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“Beryl,” we said in unison.
I think we all knew it. Who else would be the cause of the Seelie Court’s downfall? Beryl’s reaction to me at the edge of Lake Onondaga had been very obvious.
I thought I killed you.
My breath hitched. That meant she’d likely killed the child that had been taken from my parents’ home. The girl hadn’t even had a chance. She’d been a young shifter in a fae world. She was gone. I yearned to turn back time and pluck her out of that timeline so that I could give her back to my parents as a thank you for raising me.
I wanted to scream and stomp my foot at all the injustices, but there was nothing I could do about it. Right now, I had to worry about myself. Beryl wanted me dead.
“If I tell her that I don’t want to upset the current power balance, do you think she’ll spare me?” I asked Vi.
The blonde raised a doubtful brow. “We’re talking aboutBerylhere. She’s the most conniving bitch I’ve ever had the displeasure of living near.”
I winced. Vi had a point, but the fae could be bargained with. If I could somehow convince her that I wanted nothing to do with her throne, I might be able to twist my side of the bargain to my advantage.
I shook myself and straightened my spine. “I’m going to pay Beryl a visit later.”
The tiny creature in my hood stirred. He flailed, trying to get free of the soft fabric. Winding around my neck, he filled my vision as he pressed his little paws to my cheeks.
“You can’t go there! She will kill you if you even step foot near her court!”
Vi’s head tilted almost completely sideways as she gaped at the little talking creature in front of my face.
I grabbed Feri by the scruff of his neck and plucked him from where he sat. He dangled from the tips of my fingers, but that didn’t stop him. He threw his paws in the air and kept going.
“You need to go back to Rhoan and lay low. He will keep you safe until you’re powerful enough to overthrow Beryl once and for all.”
ThisAnastasiafairytale bullshit was getting old. That’s not how things worked around here. Beryl was the head of an entire faction. She ruled almost a third of Lakesedge. I couldn’t go around waging battles over wars that never involved me. I was just a person trying to live her own life.
“You mean the guy who left me so he could go get blasted at the bar?” I wasn’t about to ask him for anything.
Even if he did save me the night before. I would have been fine without him, though. Vi and I could have gotten out of the bar just fine on our own. She could have taken me home. I made the antidote all on my own anyway.
I didn’t need Rhoan.
And I didn’t need to listen to a rodent.
“I’ll handle this on my own. Thanks,” I said.
The ferret went wild. He flailed in my grasp, his limbs and tail whipping in every direction. “You can’t! She will kill you, and the last hope of the Seelie Court will be gone. There are people waiting for you to fulfill your destiny. Your actions will betray each and every one of them.”
My lips curled defiantly. I hadn’t asked for this. The café was my life. My friends were the only people I needed. All I wanted was to mind my own damn business and keep my head low. I’d had enough excitement for one life already. I could count my near-death experiences on one hand, and that was already too much for me.
“Lakesedge is doing just fine with Beryl at the head of the fae court. They don’t need me. Everyone will be just fine so long as we let her do her own thing,” Vi said.
Feri snarled. “You are not thinking about those cast out of their homes! This is the home of the Seelie Court! Not Beryl’s unholy unseelie. She shoved your people out of their homeland.”
“Bruh,” Vi said. “The fae aren’t even from here. They came over with the first colonists. This definitely isn’t their homeland.”
“I meant the court! The court is their homeland. They brought their court with them, and the devious Queen Beryl stole it.” Feri balled his paws into fists.
With a sigh, I bent, grabbed a large storage container, and dropped Feri into it. I made sure to keep the lid cracked so he could breathe, but I slid the container back into its spot on the shelf where other containers kept it upright. When Feri scurried to the top of the container and shoved it upwards, it hit the shelf above.
He dropped back down and glared at me. Of course, he was a ferret. I knew not to underestimate him. It was only a matter of time before he found his way out. At least, I would be free of this fairytale nightmare shit for a while.
I crouched in front of the container and tapped it, which was probably cruel in retrospect. “I don’t want what you’re selling.”
The bell over the door chimed. I shot upright, expecting human customers. Instead, Ness and Addie entered. I let out a sigh of relief upon seeing my friends. I hadn’t realized how much I’d missed them in the past few days.
