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“It’s not just our parents,” Roylan warned. He met Mavlyn’s gaze, his dark eyes serious. “Wanted posters have been put up around town with yours and Leap’s names. They don’t have sketches on them—yet—but it’s only a matter of time until they get your likenesses out there, and they’ve listed sizable bounties for you both.” He looked at the others. “We might find our own faces up there too, if we’re not careful.”
“It’s okay if you guys don’t want to help us,” Leap offered. “Mavlyn and I were talking, and we were thinking of leaving Talamh and spreading the word in the other towns and villages, maybe distributing pamphlets if you’d be willing to help us get them printed.”
“No,” Lyra shook her head. “From everything you and Mavlyn have told us, it’s clear that the war effort is being generated here in Talamh. Even if you go to the other cities, we can’t give up here. We have to convince the citizens to take a stand against General Slaugh and Lady Mossi, instead of laying down and letting these Greater Fae throw our lives away so carelessly.”
“That’s right.” Tora fisted her hands in her skirts. “I’ve already lost my cousin to the shadow creatures when General Slaugh recruited him for King Aolis’s army, and I know others who’ve lost family members, too. We can’t keep blindly following the Greater Fae, not when they won’t even tell us the truth about why we’re fighting in the first place.”
“All right.” Mavlyn squared her shoulders as she faced the group. “If you guys really want to help, I have some ideas for how to make a stand without putting ourselves too much at risk. Here’s what we’re going to do…”
23
Lady Mossi
“Oh, it is so good to be home!” Gelsyne gushed as they entered the arboretum. A delighted grin spread over her face as she turned in a slow circle, taking in the sparkling glass dome and the greenhouse within. Towering trees with leaves in nearly every shade of green imaginable rose up toward the glass ceiling, casting dappled shadows across the plush grass floor. Vines and creepers snaked their ways up the trunks, while colorful flowers and exotic fruits dotted the foliage. The air was warm and humid despite the chilly winter winds whipping just outside, and the sound of trickling water leant a soothing air to the atmosphere.
“It is, isn’t it?” Lady Mossi said, her own lips curving into a smile. It had been nearly thirty years since the last time her granddaughter had set foot in the arboretum. “We used to spend nearly every day in here together. Do you remember the time you accidentally flooded the arboretum with sweets by accidentally over-watering the sugar sprouts?”
“The what?” Gelsyne blinked as she turned to face Lady Mossi.
“The sugar sprout bushes.” Lady Mossi stared at her. “Please, you can’t tell me you’ve forgotten. They were your favorite!”
“Oh yes, that’s right,” Gelsyne said carelessly. She reached a finger toward one of the electric blue flowers dangling from a tree to her left, and Lady Mossi reacted lightning fast, smacking her hand away before she could make contact.
“Have you lost your senses?” she demanded, grabbing Gelsyne’s arm and turning her granddaughter around to face her. “Siren blooms are poisonous!”
“I… right.” Gelsyne’s face flushed, and she pulled her hand from Lady Mossi’s. “I’m sorry, Grandmother. It’s been a long time since I’ve been here.”
“You’ve spent many more years in this arboretum than you’ve spent away from it,” Lady Mossi said as she studied Gelsyne’s face. Their eyes met, and for a split second, a dark shadow passed across her granddaughter’s retinas, turning them completely black.
“Yes,” Gelsyne said, taking Lady Mossi’s hand in hers again. Her voice deepened, and Lady Mossi’s mind turned hazy, her suspicions slipping away like an oil slick moving down a rushing river. “You’ll have to forgive me, grandmother. King Aolis had me tortured for information about Adara when I arrived, and the experience seems to have addled my brain somewhat. I’m hoping you’ll be able to refresh my memory.”
“Yes, of course,” Lady Mossi said, her voice sounding far away to her ears. Gelsyne let her go, and the world came rushing back, the sights and sounds of the arboretum thrown into sharp relief. For a split second, her senses were too overwhelmed to gather her thoughts. “It’s only natural that you’d still be recovering from the ordeal.”
She led Gelsyne to the audience chamber in the center of the arboretum, which housed Lady Mossi’s throne as well as a sitting area for more informal meetings. To her surprised delight, Avani was waiting for them. She sat at the edge of the koi pond with her skirts tucked under her, skimming the surface of the water with her fingers and allowing the giant koi to nibble at her nails.
“My dear,” Lady Mossi said, sweeping toward her other granddaughter. She took Avani’s hand, who rose to her feet. “I’m so glad to see you’re out of bed.” Avani had returned several weeks ago after General Slaugh had released the hostages, travel worn and extremely withdrawn. The healers had put her on bedrest for several weeks, and though Lady Mossi had visited several times, Avani had spoken very little to her.
“Thank you, grandmother.” Avani smiled, and Lady Mossi tried not to notice that the gesture didn’t quite reach her eyes. Her leaf-green hair, which had once been lush and vibrant, hung listlessly around her pointed ears, barely able to hold up the weight of her butterfly clips, and her rust-colored skin was dull and waxen. Still, her eyes had a bit more life in them, and Lady Mossi tried to take heart in that. “The healing tonics seem to have finally perked my spirits up a bit.”
She glanced over Lady Mossi’s shoulder, and a shadow flickered in her eyes. “Cousin Gelsyne,” she said. “I didn’t realize you would be here.”
“I thought it would be best to return to my ancestral home, given these troubling times,” Gelsyne said. She took a seat at the table, where an afternoon tea had been laid out. “Should we eat, Grandmother? I’m starving.”
The three of them settled in at the table and dug into the food. Lady Mossi was surprised when Avani chose to sit next to Gelsyne rather than her, but she tried not to make too much of it. One of the servants came in and delivered a sheaf of reports, and she turned her attention to those instead, taking sips of tea as she read through them.
“Are those the war reports from General Slaugh?” Gelsyne asked, surreptitiously leaning in.
“Yes.” Lady Mossi lowered the paper a little so she could meet her granddaughter’s gaze. “Would you like to read them?”
“Yes please.” Gelsyne held out her hand. At Lady Mossi’s raised eyebrow, she added, “As the future queen of Ediria, I feel I should take an interest in these matters. Especially since it’s my future husband who is leading the troops.”
“True enough.” Lady Mossi finished reading the report, then handed it over to Gelsyne. “The war seems to be going well, though I do worry General Slaugh is being a bit too heavy-handed. He’s wiped out four water fae villages in their entirety.”
“Then he’s doing well,” Avani said.
“Well?” Lady Mossi glanced at Avani, surprised at the vehemence in her voice. “He’s certainly effective, but I’m not sure it’s necessary for him to be killing females and children.”
“Those females can still fight, and those children will grow up wanting vengeance if they are left alive,” Gelsyne pointed out, reaching for another report. “Better to eradicate their family lines completely, and cow the other villages into submission. If word spreads, perhaps they will surrender instead of fight, and this will end quickly.”
