Page 91 of Magic Forsaken

“The courts have been forced to move swiftly in order to prevent catastrophe—swiftly and secretly. That is why they hide their true purpose, not only from the humans, but even from people like you.”

Speaking of true purpose, this mysterious voice had yet to reveal his. Why call me here and tell me all this? If he knew the truth about me, why not just admit it? What did he want from me?

“If this Symposium goes forward as planned,” he said, “there will be no protection for Elayara’s victims. That part is another lie. It is why we have tried so hard to prevent the courts from ever arriving at this point.”

Well, crap. Looked like I’d just found our saboteur. But I had no idea what to do about it. Try to capture him? Try to kill him? How could I do either one in the dark with no clues what his magic might be?

“But here we are, standing on the precipice of disaster, unless we can stop this at the eleventh hour. Find a way to end this bloodlessly. And we have no hope of doing that, unless we can count on your help.”

Oh, my hecking heck. He was trying torecruit me. This was likely the person who’d already come close to killing me twice, first with the attack in this very building, and second with the attack on Callum’s SUV. Why try to talk me over to his side now?

I had so many questions. So many retorts. But I refused to open my mouth and give away my position. I’d been the victim of far too many fae tricks over the past ten years, and I would not fall for it. The lessons had been too harsh.

“This has to end, Raine, for the protection of victims like you and like me.”

So he’d been a victim, too? But he hadn’t mentioned Kes, Logan, or Ari. Did he know they’d escaped with me? Did he realize they were in the city?

“But I know you have no reason to believe me. Not when you already believe so blindly in that dragon. You’ve chosen to defend the very person who is striving to destroy the freedom you’ve made for yourself. The freedom to make your own choices and create a new life. To find your own place in this changing world.”

I wanted to snarl at him, to tell him that he was wrong about Callum. Callum had done nothing but try to protect me. To help me find my feet and give me a way to keep my family safe.

“So for now, all I’m asking is that you look for answers.” The voice remained calm and reasonable. Unruffled, while I was fighting so hard against frustration and panic. “Ask your dragon for the truth of what they are doing here. Ask yourself whether you want to support those ambitions. And when you make your decision… I will be here. Waiting.”

Waiting…

Hold on… Why was I waiting?

Had I completely forgotten my conviction from only a few short minutes ago? And if so, why was I still hiding here behind a desk?

I wasn’t back in those caves. I wasn’t a victim being hunted. But the minute the lights went out, I went back to that place, those instincts, those hard-learned methods of survival.

This was going to be so much harder than I’d feared, but I truly wasn’t that person anymore. I could stand up. I could fight back. Tear this room apart until I found the owner of the voice. Confront him and force him to answer my questions.

I didn’t have to hide. He was the intruder here, not me, and he had no power in this place.

It was one of the harder things I’d ever done, forcing my knees to obey. Forcing my body to move, to unbend itself and stand upright. To become visible, vulnerable, and open to attack. To move out of hiding and make sounds that could draw attention.

Sweat drenched my torso, and I could feel it dripping down my back, beneath my jacket.

My fingers shook. My teeth clenched so hard it made my jaw ache.

But I did it.

Inch by inch, I beat back my instincts and my memories until I stood upright in the darkness.

“Tell me why I should trust you.” My voice cracked and broke with the effort of forcing myself to speak. I began to cough.

And that’s when the lights came on.

I hit the floor and rolled to the right, away from the light switch.

“Raine?”

Nowthatvoice I knew.

I twisted to look up and saw Angelica looming over me with a perplexed and slightly dubious expression twisting her lips.

“What are you doing on the floor in the dark?”

---