Lifting my hand, I gestured. I didn't have to do anything else. The commander would have eyes on me.
“Stand down,” Édouard bellowed in the distance. “Retreat.”
We'd miscalculated. Or maybe we'd only been fooling ourselves. But no, we had genuinely never thought his previous restraint was due to a desire to spare us. Please. We'd thought his fleeting moment of weakness one we could take advantage of.
And this,Darkan informed me in a soft voice,is why none of you are Prince of Everenne. Because you are all idiots.
For once I didn't respond.
What could I say? Nothing. I would have closed my eyes but I forced myself to witness. This was a lesson I needed to learn if my House was going to survive.
In this is also another lesson: why we do not allow our affection for others to sway us from our purpose. There are times to listen to council, and times to keep your own. You must learn this, Aerinne, because you must rule. A ruler’s vision must be deeper, and longer, than the cries and petty complaints of the rabble. Even,he continued in a much softer voice,if the rabble are those you value above all others.
I passed out for a time, from blood loss and the agony of my burned arm and other injuries, the fatigue of the day sucking me under.
As soon as I closed my eyes, an internal tug brought me to the misty place.
I blinked, turning in a slow circle. For the first time ever it wasn't. . .misty.
I stood in a dream of overgrown gardens blooming with flowers and foliage taller than people, teeming with wildlife in no way native to Earth. A cool, dappled light filtered through boughs heavy with leaves, blanketing the forest floor with hues of green. A paradise, though not quite tropical.
A paradise with teeth.
The undergrowth rustled, and I spun, heart pounding. Something moved in the shadows, large and dangerous. I backed away but couldn't escape.
“Our idyll comes to an end,” Darkan murmured, arms sliding around me from behind. They were covered in black armor, shimmering scales edged in antique gold. His fingers were long, light brown, his sharp nails a matte black.
He lowered his head and silky midnight hair slid over my shoulders.
I tried to shift to face him but he wouldn't let me, keeping my back pressed against his chest and the uncomfortable ridges and grooves of his armor.
“What do you mean? Where are we?” I paused. “Whoreallyareyou?”
He was silent a while. “You were a bright child. I feared you would die from your fearlessness if I did not watch over you.”
“Why did you care?”
“You called me. I was a thousand years ago and I heard your voice. It took me time to find you, and then I couldn't look away.”
Dread bloomed in my gut. Dread, and awful betrayal. “How can you be a thousand years ago?”
“The same way you can be here. Where do you think we are?”
“In my mind.”
Darkan laughed, the laugh of a fallen angel—of a Fae. “My sweet, halfling girl. We were never in your mind. We were always inmine.”
Time stuttered. Sunlight kissed my skin with warmth, as real as if I was awake. And Darkan’s heart beat steady in his chest. I had never felt his heart beat before.
“You—oh, gods,” I whispered, my voice captive to growing fear. I trembled with burgeoning understanding. It was as if a veil was being pulled back from my mind, and I understood he'd been manipulating me for years, muting my questions so I didn't consider all the incongruities. “What have you done?Why?”
His lips pressed against the top of my head. “It took me some time to accept that you were my anchor. That you were my inevitable.”
I swallowed, my throat dry. “Why would you need an anchor?”
“I am too old, Aerinne. Sanity is the dream of my distant youth. I no longer knew the way back. I should not have done this to you, but I will make you strong enough to bear me, and in return anything you want will be laid at your feet. Including me.”
“I know who you are. I know—” I cut my words off, almost choking on shock and horror.
