Page 52 of The Court of Truth

He nods in confirmation, his fingers twitching on the fabric for a beat, like he’s considering whether to show me or not, relenting a moment later when he reveals the carnage that awaits.

Shuffling closer as the carriage slows to a crawl, Raiden tugs me into his lap, holding the curtain open for me to see.

My heart stutters at the disaster that greets me, emotion lodging in my throat as I blink, willing the scene to disappear, but it only seems to grow sharper, harsher.

Rubble lies across the path; wood, stone, brick, and metal crumbled together in a pile of destruction, leaving nothing but ruin to hint at what once lay here. Civilians sift through the upturned mess, searching, pleading, praying as smoke still billows in the air.

It’s been over twenty-four hours and the turbulence of Clementine’s attack still remains.

“Fuck.” I grunt, my throat raw as I shake my head in disbelief.

“This is bad, Queenie.”

I turn at the sound of Janie’s voice to find her peering out the other window, her face pale as she dissects the carnage.

“Queenie?” Raiden asks, challenging the nickname that tumbled from her lips, and she turns to him with a smirk.

“It’s fitting. Besides, if you think I’m going to go around addressing her as Queen Adrianna or Your Majesty, you can fuck right off. I’m here as a friend, not a member of her staff or subject of her kingdom.”

Raiden glares, searching for a retort of his own, but I shake my head, silently pleading with him to drop it, and he seems to take it well, grumbling under his breath instead as I turn my attention back out the window.

More rubble, more smoke, more tragedy.

The carriage draws to a stop and I quickly emerge from the carriage, much to Janie and Raiden’s disapproval.

“Adrianna, wait. You know we’re supposed to go first. Okay, yeah, don’t worry about me then. You do you and all that, but when Arlo kills me because you’re reckless, then I’m going to haunt your ass for all of eternity,” he hollers, climbing from the carriage with a glare etched into his eyes.

“We die together, Raiden. Don’t make Arlo mad enough to kill you because that kills me, and we don’t want that, right?” My voice is sickly sweet as I wink at him, and I’m sure he grumbles something under his breath about hot fae queens being too much of a handful, but I can’t be sure because I’m quickly intercepted by a woman.

She grabs my arms, pleading eyes fixing on mine as tears streak her face. “Help us. Please, help us,” she sobs, releasing my arm to swipe at her face as Janie intercepts her, forcing her back a few steps.

“Don’t ever approach the queen in that manner again. Do you understand?” she snarls, protective mode activated, but I quickly shoulder past her to speak to the woman.

“I’m sorry about… them,” I murmur, pointing over my shoulder to find Raiden right beside Janie, both glaring at me. “They’re a little protective,” I soothe, running my hand down her arm, noting how filthy she is.

Her dress is tattered and torn, her hands caked in dirt and her hair wild from the wind.

“I’m glad you have protection when we have… this,” she sobs, dipping her head in defeat, and my heart aches.

“We’re going to help. We’re going to do whatever is necessary. Together, we’re going to fix this,” I insist, rattling her a little harder than necessary to make her look at me, to force her to accept my words, and to my surprise, she nods, even if it is weak.

“Please, we have nothing,” she says with a sniffle, rushing off without a backward glance.

Turning to Janie and Raiden, a sense of helplessness threatens to take root in my gut, but I push it back, taking a deep breath as I assess the madness we’re caught in the middle of.

“What supernaturals are here?” I ask, and they both give me an uncertain look. I should have asked that to begin with. Now I feel stupid.

Thankfully, another carriage pulls to a stop behind ours, and a moment later, Arlo steps out with Flora right behind him. Flora’s hand covers her mouth, her eyes watering as she takes in the destruction, and I have to look away before I let my emotions rise to the forefront.

“Arlo, what supernaturals are here?” Raiden asks, and he grimaces.

Shaking his head, he doesn’t answer until he’s right in front of me. “None. Shadow Oak was declared a human safe haven when your father was in charge,” he explains, and my gut twists.

Fuck.

“It’s about time you arrived, I?—”

“You must be Mayor Phillips. Please, catch us up to speed,” Arlo interjects, placing himself between the larger man and me. His suit is pristine, not a hair out of place in his peppered hairline, and he looks down on me with anger in his eyes.

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