To Wear a Fae Crown (The Fair Isle Trilogy Book 2) Page 16

  His expression falters. “It doesn’t, honestly. I hate to say so, but saving her might be a lost cause. At least this way, you can save your own life and secure your place in Faerwyvae. You said so yourself; if you attend your mother’s trial without Amelie, they will kill you.”

  “There must be another way. Please, Foxglove, you must have some idea how I can fix this.”

  He lets out a heavy sigh. “There’s only one last hope.”

  I sit straighter, heart pounding.

  “Make the humans a bargain they can’t refuse.”

  22

  “How do I make a bargain with the humans?” I ask. “One so tempting they can’t say no?”

  Foxglove squints, then rises to his feet and begins to pace. “Give me a moment,” he says, shaking out his hands and stretching his neck right then left. “Creating bargains to appease the humans is what I excel at, but this is a complicated matter.”

  I watch him eagerly, and Lorelei leans forward with keen interest.

  Finally, he stops and faces us. “There is a loophole in the treaty. You know how the council has been able to adjust the timelines required by it? And how the humans were able to offer Aspen a final set of Chosen before deeming the treaty broken?”

  I nod.

  “That’s because the treaty allows for changes to be made. The exact wording is lengthy and complex, but it basically states that mutually beneficial concessions that support the treaty can be created. These amendments are rare, however, and never so drastic as what I’m about to propose.”

  My heart leaps into my throat. “And what is it you’re suggesting?”

  “That they amend the treaty and remove the clause that forbids King Caleos’ descendants from living in Faerwyvae.”

  I’m stunned into a moment of silence. “Can the humans even do that without permission from the fae council?”

  “Technically,” Foxglove says with a wary grimace. “Considering the humans were the ones who requested King Caleos be punished for the human village he burned, they have the right to revoke the agreed-upon term concerning his exile.”

  Hope flutters in my heart for a moment before it’s crushed by reason. “If this were possible, wouldn’t you have suggested this option to begin with?”

  He adjusts his spectacles, a frown tugging his lips. “If I thought it had a chance of working, yes. Considering this proposal is highly unlikely to pan out, I’m only voicing it as a last resort.”

  I deflate and lean back into the couch. “Well, that’s comforting.”

  “At least highly unlikely isn’t impossible. Would you like me to go on?”

  With a sigh, I nod.

  “So, I know King Ustrin has the council wrapped around his finger.” He nods at the fae next to me. “Lorelei filled me in on the situation earlier. Here’s the thing; if you want to get the humans to amend the treaty in your favor, you first need to compel them to abandon their allegiance to King Ustrin and convince them to place it in you.”

  I shake my head. “This is sounding more impossible by the minute.”

  Foxglove ignores me. “To do this, you’ll need to promise them something better than anything he can provide. What exactly is he offering them?”

  I shrug. “Threats, as far as I know. If the humans don’t exile my family, they will be blamed for breaking the treaty.”

  He shakes a forefinger. “Then it will need to be something bigger than a threat, something only you can provide as a queen. It must be tempting enough to encourage them to look past their fear and see opportunity instead. This will be a challenge because their fear will be strong regarding you. The terms about King Caleos’ descendants are woven tightly into the treaty. The humans know that if you claim the throne, the act alone will break the pact.”

  “I can’t break the treaty, Foxglove.”

  “I know. Which is why you need to convince them to amend the treaty before you claim rule as Unseelie Queen of Fire.”

  I ponder for a moment, collecting my thoughts. “All right,” I say, nodding to myself. “I attend the trial, plead my case, and present some tantalizing bargain to win their allegiance. In exchange, they will remove the clause in the treaty that requires exile of King Caleos’ descendants. Then Mother and I go free.”

  Foxglove nods, but his expression isn’t optimistic.

  With a furrowed brow, I ask, “What am I missing?”

  “Nothing dear. It’s just…you must follow up with claiming your place as queen.”

  I take a deep breath. “With Nyxia’s support, I think I can do that.”

  “And you must defeat King Ustrin according to the Old Ways.”

