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Conreth angled his head. “Lorian is fine. At least, he was last time I had my men report his whereabouts. But your reaction is interesting.” He took a bite of his food. I tamped down the urge to slam my fist into his face and fought to keep my expression blank.
I knew better than this. And yet I’d played right into Conreth’s hands. “Is there a reason you’d choose to imply otherwise?”
“Merely determining your relationship. My brother lied to you, and yet it seems all is forgiven.”
“With all due respect, Your Majesty, my relationship with Lorian is none of your business.”
He slowly shook his head. “That’s where you’re wrong. You’re young, unused to ruling. Your first lesson is that everything your enemies, allies, and potential allies do is your business.”
“And which category do I fall into for you?”
He merely gave me one of those cold smiles. “I have a suggestion. For the remainder of our talk, you will vow to answer my questions honestly, and I will vow to do the same.” He nodded at the knife on the table.
I stared at it, uncomprehending. Then it hit me. “A blood vow?”
He gave a languid shrug. “One way to keep us both honest.”
If either of us lied—breaking the vow—we would die an excruciating death. Clearly, there was something Conreth wanted to know, and he was convinced I would otherwise lie about the answer.
And yet, when else would I have the fae king at my disposal to answer all of my questions honestly? Conreth may be a passive-aggressive, patronizing prick, but he knew the history of both his people and mine. He knew where I was most likely to find allies. And his people had been at war with Regner for centuries now. Conreth’s brain was a wellspring of knowledge. Knowledge I desperately needed if I was going to be able to help the hybrids.
“Fine.”
Conreth’s expression didn’t change, those cold eyes didn’t thaw, but I was studying him closely enough that I caught the way his shoulders relaxed the tiniest amount.
I needed to be very, very careful.
I sat back down and held out my palm, wincing at the sting of the knife. Conreth sliced his own hand, murmured the fae words, and agony slithered up my arm as the vow locked into place.
The fae king gestured for me to speak first. “Please. Ask your questions.”
“Why was it so important that you met me now?”
“I’m currently determining whether allying with your people would be a help or a hindrance. My decision needs to happen sooner rather than later.”
Conreth wanted to watch my reaction to that, so I refused to give him one. “What makes you think it will be a hindrance?”
“You’re naive, untested. You don’t truly wish to rule, and this is obvious to anyone who interacts with you. You have no allies. The Gromalian king could perhaps be convinced to turn on Regner, yet you have not arranged to meet him. There are powerful creatures in the hybrid kingdom, yet you haven’t attempted to visit. Instead, you came here first, because you wished to see your friends and family.”
I sucked in a deep breath. Conreth didn’t know we were training for a specific purpose or that we were looking for the hourglass. It benefited us that he thought I was merely in this camp hiding from what he saw as my duties. Yet his judgment stung just the same.
“And what exactly doyoubring to the table?” I asked, my voice carefully level. “Your people turned their backs on the hybrids and now expect them to kiss your feet for offering them this swath of land to squat on while their families and friends die in Eprotha and Gromalia. The fae were this continent’s only chance when the hybrid kingdom was decimated, and instead of fighting, you didnothing.”
I’d expected Conreth to make some kind of denial. To at least become angry. He merely angled his head, raising his goblet to his mouth and drinking deeply. “My people made mistakes,” he said, placing the goblet down. “One of our biggest was waiting for allies from across the seas.”
I glanced at the map. The hybrid kingdom was located to the west of this continent, across the Sleeping Sea. Conreth shook his head. “You’re looking in the wrong direction.” Getting to his feet, he reached into a satchel and handed me another map, this one much smaller, the edges of the parchment yellowed with age. To the east of our continent, there were indeed other continents. Otherkingdoms.
I stood and leaned over the table, studying the map. “Why don’t we ever hear of them?”
Conreth turned to study the map from his side of the table. “Before both his son and grandson died, Regner found an ancient text. It predates humans on this continent. The text was written by one of the dark gods. And Regner learned dangerous information. One of the pages of that book provided instructions to create a barrier so long and impenetrable, he must have realized how it could be used.”
This was the same barrier the pirate queen had spoken of, her eyes dark with longing.
“And then Regner’s son died,” Conreth said. “Regner decided he wanted complete control of this continent, and he wouldn’t achieve that control if we could receive help from other continents. And if the humans in Eprotha learned that across the seas, fae, hybrids, humans, all lived together—along with other creatures they’d never even learned of…it would threaten his ability to control the population.”
Those other continents sounded magical in more ways than one. I couldn’t imagine so many people with varying backgrounds and cultures and magic all living together as one.
“Nelayra?”
