I close my eyes and suppress a shudder. Dammit, why does her voice affect me like that? She’s my enemy. I hate her. I’ve vowed to kill her. And even though she’s apparently my current ally, that’s still true.
I’m going to kill her.
“How are you feeling?” the male voice asks. I assume it’s the dwarf—the only other fae left in the trials, besides those who betrayed me.
I touch my stomach again, firmer this time. “Miserable. It’ll take another day to heal properly.”
“That’s it?” he asks. “We only gave you a blood loss potion.”
Caelynn shakes her head. “He has healing abilities.”
I nod. Only those from my court or the Glistening Court have these abilities. I am a fairly capable healer, though I don’t use the talent very often. I’m rusty, at best which means not only will it take me longer than it should, it will require more of my magic. Lack of practice means lack of efficiency.
My father values battle powers more than healing, which he considers amaternalpower. As in, too feminine.
“I could heal it completely if I weren’t so drained and didn’t mind using all my magic in one go.”
“Impressive.”
I shrug. It’s not really.
“Why did they turn on me?” I ask, running my fingers through my thick hair. Sand scatters onto my pants.
Caelynn pauses, eyes darting toward the dwarf—Tyadin. “Apparently, someone wants you dead.”
“Drake?” That’s the logical choice, but that wouldn’t be enough to turn Brielle.
She pauses, looking down at her hands. “No. Someone more influential. Some political leader who would pay handsomely. They offered me a pardon if I helped.”
My eyes narrow. “There are only two people able to do that,” I say. “The queen and my father.”
Because the crime was committed against my court, it was up to my court to decide if and when the criminal would be pardoned. My father is the leader of my court, so he’d have that choice. The queen is the only person with the power to supersede him.
“Drake said it was the queen, but I don’t know that I believe him,” Caelynn says.
I nod. “I have no idea why the queen would want me dead. She has the ability to squash me in every way except physically. What could possibly threaten her so thoroughly that she’d want me dead?”
“You father also seems unlikely,” Tyadin says. “Why have his own child killed?”
I pull in a breath through my nose. “I wouldn’t be surprised,” I whisper.
“Oh?” Caelynn asks.
“He’s always hated me. I don’t know why. I suppose now I’m going to have to find out.”
She doesn’t respond further, and I lie back on the hard stone. How had I slept so deeply in such discomfort? I stare up into the dark stone above, my mind still spinning through this new reality. It’s entirely changed.
Friend is now enemy. Enemy is now friend—or ally at least.
Why? Why would she save me? It doesn’t make sense.
I close my eyes, and an image floats through my mind—of a young version of the woman with me now. She had one request in that vision.
Call me by my name before you kill me.
