Page 29 of The Kingdom Cursed By Iron

“Thanks for the dinner invitation,” I say to Destan, poking him in the ribs.

He looks sheepish, even though we both know that things would’ve been worse if I hadn’t been there in the end.

“I did say things were more boring when you weren’t around.”

“I could do with boring, I think. Boring would be nice.”

Destan nods at the queen, who I think might’ve fallen asleep, and gestures for us to leave her in peace.

We’re close to the south corridor when we come upon Halima.

“I thought you were with Ruskin.”

“Dawnsong’s gone ahead,” she says. “You need to come see this. There’s trouble.”

Yes, boring would be very nice indeed.

Chapter 10

My nervousness grows when I realize we’re heading back in the direction of the orchard.

“There’s not been another iron attack, has there? Did it start spreading again?”

“No,” Halima says. “But the court wants answers, and someone’s decided to start giving them.”

I have no idea what that means, which is odd, because it’s not like Halima to be cryptic. It becomes clear, however, when we descend into the courtyard beside the now ruined orchard. It seems much of the court relocated here after the attack. Many are still sitting around in rumpled clothes, scratched and bruised, waiting to be seen by the healers flitting about the square.

The rest, however, have their backs turned to us, looking up at a High Fae woman standing on a set of steps. Her eyes are large and such a pale shade of gray she almost looks like she doesn’t have irises. She rocks on her heels as she talks, making her long auburn hair sway around her ankles.

“The texts don’t lie,” she calls, her reedy voice echoing across the courtyard. “The Cleansing is upon us. We would be foolish to ignore the signs.”

She gesticulates wildly, pointing towards the orchard with one hand, clutching a worn book in the other.

“Oh, stars no…” Destan mutters and I shoot him a questioning look.

“You know her?”

“Jorna,” he answers. “We were taught together as children. Ephor Jorna, she’s called now.”

“Ephor?”

“It’s a title, an academic one. She studies the old histories of the kingdom, but she interprets them as well. She supposed to have a knack for soothsaying.”

“Supposed to?”

“She comes from a long line of diviners, but she’s also a bit of a hermit.” He frowns. “I’ve never seen her around so many people before?—”

He cuts himself off to hear what the woman says next.

“The prophecies of Serratta could not be clearer on this matter.”

“And what does he say, Ephor?” A familiar voice pipes up from the crowd, and I recognize Lord Glidma. “What will the cleansing bring?”

Jorna looks pleased to be asked and straightens up, opening the book to read from it.

“When poison runs in the vein of the Seelie Kingdom, the magic of the realm will bring the hand of metal to purge it.” She looks up, scanning the faces of her audience with a triumphant look. “What else could this sudden appearance of iron signify?”

“But then what is the poison?” asks the blue-haired woman I recognize from the banquet. “Why is the realm punishing us?”

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