Page 13 of The Realm That Falls to Her

I glare at him. “Yes, it was, as it happens. And however little we mean to you, we’re all you’ve got right now to keep you from winding up in the hands of your enemies again.”

Still holding my gaze, he throws a hand out, and an oak punctures through the earth, sprouting so suddenly it showers us with leaves.

“I think I can handle myself,” he says. “Certainly more than a human and an overdressed Seelie fop can.”

“Hey! It’s better than what you’re wearing,” Destan mutters darkly, adjusting his pretty embroidered coat.

“Looks can be deceiving,” I say, not backing down from Ruskin’s hard stare. “I would’ve thought you of all people would know that. But I guess you can’t remember.”

I can’t keep the bitterness from my voice and turn away, heading towards the horse still tethered several yards from the gate.

“We should get going,” I say, trying to hold the broken pieces of my heart together.

“And where exactly do you propose we go?” Ruskin asks haughtily.

“You might not miss knowing us, but I bet you miss having some idea of what’s going on. There’s someone who I think can help you. An old tutor of yours. We’ll go see him.”

“No.”

I spin round to read his face. I thought mentioning a cure might motivate him to cooperate. Surely, he doesn’t want to be at a disadvantage, with everyone knowing what’s going on except for him.

“Why not?”

“No one should know about this. My current…vulnerability.”

I put a hand on my hip. “Oh, so you do admit it’s a problem, then?” Aside from the small inconvenience of forgetting everyone you know and love, I don’t add.

“If my enemies are as close as you claim, yes. It’s better we keep this obstacle hidden until we can rectify it ourselves.”

“Maidar is our friend,” I say firmly. “He wouldn’t betray us.”

“That’s what you say.”

Now it’s my turn to roll my eyes. “You’ve already said you trust me, so you’ll just have to take my word for it.”

I’ve cornered him in a logical trap and he knows it. Grimacing, he turns his back on us, looking to the horizon. His claws are out, and he taps them against his thigh, the movement frustrated and threatening at the same time. This is not the Ruskin I knew, who fought hard to be able to let his guard down around his friends. Instead, this is him at his most wary—not wanting to give way even an inch in case it costs him. But he knows we’re his best bet at the moment—a lifeline in a sea of uncertainty.

He turns back to us, looking no less annoyed, but at least he offers us a curt nod.

“Very well. We shall seek a cure with this friend of yours. Where are we headed?”

“The Unseelie Court,” I say.

“Absolutely not.”

“Come on!” I say, throwing my hands up. Is this how everything is going to be? A battle?

“I’ll just take a seat until you two are done,” Destan says, finding the nearest tree stump to perch on.

“The two of us?” I splutter at my friend, gesturing to Ruskin. “He’s the one being impossible.”

“I may not remember every detail of this world,” Ruskin says, cool as ice, “but I certainly recall that the two fae courts aren’t friendly. I thought we agreed we were trying to avoid enemies?”

Destan clears his throat.

“Ruskin. My Lord,” he corrects himself in response to Ruskin’s glare. “I have been your loyal follower since we were children. That should be enough to tell you I have your best interests at heart. Right now, the worst and most dangerous of your enemies are in your own court. And even among those who don’t actively hate you, you aren’t likely to find many friends. It seems your mother has most of them convinced she’s just looking to keep her position as queen safe, when really, it’s you who’s still the High Monarch—which is another whole conversation, by the way. As long as the High Fae think the only consequence of taking her side is being ruled by her instead of you, I can’t see many of them sticking their neck out for you by moving against her.”

Ruskin processes all this without a flicker of emotion and just as I’m preparing for another argument, he nods.

---