  “Defeat…King Ustrin,” I echo slowly, hating the taste the words leave in my mouth.

  “Well, yes,” Foxglove says. “Even if the treaty were amended to allow you to stay, he’d never acknowledge your right to rule. He’ll put up a fight.”

  What he’s saying is obvious, but hearing it stated aloud highlights the ridiculousness of this entire plan. “This really is crazy, isn’t it?”

  Lorelei leans in closer to me. “It’s not impossible to defeat him, Evelyn. I know it sounds that way, but all you need according to the Old Ways is the All of All’s blessing. The fact that you already petitioned the Twelfth Court and were blessed with a crown shows you have an advantage over King Ustrin. He never faced the All of All for his throne. It was given to him by the two councils.”

  “What makes you think he won’t gain the All of All’s blessing just because I unwittingly managed to?”

  Foxglove and Lorelei exchange a glance. “There’s no way to know for sure,” Foxglove says, “and I can’t say it won’t be a huge risk.”

  I shake my head and rise to my feet. Now I’m the one who’s pacing. “I can’t do this.”

  “You could at least try,” Foxglove says.

  “Or give up this whole idea,” I say under my breath.

  Lorelei approaches me, taking me by the shoulders to halt my steps. Her expression is fierce, though not unkind. “What’s the alternative? Are you going to beg Mr. Duveau for your life? Plead with him to exile you?”

  My skin crawls at the thought of begging Mr. Duveau for anything. I force my words past my teeth. “If I must.”

  “And where will that get you?” She gives my shoulders a light shake as if she’s trying to stir my anger. I almost wish it would ignite. Anything is better than this overwhelming despair. “I know you’d never forgive yourself for leaving the Fair Isle on the brink of chaos without at least trying first. You’re better than that. Fiercer. You’re above begging scum like Henry Duveau for your life.”

  Finally, her words meet their mark, like flint striking steel. The fire of indignation burns inside me, forcing my posture to straighten. However, the intangible odds continue to batter my resolve.

  “I don’t know what to do,” I say, surprised at the heat in my tone. “I need to save my mother, the treaty, and the fates of two races. Oh, and if there’s time, I’d like to save my life too. To do so, I’ll have to bargain with a council that hates me, defeat a fae king who hates me more, and once that’s all taken care of, I’ll have to help the rebellion win a civil war. For the love of iron, how the hell am I to accomplish all this?”

  Foxglove’s lips pull into a frown. “I agree with what you said. This is too much. If you don’t take a side, you spread yourself too thin. But if you’re determined to try and do everything at once, then this scheme is the only way.”

  Tears spring to my eyes, the sheer impossibility of the task at hand threatening to crush me back into despair. This time, I refuse to buckle beneath its weight. Lorelei’s right. I’m fiercer than this. Things may have swung far out of my control, but there’s still a way for me to gain an upper hand. There’s an option that might make everything right...or as right as it can be.

  If I do this, I could save the treaty.

  I could save my mother.

  I could prevent bloodshed.

  I could prote
ct fae and humans alike.

  There’s another benefit to this scheme, one that takes me by surprise.

  I could be with Aspen.

  It’s the first time I’ve considered our relationship since this conversation began. Of course, after the words we exchanged in the hall, I’m not sure we even have a relationship. Still, I can’t deny the way my pulse races at the idea that, if we wanted to, we could have one.

  Maybe. If this works.

  “I’ll do it,” I finally say. “With all things considered, the worst that can happen is I die trying. At best...well, at this point, I’m not sure if there is an at best. But at least this way, I’m part of the fight and the solution.”

  Lorelei lifts her chin, giving me an approving smile, while Foxglove claps his hands.

  “We don’t have much time,” I say. “The trial is in less than a week. I know I must come up with an offer compelling enough to convince the humans to bargain with me, but what can I do in the meantime?”

  “First step is,” Foxglove says, “you need to gather supporters.”

