Page 263 of Heat of the Everflame

I bit back all the snarky responses that rose to my lips. “I know you think I planned the Guardians’ attack on Coeurîle. I assure you, I did not.”

He snorted. My hands tightened on the arms of my chair.

“I was kidnapped by the rebels. They held me as their prisoner until I escaped.”

“All the Crowns were attacked, yet you were the only one spirited away.” He flashed a mocking smile. “Howveryconvenient.”

“They took Arboros prisoner, too.”

“The Arboros Queen?” He swore, his hands curling into fists. “Well that explains why she hasn’t responded to give her vote.”

“Is there some way to tell if she’s... that is, if something...”

“...if she’s dead?”

I winced, nodding.

“If she is, the Arboros fire at the Kindred’s Temple would extinguish. But now—” He shot me an accusatory stare. “—between the rebels and the winter fog, we can’t get close enough to see it.”

Worry tangled in my ribs. It had been weeks since I’d seen her dragged away. Cordellia hadn’t seemed the murderous type. But Vance...

“Isn’t there an Umbros soldier here who can read my mind and confirm I’m telling the truth?”

“The Umbros Queen forbids her subjects from serving in the army,” he said bitterly.

I sat straighter. “We can do that?”

His glare sharpened to a vicious point.

I cleared my throat. “Regardless—I speak the truth. The Crowns can issue all the edicts they want. My answer won’t change.”

He stared at me for a long minute. “You came all this way just to tell me that?”

“No. I did not.” I drew in a deep breath. “I’ve come to see a prisoner. Auralie Bellator.”

He sneered. “You’ve made a long trip for nothing. You can’t see her.”

“She’s a subject of my realm.”

“Not anymore. And we both know that isn’t why you want to see her.”

I gritted my teeth. “Fine.Yes, she is my mother. All the more reason I should be allowed.”

“All the more reason my answer is no.”

“She’s a prisoner of the Crowns, and I am a Crown. I have the right to question her.”

He slammed his fists on the desk with a loud metallicclang. “You are implicated in her crimes. I don’t believe your claim of innocence for one second. You think I’m going to let you conspire with a Guardian on my own soil?”

“You can’t stop me.” I crossed my arms. “A Crown holds no authority over other Crowns.”

He stilled. His chin dipped with predatory focus. “So you’re colluding with Umbros, too.”

I held my tongue. The Crowns already considered me a threat. Perhaps it was to my advantage if they believed I didn’t stand alone.

“I will see my mother today, one way or another,” I said instead. “It’s up to you how much blood is spilled in the process.”

He laughed harshly and shook his head. “You threaten me in my own realm, in my own fortress, surrounded by my own army. You’re either the biggest fool I’ve ever met, or...” He trailed off, eyes sweeping over me.

---