"Such bloodlust, cousin," Titus drawls, catching up to us. "You'll have to learn to share. We wouldn't want my riders to have nothing to play with, after all."
Drusk rolls his eyes. I have the distinct impression he dislikes Titus. I don't—and not only because he gave us an army. He's a mirror. The reflection of what I may become, if I live to see as many centuries as he. Powerful, cold, and ruthless? Yes. But also clever, jovial, and softer among my inner circle. He's overcome the blood of the monster within, and so can I.
Although he is a little too dramatic for my taste. He made me sweat bullets yesterday.
"Oh, I see it. The rage, the darkness. The madness. I see it buried withinyour pretty eyes." He turns to Meda. "Your granddaughter truly is an Evergreen, is she not? Beautiful, hard, and filled with bloodlust."
He's discerned everything I try to hide about me. He knows who I am inside. The person who wants to keep taking, and taking, and taking lives. The monster.
"What benefit would there be for my people in helping you?"
My jaw ticks. "If humans settle in Tenebris, they'll look north next. To you."
"And if you're settled in Tenebris, you may look north, too."
"Not if we were allies."
He laughs. "Let's be honest, alliances last as long as whims to your kind. I'll need considerably more than that. I'll need blood."
"You'll have it." I don't hesitate. "Aid us, and I'll swear that as long as my line lives, the unseelie kingdom will come to the aid of the seelie land when they need it."
Here I am again, swearing things for my children, and my children's children.
But at least this vow, I comfortably stand by.
The king steps back. "Mmmh."
He returns to Meda's side. "I see why you had to stay. It can't have been easy to whip this one into shape. She's strong-willed."
My grandmother sighs. "And then some. I didn't do half bad, I reckon."
That's almost a compliment.
We may all die after all.
"Very well, child of darkness. You'll bleed and swear, and we'll march south with you in the morning."
Meda blinks. "You think you could call the forces so fast? It’d take a month for the riders to gather and join us."
Titus winks. "I had them come ten years ago. It took your little queen long enough to swallow her pride and come."
I am entirely speechless.
He had an army on standby, ready to march to us?
And more importantly, would he have ever gone south if I hadn't come?
I know the answer to that.
No, he wouldn't have. He would have let us burn.
The seelie aren't unlike us at all, it seems.
"To be fair," I say, "I was asleep for the last decade.”
Come to think of it, I understand exactly why Drusk can't stand him.
"There'll be plenty of slaughter for all of us." I point to the path past the marches. "If we follow this road, we'll get to the other side of the river. There's a stone bridge to get us where we need to go. Some of us could cut off their exit."
