Page 80 of Chaos Tempted

“You need to stop this madness!” I yell, fists clenched. “If the humans have overstepped, then give them a chance to back down.”

“King Nathaniel will be more likely to back down after we have done our damage. Or his successor will.” Turgon scoffs. “If he doesn’t… then we will wipe the humans from these lands, and then we won’t have to worry about them anymore. Exterminate them, like the filth that they are.”

Realizing arguing with Turgon will get me nowhere, I change subjects to what truly occupies my mind. “I need to know what happened to Wynstelle. How did she die?”

Turgon stills and studies me. “The mortal… thecourtesan?”

The commander’s casually disrespectful question sets my teeth on edge. I tersely correct him, “Mymate.”

Turgon smirks in response. Then he leans against the wall and raises an eyebrow. “It was the mortals doing.”

Rage bubbles up inside me. The mortals. It makes sense. The mortal rebels have already tried to murder her. King Nathaniel was ready to kill me and the rest of my elves by the cold death of iron shackles. If it’s true what Turgon says, then King Nathaniel is plotting to harm all the elves by draining the lands with the mortals’ mere presence. Many elves will die. The lands will die too if elves don’t evacuate or force humans out of the same terrain.

Twyla doesn’t need to influence the human king to start a war. King Nathaniel is already heading there on his own. Perhaps henevercared about Wynstelle, and it was all an act. Maybe he’s disgusted that she is mated to elves and wants her dead, as his rebels do. If they are truly rebels at all. What if he had me and my advisors taken and killed to start this war?

Turgon quietly watches me as think through everything.

I gesture to the door. “Do you plan to keep me captive here? Where are my advisors, Jaden and Oakes?” I ask, knowing Ican’t rely on Turgon’s word about what happened to the people I care about, and will still need to discover the truth for myself.

“There was an attack on the portal just after we brought you through it.” Turgon saunters across the short length of the room. “We haven’t found your advisors, but we presume the mortals captured, tortured, and killed them after they struck down your woman.”

“I need to find them.” I set my jaw.

“All you will find is death out there now. No. You won’t be leaving the safety of the cabin, not until our retribution is done.”

I shake my head at the senseless deaths. Wyn is gone, and probably Jaden and Oakes, too. “How long will you allow this attack to go on?”

“The ghouls can only survive in the human realm for another two days at most. They will feel the drain of their life force and scramble back to get through the portals. By then, enough damage will have been done. We will send a messenger to the mortal king’s castle to accept Nathaniel’s surrender to our demands. If we don’t like the response, we will officially declare war.”

How can Turgon expect any other response from King Nathaniel after a fae attack on his people?

“Wait—what about my guard, Corwin? He was with me when you brought me through.”

“He has joined the soldiers at the portal. They are ready to attack if the humans retaliate.”

“Whywouldn’tthey retaliate?” I pace the wooden floorboards of the small room. “You just released spelled ghouls on their families and homes. You didn’t even target the lands that violate our treaty!”

“Remember, little prince… King Nathaniel tried tokillyou. You sense the loss of Wynstelle’s life. I’m sure the mortal king was behind her untimely demise.”

“You don’t give a fuck about Wynstelle’s life,” I growl.

“Not personally, no,” Turgon agrees nonchalantly. “But shewasnamed our ambassador. And youclaimshe is your mate. That means she was an equal citizen of the fae realm, as you so clearly demanded, whether Ilikeit or not. An attack on your human mate is an attack on Elfhame.”

My mind spins. It’s also an attack onme… personally. Nathaniel threw my people and me into the dungeon to die. If he has killed Wyn, his own daughter, to incite a war…

What if Nathaniel was behind her death?

Rage brews inside me. “It was all deceit. Nathaniel is nothing but a liar and a coward. He knew what Twyla was, and thought he could use her against us.”

Charging toward the door, I’m stopped by Turgon’s arm, blocking my exit.

“Not yet, Your Highness,” he says intensely.

Guards come into view. I’m a prisoner for my own protection. At least there are no iron chains.

Then the ache of Wyn’s death crashes over me again, and I wish for the agony of iron because it would be a distraction from the pain.

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