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I didn’t like the sound of that.
I shifted on my feet and frowned as he stood from his throne. A hush fell across the crowd almost instantly, as if they’d been waiting for him to speak. Every fae in the room gazed up at him solemnly. There were no smiles. No smirks. In fact, they hardly paid me any attention at all.
In any other situation, I’d be thrilled. But not tonight.
A movement flashed in the corner of my vision. I cut my eyes to the side to find Ruari skulking along the nearest wall, his hand pressed against the hilt of his sword. He gave me a slight nod.
My stomach turned.
“Welcome to tonight’s ball,” Oberon announced, his voice booming in the hushed space. “We’re here to celebrate my resumed betrothal to your next Mortal Queen, once stolen from us by the bloody Mist King. But he cannot defeat us. I got her back from him, just as I will one day get back our stolen lands. This is a sign from the gods.”
A rumble went through the crowd. I’d never heard Oberon invoke the gods like this. So blatantly. By the shocked looks on the faces before us, it seemed the courtiers hadn’t, either.
“Quiet.” He held up his hand, and the murmurs stopped. “With the blessing of the gods, we can finally defeat our greatest enemy, the Mist King, once and for all. But we need just one more thing.” That was when he turned to me with a glimmer in his eye. “A blood sacrifice.”
A ringing filled my ears as every face in the crowd turned to me. But I didn’t even see them. I stared at Oberon, at his twisting horns, at the shadows in his eyes, and I felt my rage for him build up inside of me. So, this was his move. If the fae no longer cared about a wedding, he’d paint this floor with my blood.
For the gods.
His gaze left my face to land on someone just behind me. “Go get the mother and the friend.”
A gasp ripped from my throat.
“I told you their lives were forfeit,” he said to me. “This is your punishment for trying to kill me. And it is the Kingdom of Light’s salvation.”
I cast a desperate glance over my shoulder. Oberon’s son had vanished. He must have been the one Oberon ordered to fetch my mother and Val. This was what he’d been alluding to earlier. He’d encouraged me to fight, no doubt because he hoped I’d take his father down.
But I couldn’t depend on him to save my family. He had his own motivations, his own goals in mind. Mother and Val were nothing to him. If he had to bring them here for Oberon’s sacrifice, he would.
So, I did the only thing I could do. I finally made my move. But this time, I would stab Oberon with my words rather than a useless wooden dagger. And they would make a mark.
Clenching my hands into fists, I turned to the gathered light fae. “Oberon no longer has his power. That’s why the mist is coming across the bridge. His barrier is failing.”
Horror—actual horror—flashed across Oberon’s face. It was a fleeting expression, but I was close enough to see the widening of his eyes, the twitch of his shoulders, the flaring of his nostrils, before it was all gone—smoothed over. His eyes went hard.
The crowd erupted. All solemnity was cast aside as the fae pushed toward the dais, shouting questions and demands, all on top of each other so that their words were nothing more than a meaningless garble of fear and anger. Oberon didn’t look at them. He just stared at me.
I gave him a smile and I whispered. “Did you really think I’d let you kill them?”
His nostrils flared again, and he turned to the crowd. When he yanked his sword from his scabbard, the room quieted to a dull roar. “Enough! This is a mortal! I am your king.”
“Even so,” a nearby courtier, a man with ginger hair shot through with silver, called out, “the mists are closer, Your Grace. What’s happening with the barrier?”
“Yes, why isn’t the barrier working?” another called out.
A muscle in Oberon’s jaw ticked. “Nothing is happening. The barrier holds strong.”
“Why don’t you prove it?” I raised my voice to be heard throughout the Great Hall. “If you’re in control of the barrier and you haven’t lost your power, then show us your fire. When was the last time you gave the court one of your infamous displays?”
He whirled on me then, his eyes flashing. “Shut up, mortal. Haven’t you learned your fucking lesson yet? You’ve just killed your sister. You’ve just killed them all.”
My heart pounded, but I kept my face blank. I’d been counting the moments since the guard had left to get my family. He should have reached the dungeons by now. A few moments more, and he’d return with them. I hoped it was long enough for the tide to turn.
“The mortal is right,” that ginger-and-silver haired fae said with a frown. “I can’t remember the last time we saw you use your power.”
Oberon’s skin turned ashen. “What kind of king would I be if I felt I had to prove my power to you? Don’t listen to this mortal. She means nothing.”
The fae’s eyes widened. “She’s right, isn’t she? You don’t have it.”
