Page 113 of Crown of Wings and Whispers

Together, the mists lowered as if bowing. Then they hovered, boiling and gathering themselves, waiting for something.

Archer looked at his brother and held back his hands, afraid they might touch him. “Nay! They’ve got it wrong. Ye’re the heir!”

Griffon shook his head slowly. “I was chosen to be something else. I was chosen to be Seraphim, the king’s guardian. But don’t you think it strange that Father gave me other duties? To occupy my timeuntil the king needed me. Thenextking. I was meant to guardyou, brother.”

“I can’t possibly,” Archer whispered to the mists.

Griffon released my hand and started closing the distance to his brother. “The Fae need you, Archer. They need a rightful king, not a pretender, not a stand in. An unassuming heir who was content to drive a taxi and serve his sister until he was needed.” Griffon stepped around to stand behind Archer and dropped a heavy hand on his shoulder. “Archer Carew, Son of Gloir and King of the Fae. Long live the king!”

“Long live the king!” We all shouted, all of us with tears in our eyes.

A nervous but resigned Archer sucked in a breath and gave a nod. The colors separated, and Brian narrated as they poured down, one at a time, into the new king’s head.

“Indigo, Beauty.

Blue, Hope.

Violet, Fertility.

Orange, Peace.

Red, Art.

Pink, Youth.

Green…Life.”

Someone clapped loud and slow.It was Orion. He was back on his feet, and grinning. “Anrai! Would you be so kind as to remove these bars?”

Electricity jolted my heart. “No!”

His grin widened. “Your contract is void. If that woman signed it as King—”

Persi laughed and waved her fingers. “Still, technically King.”

“And you weren’t listening.” Lorraine unrolled the large white parchment close to the bars. “You see? This bit here? Totally transferrable. Before Persi gives up her power, Archer will sign—”

“No.” Archer kept one eye on the mists and another on his brother. “I want her to keep her power. I’ll…I’ll agree to be king, but I have nae interest in bein’ any version of a god. The power is hers, if she wants it.”

With tears on her cheeks, Persi nodded. Archer hurried to her to plant a kiss on her cheek and wrap his arms around her. But he sobered when Kitch made it a threesome, and the rest of us laughed.

When I finally remembered Orion, he was on his knees again, gripping the bars and raging at his fate.

Persi noticed too. “Well, Orion? Still prefer Nothingness?”

“Yes! Do it!”

The place fell silent when she waved Anrai to her. “Do it. Move the prisoner to Nothingness.”

Orion’s hands on the bars disappeared, along with the rest of him. For a long time, we all stared at the empty space left behind. It was over. It was really over.

Anrai inclined his head to Persi. “Do you require anything else?”

She smiled. “I require a safe exit out of here for me and my friends.”

He turned to Archer. “And you, sire?”

Archer laughed. “Nothin’, thank ye.”

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