Page 86 of A Fate of Blood and Magic
The dungeons werefull now with the traitorous humans Elias’s prisoner had named. George, Donnie, and the truth-tellers had weeded out the rest. None of them could or would tell us how humans came into possession of fire magic.
There were so many imprisoned that the castle reeked of their hatred. I’d only been down there once, and even after a week had passed, the look of detestation and disdain on their faces plagued me.
Did they truly hate fae so much they’d rallied together in the fae’s own home? Elias, George, Donnie, and Brenton had claimed hundreds of weapons—from various knives and guns to even grenades. Each one was fatal to fae with the iron from which they were created. Hell, they’d be fatal to humans too, regardless of the material they’d used.
I understood survival. I could even understand their desire to use me as a bargaining tool. But this went beyond that.
This was treachery toward those who offered them safety and showed them nothing but patience and kindness. Eliashad given them a home, and countless fae had given just as freely of clothes and food. Some even offered a room once their homes had been rebuilt.
I wasn’t sure what Elias was going to do with the prisoners. While he took charge of many interrogations, he left the bulk of them to George, while he entrusted Donnie and the handpicked human patrol force to watch over the remaining humans in the cities. In doing so, he’d been able to lift the state of emergency he’d declared, and later that evening, we were to attend our coronation.
Me, a coronation. As in, I was to become a queen. I wished Mom were alive to giggle over the ridiculousness of it all. But it was important to Elias and to his—ourpeople. And if it meant Elias would share his burdens with me, I’d go through with it.
It didn’t stop the nerves from fluttering in my belly. Thankfully, Brenton had found a cure for that with a bottle of champagne and freshly squeezed oranges. Not that I planned on getting drunk, especially with Nalari back. She’d probably roast me if I embarrassed Elias.
“Not probably,”Nalari said.“I most definitely would.”
I snorted.
Brenton arched his brows up. “Are you talking to real or pretend voices in your head?”
I thought of grabbing the closest cushion and suffocating him with it. However, we weren’t in my home but in the great hall of the castle. With so many bustling around and preparing for Elias’s and my occasion, it was the only quiet place I could find. The room was beautiful, exuding warmth and comfort despite its size. It made me curious to know who Elias’s mom had been before she’d lost her mate.
“Is Alastor coming tonight?” Brenton asked.
I went to run a finger through my hair but thought better of it. For two and a half hours this morning, two ladies had worked on taming my curls and making each strand glisten. Thankfully, they hadn’t insisted on me wearing it up. My hair had never looked better, and I wouldn’t ruin all their hard work.
“He didn’t say,” I answered. “I hope so.”
Especially since the dragons and shifters were meant to arrive soon. Alastor’s entire demeanor changed when Elias told us about the children of the mages and shifters. It was a part of his history he hadn’t known about.
Hope seemed to blossom in his chest, and I only wished for that small flicker to grow and grow. Especially once he heard what Elias meant to offer him and his people after our coronation. Deep satisfaction always seemed to settle inside Alastor when he taught me about the mage’s magic from the living book he’d once studied, although I hadn’t tried practicing it on my own. There were too many foreign words I feared mispronouncing and causing an end-of-world destruction. Alastor only laughed at me when I told him. For some reason, these lessons made me want to go into the astral realm to speak with Eiran. That desire to go to him had only increased since the day I’d been attacked and he’d guided and helped me from his realm.
Brenton clinked the tip of his glass with mine before he jumped toward me and took my glass away.
“You’re pregnant,” he said, his words coming out as a scold.
Dammit, I’d forgotten. I hadn’t forgotten I was pregnant or anything crazy like that, just that I wasn’t supposed to drink alcohol.
I widened my eyes in mock horror. “I am? Yet you offered me alcohol. Why would you do such a thing?” I cupped my stomach.
“I’ll take the glass.” Finley walked into the room with a sheepish, almost shy smile. She looked a lot better since I’d last seen her. Healthier despite the dark circles under her eyes. “That is, if you don’t mind?”
Not sure what Brenton would want, I waited for him to reply. He stood, pushing my shoulder with a playful shove before he gave Finley my glass.
“I’ll be back with another glass for you. Something nonalcoholic,” he told me, his eyes darting quickly toward Finley before he dropped his attention away.
“What am I going to do about my nerves?” I asked his departing back.
He shrugged. “Meditate.”
“You’re the worst,” I said.
“You mispronouncedcharming.”
I waited until Brenton rounded the corner before I turned to Finley, who sat at the edge of the couch beside me. “How’s Etienne doing?”
Her cheeks lifted with her smile. “Padern and Leah think he’ll be able to go home in a few weeks, but he’s not allowed to train or rush into battle for a few months. I’m sure the regressed babe is going to make me insane.”
