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“They also created the Society of Crows, who maintain balance in the world. Their primary purpose is to avoid us upsetting the gods again. But they have a secondary task, and that is to keep magic from disappearing, so if the gods were to strike us, we could fight back.”
“But…?” Orion prompted.
“The Crows ceased to care about the fae and the balance held in the Copper Kingdom a long time ago. Everyone knows they favor the Iron Crown over the rest.” His father’s frown deepened. “To answer your previous question, I came to the ports because only the king can overrule a direct command coming from the higher-ups in the Society. No guard could have demanded that they release the three prisoners they found in the black market.”
“Not even him?” Nava asked, pointing at Orion.
“You tell me, girl. The Society hid my only heir in a kingdom made of iron, knowing full well the fae can’t visit a place like that. Now, I’ve answered your questions. It’s your turn. Why were you at the night market?”
Nava and Orion exchanged a look. Could they trust the king? Did they even have a choice?
“We were looking for a god’s artifact,” Orion said.
The king reached for the carafe of wine again and refilled his glass. “The healer mentioned you had the markers of an artifact’s poisoning. Why would you need one to defeat the Crows?”
“I don’t care about the Crows—not right now, at least. We know who is letting the Zorren into the kingdom, and the only way to stop him is with an artifact. We were in the middle of striking a deal with the dragons when the Crows ambushed us.” Orion let his weight sink into the chair with a heavy sigh. The ache in his wings became more prevalent the longer he sat. “But all the pirates could give us was a liquid spell. It cracked and soaked into my clothes and skin.”
“Who is allowing the demons in?” the king asked, leaning forward slightly.
“An emissary of the gods. He has been opening portals to the forest and attacking the Beekeepers.” As soon as the words left Orion’s lips, Nava tensed all over. He would not tell his father what she was, but speaking of this at all with someone like him—it felt dirty.
Yet with the useless artifact broken, they didn’t have a way to defeat the emissary.
“How could you possibly know that?” the second concubine asked. She’d been standing by the bookcase in complete silence. Orion had almost forgotten she was there.
Judging by his father’s jolt, he must have, too.
“I know because he attacked me in the forest. He has a vendetta against our family.”
“Did he look like me?” the king asked.
Orion sat unmoving in his chair, his lips parting as he looked from the king to Nava and back again. “Do you know him?”
“All of you. Leave the room. Now.” His father pointed at the door. The guards hesitated but obeyed after making eye contact with Orion. The concubines hovered nearby, still watching their every move and overhearing every word. “That includes the two of you.”
“Your Majesty can’t be considering staying here alone with them…” Orna stepped forward, worry etched deep into her features. Out of all of his father’s companions, she looked the oldest. Full fae seldom showed their true age, not until they were ancient. How long had she been serving the royals? She seemed the boldest of them all.
His father sighed, shooting her an exasperated look. “Do as you’re told, Orna. I might be sick, but I’m not powerless. Now go.”
The guards waited for the two concubines by the doors. The silence grew charged as they trailed from the room, an uncomfortable energy hanging in the air that was hard to tolerate.
As soon as the doors closed behind them, his father spoke again. “My twin brother has been a thorn stuck in my side for a long time. Ever since he went after my queen.”
What?
Orion had been expecting them to be twins, but he’d assumed the fight must be about the right to the throne, not his mother. Shock rendered him speechless, and cold crawled up his body, numbing his mind. He suddenly struggled to think, unable to weave the disconnected strands of information into a cohesive whole. “W-what do you mean?”
“That before I realized what was happening, Leir had seduced Briar right under my nose.”
Leir, his father’s twin and the messenger of a god. Orion couldn’t hear anything other than Nava’s sharp intake of breath. He attempted to swallow, but even that seemed impossible.
“Why would an emissary care to seduce the queen—or bring destruction to your kin?” Nava asked.
“Jealousy drives those with weaker minds to madness. You can’t reason with someone like that. No crime of passion warrants the destruction of an entire kingdom. But he is an emissary of the gods. It’s not the first time they’ve attempted that.”
What was his father trying to say? Jealousy, a crime of passion? Who’d committed it—him, her, or the emissary?
Nava’s wide eyes and trembling lips told Orion that she was also putting together the horrible puzzle that he desperately longed to ignore. “Was he jealous because you and the queen were soulmates?”
