Page 146 of The Prince from a Cruel Summer
Beth and I break away, racing up the winding path to my study.
I grab my Shadow mask, and guide Beth into the closest mirror to reach the Eternal Hall, the nearest gateway to the throne room where the coronation will take place.
We’re barely out of the glass when the sound hits me—the deep grind of stone sealing the entrance to the throne room. My heart kicks hard against my ribs as I glance at Beth.
“We’re not too late,” she says, her voice steady but quick. “The tunnels.”
There might still be time to stop the impostor from stealing my crown—if we move now.
Chapter 47
Phoenix
AIDAN
Amasculine voice echoes through the tunnels as Beth and I sneak closer to the secret passage allowing access to the Hall of Eternity. The Lord of the Tides is taking his vows as the new king of Summer—using my body, my voice—and my fists clench at my sides.
He’s powerful enough to fool the King of Light himself, and the thought fills me with dread.
“I want you to stay here,” I tell Beth.
She snorts in the most telling show of disbelief. “No chance.”
“Who knows what he’ll do when he sees me coming…”
“And I’ll be right there beside you the whole time, Aidan. As you did for me on that boat.”
She’s right, but my instinct to keep her safe begs me not to put her in the presence of that monster again.
The secret door leading into the throne room has always been a well-guarded secret, though I know at least a couple of other royals are aware of it. I click the mechanism preventing the door from being opened and roll the heavy stone out of the way, the back of the tapestry concealing the door letting a faint light through.
I grip a fist of the red fabric, the tapestry flaking off into ashes and revealing our intrusion to all the monarchs at the same time.
The imposter is sitting on my mother’s old throne, chatting with the others as though he belongs on it, and anger lances up my spine. Thorald Storm, Damian Sombra, and Elio Lightbringer on one side, the imposter, Freya Heart, Ethan Lightbringer, and Eliza Bloodfyre on the other. All in their finest, Ethan even wearing his wings for the occasion. They all gawk at Beth and me. The entire magic of Faerie buzzes at our arrival, sharp bites of power numbing my cheeks.
Only the empty throne of the Mist King remains unclaimed.
“Aidan. What a surprise,” The Lord of the Tides says on a smirk, not at all put out by our arrival.
Elio, Damian, and Eliza jolt to their feet, exchanging alarmed looks.
“What’s going on?” The Red Queen asks, a jewelled scarf covering her forehead and masking her brows.
Freya gasps. “Ethan, what is the meaning of this?”
Ethan squints at me and the Lord of the Tides in turn, clearly annoyed.
Damian sits back down, gripping the armrests of his onyx throne. “Is this another one of your schemes, Ethan?”
Elio clicks his tongue. “Enough games, Father. Which Aidan is the real one?”
“This is no place or time for parlor tricks. This is a sacred ritual, and our actions here are watched closely by the Gods—” Thorald Storm spits as he summons a long sword to his side, a dark cloud gathering above our heads. “You’ve gone too far this time, Ethan.”
Ethan raises his hands in surrender. “Calm down, cousins. I’m not to blame for this intrusion. I do not know which of them is real, or what’s happening.” He squints, sliding to the edge of his seat. “But I’m curious.”
The uneven flow of magic swirling through the air creates a wild draft in the small room, raising all my hairs to attention. If all of them were to use their powers at once in a space as cramped as this, it’d probably blow up the whole castle.
“Let me explain, then,” the Lord of the Tides quips, finally rising to his feet.
