Shadow Cursed by May Sage Page 0,34

of the free seats and taking it. “Let’s dispense with lies. You’re all terrified. I’m terrified. Me being here is terrible news, and bad timing. Let’s move on to discussing what we’re doing about it, shall we?”

The room lightens up a little. I think I hear Queen Ina whisper to Liken, “I like her.”

I move to stand behind her, but she gets up, tapping her seat to offer it to me.

My jaw ticks. I want to refuse it, but every eye in the room is on us, and I feel like getting into an argument about who’s sitting where isn’t the message we want to give today.

I sit.

Vlari perches on the armrest, her backside resting against me.

I can smell her hair—pine wood and cinnamon, a winter scent mixed with something I can’t pinpoint. I can’t get enough. The things this woman does to me.

I wrap my arm around her waist and pull her closer to me.

“I think we can all agree our priority should be reestablishing the shield?” Vlari continues.

It turns out, we can’t all agree.

“Yes,” Ciera replies, emphatically nodding her head, while Genrion sighs.

“We’ve remained hidden for too long, and all the while, our people suffer throughout Tenebris. I say, let’s retake the courts. If you want to play with shields, build one around Tenebris itself—don’t lock us in again.”

“Locking us in saved our lives,” the young Sandwoman says.

“Attacking when we’re surrounded by seven courts, each filled with an army, is madness.”

“Maybe. Or maybe we’ll prevail.” The salamander king sniffs in disgust. “They’re just humans.”

“Humans with enough iron and manpower to take us all,” Alven points out.

“We have plenty of weapons in our ranks.” Genrion stands a little prouder. “At least, in mine.”

“You forget, Frost. The Court of Star isn’t quite yours, now is it?” The Sandwoman smirks, tilting her head toward the queen, who’s still at the window, ignoring us all.

It’s a mess. I can’t believe our survival is dependent on the power-hungry lot in this room. They’ll never agree, on principle.

“Where does Stone stand?” the salamander asks, pointedly staring at Ina—he believes her more likely to be on his side.

Ina ignores him, exchanging a look with Liken.

“Stone,” Liken says eventually, “has always been a pillar of Tenebris. Thousands of years prior, when Nyx came to us with a vision of a united unseelie folk, we stood with her. And we stand with the high court today.”

He’s reminding the rulers that the one decision that mattered was the first one they ignored: Ciera’s. A statement about how little power she has.

“Thank you, Liken—and the rest of you. I have one suggestion.” All eyes are on Vlari—they’re done sniping at each other.

“Those of you who wish to fight and retake the courts? Go. Do it.” She waves both hands, gesturing them to move. “From what I understand, each of the seven courts have about the same amount of soldiers and resources. If you think our forces as they stand are enough to retake Tenebris, then surely your own forces are enough to take your own courts, are they not?”

Silence meets her question. The tension in the room is at a peak.

“Talking of attacking at this point, without anywhere to retreat to, is madness. Suggesting that we could lead assaults at the moment ignores the fact that we have at least a thousand folk who shouldn’t step anywhere near a battlefield. Cooks, children, and poets,” she adds with a grimace.

A couple of lords laugh, Ina among them.

She’s good at this. Taking charge, leading the conversation.

“My question was rhetorical. Our first order of business is shielding Whitecroft as well as we can. Fortunately, we have a plan of sorts in the works. Kazan, what we need from you are your best firebringers—spell a handful of energy stones at once. Understood?”

I suck in the air, half expecting the king of Ash to explode. I don’t think he’s ever heard an order in his life.

He looks like he sucked on a lemon, but he nods. Slowly.

“Good. Have it done by dawn. I’ll see about securing a water elemental stone. Are there any other matters?”

Alven nods, and lifts a small roll of parchment high enough for all of us to see. “We’ve had a communique from our spy.”

It’s the first I’ve heard of a spy, but the others don’t seem surprised. It’s no wonder. I can't imagine such knowledge leaves the confinement of these four walls.

His piercing eyes cut to me, then rest on Vlari. “We have an asset in Violet’s so-called court.”

Alven passes