than you know.”
“What does she want?” Liam asked. “Other than to destroy the king.”
“She wants to kill his heir.”
Liam blinked in confusion. “There is no heir.”
“No, there is. Just like the spell I weaved on you to forget about me, Lady Eville weaved one over everyone to make them forget there was one. Obviously, hers was a lot stronger than mine because it lasted years.”
“That poor child . . . forgotten, alone, unwanted. Why would anyone do that?” Liam asked.
“Why does my mother do anything? She had her reasons, and I have to trust her judgement that it was for the best.”
Liam shook his head, and I knew now wasn’t the time. I quickly changed the subject. “What’s the king going to do?”
It took Liam a few seconds to respond, still upset by the news of an heir.
“He’s going to open the doors and invite her in.”
“What?” I gasped. “She’s too powerful. She could once again destroy the court, and my mother isn’t here to stop her.”
“Then you better pray, because you’re the only one who can.” He pointed to my hair. “And now the king knows you’re fae. He’s going to use it against her.”
We stood quietly, inches apart in the tower, letting the silence fill the air. I turned to look out at the window.
“Those in the palace will wake up soon. I will do my best to return quickly so I can shield you. But until then, stay here . . . please,” Liam begged.
He pulled the door closed, and I heard the key turn in the lock.
I stared at the locked door, and a feeling of perpetual numbness overcame me.
The lock on the door meant nothing to me. There were no wards preventing me from using magic on it. I could easily unlock it with magic or blow it up, but then that would create more chaos and fear against me and my family. Even bring guards down upon me, and I would hate to injure or hurt them.
The trickling thoughts of the people on the grounds crept into my thoughts. Their fear. Their terror. Their worry. The strongest emotions washed over me.
I don’t want to die.
It’s going to get us. Isn’t it?
I paced the room, pressing my palms to my ears.
I can’t get the baby to stop crying.
My home. Destroyed by the fog.
We’re going to starve if we can’t bring our crops in.
I sprawled on the bed and used the pillow to cover and smother my head, trying to focus on the sound of the blood rushing in my ears instead. But it did little to drown out the sounds.
My stomach hurts.
This is because of the cursed fae.
“Stop,” I whispered, but they couldn’t hear me. “Go away.” I sat up and flung the pillow across the room and it hit the stone wall.
I ran to the window with every intent to close the shutters in another attempt to silence the sounds. I leaned out the window, seeking a cool breeze across my skin as a distraction. My eyes glued to the battlement wall and the forest of thorns beyond, knowing that creeping toward us every second was a woman mad with grief, and she was stronger than me.
I looked down hundreds of feet below and could feel the ground moving beneath my feet. My mother’s warning. A daughter will fall. My vision swam, and I felt myself get dizzy as my body pitched forward.
“What are you doing?” Hands grasped my waist and hauled me back over the sill, and I landed on the floor. “Are you crazy?” Devin cried out as he finally released me. He got to his feet and offered his hands to help me up.
I slapped his hands away and pushed myself up off the floor. “I wasn’t going to jump. But after being locked inside all morning, I may contemplate it.”
I eyed the tray of food he brought that now lay discarded in a messy pile on the floor, dropped as he tried valiantly to save me. My mouth watered at the delicious scents that wafted up to my nose. I smelled eggs and beef. If I was a prisoner, at least they were feeding me well.
“Are you a servant now?”
Devin blushed as he picked the tray and the cracked plate off the floor. He did his best to clean up the mess. “No, I may have bribed a servant to let me bring this up.”
Devin stood with the tray in his hands. He shifted his weight from foot to foot.