  23

  After night falls, I meet Queen Nyxia outside the palace. Lorelei insisted on coming along, but Nyxia arrives alone. The queen spots us hidden in the shadows of a moonstone column on the southern end of the palace, and when her eyes find mine in the dark, a smug smile spreads across her face.

  “I almost didn’t believe Foxglove when he arranged this meeting,” she says in her smooth voice. “Please tell me this isn’t an ill-constructed assassination attempt.” Her eyes flash toward Lorelei, her smile turning a hint seductive.

  Lorelei tosses her a seething glare but says nothing.

  I pull my cloak close to my body and take a step toward the queen. “Have you told anyone else about this meeting?”

  “Like your mate?”

  “Like anyone.” While Aspen certainly is on the top of my mind in this regard, I’m not ready for word of my plans to spread just yet. Not until I’m far more certain of its possible success. At this point, anything could go wrong. For now, I don’t want the pressure of others’ hopes riding on my shoulders.

  Nyxia rolls her eyes with an irritated sigh. “No, I didn’t tell anyone.”

  “Promise me you won’t say anything. Not until I’m ready.”

  Her fingers flutter dismissively in the air. “Sure. Silence on this matter benefits my cause as well, you know. I don’t want to present you to the rebel leaders until your footing is more secure.”

  “That wasn’t exactly a promise.”

  Her tone sharpens. “If you want a solid promise, you’re going to need to be a little more direct in your wording. If I must tell no one that you plan on taking the Fire Court throne, how am I to introduce you to the fire fae? Perhaps you should trust that, in this matter, our interests are aligned.”

  Despite her often-indifferent air, I’m reminded of her terrifying power. This is not a fae to anger. I square my shoulders. “Very well.”

  Nyxia’s smile returns. “Come along then.”

  Lorelei and I follow the queen away from the palace. At first, I think we might head where the full moon revel took place, but instead, she leads us into the forests beyond. My pulse quickens as we move deep into dark trees, bleak shadows punctuated by clusters of glowing mushrooms and towering, bell-shaped flowers that emit near-blinding luminescence. It’s breathtaking and terrifying all at once.

  We continue in silence until Queen Nyxia speaks. “Now that you have accepted my offer to support your claim to the Fire throne, I do wonder if that means you’ve also accepted the terms I’d presented alongside it?”

  I clench my jaw. I was wondering how long it would be before she brought up a mate alliance with Franco again. However, broaching the subject in the dark of the woods is not ideal. Not with so many convenient places to bury my body.

  “Honest but tactful,” Lorelei whispers in my ear. “And strong,” she adds.

  With a deep breath and careful consideration over my choice of words, I construct my reply. “Queen Nyxia, I appreciate your support of my claim to the throne and am honored—”

  “Don’t pander to me,” the queen says. “It’s unbecoming.”

  Lorelei emits a low growl, but I place a hand on her arm to still her.

  “Fine,” I say. “I understand you want our alliance made formal by pairing me with your brother, but I cannot accept. If you believe in my right to rule the Fire throne, then I claim that right alone. My choice of mate will be mine to make and shall have no bearing on my rule.”

  Nyxia watches me out of the corner of her eye, then lifts her chin. “Spoken like a true unseelie queen. I will continue to support your claim.”

  I exchange a look of relief with Lorelei.

  Nyxia continues. “It would be hypocritical of me to condemn your desire to claim your throne by yourself when I too have yet to take a mate.” She glances at Lorelei, her seductive smile tugging her lips. “Although it isn’t from lack of trying.”

  Lorelei scowls. “Oh, I’d say those seventeen fae at Beltane would disagree.”

  She shrugs. “It was a mere slip in judgment. You know I was never good at being monogamous before. It was a difficult adjustment...”

  And the bickering begins.

  By the time we reach the mouth of a cave, Lorelei and the queen have already cycled through several rounds of verbal assaults and steely silence. I tuned them out long ago for my own sanity.

  The queen stops outside the cave’s opening, her mood unflustered, while Lorelei’s irritation wafts like a tangible essence as she stands at my side with her arms crossed. “Here we are,” Nyxia says in a sing-song voice. She enters the cave, and Lorelei and I follow.

