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Liana stopped, and I could see an idea forming behind her eyes. “What if we don’t need more soldiers?” she asked, chewing her bottom lips, “What if we just neededstrongerones?”
“What do you mean?” I asked her.
“I mean—what if we had a way to make the thousand fighting Fae we have stronger?”
“I’m not following.”
“The Sidhe,” she breathed, her eyes widening. Gleaming. “What if we allowed everyone to drink of the waters of the Sidhe?”
“That’s insane,” Kade growled from where he sat on the edge of her bed.
“Is it?” I challenged him, my brain trying to solve the puzzle Liana presented it with.
Alaric stood by Kade, “It takes years to learn to control Graces given by the Sidhe.”
“We don’t need them to be able to fully control their Graces,” Liana argued, “They just have to have them. When I was first Graced—my Graces came out only in times of dire need. With—with Thana, and when I had to heal Kade. Was it not the same for all of you?”
The others didn’t answer, but I did, “It was,” I told her, “My Grace of ice was uncontrollable, but it only manifested in situations of need in the beginning.”
“Is it not worth trying?” she asked the others.
Tiernan pursed his lips, “I think so,” he said. “We can’t defeat them as we are now. We’d be fools not to try it.”
“The Sidhe is reserved only for nobles,” Alaric said, “The council will be outraged.”
“Why? Why shouldn’t every Fae be able to drink of its waters?” Liana hissed, her gaze cutting to Kade and I, “Let the water itself decide if a Fae is worthy of being Graced. It has the power to choose who will be and who won’t be. It should never have been reserved only for nobility,” she laughed, “It’s a ridiculous rule.”
Her reasoning was met with silence, and it was Alaric who broke it, rising from where he sat in an armchair near the door, “Alright,” he said, throwing his hands up as though admitting defeat, “Let’s do it.”
“I’ll get dressed,” Liana said, rushing to untie her robe.
Alaric, Kade, and Tiernan made for the door where her servant, Jaen, stood, wringing her delicate hands in her apron, “Majesty,” she whispered, not meeting anyone’s gaze, “Thatthingyou requested… it’s ready.”
“What thing?” I asked her, cocking my head.
Her spine went rigid. She looked away, shrugged. “A new pair of trousers,” she said dismissively, clearing her throat, “Could you…” she started, silently asking for me to leave, and turned to Jaen, “Stay and help me dress, will you?”
Chapter Thirty-One
Liana
We could see them coming. The smoke from their campfires drifting up through the trees to the north. They would be at the front gates by morning. Every able-bodied soldier in the palace, all one thousand of them had drank from the waters of the Sidhe.
Over half of them were bestowed a Grace. Flairs of power tearing through the ceremonial hall. Fire. Ice. Wind. Earth. Water. Lighting. There was no end to the scope of Graces. One Fae seemed to be Graced with the ability to commune with animals, and she had a rather lengthy conversation with Arrow about mice.
One was Graced with shadow—the rarest of all Graces.Thathad the noblemen of the council sitting up and paying attention.
I could feel they had already begun to soften to the idea of sharing the Sidhe with all Fae. The results were undeniable. If they meant it for nobility only, why then did the water chose to Grace peasants?
It was working. I couldn’t help but smile watching Fae after Fae drink from the waters. The surge of power reinvigorating them, bringing light back into their war-hardened stares. There was no way to know if it would be enough. They now outnumbered us three to one, which was even worse odds than we began with.
But this time, I wouldn’t be waiting in the infirmary for the wounded. I cursed myself every waking minute of the day I allowed myself to stay behind and I wouldn’t do it again. This would be the final battle and it would decide the future of my court.
I would fight.
And if I died, I’d at least have the solace of knowing I died fighting for the lives of my people and the freedom of the Night Court. I tapped my pocket where the trinket from the smithy weighted down my jacket. I hoped I’d get to use it before the end.
With dawn mere hours away, we were all restless. We’d checked and double-checked everything. They had reinforced the main gate. The Horde had been fed with provisions from the royal stores. Blades had been sharpened, and arrows were still being crafted. Armor repaired. The practice ring was buzzing with activity—filled with Fae trying to hone their new Graces and learn how to wield them on command.
