The news hit me like a blow to the chest. Nico was already spoken for. I barely knew him, and yet I felt a deep, inexplicable sadness. Like missing a chance I hadn’t known I wanted. It wascompletely irrational. He was a goddamned king-to-be. Don’t be stupid, Mic. This isn’t London. The idea that I could start any kind of relationship here was absurd. But it stung nonetheless.
“You’ll draw attention. There’s no avoiding it,” Nico said to me. “Just be polite. Don’t offer more than pleasantries.” It sounded too simple, but I nodded at his instructions. “Fallon, I want you to watch her tonight. Keep the vultures away. She’ll be easy prey on her own.”
“You can’t be serious,” Fallon shot back.
“Brother,” Gunner interrupted, “the festivities have already begun. Need I remind you it’s bad form to be late to your own coronation. We should make our entrance soon, before we truly lose their favor.” He was the exact replica of his twin brother, Hunter, save for his shaved head.
“Something isn’t right,” Fallon insisted. “We need a plan for when it all falls apart. Please. Listen to me. My intuition isn’t wrong this time.”
“We’ve been down this road before,” Jase said. “We can’t trust your powers. Not after the last time.”
“Let’s quit fucking around and put it to a vote,” Gunner said. “All who believe tonight will go smoothly and end with our dear brother on the throne before daybreak, say aye!”
All of them said “aye,” except Fallon.
“You know what that means, sis. We voted. You’re overruled. Now, are you ready to go, Your Highness?” Gunner mocked, bowing to Nico.
“Fuck this family,” Fallon muttered, pulling another cigarette from her clutch.
Jase chuckled on his way to the door. “Now that’s the sister I know. Keep smoking that brimshade and leave the ruling to us.”
The rest offered their goodbyes as they filed out.
“Gunner,” Fallon called. “Promise me you’ll bring your weapons tonight.”
He looked at her curiously, his green eyes softening. “Sure, if it’ll make you happy. Might ruffle the older nobles, but what’s life without a little chaos?” His gaze shifted to me, and I jumped when he caught me staring. “You should have something too.” He bent low, pulled a small dagger from his boot, and handed it to me. “Here. This is an eidris. A hidden blade. Do you know how to use one?”
“The pointy end’s for stabbing,” I deadpanned.
He laughed, and I couldn’t help but smile. “Yeah, you’ll do alright. It’s not meant for combat—just enough to throw off an attacker to get a head start.”
“I guess it’s a good thing I’m fast.”
“A very good thing,” he said, eyes full of mirth. “When this is over, maybe I’ll teach you a few tricks.”
“If we make it through the night, I think I’d like that,” I said, unable to keep the flirtation out of my voice.
When he placed the sleek blade in my hand, a sense of impending doom bubbled up from the darkness that had taken up residence in my core. It was an instant reaction that I couldn’t shake.
“Don’t worry, beautiful. It’ll all be fine. I’ll find you in the morning.”
As he walked away, my heart pounded, aching with worry that nothing would be the same after tonight. Blood roared in my ears and the whispers that had haunted me since arriving grew louder. It sounded like the walls were hissing “death” in my ear. I was surely losing my mind.
“The look on your face matches how I feel,” Fallon said, yanking me from the spiral I’d been falling down, effectively cutting off the whispers. “Mark my words. This won’t end well tonight. And my obstinate brothers can’t see reason. Let’s hope the price for their ignorance isn’t too high.”
“Is there anything we can do?”
“There’s nothing you can do. If I hadn’t fucked things up with Lucius, he’d be here. He’d be on my side. We would’ve fixed all this if I hadn’t gotten him sent away.” Her face fell into her hands, trembling in the firelight. “But it’s too late. Time to get what I deserve. No use prolonging it anymore. Let’s go, girl. May the Divine have mercy on you.”
“I need to go back to my room first. Just for a moment. There’s something I need to take care of before we go.”
My Dearest Sweetie,
My quill hesitated over the parchment yet again. The festivities had already begun, and my absence wouldn’t be tolerated for long. My window of opportunity was shrinking by the second. I had to finish this letter. It was time to scrap the original plan to reassure Gwen that everything was going smoothly in Hiraeth. After hearing Fallon’s concern ignored, I’d made up my mind—I needed to convince Gwen to send Lucius home. And I had to do it without raising alarm. The last thing I wanted was for her to come charging into Hiraeth, fanning the flames already licking at our heels.
I think I have read and reread your letter a thousand times. You would have laughed if you heard the squeal that came out of me when I read the news. It is bitter sweet though. I should have been there. We should have walked arm and arm down that aisle. I should have been there to give you away. You know I would have made each and every one of them grovel before I gave my blessing. Because you deserve a happy life. You’ve earned your happily ever after, so you better damn well be enjoying every minute of it.
My eyes welled with tears as I imagined Gwen on her wedding day. She must’ve been a vision of beauty. Her “boys,” as she always called them, had brought forth a light into her darkness in a way I’d never seen before. No one deserved that kind of happiness more than she did. I’d never allowed myself to dream of her wedding—not when the cancer had all but stolen any hope of reaching life’s milestones. I wasn’t supposed to survive another year. It was simply easier to avoid dreaming of the things I was destined to miss. But once we discovered the possibility of a cure lay just beyond the veil of our world, everything changed. My life, my reality, my entire outlook took a sharp turn overnight.
