Page 33 of Upon the Riven Throne

One corner of her mouth ticked up. She couldn’t help it. “Not a monster, not a conqueror, but not…” The hourglass rose again in her thoughts, and she could not say the words. Alder was trapped. He was bound by the Rive and bound by the queen and her curse. But he was still a fae.

He watched, waiting for her to finish, but when she did not, his shoulders relaxed and he moved to place his hand on either side of her waist.

“And what of this plan?” she asked against his chest, staring at the spot his finger had tapped during his confession.

He released a breath, then turned her with him to walk from beneath the wisteria and down a narrow path. Ancient stone pillars rose through the greenery, less alive than the ones in the palace, and Mireille wondered if they belonged to her memory or Alder’s. He said, “The creature that attacked you on that first night was a miscalculation by my sister.”

Mireille tensed, ready to pull away from him, but his next words stopped her short.

“The creatures let loose tonight were a miscalculation by the queen.”

“Miscalculation?”

He kept his eyes forward. “Nisha wanted to be rid of you. She believed I had made the bargain against my will, like the others. That it would prevent the breaking of the Rive.”

Mireille wondered how many times she had been watched unaware, not giving second thought to the many open windows and balconies that could be concealing a small dark mink. “She no longer seems to feel that way.”

Alder’s laugh surprised her. “No, I fear she does not. She’s impulsive, sometimes recklessly so, but after a time, she believed our arrangement could come to benefit her.”

“Has she confessed all this?”

His voice darkened. “She has not. But her schemes are transparent. She cares very little for covering her tracks. And any other fae would not have sent a message merely meant to frighten you off.”

Mireille tried not to think about what themerelymeant, but she knew enough of the fae to understand the gravity of her situation.

Alder paused before at a bench beneath a trellis of climbing roses, gesturing for her to sit. When she did, he settled beside her, the space small and quiet, and shaded from the dreamlight’s glow. “Nisha’s motives are not difficult to guess. If I were to marry anyone not from Westrende, the only way to bring down the Rive would be to bring down me.”

If he married Mireille, his life and his kingdom would be at risk, the same as she. And yet, they were tied by the threat of a ruthless queen. “I still cannot reconcile your choice to invite the queen in. It seems a great deal of risk only to confirm her intentions and mine.”

“That was not why she was invited.” His tone was off, his attention on the moon through the canopy of leaves. “Tonight, once we returned to the ball, I intended to announce our betrothal to the court. She needed to be present. She will remain as guest and as witness.”

Mireille stood abruptly, nearly knocking into him. “I did not agree to this.” In fact, she’d agreednotto agree to the ceremony at all.

He gave her a speaking glance.

“This is your plan? To announce we’ve settled on giving up our kingdoms?” She paced only steps away, then immediately back. “You called me your betrothed to the queen. So you invited her to, what, test me first? Before the announcement? To test her?” She resumed her place on the bench. He did not shift over, only watched as she worked it out. “Because if we were to marry, I would be forfeiting my right as heir. You think she would no longer have reason to do away with me, that she would simply take Norcliffe and be on her merry way. But Rivenwilde would still be bound and under threat.”

“It is more complicated than that.”

He had no idea. But Mireille did not say so, she could not and still have any chance of coming out of the ordeal alive.

“I need Maeve to believe we intend to go through with the marriage, need her to act. That is what I needed to be certain of—that she will make an attempt before the turn of the moon.” He leaned back. “And when she does, I will be ready for her.”

“So we are to feint, to… pretend a marriage.”

“Right up until the ceremony.”

She watched him for a very long moment. “And I? What do I stand to gain from this?”

His expression was grim. “This is the price for breaking your bargain. Aid in my scheme and you will be free.”

If the queen could be defeated, Mireille could return to Norcliffe. Their kingdoms could be saved. But how was she to believe he could do it?

“What if I do not trust that you can overcome her?” The marshal’s words echoed through Mireille’s mind. The price of breaking a bargain with the fae was always one too costly. No one would give it willingly. It had to be a trick. Escaping could not be so easy.

“That is the price you must pay.”

She blinked. “You planned this from the start.”

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