She storms closer. “You had it the night of the jubilee. Where is it now?”
“Maybe I wouldn’t have lost it if you hadn’t set a giant rat on me!” I hiss, the anger coming easily.
She straightens. “Lost it? Hmm, well, there are ways to find magical artifacts. Or it could just be a piece of junk. You’ll never know though.”
“I am mate to the High Prince of Autumn and Winter. Holding me here will—”
“Without the necklace, you’re of no further use to me,” she interrupts. “But Mother is curious about you, especially after your thorny display in the Below. And because Caspian tried so hard to hide it from her. Do you know why he’s so interested in you?”
“I don’t know,” I lie.
“No matter.” The Nightingale turns back to her potions. “Mother wants me to deliver you to her in the Below.”
My gaze shifts out the window over the top of Mount Lumidor to Florendel. The Nightingale thinks I’m useless without my magic. But she doesn’t know I made it to the Enchanted Vale as a human. I fought goblins and protected the princes and ran through a battlefield as a human. It’s something I’m quite well-versed at.
And this human will escape and find her princes.
“If I’m wanted in the Below, why take me here?”
She whirls. “Because I’m preparing myself to tell Mother you perished from your wounds before I could deliver you.”
“But I’m not hurt.”
Then, the Turquoise Knight stabs me with his trident.
93
Keldarion
That bastard has my fucking sword. The Sword of the Protector sits sheathed on the back of one of Kairyn’s Penta Conclave, the icy hilt gleaming in the sun. It’s strange to have despised a thing for so long, now to yearn for it with every fiber of my being. It had always been within arm’s reach, yet I never took it up.
No, Caspian had to hand it to me. Then he took my token, and servants of the Below stole my sword. Was it all part of his plan? I don’t know. Stars know where he is now.
“What more does this tyrant have to say?” Dayton growls, chained beside me. They shackled both our wrists and ankles with Spring steel, then forced a vile potion down our lips. With that, the last traces of my magic disappeared. I can’t even feel my bond with Rosalina.
But we will be reunited again. She’s strong. It will take more than the Nightingale to break her.
I turn my attention back to Dayton, following the Summer Prince’s gaze. Kairyn’s seen fit to lead us back out to the dais in the public courtyard, once again gathering the people of Florendel. Vases of large red flowers, not yet bloomed, decorate everything from the courtyard to the nearby houses.
Kairyn has also dragged out his father, Thalionor. This elderly prince, slumped in his chair, tended by acolytes, is nothing like my memories of the strong and powerful leader.
Two of Kairyn’s Penta Conclave flank him. One wields my Sword of the Protector, the other the Lance of Valor. Our necklaces are preventing the further decay of these knights.
A great crowd has gathered. They speak in hushed tones, murmuring about seeing two High Princes chained.
“Word will spread,” I whisper to Dayton. “Our realms and Autumn will learn of the treachery and send reinforcements. He cannot possibly think he can hold us.”
Dayton nods, still desperately scanning the audience. It’s late morning now. I can only hope Kairyn will send us to our cells before nightfall. I can’t summon my wolf willingly with this damned potion in my veins, but I’m certain the Enchantress’s curse will overpower it. Perhaps we do want him to continue his speech until dusk.
So what if the people of Spring see us change into beasts? It matters not if it gets me closer to saving Rosalina. And Ezryn…
Where is he now? Powerless, weaponless, alone. He’s looking for Rose. I know it within my heart. He’s looking for our mate.
“People of Spring!” Kairyn calls out, silencing the crowd with the boom of his voice. “We have witnessed a great tragedy today. My brother’s betrayal, the prince who swore to protect you.”
“The only betrayal was yours,” Dayton grumbles under his breath.
“But we of Spring are forged of fire and iron will!”
A cheer arises, and I see the desperation in the people’s faces. The panicked need for reassurance that everything will be okay. But some faces in the crowd are completely blank, no emotion at all.
Kairyn paces on the dais. “From this tragedy, I will craft us a stronger, better future. We will usher in a new era for Spring. A glorious beginning of goblin and fae!”