Page 122 of Lady of Starfire

“For years I begged my father to give me more responsibilities, to train me as his replacement. He refused. I was passed over time and time again. At first, it was a foolish, youthful rebellion against my father, but when I saw what was happening in the slums, to Windonelle’s own people… I couldn’t sit back and do nothing. I tried talking to my father about it once. He brushed me off. Told me to keep my head down and do as I was told. I started watching more, noticing more things that weren’t right, and when no one who could do something about it stepped up…” He rubbed at the back of his neck again. “Yeah, Callan. I was working with Rydeon and Toreall rebels. Have been for years. I was worried that what was happening in their kingdoms would happen here. We were trying to be prepared. I didn’t realize that we would be following in their footsteps quite so closely.”

“And you were part of this?” Azrael asked, looking at Juliette.

“Not then,” she said. “Not as long as Drake has been. I had just put everything together shortly before Scarlett met Callan.”

“When she left me that first note,” Callan clarified.

Juliette nodded. “My sisters knew I was keeping something from them. We had fought about it. I had wanted to tell them, but I was just beginning to earn the rebels’ trust. I didn’t even know Drake was involved at that point. That’s why she was in that clearing that day. We had fought, and she had left to work off her temper. I eventually told Nuri, but Scarlett got close to you. We needed that for the Black Syndicate children, and a part of us hoped…” She cleared her throat. “I knew she would be a queen. One of those things I just knew. I had always assumed she would be your queen, based on how everything was unfolding. We had hoped that when she was at your side, she would help you see the forgotten in the kingdom. That the two of you would be the change the kingdom needed, and that eventually that would carry over to Rydeon and Toreall.”

“Then why did Scarlett start taking Tava to the slums if she was not part of this?” Callan asked.

“The three of us had always been involved in the slums,” Juliette supplied. “When I was no longer here, Scarlett kept going.”

“I caught her sneaking out one night,” Tava said quietly.

“Youcaught her sneaking out?” Azrael asked, his brows high.

“She sees what everyone else misses,” Callan said, gaze on Tava. She slowly raised ocean blue eyes to his.

“She’d been a spirit of the After for weeks. I had promised Cassius I would keep an eye on her. When I heard her door open well into the night, I followed her down to the study she liked to sneak out of. I demanded to know where she was going; and when I would not drop it and threatened to send word to Cassius, she finally told me to change into godsdamn pants and get a cloak. She said if I got her caught, there’d be hell to pay.”

“And you did not know your brother was involved?” Azrael asked.

She shook her head. “I did not know Drake and I were working towards the same goal until the night everything fell apart. When they tried to abduct me for Veda.”

“But when did Drake meet with them?” Callan asked, still trying to piece this all together.

“He was always out with other men from the forces,” Tava said. “I did not learn until later that he usually excused himself early to come home. Instead of returning to the manor, he would meet with the rebels.”

“It was why I was unaware Tava was sneaking out. The night you brought her home and she was upset—” His gaze flicked to his sister with regret. “I did not know of Veda’s plans, but I also did not know Tava was sneaking out. It was why I did not know she was gone that night.” His focus came back to Callan. “After you spoke with her, I went up to her room to find out what had happened. That was when I told her of my involvement.”

“Why has no one said anything about this?” Azrael demanded. “We were on a ship for weeks. Together in Avonleya. Neither of you thought it would be wise to disclose this information?”

Tava lifted her chin, holding the Earth Prince’s stare. “These people have long been at the bottom of every priority list, even that of their own kings. We have worked tirelessly to gain their trust. I was not about to betray that until I knew what kind of king Callan was to be.”

“Wait,” Callan cut in. “The ruse? That was a test to—”

Her head whipped to him. “No, Callan,” she said in a rush. “That was not some ploy to be used in this matter. The ruse was only ever to save you from Veda. To give you that choice. It became more than a ruse for me the first night you insisted on accompanying me to the poor districts. The first time I witnessed you truly seeing your people.Thatwas when I knew you could be different from your father, if given the chance. And you have become that king. More and more every day. That you sit here with us now proves that. You did not have to come. You could have waited for Scarlett to fix this. We all could have, but…”

There were tears glimmering in her eyes as she trailed off.

“They deserve rulers who care for them as mortals. Not magical beings whose first priority will always be their own,” Callan said, echoing words she had said to him what seemed like a lifetime ago. “Someone has to fight for them.”

Tava’s throat bobbed as she worked to control her emotions.

“The point is, we did not know who we could trust,” Drake said. “We did not want it getting back to our father or Alaric and Mikale that there were people working against them. We knew it would lead to immediate extermination. The things that have happened in Rydeon and Toreall to squash the smallest show of rebellion… We could not risk it.”

“Not even for those we love,” Tava added quietly.

“You thought we would leave the mortals to fend for themselves?” Azrael asked in a harsh demand.

Tava leveled him with a look that Callan had never seen on her face before.

It was cold and unforgiving.

It was fierce.

It was the look of a queen defending her people.

---