Page 116 of Throne of Ice and Blood
As I hurry back to the street, I amend that statement.
I really wonder what other abilitiesallUnseelie fae have. Since we have been cut off from the rest of the world for so long, I have no idea what the Unseelie Court is like. They might wield some kind of powers or possess abilities that we used to have too before the dragon shifters took over and erased our history. Abilities that they could teach us again. They might be able to help us recover some of the power that we have lost, which will be crucial if we’re going to free our court.
A cold fall wind whirls down the street. I pull the hood of my cloak more firmly around my face as I start weaving my way through the city. And every time I pass any humans, I manipulate their emotions. I increase their anger and frustration and determination, making them furious and bold. Fanning the flames of rebellion.
And while I work, I let my mind churn, because this visit to Nysara and her little trick with the tree have given me an idea.
I didn’t really have much of a plan after the escape, apart from somehow getting word to the Seelie Court about what is happening out here. But now I’m starting to think that the best course of action would be to make my way to the Unseelie Court.
Nysara said that the Unseelie Court doesn’t get involved in other people’s problems, so I doubt I will be able to convince them to help us fight the dragon shifters. If they had been inclined to do so, they would’ve done it millennia ago. But they might still be able to teach us things so that we can fight the dragon shifters on our own. Not only teach us about magic or whatever other powers we fae might have, but also about our history and what the political situation is like across the rest of the continent. There might even be others who?—
I stop dead in the middle of the street as a memory hits me like a lightning bolt.
A memory of a creature shaped like a woman but made of the woods, and her sharp voice as she hissed two sentences at me.
You hate the dragon shifters. We hate them more.
The dryads.
Mabona’s tits, we might be able to get the dryads to help us!
A sudden burst of excitement explodes through my chest. And for the first time in a long time, I feel hope. Hope that we might actually win. If I can get the Unseelie Court to teach me and the dryads to help me fight, we might actually stand a chance against the Iceheart Dynasty.
As I start walking again, I let a wicked grin spread across my mouth.
In the taverns I pass, humans, who are still refusing to work for the dragon shifters, are drowning their rage and resentment in alcohol. I increase those emotions, turning them into wildfires. Angry voices spill out from the windows. Human voices demanding an end to oppression. Declaring that this is their city. That they are the silent majority. That they need tostop being silent. That they need to resist. To fight back. I keep pouring my magic into them all as I pass, until the emotions are so strong that I can almost see them burning in the darkness.
That smile on my mouth turns vicious.
I can feel it with every step. This entire city is on the brink of war. A furious uprising bubbles like acid among the whole human population. All it needs is one spark. One person to light a match, and then this entire city will go up in flames.
This heist in four days will be the event that pushes them all across the final line.
And then I will be that spark.
CHAPTER THIRTY-EIGHT
My heart pounds in my chest as I put on that breathtaking black and gold dress that Draven gave me a week ago. I try to swallow down a wave of dread, but it works poorly. My fingers are trembling slightly as I twist the hair closest to my face into the two coils that I always fasten behind my head to keep any hair from getting in my face and blocking my vision. Thankfully, Draven is too busy putting on his armor to notice.
“I’m going to have to leave you on your own for periods of time tonight,” Draven says over his shoulder.
My heart jerks.Tonight. Yes, the grand ball and the humans’ sneaky heist and our daring escape all goes down tonight. Or rather, right now. Because the moment that Draven and I have finished getting dressed, we’re leaving for the ball.
It feels as if I have a cluster of thorny vines twisting between my ribs and strangling my heart, so it takes enormous effort to keep my voice light and teasing as I say, “Oh? And here I was, thinking that I commanded all of your attention.”
“You do.”
His reply is so immediate, and so genuine, that I have to stifle a sharp breath between my teeth. Fucking hell, it feels as if hejust punched me in the heart. Letting my hands drop from my now finished hair, I turn around to face him.
He is still standing with his back to me, putting on his armor, but his hands are frozen halfway to a clasp at the side of his chest. As if he too has just realized what he said.
The silence in the room is so palpable that I swear I can hear it crackling in the air.
Then Draven clears his throat and finishes with, “But Bane and Jessina have tasked me with privately threatening some of the more difficult clan leaders into submission, so I need to go and do that too.”
Which is actually great for me since it will give me a chance to slip away and escape once the heist is done. But I can’t tell him that, of course, so I let a deliberately sly smile spread across my lips and keep the teasing note in my voice as I say, “Oh, don’t worry. I will just find someone else to flirt with in the meantime.”
At that, he at last turns around. His mouth is already open, ready to retort, but then his gaze lands on me. And his breath hitches.
