Page 18 of Kingdom of Briars and Roses

He led me to a space less crowded, and while it only offered the illusion of privacy in an open space full of creatures with impeccable hearing, it was better than nothing. By the time we stood side by side near the potted rosebushes lining the balcony, he held a drink in each hand, no doubt swiped from a server we’d passed.

“For you,” he said, handing me a glass of something pink and bubbly.

“Thank you.” I drank generously, earning me a raised brow from Callan. His reaction reminded me of Rydian’s warning, and irritation flickered.

“Have you never seen a princess drink?” I challenged.

“Considering yours is the only court with an eligible female royal, the answer would have to be no. In fact, you’re the first heir I’ve met who hasn’t tried to eat me for dinner.”

I shoved aside my temper in favor of curiosity. “You’re saying others have?”

He winked, but it lacked his previous teasing as he said, “Let’s just say the Midnight Court makes Heliconia look well-mannered.”

I gaped at him. “You went to the Midnight Court?”

“Someone had to try to secure alliances.”

“Was it as dangerous and awful as they say?”

“Worse.” He shuddered, and it looked genuine. “Creatures who would drain your blood for a snack. Dark-winged monsters with razor-sharp teeth. And a court full of barbarians who call themselves royals. I don’t recommend it.”

Horror swept through me. “My father asked to meet with them, but they refused.”

“Ah. I suspect that had something to do with the river people being involved.”

“Why do those two courts dislike each other so much, anyway?”

I braced myself for a dismissal, knowing full well what my mother would have to say about talking politics at a party. And when I’d asked her about it at the last strategy meeting, she’d simply told me, “The Midnight Court hates everyone, darling.” But Callan didn’t seem to mind, nor did he seem impatient with my questions.

“They’re both very serious about their grudges.”

I gave him a dubious look. “What does that mean?”

“For them, the Calidium Empire is gone but not forgotten.”

“That kingdom was destroyed a thousand years ago,” I scoffed.

“Do you know how?” he challenged.

I frowned, straining to remember from my history lessons.

But Callan went on to explain. “The Calidium Empire was the most united to exist in this realm before or since. Fae, faery, humans, and countless other creatures all led by a single beloved queen who ruled from her Marble Throne. Under her rule, there was peace across Menryth.”

“Then the moon split,” I put in, recalling bits and pieces from the reading I’d done. The astrological event had been unprecedented. Scholars said a large rock called an asteroid collided with our moon—breaking it in two.

The addition of a second moon created a pull on our oceans and water levels. New rivers formed on the continent. Old ones overflowed. Mer and sea monsters and kelpies and sirens emerged from the ocean’s depths. They fought for their own stronghold in the region, and war broke out. It waged for many years until Calidium was finally overtaken.

He nodded. “When the empire fell, the tribes were scattered. The dark fae escaped, but not before the river people chased them north all the way to the edge of the eastern mountains where they remain.”

“The Midnight Court is the remnant of the dark fae who escaped the war?” I tried to remember if I’d learned that in my history lessons. If I had, it hadn’t seemed important.

He nodded. “And the Midnight Court blames the river people for that destruction.”

“It was a millennia ago,” I said, disgusted with them all over again. “They’d throw away maintaining peace now for a war they lost a thousand years ago?”

“Fae magic has been waning ever since. And the fae have very long memories. Just look at Heliconia. Her grudge against the Aine is already more than twenty years old, and she’s as determined as ever to destroy them—and the rest of us along with them.”

I sighed. “Heliconia is the reason we should all be working together.” But I would’ve been lying if I said the history didn’t intrigue me. Maybe there were answers in the past—some way to get through to the other courts, to make them want to ally and fight. “What other stories do you know?”

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