Page 20 of The Realm That Falls to Her

I, too, stare at Destan in alarm, not understanding why Lisinder is presenting him to us like this. It occurs to me abruptly that Ruskin won’t even know who he is. Destan sees my look and steps forward before anyone else can speak.

“This is Lord Hadeus, my Lord, a member of the Seelie Court and one of the followers of Evanthe who was hunting us on the road.” He speaks to Lisinder, but keeps throwing glances at Ruskin, indicating to the prince that this information is as much for his benefit as anyone else’s.

“Then I take it you are the reason he was found trespassing on our territory and brought to me?” Lisinder asks. All trace of friendliness is gone. I see he means business now, and all my relief from before seems foolish. I shouldn’t have assumed the king of the Unseelie Court would give us everything we wanted so easily. But I’m still not sure what his intentions are here.

“I’m afraid the fae who found him punished him first and asked questions later,” he continues, not waiting for our answer as he indicates Hadeus’s injuries.

“What do the runes mean?” Destan asks. I’d been wondering the same.

“Come now, Lord Lionsvale. Someone obviously didn’t pay attention in their history lessons. They were in common use during the Great Divide.” Lisinder steps forward and taps a claw against Hadeus’s cheek, making him flinch. “This is the mark of an Unseelie prisoner. They’re meant to curse you to a life of dishonor, aside from the amount of dishonor already brought on by having your ears clipped, of course,” he says. I realize now the significance of the ears—they’ve taken a part of his faeness from him, condemning him to look more human—something that a proud Seelie like Hadeus would see as the ultimate disgrace.

“Please,” Hadeus gasps. His eyes are on Ruskin, but he doesn’t say any more, and Lisinder ignores him, continuing as if he hadn’t spoken.

“There’s a fair few High Fae in Seelie with these marks still, though many would have rather died than bear them. I imagine those who could live with the shame keep them hidden. Now, Lord Hadeus, I have some questions for you. My nephew and his friends say that High Queen Evanthe wants Ruskin dead. Is this true?”

“Y-yes,” Hadeus croaks. “He is a usurper, and she is the rightful ruler. When she awakened from her sleep he tried to keep her from the throne.”

“Interesting. And you feel she is the true queen, even when she’s willing to curse your court to get what she wants?” Lisinder asks.

Hadeus shakes his head, making his whole body move. “Not true. The iron curse…” He throws a hand up, pointing a dirt-encrusted fingernail towards me. “It’s her doing.”

“Eleanor was the only one who could actually stop the iron,” Destan objects.

The king extends his claws again, and this time slashes them across Hadeus’s shoulders. The Seelie lord arches back and screams, his eyes on Lisinder burning with pure hatred. In the cavern, sound echoes, so I have to listen to his shriek of agony over and over, reverberating in my ears.

“Tell us the truth, Lord Hadeus. Prince Ruskin has already confirmed the curse was the queen’s doing.”

Hadeus’s eyes widen for a moment, but his bigotry isn’t so easily rattled. The hate swiftly returns. “I have told you the truth I know,” he spits. “And whatever that filthy Unseelie brat tells you, he’ll have found a way to spin it in his favor.” His breath hitches with pain, but his eyes still blaze as he continues, taunting Lisinder. “You may be playing at king now, beast, but mark my words, one day Her Majesty Evanthe will bring you to heel. I hope she tears every horn from you animals’ heads and every fang from your mouths. I hope?—”

Lisinder’s claws flash again. As they connect with flesh, Hadeus’s cry resounds through the cavern.

“Is this really necessary?” I can’t help but blurt out. Even with Hadeus’s threats, what good is this doing? Does the king actually think he can change Hadeus’s mind, or is he just enjoying tormenting him?

Lisinder watches me carefully, seeming interested in my reaction. He turns to Ruskin.

“Tell me, Nephew, should I carry on? Or does this lord mean something to you?”

The two questions don’t seem to line up for me, and I try to make sense of Lisinder’s game here. No, not a game. The Unseelie don’t play those like the Seelie do, but this does feel like some kind of test. I decide to be bold like our hosts.

“Before Ruskin answers, my Lord, may I ask what the purpose of this is?”

Lisinder nods like he thinks my question is fair.

“You may be on poor terms with the Seelie queen, but two of you still have Seelie blood, and are members of a court full of High Fae who wish my own court ill. You’re asking me to trust that your loyalty to them won’t outweigh the gratitude you feel towards me and my own court. That is a risky gamble for me to take.”

So that’s the test: Watch one of your own be killed to prove that court loyalty isn’t as important as the kind we’ve found with our new Unseelie allies. The offer of sanctuary comes with a price. When I nod in understanding, Lisinder looks over to Ruskin once more, his claws still raised above Hadeus’s head.

“What should I do, Nephew?”

Ruskin takes a moment to answer, shifting his eyes from Lisinder’s claws to Hadeus’s disfigured face. The Seelie lord, stripped of his arrogance, begins to sob.

“Please,” he begs.

I see a flicker of something on Ruskin’s face, then it hardens.

“This man means nothing to me, and his death would benefit us. I would suggest executing him.”

My blood chills at such a cold assessment, even if every word is true. But when I watch Hadeus’s face, I don’t see anger or fear at Ruskin’s proclamation. Instead, there’s a strange…relief there, I think. He holds that expression as Lisinder walks around him, coming to stand in front of his kneeling form.

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