Page 127 of The Cursed Kingdom

She’s playing games with us. Everybody knows that delysum kills faeries, and it’s what she used to murder my father. Lillian snuck some into his drink while he was distracted, and it poisoned his blood within minutes.

I read every detail of his autopsy.

He suffered from major organ failure, and almost every blood vessel in his body exploded in the moments leading up to his death. He was actively choking on his blood when he died, but the mortician believes his heart stopped before the suffocation killed him.

His death occurred so quickly that nobody is quite sure of the order in which everything happened.

“Delysum amplifies magic. It overwhelms it, often to the point of combustion,” Lillian explains. I already know this. The effects of delysum are well studied. “There’s no magic in the human realm for delysum to react with, though, and I’m weak. It amplifies what little I have inside me, and I’ve been drinking it to stay alive.”

She pauses to cough. Mason inches back, avoiding the spray.

“I’m almost out,” she continues. “It’s why Abby came here. She thought she could find more and save me.”

I press my lips together, trying and failing to hold back my anger. Abby is a tiny, weak human who knows little to nothing about our world. I spent every minute of every day with her during our travels, and I’m positive of that. Lillian was selfish to send her here.

She set Abby up for failure, and the human almost died because of it. If it weren’t for Mason and I finding her in the woods, she’d undoubtedly be dead right now. A shifter would’ve found her within hours.

If—by some miracle—she managed to avoid them, the trolls would’ve gotten to her.

Lillian glances between Mason and me. I can’t see Mason’s face, but judging by how she refuses to look him in the eye, I assume it’s not friendly.

“I’m not lying to you,” she says. “I have no reason to.”

Of course she does. She has every reason to lie to us. She wants to protect herself and Callie. I’d do the same if I were in her position.

Still, I’ll send a few scouts to the wall to collect some wild delysum. It would be foolish not to test what Lillian says.

I tap my foot against the ground, waiting for Lillian to ask about Abby. Lillian is the first thing Abby has been asking about, and I’m annoyed Lillian hasn’t done the same. The human has so much love for her friend, but the faerie cares only about herself.

“My mom and I came to the human realm with several canisters of dried leaves,” Lillian says. “There wasn’t enough for us both, though, so she rarely drank any. She died almost ten years ago.”

Lillian’s eyes fill with tears. Her act isalmostconvincing.

“You can ask Abby,” Lillian continues. “She’ll say the same thing.”

I’m not going to ask Abby. She risked her life to keep Lillian’s existence a secret from us, and I doubt her loyalty ends there. She won’t hesitate to lie if she thinks it’ll save her friend.

I wonder how much Abby knows, though. Has she been lying to us this entire time? I find it hard to believe, but I also can’t let my soft feelings for the human cloud my judgment.

“And what’s your excuse for murdering my father?” I ask. “I’m sure you have several already thought up.”

Lill shakes her head. “I—"

“The princes have asked for privacy.” A voice from outside travels into the cells.

I turn and peer down the corridor, annoyed my mother has sent another guard to check on us. She shows no trust, no restraint, and it’s frustrating.

“I’m acting on the queen’s orders,” a second voice says.

I turn back to Lillian. Mason continues staring down the hallway, his nostrils flaring before he rises and heads toward the door.

“Shit,” I mumble. “Mason!”

I know he’s on edge, but he can’t attack every guard who annoys him. I understood why he knocked out the one who took Abby earlier, but this one has done nothing wrong. He’s following Queen Gitta’s orders, which is precisely what he’s trained to do.

Mason leaves Lillian’s cell door wide open, and I begin to shut it before a pained yelp draws my attention. My feet move before I give them permission, following Mason outside.

My magic may be weak at the moment, but I’ve been funneling everything I have into the locks on my doors. Nobody should have gotten through it, at least not without alerting me.

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