Page 92 of A Bargain with the Fae King

“If Lia can get the stone,” Riven says, stepping into the conversation. “And we have no other options, I will let Lia choose whether to trade it.”

His comment sucks the air from the room.

Sylvie and Galen stare between us all, wide-eyed. Solona’s lips thin.

At length, Solona says, “If the rest of the court finds out…”

“They don’t need to know.” He stares at them each in turn. It’s an order as much as a statement. His attention slides to me. “It’s my fault May is in the hands of the Unseelie, and we’ll get her back. I believe that, as I believe Lia can help us with the stone.”

Solona lets out a weary sigh. “I really hope you know what you’re doing. I’ll keep searching here. Perhaps we can work out this spell or another to offer the Unseelie in exchange.”

They ignore Sigurd’s words, but I can’t. “Sigurd mentioned something about tricking the Unseelie. Could we?”

Heads turn in my direction.

“Would it be possible to offer them the key without really offering it?” I continue. “Maybe we could create a duplicate and give that to them instead.”

Anything is better than all-out war or losing May. And this way, the forest fae wouldn’t lose their key either. If I can get it.

Solona’s brows wrinkle. “We cannot duplicate that kind of magic, but perhaps we can think of something.”

Riven nods. “But first, we’ll need the real key.”

Galen, Sylvie, and I wait at the honing point just outside the city as the remainder of the guard joining us file out into the space.

One tree resembling a poplar, my favorite, keeps drawing my attention. I could have sworn it was entirely yellow the last time we were here, but now it sports several green leaves toward the bottom. It stands out from the others with their mix of red, orange, green, and even some purple leaves. You really can’t beat the beauty of a bright yellow poplar at the height of its leaves changing.

“Sylvie, are the seasons in Faery like the ones in the human world? Spring, summer, autumn, winter.” I list them for emphasis.

She nods, blond hair shining in the sun. “I’ve never visited your human world, but I believe they do work the same way.”

“It’s just… I could have sworn that tree was yellow before, but now it has green leaves again, like it’s moving backward from autumn to summer instead of forward.”

She looks at me for a moment then cocks her head to the side, a hint of amusement playing about her features. “It’s summer everywhere right now.”

What? My nose twitches. Okay, maybe the seasons aren’t the same after all.

“Our land is affected by more than just the changing of seasons,” she continues. “The king’s magic affects it also. Because our king chose you, a human”—she eyes the area where Riven’s mark hides under my clothes—“you have been able to revitalize his magic and thus start to heal the magic of our territory as well.”

“I know that part but the trees…”

She smiles.

My whole face practically lights on fire as realization sets it. The seasons aren’t moving backward, but the land is healing back to what it should be, to proper summer. Every fae knows exactly how I help their king’s magic, and it’s clear as day in the land around them.

I bury my face in my hands. Talk about too much information…

Sylvie grips my arm. “You shouldn’t be embarrassed. It’s the way of things, and we’re glad you’re here.”

I glance around, making sure no one else is close before dropping my voice to a whisper. “If I help so much, then why hasn’t he marked a human before now?”

Sylvie drops her hand and looks down. She’s quiet for a moment before she glances back at me and whispers, “It’s not my place to question the actions of my king.”

I bite my lip, sorry I’ve asked—until she continues.

“However, I’ve read about kings in the past who marked many humans, rarely keeping one for long before moving on to the next, all in the search for more power. They say even Sigurd’s father was that way.”

My stomach roils. Though Sigurd infuriates me, I can’t help but pity him. That one fact about his father tells me a great deal and none of it is good. A fae king moving from one human to the next in a string of lovers, just with the goal of obtaining power… Talk about twisted.

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