true, Queen Brigantia?” Northton rose from his seat slowly, unforgiving power and promise glowing in the silver cloud of his eyes.
“False,” Brigantia sneered. “This is all nonsense!”
“It’s too late to pretend now, Brigantia,” Baron said, his face hard. “You know exactly who Princess Evelina is, or you wouldn’t have placed a bounty on her head and orchestrated three assassination attempts. Last time, you sent an army of darkfae to kill the princess. You slew my knights and took Evelina’s adopted brother to blackmail her into being the tithe in the Wild Hunt.”
The room dropped into deathly silence at the Summer King’s pronouncement.
“And you murdered my warriors in the mortal land while they defended the true heir to the throne of the Dawn Court,” Rydstrom said. “Their blood won’t go unanswered. You have one minute to call off the bounty on the princess, return her brother safely, and cancel the summons of the Wild Hunt. You’ll also hand us the antidote to Pestilence.”
“I don’t think so,” Brigantia said, venom in her eyes and her rage nearly making her drop her glamour. It flickered for less than a breath and stabilized again, yet no one else but me could see the moment of the subtle shift. So her glamour wasn’t infallible after all. “I won’t put up with all these outrageous accusations. Are you going to risk war against me and the Winter King just for his used slut?”
“Drop the act, Brigantia. It’s getting tiresome,” Baron said, his deep, harsh voice booming in the hall. “Let me spell it out for you. Lady Evelina is Princess Ileana—the lost princess heir, your sister, and the rightful true queen of the Dawn Court. Abdicate, give up your throne now and go into exile, and we might let you live. Then the true Queen Ileana might forgive your many black sins.”
Baron, the most vocal and blunt Fae king, had quickly issued many demands on my behalf. We’d diverted from our original script and plan of gradually and strategically pushing Brigantia into a corner and forcing her to accept our terms.
Fae were always hardcore, and they didn’t think or act like humans. The Fae monarchs were the most ruthless and deadly predators. When they clashed with each other, reason and logic were the last things on their minds, and consequence could go fuck itself.
But then, reason never worked in the real world either.
And who could understand the intricate and brutal workings of the Fae kings’ minds? I was raised in the human world, but a part of me was just like them—ruthless beyond reason, despite my parents going to great lengths to train me to be cautious at every turn. They’d practiced the same to keep me safe, but they hadn’t known that it was never their lessons or principles but my love for them and for my siblings that kept me grounded.
Without them, I could turn into a monster even I myself would fear. But now, while the rest of my siblings were tucked away in safety, I could afford to become that person.
The Fae kings had tried to hide my identity to keep me safe, but my enemies had still discovered me. So, the kings had changed their tactics. We no longer had the luxury of slow moves, like infiltrating the Dawn Court and waiting for an opportunity to put me on the throne.
They were announcing my true heritage to the world in the mages’ headquarters and letting the word spread. Now, more than ever, it was time to establish my legitimate status as the true queen of the Dawn Court.
I hadn’t wanted the throne until I had been pushed into a corner. I’d been afraid of fighting for the crown that was mine. I’d thought I’d never be ready for that kind of stifling court life, bound by ruling, responsibility, betrayal, and violence.
But Brigantia was a monster. She’d harmed my human family. She’d released Pestilence into the human world because of her insatiable ambition and black hatred. Now, thousands of human lives were lost because of the Fae plague.
She must be stopped. She must die. Or I’d never feel secure. My siblings would never have a safe home. And more humans would die until Brigantia and the pure Fae wiped them out.
So, I was ready to give all I had to fight and wade through a river of blood and bones to take my throne, claim my birthright, and cut the head off the snake.
I am Ileana—the lost princess heir and the rightful