the winding stairs to the servant’s quarters and past the kitchens. Alona’s stomach growled at the savory aromas wafting into the halls.
The Fargelsi palace was beautiful but a far cry from the one she grew up in. There was a cold, almost sinister quality about the palace that made her uneasy. Like the very walls were watching her every move.
The servant guided her into a throne room where the queen waited for her. Alona couldn’t fathom what Regan could possibly want with her. Still, she stood proudly in front of the queen, refusing to bow as befitting her station. Alona was the princess of Eldur—at least for a few more months—and she regarded the queen as a rival and not a superior.
“You wanted to speak with me?” Alona was proud her voice didn’t shake at all. The Gelsi queen was known for her cruelty and her ruthless magic, and here stood Alona, powerless in front of her. Her traveling clothes stained and torn.
“Welcome to Fargelsi, Princess.” The queen’s voice held a note of amusement.
Alona noticed the man seated beside the queen. “Callum O’Shea,” Alona addressed him. “It surprises me to see you here in attendance of the Gelsi queen.”
“You will address me as King Callum of Iskalt.” His demeanor was every bit as cold as the kingdom he stole from his nephew.
“I will call you nothing of the sort. Eldur recognizes no King of Iskalt other than the true heir, Lochlan O’Shea. You may have allied with Fargelsi, but your nephew will never allow it.”
“You do not speak for Eldur, child.” Queen Regan peered down her nose at Alona. “You are nothing to Eldur or any fae realm. You have no magic. You have no voice.”
“Until I come of age, I am a voice of Eldur.” Alona squared her shoulders. “And you have committed a crime by taking me from my kingdom.”
“What do you know of the girl, Brea Robinson?” Regan asked.
“Who?” Alona hadn’t known what to expect of this summons, but this wasn’t it.
“She doesn’t know.” Another voice joined the queen’s. Alona’s eyes fell to the man standing in the darkness behind the queen’s throne.
“Griffin?” She’d always felt sorry for Lochlan’s brother, raised in the Gelsi court. If he was anything like his brother, he wouldn’t condone any of this. “You know she can’t be trusted, Griffin.” She begged him with her eyes to end this. To help her escape whatever the queen had in store for her, but he refused to meet her eyes.
“She raised me, Alona.” Griffin stepped forward. “Queen Regan is the only mother I’ve ever known.”
“Speaking of mothers,” Regan interjected, patting Griffin’s hand as if to tell him he was a good boy. “Did you know you were a changeling, dear?” Regan batted her eyelashes.
“A changeling?”
“Of course, you little fool. Your mother is a weak queen, but even she would have given birth to a child with magic. She knew I would stop at nothing to take my brother’s child so she switched her with a human girl. Her daughter has lived in the human world, leaving you, a human, to stand in as her only child who could never inherit her throne. She would have me believe Brandon’s child was a weakling.”
“No.” Alona’s legs trembled beneath her.
“Brea Robinson is the true heir of Eldur. The daughter of Queen Faolan and my late brother, King Brandon O’Rourke. She was to be betrothed to Griffin before she escaped the palace.”
Alona gasped, realizing in an instant what the queen had planned. “You can’t be serious?”
“You are smarter than your mother. Well, the woman who raised you.” Regan smiled a cruel smile.
“I just don’t get how this works in your favor.” Alona stood straight. She could freak out later. “If this Brea girl is your niece and she marries your ward, Griffin, then Brea’s child—a child who would share blood with you—would be your blood heir.”
“Correct.”
“You’ve gone a very long time without a blood heir, Regan.” Alona smiled, crossing her arms behind her back. “This future child you’ve planned for would strengthen your reign and your hold on Fargelsi for years to come. But you’ve never been satisfied with just Fargelsi.
“If what you say is true, then Brea is my mother’s blood heir. You intend to have her take Eldur and do your bidding? No, wait, that’s not good enough for you. You’ve always wanted Eldur for yourself.” Alona turned on her heel and paced across the room to pour herself a glass of wine, hoping Regan couldn’t