Page 117 of The Crowned Queen

Someone—it sounded like Galen—strangled a laugh, turning it into a cough.

The High Arbiter’s face went bone white. “It wasn’t personal, Your Majesty,” he said stiffly. “There were protocols in place⁠—”

“And now there aren’t.” Loren stepped around the table, wrapping an arm around her waist. His shadows surrounded them both, offering a precious moment of privacy as he brushed his lips over hers. “Did you find everything you needed?” he murmured, his voice pitched for her ears alone.

Araya leaned into his embrace, closing her eyes. “I have now,” she said, returning his kiss.

Someone cleared their throat. “Her Majesty may be able to offer insight to the issue at hand,” Maelor said tentatively. “Regarding Master Ambrose Carrow? The records indicate she worked under him for several years⁠—”

“I did.” Araya frowned as the shadows dissipated around her. “What’s the issue?”

“The issue,” Kai said, “is that they—” he flopped back into his seat, gesturing at the far end of the table “—want to execute every human with the rank of master and above that worked for the Arcanum. I tried to tell them that not every human is evil, but they insist he’s as guilty as a man like Baran Pryce⁠—”

“That seems unrealistic.” Araya moved to take the seat beside Loren, glancing over at Maelor and Myna with a frown. “Master Carrow never did anything to harm me. In fact, he did a great deal to make my life more comfortable. And not just me—he improved the lives of every fae who walked through the door of his workshop as much as he could. Even to his own detriment.”

“He oversaw the forced transfer of fae magic into bone amplifiers for the war effort,” Maelor said stiffly. “It is bad enough that magisters were granted life sentences in lieu of execution in exchange for their surrender. Anyone who helped the Arcanum should face the full penalty for doing so.”

“That is a great many humans,” Raelle said. “And a great many fae, as well. I’m as bloodthirsty as the next of us, but you simply cannot execute everyone who helped them. Or the next uprising will come for you.”

“I agree,” Araya said. “I worked for the Arcanum as well, if you recall.” She glanced around the room. “You may be surprised by how many of them would willingly cooperate. At the least, every one arrested deserves fair treatment and a timely trial—unless you want to become the very monsters we’ve only just defeated.”

Loren squeezed her hand under the table, his pride warming their bond like the sun.

But Maelor wasn’t done. He shuffled his papers on the table, clearing his throat loudly. “There is one case,” he said, “where the question of trial versus immediate judgment is perhaps less clear. I trust we’re all aware of the case of Magister Rian Sterling?”

Kai flushed. “I already recused myself,” he said, his voice low. “So I’m not sure why you feel the need to bring that up now, except you don’t enjoy losing arguments.”

Raelle smacked him in the chest. “Don’t let him get to you,” she warned. “Caela wants you home in one piece.”

“It’s not a personal attack on Master Sterling,” Maelor said carefully. “I just question the appropriateness of his inclusion on this council, given the circumstances. It seems odd that we would mingle human and fae together after everything that happened⁠—”

“Kai is here because I want him here,” Loren interrupted. The room darkened around them, several of the fae flinching as the shadows slithered forward from the corners of the room. “It is my council of advisors, and I want it to reflect the people I’m actually governing—which include a large number of humans. Kai has more than proven himself, and as far as I’m concerned, this is a waste of all of our time.” He stood, snapping the folder in front of him closed. “I’m concluding this session and going to spend time with my queen.”

“But, Your Majesty⁠—”

“You’re dismissed.” Loren raised his voice, speaking over Maelor’s protest. “All of you, go enjoy this beautiful day. And Maelor—” Loren caught the High Arbiter’s gaze, his expression frosty. “I suggest you adjust your expectations for the next meeting.”

“My brother, ending a council meeting early,” Eloria murmured to Galen as people gathered up their papers, filing out of the room. “Father is rolling in his tomb.”

Loren snorted. “He wouldn’t tolerate any of this nonsense.” He glanced down the table at Kai, his voice turning reassuring. “Kai, if you want to speak about your father, I’m happy to listen. Everything you’ve done for us—you’ve more than earned a favor.”

Kai shook his head, his expression tight. “He’s done terrible things,” he said. “He should stand trial like everyone else. I just…don’t know if I can be there for it.”

“That’s more than understandable,” Serafina said gently. “It’s unreasonable to expect that we could figure all this out in a matter of days.”

Araya leaned against Loren, suddenly exhausted. She imagined they would be figuring it all out for years to come, but as she looked around at her friends—old and new—she knew there was no better group to trust it to.

Loren’s arm wrapped around her. “Walk with me?” he asked.

She smiled up at him, letting all the love she felt for him light up their bond. “Always.”

Epilogue

Loren leaned against the doorframe of his rooms at Tirnavel, popping a candied flower petal into his mouth. The sugary wafer dissolved on his tongue in a burst of sweetness, conjuring memories of Bloomtides long past.

“Loren,” Araya warned without looking away from the mirror at her vanity. “Lyria is going to be cross if you eat all of those before tonight. She worked very hard on them.”

“I know you hid an extra tray.” Loren popped another petal into his mouth, unable to keep the smile off his face as he met his queen’s eyes in her reflection. Her lips curved, but she didn’t turn away from the mirror, fussing with the white flowers woven into her crown.