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She talks like a madwoman, I told Cari. Or a child that is used to getting what she wants.
Cari did not say anything.
“I don’t believe you,” Kieran replied. “We are the heirs of the Unseelie. The crown will be contested after our father if you kill us both.”
Kieran stopped talking. Perhaps he realized he was telling the queen what would be wiser for her. If she hadn’t thought of it by herself, it would be wiser not to tell her. One should never give a snake more venom to kill them with...
“That might have been a good option,” the queen replied, her eyes full of the mean strike she had done her best to hide until now. “But you are no longer the heirs to the crown. I just received the joyful news. Your father is no more the king.”
Fiona and Kieran, along with the rest of us, paused gravely. In the split second they took the news in, my chest tightened with fear, and tears formed in my eyes even before I could comprehend what the queen had said.
“You’re lying,” Kieran said softly. I could see the pain on his face.
“Am I?” The queen asked cruelly. “Then why should I tell you this: Lady Queill and Lord Merick, along with his son Lord Lugh have been working for me. They are my spies, and it is they who easily overtook your kingdom from underneath your feet without anyone realizing it. As we speak, your father is being dethroned. I shall decide who replaces him. Perhaps if we can come to an agreement...”
“No!” Fiona shouted. “We will not give our kingdom to you!”
My insides felt empty. I wasn’t surprised to hear that Lord Merick had been plotting against the king, but Lady Queill’s involvement in this ploy was almost unthinkable. She had been King Duncan’s advisor. And she always had our backs...
“The kingdom is not yours to give, my dear,” the queen replied. “But I can change that if you submit. I can marry you to the next king, and your offspring will rule the realm. All you have to do is to get on your knees and ask for my forgiveness.”
Fiona did not respond. Instead, she did the last thing I ever thought an elegant princess like her would do. She spat and glared at the queen. Her tearful eyes were full of hate.
That was the final drop. The queen’s eyes twisted with disgust and fury. Her body was tense as she stared at Fiona.
“Kill them,” the queen raised her voice as her pale face flushed red. “I have had enough of this! Tell them to die, and this will be over.”
She was speaking to Cari. And as I turned to her, I knew Cari was capable of doing what the queen had told her to do.
But she was looking at me.
You don’t hate me, she said. It wasn’t a question, but as soon as she asked it, my response was bright inside my mind, and she could easily see it.
No, I don’t hate you.
If I don’t do as she says, Cari continued. She will kill me. She poisons me. The antidote is with her... Without it...
The pieces of the puzzle fell into pieces. Of course... Cari was a powerful mind fae. She could not be contained by walls or dungeons, not when she was old enough to realize she could leave. She controlled the queen’s monsters...
Of course... The queen wasn’t stupid. She had watched as Cari lured us into this place. She wouldn’t have allowed her prized mind magicker to have a chance at escape.
Poisoning her ensured Cari’s loyalties. She could not leave without accepting death.
It was a great way to control her.
Cari didn’t have a choice.
If we can’t stop the queen, she will keep making her monsters and fae will suffer, I thought. But I can’t expect you to forget about yourself to help us. After all that was done to you, I understand that you believe you have to think of yourself first.
You really do,Cari said. It wasn’t a question.
The queen’s question awaited an answer. The conversation between Cari and me had not taken long enough to raise suspicion. So as Cari looked up to face her queen, the latter was still smiling.
Cari did not say anything. She simply cocked her head. The queen’s lips widened with a smile before she realized what was happening.
The soldiers holding Kieran dropped to the ground. The other soldiers around us followed suit within the next few seconds.
“What is happening?” The queen shouted angrily. “Cari? Control them! Who is doing this? Is it her?”
