We’re going to have to do something about the court’s perception of her bias, especially in light of what Fawn confirmed before I snapped her neck.
She was approached by a dozen folk, coming fromeverycourt except the hunt, the wild and the untamed court. Not the lords themselves, just gossips, courtiers, the occasional advisor.
Any one of them could have planned the assassination.
In all likelihood?Everyonehad a hand in it.
32
TWO FOR ONE
Darina
I’m surprised Ryther joins me on the dais after my proclamation, given that most of our strategy can be summed up as “he should stay away from me.”
I’m glad he’s here though, because ever since watching him murder Junis’s wife in front of a hundred witnesses, I’ve had a pressing question in mind. “So,” I whisper, “why is it that you can just kill the bitch without anyone blinking, and I’m risking an entire civil war by maybe having something to do with her husband’s death?”
I’m not sure whispering has much of an effect, given that the folk seem to have keen senses, but with the general noise—music, chatter, laughter—my voice ought to be drowned out.
Ryther says a word, and though I’ve always understood everything out of his mouth, I just can’t make sense of it. Something likepra-heiden-vers, a strange mixture that could be German or Latin; I can’t place it. It sounds ancient.
“A privacy spell,” he tells me. “No one within a few steps can hear us now.”
Oh. I need him to teach me that one.
“And the difference is motive,” Loch replies for him. “Yours would be seen as selfish: trying to get away from a perfectly law-abiding bargain. Ryther’s killing someone who quite clearly conspired against his mate.”
I hate how, at the heart of it, fae laws seem to make sense to me. They’re brutal and cruel, and there ought to be several revisions when it comes to the treatment of mortals as well as what constitutes a fair bargain, yes, but beyond that? It seems entirely logical that murder for the sake of personal gain should be prosecuted, while killing in defense seems…more allowable.
I am growing far too comfortable with death. A month ago, if someone had asked me how I felt about some guy killing someone because they tried to kill his girlfriend, I would have immediately replied he belongs behind bars. The people ought to be judged by a court, through the appropriate channels.
But my idea of right and wrong died at the bottom of my mother’s lake, or maybe when I was chased, shot at, or when I heard my parents’ screams. I take this world as it is.
“Speaking of,” Ryther says. “Fawn informed me that she was advised by a dozen folk, from almost every court. They wanted this coronation disputed, even delayed if possible.”
“Who?” Loch demands.
“I’m not sure who started the idea—or who poisoned her. But it took little effort to rally many voices to this conspiracy. They’ve bowed. She’s crowned. But she’s still far from safe.”
I watch the assembly, their eyes feeling like daggers aimed at my throat. They all want a bite.
Ryther puts his hand on my shoulder, a comforting gesture that immediately makes me breathe out, lower my shoulders. “The rites are over. The conclave is due to return home on the morrow. Maybe they’ll linger a day or two, now that there’s a new court. But once they’re gone, the danger will be more manageable,” he assures me.
I nod.
I can do this. I’ve already survived everything they’ve thrown at me. One day at a time, I’ll live through their plotting.
“The primary issue is you,” Loch says to me with a deep sigh. “Your bond. And Ryther, I understand why you demanded to keep your position; they needed to see her weigh the issues you brought before her. Take advice from others. But it didn’t help. Especially since she granted your request.”
“Should I have denied it?” I ask, frowning.
It seemed nothing less than reasonable to me. If Rena had asked for the same thing, I would have come to the same conclusion.
Would you?a little voice wonders.
Shit. I’m not sure I would have granted it if it’d come from her, which is exactly the problem.
“You need a seelie lover,” Loch says. “Now. While the lords can bear witness. You need to prove you’re not just his pretty little puppet.”
