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4
BREE
“Something tells me that didn’t go very well,” Norah noted when Bree rejoined the army.
“Understatement of the century,” she muttered. “Taveon believes this is going to cause some kind of civil war. And he doesn’t seem convinced demons are coming here. All that combined means he’s pretty pissed.”
Norah frowned, casting a glance over her shoulder at the army. The warriors were beginning to get a little restless. Some had thrown their weapons to the ground and were wandering about, whispering amongst themselves in smaller groups. No doubt wondering what the hell was going on.
“Why wouldn’t he believe it?” Norah asked.
Bree let out a breath. “Fillan, the fae who warned me, isn’t exactly considered trustworthy.”
Norah groaned. “Wonderful. Let me guess. Taveon wants us to leave.”
“He’ll come around,” Bree said.
Sighing, Norah dismounted her horse and began to pace. Kael noticed and joined them at the front of the army. “What’s happening?”
Quickly, Norah explained. Kael was silent for a long moment before cutting his gaze Bree’s way. “How confident are you in this Fillan person?”
Bree bit the insides of her cheeks. Truthfully, Taveon was likely right about Fillan. He wasn’t exactly the most trustworthy fae in Underworld. Ever since Bree had arrived at court, the assassin had been lurking around, trying to learn the secrets of the castle. But he had helped Taveon gain control of the throne. He’d dispatched of all the champions. If he hadn’t wanted Taveon as king, he could have easily done the reverse. So while he wasn’ttrustworthy, Bree did not see why he’d lie to her about this.
“I think he has his own agenda, but whatever it is, it lines up with saving this realm,” Bree admitted. “I don’t think he’s telling a lie about this.”
Kael nodded. “And do you think Rafferty will be able to convince Taveon of this?”
“I don’t know.”
Liam strode forward to join the little group, arms folded over his massive chest. “We can’t just stay here indefinitely. It was a lot, asking the army to come into this land and fight side-by-side with their enemies. We can convince them to camp here for now, but they’re going to need some assurances that this is the right thing to do. Many saw you arguing with Taveon, and then watched him ride off. It’s not a good look, Bree.”
“I understand,” she said, her throat tight. “How long do you think you can manage?”
“A few days,” Kael said quietly, casting a glance over his shoulder at the army. “A week, perhaps. Two weeks at most. They’ll start asking questions. They’ll want to know why the king of this land has not come to greet them if we’re supposed to be fighting by his side.”
Two weeks. That wasn’t very long, but it was possible the demons would invade before then. There was really no telling how long they had before the war began in earnest. Bree needed to find out. And convince Taveon to believe her.
It was all so hopeless.
“It would help,” Liam said, rubbing his jaw, “if some of the dark fae came to us and joined the camp. Allies, of sorts. There are more dark fae than just those who are at court. If they came here, perhaps their king could be more convinced that this plan of yours might work.”
Bree frowned. In her time spent in Underworld, she’d seen very little of the world beyond the castle. There were other villages and towns beyond, but she had not journeyed there. They did not know her, and she doubted they’d trust a random human-turned-Redcap. If anything, Bree would make it worse.
Except…
Her heart did a little flip. She clenched her jaw and glanced away. It was a good idea, but a terrible one all the same. Surely she could not…
“Bree.” Norah took her hand and squeezed. “You’ve had an idea. Out with it.”
Unshed tears burned the back of her eyes. “I don’t think it will work.”
But that wasn’t entirely true. It might work. Only…she didn’t want to try it. Seeing him again, after he’d left her like that…she couldn’t bear the thought of it.
“Bree,” Norah demanded, her voice taking on a queenly quality that brokered no argument. “Tell me now.”
She swallowed hard. “It’s Eurig. The outposters. They might be more willing to listen than the court of dark fae. And he knows about Taveon. He knows all of it.”
“Ah.” Norah nodded, her eyes all-knowing. “Now I understand your hesitation.”
