Page 89 of Tale of the Heart Queen

A guard strides next to Erevan as he approaches, a hand on his sword, ready to take Erevan down should he make any suspicious movements.

“Captain,” he says. “The rebel leader asked to speak with you.”

“Erevan,” I say. He’s rumpled, his clothes askew, and his blond hair hanging in his eyes. “What is this? What are you doing?”

“They want justice. They want what they deserve.”

I shake my head, my hands spreading wide.

“I don’t know what you want me to do,” I say. “They want justice from Atlas, but he isn’t here to offer it.”

“Then let us meet with Tyr,” he says. “Have him repeal the laws and answer for his brother’s crimes.”

My jaw clenches, and our gazes meet. “You know I can’t do that.”

“Why not?”

“Because Tyr cannot repeal the laws on his own, and he can’t have this conversation.” I stop myself from explaining further. Erevan has seen Tyr. He has to understand that he can’t deal with this.

“He is still the king, Gabriel. No matter what happened, these people are still his duty.”

“I know that,” I snap. “But it’s not possible right now.”

“Then when? They won’t be placated any longer. They demand and deserve justice.”

He flings a finger behind him, where the crowd pulses, arms raised, their chants swelling into the air. The line of soldiers continues to struggle against the crowd when a frantic scream rises above the cacophony, drawing our attention.

A group of low fae and soldiers have converged in the middle of the mess, clashing as they fight. Screams and shouts and someone yelling, “Stop! You’re trampling her!”

I brush past Erevan and storm over. “Stop this!” I shout. “Stop it now! I order you!”

Everyone continues to shove and push while I thrust myself into the center of the tangle. “By command of the king, stand down!” I shout louder this time, and finally, they take notice. Someone is screaming and sobbing, and the crowd parts to reveal a small body on the ground covered in blood with someone crying over them. It’s hard to tell, but I think it’s an elf. Everyone stares, paused in the stillness of shock.

I whirl around to face Erevan, pointing at the dead elf. “Is this what you wanted?”

Erevan has gone pale, his jaw slack.

“Tell them to move out,” I snarl. “We will deal with this. I swear to you they will be heard, but I need time. Tyr needs time, and we need to find Atlas.” I drag Erevan towards me and force him to look at the dead elf. “Don’t make this worse.”

Finally, Erevan stirs out of his daze and nods, lifting a hand. It takes a moment for others to notice the signal filtering through the crowd. He looks at me, dark circles under his eyes, his expression more lost than I can ever remember.

“Erevan,” I say into his ear, using a low voice. “If Tyr chooses to descend, then you understand what must happen. I know you don’t want this but—”

He lifts his hand, cutting me off.

“I’ll deal with this,” he says, refusing yet again to talk about his destiny. The one the Mirror chose for him that fateful day a century ago. “But this is a warning, Gabe. You can’t keep ignoring them much longer.”

Then he tugs on his jacket and strides away, passing through the line of guards. He shouts a few words to the watching low fae, and it’s a measure of just how much they respect him that they slowly follow, carrying the body of the elf with them, filing out as they cast wary glances in my direction.

“Repair and then fortify the gate,” I say once they’re all gone. “And double the wall guard.”

“Yes, sir,” answers a soldier as they move into action. I watch for a moment, conscious of so many eyes on me. Hylene stands beside me with her patient presence, but I’m far too aware these soldiers under my command must be questioning everything I’m doing.

Then I spin around and am once again caught off guard by the sight of two figures I thought I’d never see again.

“Lor? Nadir?” I ask. Behind them are Mael, Amya, and Lor’s siblings, along with more guards, who’ve obviously brought them in through another entrance.

“Hey,” Lor says with a wave. “Looks like you’ve got your hands full here.”