Page 59 of A Legacy of Poison and Lies

“Rin and Kej inherit their ability from him. He ate the male’s heart and raised the children in a sectioned-off part of the barracks.”

“He made them his spies instead.”

Nye dipped her chin. “They are loyal to Malok. But it is true loyalty, I think, from what I have observed. He has given them a good life.”

Zylah let out a breath through pursed lips. What constituted a good life? A roof over your head? Food on the table? What about everything else that they missed without their mothers or their father? Nye had shown her kindness, seemed to care greatly for her cousins and her aunt and uncle; Zylah didn’t take it lightly if the Fae considered Malok’s spies to have had a good life. But what kind of life was it if they had no choice in how it was lived?

“Malok will be holding meetings with the other courts whilst you’re gone,” Nye said a short while later.

So he was following through on his promises. That was something, at least. Zylah did her best to focus on Nye’s movements, anticipating when she’d switch up the blocks for attacks. “Why not just have one meeting and be done with it?”

“After the attack at Jora’s funeral? It’s too great a risk. Court rulers will be spoken with on an individual basis.”

Court rulers. Zylah stifled a sigh. She’d thought there was nothing left of the courts until they’d arrived in Maelissa’s. “I know so little about Fae society. I didn’t even think there were any courts left.”

“Two more rounds, some stretches, and then I’ll show you.” Nye took her through every movement, and Zylah was glad for the stretches that finished off their session, following Nye back inside just as the cool air started to chill the sweat that slicked her skin.

A group of soldiers were heading out to the balcony, and as Nye turned away, one of them stepped into Zylah, shoving her back a step. The group laughed, the doors already swinging shut behind them as Nye threw her a fresh towel from a bin beside the door, unaware of what had just transpired.

“Who would want to poison Malok?” Zylah asked, her gaze darting back to the door for a second. She saw no use in telling Nye.

“Those who believe his position was not earned.”

“And was it?”

Nye was quiet as another group of soldiers walked past them, all nodding at her as they passed, and Zylah suspected she held rank amongst them. She was far more serious than her cousins, her expression often giving little away, like she’d been schooled in court politics her whole life. “My parents ruled this court,” she said, at last, confirming Zylah’s suspicions. “They were murdered in their sleep, and I was too young to take their place.”

She might have offered a quietI’m sorrybefore her father and Raif had died. But she somehow knew the words would be meaningless to Nye. “You’re not too young anymore.”

“I don’t want it,” the Fae said firmly.

“Because of the responsibility?”

“Because my uncle manages things… efficiently.” She pushed aside another door, and for the first time all morning, a small smile tugged at the corner of her mouth. “And because I’ve got too much living to do.”

Zylah followed her into the room. Books lined every wall from floor to ceiling. Light from a small window illuminated the entrance, and an old Fae sat beneath it at a narrow desk. The air was thick and heavy, as if no one had moved through the space in some time, as if it stretched far beyond the shadows clinging to the nearest bookcases.

“Greetings, Serrula,” Nye offered with a dip of her chin. The old Fae nodded her head, hands still busy scribbling notes into her book.

“Welcome to Imala’s library,” she said without looking up.

Zylah resisted the urge to take a deep inhale of the scent of old paper permeating the air as she watched Nye make her way to a shelf opposite the door, the last place the light fell before the library beyond slipped into darkness.

A thick book sat open on a stand, and Nye flipped through it quickly. An index. The Fae tapped a finger, muttering something that sounded a lot likethought so, to Zylah. Nye’s smile had faded, but Zylah didn’t miss the shine of delight in her eyes as she said, “This is my favourite place in the entire court. You’ll have to forgive me if I slip into the shadows more than once.”

Zylah wasn’t entirely sure what she meant by that, but she followed her regardless, orblights flickering to life as they stepped into the dark.

Chapter Twenty

“Therewerenokingdomsacross our world, to begin with, and little record of what life was like here for the humans before the nine original Fae arrived from their world,” Nye explained as she searched a shelf deep within the library. Her finger traced along dusty spines until she stopped, tugging a large book off the shelf with both hands.

“Thousands of years ago, war had torn apart their home. Each arrived with a vision of how they wanted this world to be.” She placed the book on a small table, gently resting the crumbling cover to one side and stepping back for Zylah to look.

“We think they led groups of refugees here to safety. So they could start over, away from the bloodshed that had taken over their world.” Nye pointed to the faded ink drawings; groups of Fae filling the double-page spread, some clutching children, all following a group of nine that led the way to a swirling patch in the sky that looked like the surface of a pond tipped on its side.

“What is that?” Zylah asked, squinting under the dim glow of the orblight and pointing at the strange blotch of ink.

“A window from their world to ours.”

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