Page 52 of The Realm That Falls to Her

I nod, thinking this all makes a lot of sense. It’s very possible Ruskin hadn’t considered this angle before now, too focused on the betrayals of those closest to him to look further afield.

“But it all happened so long ago. How can we prove it? Should we try to find out who commissioned the moon orb ourselves and go from there?”

Ruskin shrugs. “If King Lisinder has already looked into the moon orb, I doubt there’s much more for us to find. As for my father, we shouldn’t do anything for now. We can bide our time, knowing more than they do, and wait for the right moment to use it.”

I nod, feeling better. Hearing him examine everything so calmly fills me with confidence we’re doing the right thing. His certainty soothes me in a world of unknowns. I reach out and touch his hand, a silent message. He responds in kind, squeezing it tight.

A knock echoes at the door, a frantic edge to it. Ruskin calls for the visitor to enter, and Destan and Jasand stride in. They’re an odd pair—the dandyish Destan in a burgundy coat, and Jasand looking much more intimidating all in black—but they wear twin expressions of concern on their face.

“You’re being summoned by King Lisinder,” Jasand says. I feel a prickle of worry that his usual sarcasm is nowhere to be found.

“What about?” I ask, standing up. “Has something happened?”

“It’s Evanthe,” Destan says, twisting the fabric of his coat between his hands. “She’s found us.”

They’re waiting for us in a chamber deep under the mountains. The air is damp against my skin, with a mineral smell that makes sense once I hear the trickle of water. A small underground waterfall streams down the rockface at the center of the room, collecting in a pool. Various members of the Unseelie Court are gathered around it. They turn as we enter, and I search the faces of the crowd, afraid of what I might find. We’ve been lulled into a false sense of security here in the mountains – a world that seems so far from Evanthe and her curse. My mind frantically tells me she can’t be here, but my thudding heart isn’t listening.

The Unseelie’s expressions are a strange mix—some look intense, filled with anger or discomfort, but others seem curious, even excited. They part as we approach, and I see that there’s a sunken pool where the waterfall meets the ground.

Lisinder stands beside the steps leading down to the water. At first I think he’s talking to himself, until I see that the surface of the pool isn’t just a reflection of the chamber ceiling. It’s a portal—the same kind Ruskin used in the Seelie Court to show me Dad back in Styrland.

Only this time there isn’t the kind face of my father looking back at me.

It’s Evanthe.

I’m caught between relief that she isn’t here in person and a spike of panic from seeing her at all. I hadn’t expected to be so unsettled at the mere sight of her. But the last time I saw her, she was trying to kill Ruskin, and the time before that she murdered Halima. The shock and sorrow of those moments, the danger and the fear, come crowding in on me now, and despite her beauty, when I look at her face, I see a monster.

But perhaps I’m the only one, because as we get nearer I can hear she’s speaking with Lisinder quite civilly.

“…And I appreciate you hearing me out regarding this matter. Were the situation reversed, I’m sure you’d do whatever was necessary for your court.”

Her voice is commanding but calm, and as her green eyes stare out of the pool I think she seems every bit the reasonable, balanced leader she pretended to be all those weeks in the Seelie Court. I want to shout out the truth, to warn everyone what lurks beneath this mask, but she’s already put the game in motion, forcing us to play along.

“I have offered my nephew sanctuary, Your Majesty,” says Lisinder. “Are you asking me to go back on that?”

My blood chills a few more degrees. So she’s asking for him to give us up. And if he does, I have no doubt that once she’s forced me to remove my protections on the founding stone and made Ruskin designate her heir, she’ll kill us both. I glance at Ruskin, but his face is inscrutable. Part of me imagines he’s picturing just how painful and bloody our ends will be. She might not know that we’re naminai, but she knows we love each other. She’ll make Ruskin watch as she tortures me…and she’ll make me watch her torture him. I can’t imagine anything more nightmarish.

Lisinder’s tone is also calm. He’s not making any accusations, and that worries me. I want Lisinder to feel angry on our behalf, defensive over the idea that Evanthe would tell him what to do, but they continue to talk like they’re discussing regular affairs of state—not whether their own blood kin should live free or be sent to our deaths. I can’t help but wonder why Lisinder invited us to witness this audience with Evanthe if he was always going to discuss our fates so openly, in front of everyone.

“I understand your predicament, but he is my son before he is your nephew, Your Majesty,” Evanthe says. “And though it saddens me to take these steps, they are necessary for the future of my court. Not returning them to face justice in the Seelie Kingdom would be a dangerous level of interference in our affairs. I would not expect such a thing from your kingdom, sir.”

Lisinder turns to scan the room, his eyes falling on us, then on his subjects.

“Your Majesty.” An Unseelie I haven’t met steps forward. She looks older, so far as I can tell, but her most noticeable feature is the scar running down her right arm. It looks like half of it has been gouged away.

“This is not our quarrel, my Lord, and I fear Queen Evanthe is right. Were we to ignore her request now, it would be tantamount to an act of hostility against the Seelie Court. Many of us gathered here know the consequences of such an act.” She stares at him meaningfully, crossing her arms, and I can feel the shadow of the Great Divide hanging over the crowd as they shift and murmur to each other.

“Thank you for your thoughts, Lady Flardryn,” the king replies. Lisinder looks to us again and I feel Ruskin straighten, moving a little closer beside me—it’s subtle, but I realize he’s positioning himself to better protect me. I know Ruskin will do everything in his power to ensure I remain out of Evanthe’s clutches, no matter what Lisinder decides. I twist my hands into the fabric of my skirts, wondering just how many people will get hurt if it comes to that.

“Well, Nephew, Lady Thorn, what do you have to say on this matter?” Lisinder asks.

I blink, surprised that he’s consulting us at all, because our answer should be obvious. He knows that we want him to ignore Evanthe and ally himself with us. But then I realize what he’s really asking for: a reason to say no to her, something that will be acceptable to his court, and to us as well. He isn’t a tyrant king who does whatever he wants. If he’s going to take a stand here, he needs to be able to justify it.

My mind races, looking for a compelling argument. It’s hard because Evanthe hasn’t made any direct threat against the Unseelie. She doesn’t seem to care about them at all, outside of whether they deny her access to us. I’m not sure whether her indifference is real or feigned—after all, she had no trouble feigning joy at her reunion with the Seelie Court, even as she secretly attacked them with cold iron. Maybe she plans to destroy the Unseelie and maybe she doesn’t. All I know for sure is that she plans to destroy Ruskin and me. But that’s not an argument to win hearts and minds here.

Nothing. I have nothing. I can’t think of a single thing to say to Lisinder to convince him to save us. My only hope is that he’ll at least give us a head start—force us out of the Unseelie Court but not directly into Evanthe’s grasp. He could wash his hands of us and still give us a fighting chance at eluding her.

Then Ruskin clears his throat, glancing at the pool where Evanthe’s face looks on expectantly. Ruskin hasn’t seen her since Interra—and has no memory of ever having seen her before that. I doubt he’s filled with the same fear as me when he looks at her.

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