Page 69 of Fae Reckoning

“I just can’t believe it. How’d she get away with doing this to her own sisters?” Reed was asking, but it was a rhetorical question. We all knew how the queen had secretly imprisoned all four of her siblings and taken their power for herself all these decades: the same way she did everything else. She took what she wanted, how she wanted, and dared anyone to confront her about it. Whoever did was likely to be dragged to one of her dungeons to never emerge again.

“And the Crown Princess Odelia too,” Reed continued. “Elowyn’s mother was supposed to inherit the throne. They’re all royals of Embermere. Taking them like this shouldn’t have been possible. If nothing else, why didn’t the magic of the land prevent it? Couldn’t it have done something to stop her?”

There seemed to be no end to the queen’s might, no adversary strong enough to challenge her, and that was more terrifying than whatever might lurk in the deepening shadows of the woods. The queen was the igneosaur monster parents had warned their children about perhaps since as long as the Mirror World had existed. The only way to evade the igneosaur monster was to stay tucked away safely at home after dark and to obey your parents. The queen was worse than any mythical monster, her reach far too tangible, extending into any home to destroy the family of her choosing.

I looked to Ivar to answer Reed. I still didn’t trust him, but he was more knowledgeable about the workings of the royal family than the rest of us. He sat next to Lisbeth, absently detangling her hair, a task he’dbeen working on for at least half an hour while we talked. Her hair was matted and filthy, a fact that didn’t impact the reverence with which he touched her.

I didn’t want to like anything about the man, but I understood him. No more than a few minutes went by without my remembering that Ramana was alive. The recollection shocked me each time, overwhelming gratitude rocking me.

Ivar wiped some of the filth from Lisbeth’s hair onto his breeches, adjusted her head on his lap, and continued carefully pulling apart the strands. “Everything I know about the queen and the royal family must now be considered suspect. If she lied to me so convincingly for so long about my sister, the very nexus of our relationship, then who knows what other lies she spun?”

Ryder said, “We don’t trust you anyway.”

Ivar shrugged. “You don’t have to believe me, but I swear on the life of my sister”—he bent to press a kiss to her forehead, so gentle it was like a caress of feathered wings; Lisbeth’s eyelids fluttered—“that I will do everything in my power to help you bring down the queen. If you so choose, you may consider me your ardent ally. Every skill and knowledge I possess, you may count on.”

“You’ll swear a blood oath?” I asked.

Ivar met my eyes. “Aye, I will.”

“Then no time to waste. Azariah, will you witness the blood oath?”

“Aye, Drake Rush,” the pegicorn said, his voicedeflated still. “Anything I can do to make up for pursuing Elowyn and all of you.” With laden steps, he clopped over to us, Bertram leaping along with him, the two creatures inseparable.

El raised her head from where it leaned against my shoulder. “That wasn’t your fault, Az. We all know that. You did the best you could.”

His dark eyes glimmered with determination in the soft glow of our lumoons. “I thank you for your compassion, Lady Elowyn, but I should have found a way to do better. I should have tricked her the way she tricks us.”

“Nah, Az, you couldn’t have,” El said. “We haven’t known each other long, just long enough for me to know you don’t have a cruel bone in your body. You’re no match for the queen’s wickedness, and that’s a very good thing. You’re not to blame. Point that blame directly at her, where it belongs.”

Azariah wagged his lips back and forth along big horse teeth as if he were chewing. “I’ll try, Lady Elowyn. But I don’t know if I can. I might have gotten you killed.” He glanced around. “All of you.”

“But you didn’t,” El insisted. “You misled her long enough for us to flee. You did well.”

I thought he’d insist on his culpability some more—pegicorns were proud creatures—but his lids lowered over heavy eyes and he nodded. His following smile was sad but there, the first since we’d encountered him in the dragon dungeon deep beneath the palace.

He flicked his tail—an encouraging sign; itbrushed against the ranucu’s body. “Lord Ivar, I’m ready. Speak your oath.”

Gingerly, Ivar lowered his sister’s head to the ground, rose, and ran his hands along his breeches. He straightened his shoulders. “On the life of my dear sister Lisbeth, who now rests at my feet, I do swear that I stand against Talisa Zafira Tatiana, false queen of Embermere, and that I stand with you as the force who opposes her illicit reign. Insofar as it will aid us in removing Talisa from the throne of Embermere, you may count on me as an ally.”

I frowned at his careful wording. “Swear that you will not betray any of us.”

“I swear not to betray any of you here, unless you turn out to be a traitor and are secretly in support of the false queen.”

“Fair enough,” I said.

“I vow to be a true defender of Embermere and the Mirror World at large,” Ivar continued. “Whatever it takes to restore the land’s magic with a rightful ruler, if it is within my power, I will do it.” He jerked his head in my direction. “Satisfied?”

Was I satisfied? No, not until the queen’s head was separated from her neck.

I slid my dagger from Elowyn’s waistband. “Your palm,” I told Ivar.

With a reluctant grimace, he extended it. I sliced a small nick into it and squeezed so that five drops of blood splattered to the ground. The land—and its magic—swallowed them up faster than normal.

I craned my neck to look at the pegicorn. “Good?”

Az nodded. “Good. The oath is complete.”

“Then aye, your oath is enough,” I told Ivar. “Not enough to forgive your past deeds, but enough to move forward.”

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