  “The fire fae are gathered inside?” I ask, trying to hide the tremble in my voice as the damp cave walls seem to close in on me.

  “Yes. Those who received my summons in time, that is.”

  “How did you gather them so quickly?” Foxglove couldn’t have requested this meeting more than a few hours ago. I was surprised when he told me it would happen tonight.

  “Owls.” She says it like it should be obvious. “They are the most astute messengers and spies my court has.”

  As we venture deeper into the cave, a faint light begins to glow up ahead. It soon proves to be from more glowing mushrooms protruding from the walls of the cave, joined by the luminescence of enormous crystals.

  “Where are we?” I say with a gasp.

  “Oh this? It’s Venitia’s house.”

  “Venitia?”

  “A moon dragon. You’ll meet him.”

  I swallow hard. The light grows brighter as we continue on, and soon comes the sound of voices, growls, and yips. We come to a wide chamber, its walls lined with more glowing fungi and crystals. Throughout it, various fae are gathered including several kitsune with their orbs of fires hovering over their mouths or tails, blue wisps, a black dragon, and something I at first took for an overgrown fungus but now see is some kind of crustacean-mushroom hybrid with curious eyes peeking beneath its shell.

  The fae grow quiet as we enter the chamber, eyes falling on Queen Nyxia. She addresses them with a smile. “Thank you for gathering to meet me on such short notice and being so willing to greet my guest.” She flicks a finger at me, and I come up beside her.

  My mouth dries up as all eyes lock on me, some with boredom, others with keen interest, and a few with open hostility. “I am pleased to meet you,” I manage to say.

  Nyxia frowns at me for a moment before returning her attention to the fire fae. “It is my great honor to introduce to you King Caleos’ granddaughter, Evelyn.”

  Gasps and yips emit from my audience. Some of the expressions have now turned reverent while others seem a bit more fearful.

  Nyxia continues. “With King Ustrin growing more and more militant in his rule as the centuries pass, your kind have sought shelter in other courts. You’ve always been welcome here in Lunar and will continue to be. However, I ask you to consider wha
t it might be like if an unseelie ruler were on the Fire throne. Not just any ruler, but the blood of the great King Caleos.”

  Whispers, grunts, and other animal noises rumble throughout the cave. When they subside, a kitsune steps forward on graceful paws, a ball of flame hovering in the air above its muzzle. Its eyes move from me to Nyxia. When it speaks, the words come through like Aspen’s had in stag form—not from its lips but from somewhere inside it. Or inside my mind. “I see the blood of King Caleos, but I see no unseelie ruler but you.”

  Nyxia extends her hand toward me. “Evelyn plans to stake her claim as Unseelie Queen of Fire according to the Old Ways. Once she defeats King Ustrin, she will be the only ruler of Fire and the unseelie will be safe to return to the Fire Court if they wish.”

  The kitsune doesn’t look convinced, nor do the majority of the fae in the crowd. “What is her unseelie form, then?”

  Several voices echo their support of the question. A blue wisp bounces forward, her ethereal voice slow and smooth as she says, “Yes, I too want to see her unseelie form. I want to see she’s truly one of us.”

  The blood leaves my face. Do they honestly expect me to be able to shift forms? Surely, they must know I’m not full-fae.

  Queen Nyxia gives the crowd a placating smile. “She will show you her unseelie form when the time is right.” I shoot her a look of surprise, but she ignores it. “This is but an introduction so you can spread the word that hope is coming to Fire. That an unseelie rule is soon to return.”

  Voices rise, calling out demands to see me shift. I feel like I might be sick.

  “Why doesn’t she speak for herself?” the crustacean-mushroom says in a low, gravelly voice. A rumble of agreement moves through the crowd.

  Nyxia gives me a pointed look before nodding.

  My palms grow hot as, once again, all eyes fall on me. I want to run, to forfeit this entire plan and forget I ever thought I have what it takes to do this. This is what it would mean to be queen. I’d be required to give speeches, to represent a people I hardly understand.