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I pinched the bridge of my nose, suddenly tired. “No. Was it your father or grandfather who decided not to help the hybrids?”
“Our wards were open to your people, provided your queen still had the hourglass in her possession. A loophole one of my ancestors had created and no one had noticed. When Regner took the hourglass, your people were unable to get through our wards. They scattered. Once the fae realized what had happened, it was too late.”
I let that sink in. I could see it. Could imagine the hybrids running for their lives, only to realize they had nowhere to go.
“Mistakes were made,” Conreth said into the silence.
“And when the fae began to realize what had happened to the hybrids?”
“We took who we could, but…some of the fae remember a time before the hybrids separated from us. Many of those fae are now powerful, half-wild, and can’t be trusted not to attack based on old wounds. Hence why this camp was created.”
Taking a deep breath, I raised my gaze.
“And Crawyth?”
He smiled. “The question,” the fae king said, “is why you didn’t listen when Lorian told you he didn’t destroy the city?”
Ah. So he knew I’d been asking about that. My mind raced as I attempted to figure out who had overheard me talking to either Asinia, Galon, or Lorian himself.
“That is between Lorian and me.”
Conreth held up his hand, still stained with blood. “No, it’s not.”
The vow tightened around my throat, and I sucked in a breath. “He lied to me about who he was. I need proof he’s not lying to me again. Because it’s more than just me at risk if I’m wrong about him.”
Conreth merely nodded. We were likely running out of time.
“What will it take for you to ally with me?” I asked.
“Show me your people have rallied behind you. That they’ll fight in your name. Including those who are still hidden in your kingdom. Find a way to make the Gromalian king turn on Regner, and we just may have a fighting chance. But I will not risk my people in a war we cannot win. If necessary, I will find a way to get the two other amulets, shore up my borders, and wait.”
I stared at him, my stomach churning at the horror of it all. “You would do that?”
“A ruler’s first duty is to their own people. This is something you will need to learn—and quickly.”
I swallowed down the vicious response waiting on the tip of my tongue.
“I will be sending Lorian away within the next few days,” Conreth said casually.
Every muscle in my body seized up in instant refusal. “Why?”
“He has rested. But it is time for him to get back to work. I have a task for him elsewhere in my kingdom.”
Did he truly? Or was Conreth separating us because it pleased him to do so?
Conreth watched me, a warning glint in his eyes. This was why he’d told me Lorian had committed treason. So I would know exactly what Lorian would be risking if he ignored his brother’s order and came with me.
And while Conreth might forgive his brother once, it was unlikely Lorian would escape repercussions a second time if he were to choose me.
I needed to travel to both the hybrid kingdom and Gromalia. I needed to find the hourglass and give it to our people. And I would have to do it without Lorian. I thought I’d resigned myself to that fact, and yet knowing there was absolutely no way Lorian could come with me…
It turned out I hadn’t truly accepted it. But I was going to have to.
Dare I ask Conreth about the location of the hourglass while he was compelled to tell me the truth? If I did, he would know I knew about it. He’d know I was going after it and that I knew the fae were aware of where it was and yet hadn’t told me.
No. It was too risky. When we went for the hourglass, we had to do it without any warning.
“It is my turn to ask questions now,” Conreth said. “What is it you’re keeping from me as you sit there so quietly?”
