Page 47 of The Kingdom Cursed By Iron

“We had to,” chokes Vanis. “She was walking free, with no punishment. It wasn’t fair.”

“And who are you to deal out punishment, boy?” Evanthe says coldly. “You are not entitled to this girl’s life, and it is nothing but arrogance and wickedness that makes you think you are. How long have you been planning this?”

Vanis glances at Galaphina’s sister, but she’s looking straight ahead, still crying.

“Tell me,” Evanthe orders calmly but firmly.

“Since we heard she was back. We tried before, with a snake but…”

For the second time in ten minutes, my blood runs cold. So there’s a reason this and that other attack felt similar. Cebba told me she wasn’t responsible, I knew she couldn’t lie, yet some part of me thought she had to be involved somehow. But apparently, I had more deadly enemies at court than I realized. And there may be still more hiding in the shadows, waiting for their opening. My mind goes to Hadeus, wondering how he could possibly be trustworthy when his extended family clearly want me dead.

“And only now, when you have thrown your lives away on this violence, might you understand what a waste it’s all been.” Evanthe sounds disgusted, appalled. It’s almost odd, hearing such measured logic coming from a fae. She’s right, of course, but I’m so used to them being volatile and bloodthirsty that her approach throws me. It’s certainly not how Ruskin would respond.

It’s like the very thought summons him. A figure in black sweeps into view at the end of the corridor, striding towards us. A confusing mix of emotions runs through me at the sight of him.

Ruskin stops in the middle of the scene, his face thunderous. He looks from the queen, to me and my attackers, then lastly his stare lands on Hortense, lying dead between us.

“I smelled blood, Eleanor’s blood, and knew someone had been foolish enough to spill it in my court.” He bares his teeth, glaring at Vanis and the girl. “Those responsible will beg for a quick death.”

“Don’t,” I rasp, straightening up. The movement sends a shock of pain down my side and I wince. Ruskin steps towards me, fear flashing for a second across his face, but I hold up a hand.

“Don’t kill them,” I say.

Evanthe’s words were true, every one of them, and they’ve made me come to my senses. It was because of Ruskin killing in my name that I landed in this situation in the first place. More deaths won’t fix anything—they’ll just give me more enemies when word spreads to their friends and family.

Ruskin is staring at me. I think he’s battling between letting his anger take over and hearing me out. The latter seems to win, by a margin.

“They tried to kill you, Eleanor,” he says, his voice mostly even. “They must be dealt with.”

“Yes, they did,” I say. “This makes the third time, actually. But they tried to kill me, not you. That means I should be the one who gets a say in what happens to them. My life, my choice. And I won’t choose revenge.” I meet Evanthe’s gaze, remembering her words. “I won’t choose something that just renews the cycle. If you execute them now, how many of their friends and family will you have to slaughter before both sides are either satisfied or too devastated to go on?”

Ruskin looks at the two fae kneeling before him. Vanis is shaking with fear. Galaphina’s sister has a dark stain across her dress where her tears have soaked through the fabric. His fist tightens, and his Unseelie eyes flash, then he rounds his shoulders and growls.

“What do you suggest instead?”

“Lock them up,” I say, fighting to keep my voice strong despite the pain in my side. “Imprison them, like you did Lady Rivera and the rest of the Hunt.”

Ruskin turns to Evanthe.

“What do you think they deserve?”

“I think they deserve to be taught a hard lesson, one as merciless as the fate they had planned for Miss Thorn.”

I feel my mouth open in surprise. I hadn’t expected Evanthe to take this stance, not after her speech about throwing their lives away. But she’s not done speaking.

“However, it may serve the Seelie Kingdom better in the long term if you stay their execution. This court has much to learn. It is so obsessed with prejudices and power that its members can’t think of any recourse other than to turn to violence. It’s important its ruler sets an example and steers it away from these tendencies.”

I glance down at Vanis and Galaphina’s sister, wondering if they’ve noticed how careful Evanthe was to talk around who the court’s ruler actually is, but they look too terrified to register much at that moment. Mostly, they seem to be hanging on to the suggestion that they might not die today.

Ruskin hardly looks happy, but he nods, seeming to concede Evanthe’s point.

“Fine,” he says. “They will live.”

I feel oddly relieved—even though these people hate me, even if they’d love to see me dead. This move feels like it at least has a chance of ending the hunger for revenge and the lives pointlessly lost.

“Thank you,” I say, then wince at the movement. I’d forgotten about my ribs and sore throat for a moment.

Ruskin’s eyes flare as he notes my discomfort.

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