Keeper of Storms (The Fallen Fae #3) - Jenna Wolfhart Page 0,33
want, love. He’s not who they want either. But there is a reason they never lifted a damn pinky before now. To protect themselves, their families, and their own subjects, back in their towns and cities. They will do whatever it takes to protect them now, too.”
Mariel shook her head and took a step back. Tears burned in the corners of her eyes. “Thane abandoned his people. What kind of king does that?”
“A bad one,” Lord Neil admitted. Shaking his head, he strode over to the hearth and dropped the letter into the flames. Fire swirled across the parchment, melting it into dust. “Which is why no one but us must ever know about the contents of that letter.”
Mariel’s hands clenched. “You mean to hide it from the others.”
“I will not tell a damn soul, as long as you don’t either. We shouldn’t surrender to this king, Mariel.” Lord Neil strode across the hall and took her shoulders in his hands. “You’re the rightful ruler. You always have been. The court needs you. Not a king so cowardly he fled when the realm needed him the most. We will never surrender to him.”
Mariel let out a shaky sigh. “And how will we fight him off?”
“We have warriors. We have walls. The city is well-defended. If he wants to take it back, he’ll have to kill us all.”
12
Lorcan
“There’s something I want to try.” Lorcan stood at the head of the Meeting Hall table, his fists braced on the creaking wood. He had gathered all of his advisors, including Heremon. Druid Aric and Priest Tighe had been invited as well. He wanted to hear every opinion, so that he might make the best decision for the realm at large.
Priest Tighe and his fellow Unseelie worshippers had been none too pleased he’d committed to the Dagda’s teachings during his coronation. And at this point in time, there were more priests at court than courtiers. He needed the help of every shadow fae inside the castle. If that meant bringing them into his plans, then so be it.
“The look on your face worries me, Your Highness,” Nollaig muttered. “I’ve seen that look before. Mostly when it concerned Reyna Darragh.”
Lorcan ignored her. “There are several hidden tunnels beneath this city. One of them leads right into the middle of the wood fae’s camp. But there are others, some that they would not know about. Am I right, Seg?”
Seg frowned and leaned back into his chair. “There are at least two the Wood Court may not have discovered. But, if I may, Your Grace, I don’t see how that helps us at all. Even if our army makes it out onto the other side of the wall, we don’t have the numbers to fight the wood king. Not without something else.”
Or someone else, Lorcan thought to himself. They might be able to win on the battlefield if they had Reyna Darragh.
“I don’t intend for us to fight him,” Lorcan said, bracing himself for the reaction of his advisors.
Druid Aric frowned. “What do you mean? Why would we go into the wood lands if not to fight the king?”
“What is our biggest problem?” Lorcan asked, glancing around the table at the confused faces of his advisors.
Nollaig raised a gloved hand. “Um, the massive army camped outside our gates?”
“No,” Lorcan said. “The lack of food.”
When no one responded, he continued. “At this moment in time, no one is attacking us. The wood king can continue to sit out there for as long as he likes. He must not know our numbers, or he’d have invaded by now. So, he doesn’t know just how few we are. He will continue to wait us out, hoping we will cave eventually.”
Seg frowned. “I’m not sure I see where you’re going with this, Your Highness.”
“Our fae need food. They cannot survive in this city any longer. We need to push out of Findius and into the wood fae lands. If we can make it behind the army without them spotting us, we can flee north and take refuge in the Air Court.”
Druid Aric barked out a laugh. “That will never work. The Air Court will kill us just as readily as the Wood Court would. That’s if we even managed to make it through the woods without its dark magic killing us all.”
Lorcan cut his eyes toward Nollaig. “What do you think?”
“It’s risky,” she said with a nod. “But you make a good point. It might be our only option.”