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“So my Kind Heart and Shadow Queen ought to give us a great deal of thanks for giving them such glamorous titles?”
“I suppose.” I offered a small grin. “The first queen opened the way for the rest. As such, the first queen had the longer path.”
“The first as in . . .” She looked at me like she already knew the answer.
“You, Little Rose. Your father gave his throne to you. He gave his power away to the first fate queen.”
“But my mother—”
“Held seidr, but she could not twist the paths, or sing the songs of a soul the way you can.”
We had minor strengths on our own. Dream walking, I’d discovered, was mine. Calista could predict destiny through premonitions like star seers. But together her words and my voice opened the power to unravel the path of fate.
After a long pause, her chin trembled; tears glazed her eyes when she looked at me. “Why could I not know of you? Stef—Annon—knew of you. I think every damn person in Raven Row knew of you. Why not me?”
“A cruel trick of the bitter Norns,” I said. “Your path would bring you to rise as a true worker of fate magic, but when your lifeline was shattered, it blinded you from the truth. By restoring each gift, it always led you a little closer back to where you began.”
“That doesn’t make sense. Annon was always with me, and he was part of my past. He knew my purpose.”
I chuckled. It wasn’t humorous, more bitter, but I held a great deal of resentment for the Norns. “Your father bested the bleeding Norns. They are cruel, but Riot Ode was sly. He managed to sing a destiny of his captain could walk beside you, so you would not be alone.”
She looked at me with a twist of pity. “Stef was tangled in a broken lifetime, but not you. You were cursed to be alone, and I hate it.”
“I don’t.” I swallowed and took a step closer. My hand trembled, slight enough I wasn’t certain she’d notice. I pressed a palm to her cheek. “I won’t say it has not had its cruel impact, but I knew it would be wretched. Your father warned me. I would need to be the one to hold you here, to guide you back. I was willing and accepted.”
Calista shook out her hands. “This is madness. I’ve always told my royals Raven Row was the first kingdom, and I was damn right. It is.” She lifted her gaze with a bit of hesitation. “You are the unseen Mad King, aren’t you?”
I studied the grains of the floorboards for a few breaths. “The Western shores needed to be shielded so it could be your home. The ruse was created as part of the shattered world. A ruse with a king, a small, simple system of trade to be inconspicuous. But should anyone wonder too long, should anyone question too much, the wards of seidr would wipe the thoughts clear of the Western Kingdom.”
“I don’t know how this place even came to be. In my Golden King’s dream, the Western seas were empty.”
“It was intentional. King Riot needed a place his daughter could return and be safe.” My fists clenched; my voice darkened. “A place where the other half of your voice could guide you back, again and again.”
“The wards are broken, aren’t they?” she whispered. “When I crossed into Hus Rose, I felt the shift. That’s when the folk shifted into . . . other people.”
“Their true selves.”
“But I’ve always felt an aversion to Hus Rose. Always. If all I needed to do was bleeding cross the threshold, why the hells was I pushed away?”
“It all returns to restoring the gifts, piece by piece. There was a proper time and place. The beginning becomes the last. This tale began with you, but now the other pieces are in place and your path can truly be revealed. I hope we are not too late.” Blood pounded through my skull. Emotion pooled in a confusing haze. “The bond should’ve been found long ago. I should’ve been found whilehewas weak.Gods, do you know what it’s like?”
“Silas.” Her small hand nudged my shoulder. “Stay with me. Speak to me. Yes, I know I should’ve been bolder and sought out whatever the first bond meant right after the battle in the South. Butyoucannot keep holding it over my head. We can only move forward now, and frankly, you could’ve been a little less cryptic. You could’ve said something like,come to the palacefor answers, or something better than bleedingsing with me.”
I pressed my chest to hers. “We were cursed by fate to remain apart. Do you think I could be anything but vague? That is not what aches, Little Rose. It is the truth that you once trusted the voice in the dark, you listened, you accepted it. But it all changed when you got a glimpse at the man behind it.”
“What are you talking about?”
“The fae sleep.” I made quick work of gripping the back of her neck and drawing her mouth close. The warmth of her gasp kissed my skin. Her eyes were wide, but her palms flattened over my chest. “Don’t lie, Little Rose. You suspected the wraith in the dream had something to do with your Whisper. You felt it, and yet you ran from the sight of me.”
“I don’t like what you’re insinuating. You think your damnfaceis what frightens me?”
When I drew my cheek alongside hers, I took a bit of twisted enjoyment when she stiffened. “It frightens everyone else. Why would you be different?”
Calista grunted in frustration and shoved against my chest again. “Bastard. Scars hardly frighten me. It was the feeling when . . .”
She dragged her bottom lip between her teeth.
“What?” My voice came out rougher than intended, almost desperate. “What frightened you?”
