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“He told me Lira is his sister.”
Ishir jerked forward, his Talwar’s scabbard sliding along the edge of the furniture. “Lira is the daughter of King Carrington?”
“Apparently. He says she doesn’t know.” Then I realized the implications of that and remembered how Mother’s eyebrows had risen when I’d shared that information. I’d been too emotionally compromised to think about it at the time. The prophecy had called for Lira to find her brother. If Lennox truly was her brother that meant he was—I sucked in a breath—elemental. No. I’d spent weeks with him, and I’d never seen him use anything related to the elements. Wait. There was one time he’d warmed water. I hadn’t questioned it then, but was that elemental magic? Shit.
Ishir rubbed his hands together. “That complicates things.”
“Seelie fae complicate things.” Like my whole fucking life, for example. The prophecy had called not just for Lira and her brother, but their Atallas. Suddenly the way my body longed to fly down the halls, find Lennox, and draw him into my embrace held a sinister feeling to it. No. No, I was not that man’s fucking Atalla. I would not allow fate to force me to be with him.
“I came here to check on you,” Ishir said, breaking into my thoughts, “but also to give you a warning.”
I shifted towards him, my foot crunching over a shard of a broken cup. “About what?”
“The Maharani is having a suite warded to prevent magic.”
I stared at him trying to untangle what that had to do with anything we discussed.
He clenched his hand against the couch’s fabric. “In case Prince Lennox wishes to stay.”
“He’s staying?”
“I don’t know, but that’s what I heard from other guards.”
I growled through my teeth and turned around, snatched one of the few remaining pots off the table, and hurled it at the tile floor. “Fuck.”
CHAPTERTHIRTEEN
MARGO
Palaria heaveddeep breaths and her forehead glimmered with sweat. She dipped a brush into a pot of makeup before dabbing it on her face. As she scowled at her reflection in the gilded-edged mirror of the room we shared in the Seelie palace she sighed.
Lira holding our magic far away was taking a toll on us both. It seemed to harm Palaria more. Maybe because she was still dealing with the loss of holding the magic herself.
Good.
Anger flared through me, and I swallowed it back. It was nothing new to have to bite my tongue in front of Palaria. She never allowed backtalk from the women in our troupe. It was new, however, for me to despise her the way I did.
I lifted a glass bottle of perfume and dabbed some on the inside of my wrists before tapping them under my jaw. My jewelry gleamed in the candlelight as it slid over my low-cut gown and nestled against my exposed curves. It was nearly inappropriate for a dinner with the Seelie nobility. Since the silk was luxurious with fine details, I could get away with it. And I needed the attention it might draw. I’d remained here with Palaria to find out information for Lira.
I swallowed hard at that thought.
I’d failed her miserably.
Her mother had chased her down and forced magic she didn’t want on her then the devil of the Unseelie had taken her as everyone in this God damned palace stood back and watched.
My hands trembled as I looped a bracelet on my wrist.
Palaria rose and wrapped a fur stole around her shoulders before patting the ivory hair she’d carefully curled and bundled on the top of her head. “Let’s hope the King has more information tonight.”
She didn’t wait for my answer, but rolled her shoulders back and crossed the room, her heels clicking against the stone floor. I wasn’t finished getting ready but if Palaria was done, then I was done. The anger that had grown in me gained heat.
I took a deep breath. Acting out against Palaria right now would not help Lira and I owed it to her. As soon as she returned to the palace, I’d have information about what her mother and the King were scheming about.
I’d already learned a term that was new to me.Elemental magic. It terrified the Seelie as they discussed it. They all believed Sai may have it because of the flames from his shadow dragon. A Seelie fairy with round, green eyes had shared her theories on the matter at dinner a few nights before, leaning forward to whisper it behind her hand as if the idea of elemental powers was too frightening to speak at full volume.
My gaze had dashed to Palaria who gave me a hard look. Lira had what they called elemental powers. From the way Palaria pressed her lips together, a silent command to not speak, King Carrington and the Seelie didn’t know this.
I stepped out into the hall alongside Palaria and remained quiet, my eyes downcast as she bustled over the rug. How could Lira return here and be safe if she held powers the Seelie wanted to exterminate? I needed to warn her somehow, but that felt impossible. When she got back—I refused to allow myself to think of other possibilities—I’d help her run away. She should have come to me in the first place when she’d wanted to leave. I might have been annoyed, but I would have joined her. Now she was ocean-deep in fae politics neither of us truly understood.
