learn about politics, daughter.”
I’m still too livid to say anything, but that doesn’t stop her from continuing.
“A queen does not simply create laws on a whim, nor does she threaten to change traditions that have sustained her kingdom for eons.”
“Tradition?” I snarl, glaring at the back of her head. “That’s a strange word for savagery.”
She stops only briefly. “Hmph. I guess you also have a lot to learn about the fae kingdoms.”
I’m beginning to wonder if I even want to learn anything at all. My father enjoys watching humans dance until their feet bleed and my mother enjoys hunting them down. So far, the fae kingdoms suck.
“It was the demise of King Lycias, your great-grandfather, that started the royal hunts,” Narah explains, leading us deeper into the crypt. “Do you know why?”
Silence.
“During Lycias’ reign, there was no war or famine. He was a great ruler, beloved by all, even the light fae, and he believed that humans were our equals who helped balance the cosmos. When he opened our kingdom to them, blood was shed for the first time on our land. It was the greatest massacre the Forest had ever known. Thousands of fae died at the hands of man, including the king himself. It was my grandmother, Princess Levia, who created the royal hunts in honor of our fallen, and to remind humans that they will never again be welcome in our kingdom.”
My stomach churns. I’ll never get over how cruel some people can be. But the fae are not the victims in this, contrary to what they would have me believe.
“One wrong doesn’t make a right,” I say.
“My point is that traditions cannot be easily altered, especially when they were created to honour the people of this kingdom.”
It sounds to me like these traditions can be altered. The queen just doesn’t want to.
“Why did you bring me here, Your Majesty? You knew I grew up with humans and would never tolerate the hunt.”
We step into what can only be the heart of the crypt. Flickering candles surround the vaults. An altar decorated in dark roses has been mounted to the wall. Enshrined within the glass is a black crown with ebony jewels that reflect the light. Narah glides over to it, her coat trailing the floor behind her.
“This is why I brought you here today. I wanted to show you what you will one day carry upon your head when you rule my kingdom.”
I approach the altar slowly, taking everything in. “This is my crown?”
“I had it made when you were still in my womb. Unfortunately, I was never able to show you until now.” She turns to me, her tone markedly softer. “My hands are not without blood and my conscience will never be clear, Corvina, but make no mistake when I say that I am not the monster you should be afraid of in this forest.”
“Then who should I be afraid of?” I peel my eyes off the crown to look at her.
“You already know the answer.” She casts a glance at the bracelet on my wrist, the one King Ulric gave me to restrain my wings. “Be careful and wise from now on. You are no longer in a world where light outshines the dark. In this forest, in these kingdoms, the darkness always wins. It is up to us to decide what to do with it once it does. Either we save lives…or we take them away.”
She pulls something out from her coat pocket. My heart freezes when I see what it is. It’s my blue dolly—the one I carried every day with me when I was human.
When my world hadn’t burned to the ground.
The queen found-and kept-my dolly all this time? Before I can utter a word, she vanishes into a cloud of smoke, leaving me alone with my haunted memories, and my future crown.
“I am utterly confused as to what you have turned your apple into, Princess Corvina.” Ivywood peers over my shoulder, assessing my work. I drop my hands and let the magic go, leaving the once apple as an ice lolly shaped like a teddy bear. “Is it some kind of confectionary?”
“Ice lolly. I had them a lot as a child with my friend,” I reply to her, telling her something personal I wouldn’t usually. After another particularly bad dream about Sage, she is all I can think about today. My ravens woke me up to tell me they don’t have any good news. Not anything at all. It’s