Page 30 of Atop the Faerie Throne
I explode with a scream, clinging to them as I rock and tremble like a leaf caught in a storm of their making.
“Beautiful,” he whispers, so quietly I’m certain none of the others hear it.
Bree withdraws from my ass, rubbing my neck as my head finally drops into the crook of Drystan’s neck. I expect my dullahan to pull away or hand me off to one of the others, instead he wraps his arms around my waist and pulls me closer, still inside of me. His embrace tightens as he realises I’m enjoying this, and I don’t think I’m imagining his reluctance when Jaro pries me away with a quiet offer to help me clean up.
I think I’m finally starting to melt my winter lord, just a little bit.
Ten
Rhoswyn
None of them are thrilled about this.
The mate bonds radiate their displeasure as Caed drags me along the road by my wrist. I feel every single moment of his regret and self-loathing as I trip and stumble beside him.
It can’t be helped. Elatha’s spies will be everywhere along the road to Elfhame, and our ruse has to be believable. To that end, an inert pair of magic suppressing cuffs is locked around my wrists. I don’t have to feign the exhaustion that’s weighing down my bones.
“I’m sorry,” he mutters under his breath. “Forgive me.”
He’s not just talking about my twisted ankle or my rough appearance from hours of walking. We’ve passed three burnt-out villages since he used one of the remaining Leaves of Illidwen to whisk us to the Northeast border of Elfhame. Some with piles of rotting corpses still smouldering beside them.
The Fomorian army spared no one, and if they did, I can only assume they’ve been taken as slaves. My heart shatters andDanu burns with rage as we step over a tatty, scorched doll abandoned on the path leading up to the gates of my once-beautiful city.
The great outer wall is still standing, and Fomorians glare down at us from atop the battlements.
Suddenly our plan seems more like a chaotic prayer than a well-thought-out strategy.
What am I doing?
A hand on my shoulder steadies me before I can spiral.
Drystan whispers in my ear, “Say the word, and we retreat.”
Does he understand that, in saying that, he’s practically guaranteed that I’ll march right up to Elatha himself? Probably not.
“He’s right,” Mab counsels, as my grandmothers appear around me. “We’ll support you, no matter what, but there are other ways.”
All of which will take too long. Florian has been their prisoner for weeks. Besides,thisplan is already in motion. The Spring, Autumn, and Winter armies are perhaps a few hours’ march behind us, headed by the minor royals, who will not be pleased to hear I’ve gotten cold feet.
If all goes well, they’ll catch the Fomorians as they flee. If everything goes terribly and awfully wrong, they’ll lay siege to the city.
I’m hoping for the former, because if it’s the latter, Prae and Caed both agree that the first thing Elatha will do is kill his hostages.
“We can do this.”
I hope.
“That’s my girl.” Maeve grins. “Let’s kick some blue ass.”
My full Guard is here—even if I can’t see them—and Prae and Gryffin are just behind us. Mab, Maeve, and Titania surround us in a display of strength and reassurance that only I can see.
The shadow of the wall looms closer, blocking out the last rays of the sun and leaving me at the mercy of the cool spring evening. Caed snatched me as I was debating retiring for the night; though ever since we mated, Drystan insisted that I be clothed and ready to go, even when I was asleep.
Now I’m grateful for his forethought. At least there’s one layer of rumpled fabric between me and the elements, and comfortable leather cushions my feet from the stones in the path.
Goddess, I know it’s not real. I know they’re all around me, keeping me safe, but it’s not exactly hard to feign terror, either. The Fomorians jeer down at me from atop the outer wall. Cries in their language echo over the burnt-out land around the city, eerie and harsh against my ears.
I block it out, choosing to focus on the way Caed whispered that same language to me as he worshipped me with his tongue. My eyes stay straight ahead, fixed on the enormous gates as they open wide, revealing… ashes.
