“Yes, Your Highness,” the goblin says, but as he reaches for my hand, he smirks at me—a dangerous creature who holds my secret. Sebastian takes the goblin’s bony hand in his own, and then I do the same.
Before I can take a breath to brace myself for the free fall of goblin transport, I hear the sounds of the sea crashing on the shore. Then I see the light of the moon twinkling in the water and feel the sand beneath my feet.
Salty air tickles my nose, and the sound of the waves invades my senses just as the summer palace comes into view. I wouldn’t call it small by any stretch of the imagination. Its many spires seem to loom over the sea, but right before me are the grand windows that I know lead to the library. And the Grimoricon.
Chapter Twenty-Nine
“THANK YOU,” SEBASTIAN SAYS, releasing the goblin’s hand.
“I’m here to serve, Your Highness.” The goblin purses his lips and gives me one final knowing smile before disappearing.
There are beaches in Elora, but I’d seen the sea only once when I was young. I almost can’t remember that trip, riding on a horse with my mother, my father riding beside us, then my first tentative steps into the water, laughing as the waves knocked me over.
Sebastian’s white hair blows in the breeze as he looks out toward the horizon and the sun sinking into the sea. “Walk with me?” he asks.
I turn away from the palace and toward the sea. “I would like that.”
He leads me down the beach, clutching my arm to his side the whole time as if he’s afraid I might disappear. “This is my favorite spot,” he says, walking slowly. “The sound of crashing waves has always brought me comfort. The Golden Palace is continually bustling with servants and courtiers. I preferred it here from a young age, but didn’t get to come nearly as often as I’d like.”
“It’s beautiful. Very peaceful.”
He nods. “I’ve come out here a few times in the weeks since you came to the palace.” He cuts his eyes to me for a long beat. “I’ve had a lot to think about.”
I swallow, my eyes burning. I feel so close to saving Jas, and more than ever I’m terrified that the moment I save her, I will lose everything else. Or worse, that Mordeus will somehow get out of the bargain and I’ll lose her.
Hadn’t Lark said that, when I saw her in my dream? I told her I didn’t want to be a queen with so much when others have nothing, and she said I’d lose everything. Was that really the child visiting me or just a dream?
“Hey,” he whispers. “Why the tears?”
I swallow. “Jas would love it here.”
He bows his head. “I’m sorry I haven’t been able to get her. Mordeus . . . He’s used his essence to hide your sister.” He says this like it’s terrible news.
“What does that mean?”
“It means that as long as he’s alive, we will not be able to physically reach her.” He rolls his shoulders back. “It means the only way I can save your sister is if someone kills the king.”
“But you can’t,” I blurt. “The Seelie can’t harm the Unseelie.” His eyes go wide, and I realize what I’ve said. “Isn’t that true?”
His breath quickens, and he licks his lips. “Tell me what you know.”
Can it hurt to admit what I’ve learned? I hate lying to Sebastian, and pleading ignorance after blurting what I did is pointless. “I know that the Unseelie lost their magic and immortality to the curse your mother put on them.”
I watch him as I say this, but he has no reaction. No denial or confirmation. He can’t talk about the curse.
“I always believed the Unseelie were evil,” I say, continuing, “but I don’t believe that anymore. Some shadow fae are evil and some are good. And some golden fae are evil and some are good. But maybe . . . maybe the Unseelie who seem evil are just trying to make the best of a bad situation.”
Sebastian stops walking and turns his head toward the ocean. “I never told you this, but there was an assassination attempt on my mother on the night of Litha—made by a member of my grandparents’ court who defected after my mother took the throne.” He shakes his head. “The traitor was captured before he could hurt her, but somehow . . . somehow Finn’s people were able to infiltrate the castle, get past my guards and our wards, and free the traitor who’d planned to put a blade in the heart of his own queen.”
I bow my head, but I’m terrified that he can smell my guilt.