanism that drains the tank so I can do the job right.”

Perfect.

“Can I do that?” I ask, and Bain shakes his head.

“Oh no. That is forbidden. Only I’m sanctioned as her caretaker.”

I drag in a breath, hating that I’m doing this.

“But you wanted to hear what she has to say, right?”

His eyes widen, and he whispers, “I do.”

“So help me, and I’ll talk to her for you.”

He looks behind him, but no one is within earshot. West and North remain on the far side of the tank, where I can make out their blurred, watery forms through the glass.

“We’d have to do it at night when no one else is around,” Bain says, lowering his voice.

“Okay—tonight. I’ll meet you here at midnight.”

His eyes flick to Coral and then back to me. I reach out and grab his wrist. “I can give her any message you want.”

“You really can talk to her?” he asks.

“I can. I’ve already spoken with the Mirror, the Torch, and the Staff.” I expect him to ask me what they said, and I’m already trying to think of a lie, but it’s clear he only has eyes for Coral because he brushes past it.

He touches the glass and then peers down at me, hope swirling in his eyes.

“I can’t tonight,” he says, and I’m about to argue when he adds, “But tomorrow. Midnight.”

Slowly, I blow out a breath and nod. That’s another day lost, but I’m already pushing my luck.

“See you then,” I say, and then approach North and West, asking to be returned to my room. I say nothing to my escorts as I slam the door on their faces.

Immediately, I proceed across the room and exit onto the balcony. It dangles over a cliff, the churning ocean below filled with an inconvenient array of sharp, jagged rocks. This was obviously intentional. I peer over the edge, wondering if I could survive the drop. I’m not sure what I’m capable of now that I’m in my High Fae form.

Leaning out as far as I can, I scan the side of the palace. I’m about four stories up from where Coral’s massive tank juts out from the back of the castle.

How do I get down there without anyone noticing me?

The wind blows my hair, and I stare out at the water. There’s nothing but ocean and sky stretching in front of me. If I lean forward, I can see the city of Alluvion to the north. Even from this distance, I can make out a path of destruction along the coastline—smashed city walls, piles of debris littering the beach, dead sea life, and plants. I remember the conversation I overheard in Aphelion about this. More evidence of the magic’s loss of control.

I stare at my hand, considering my own magic. If things go sideways in the throne room tomorrow, I might need to use it for a quick escape. But the idea of killing innocent people makes cold sweat break out on my forehead. I don’t want to fear my magic, and I need it, but I killed the most important person in my world with it.

Scanning the horizon, I hold my hand over the water and concentrate on filtering out a small bit of magic. It buzzes under my skin, wrapping around my fingers and up my arm. With my breath held, I attempt to direct it towards the rocks below, but it takes only a moment before my control slips and magic slams out of me, filling the sky with a flickering curtain of crimson lightning.

It’s so vast it engulfs the horizon, stretching across my vision. It flows out of me in a rush, pulling on my veins like they’ll tear straight out of my skin. I scream as it gushes from my hand, an inferno, a raging torrent. I try to call it back, but it’s stronger than me. A loud crash draws my attention as a portion of the cliff below starts to crack.