Page 95 of A Kingdom This Cursed and Empty

If I wanted to make the best decisions, I had to strip away the emotion. I couldn’t think of Jamic as an innocent man. I had to think of him as a potential ally—one who was saturated with power. And if we were able to convince him to join our cause…

“Where is he being kept?”

Conreth sighed. “My spies located the boy three months ago. By the time my legion arrived, he had been moved, and Regner’s iron guards were waiting to meet them. We’ve continued looking—following every rumor we can, but Regner has been careful. We’ll find him,” Conreth said, his icy eyes darkening. “But unless we find him soon, it will be too late.”

And Regner would reinforce the barrier, leaving us with only the allies we could gather on this continent. Who knew if they would be enough? Not to mention, Regner could continue his atrocities until he eventually “died,” stepping into Jamic’s shoes. I was willing to bet that Regner would ensure he died a martyr to the humans. And it would all continue.

“We will listen closely for any information regarding his location,” Demos said.

Conreth angled his head. “I’m afraid it’s unlikely you will find such information while navigating the Asric Path.”

“Demos, Tibris, and Vicer are traveling to various hybrid camps and shelters in an attempt to convince them to travel to this camp.” My voice was casual. Almost bored. I’d practiced with Asinia before this meeting.

Conreth’s pale eyes met mine. And my heart thumped. Did he suspect we were looking for the hourglass? I kept my expression blank, and he finally nodded.

“There is something else I wanted to discuss, Nelayra.”

My heart stuttered in my chest, and I wondered if his fae senses allowed him to hear it. I had no desire to make an enemy of Conreth—at least notnow, but if he took that hourglass from the hybrids…

Tension was thick in the room. Conreth leaned back in his seat, folding his hands on his stomach. “I wanted to apologize for my actions while you were at the castle.”

“Excuse me?”

“When Lorian told me of your power, I instantly knew who you were. I asked him to bring you to me. I should have communicated with you directly.”

My chest tightened, and I forced myself not to shift in my chair. Because I knew exactly what Conreth was doing.

With a few sentences, he’d reminded everyone here that just weeks ago, I had been a sheltered villager, completely unaware of my heritage. He’d also reminded us that Lorian had brought me to the fae lands only because Conreth had ordered him to.

He was implying that anything Lorian and I had shared in that castle—any relationship we had built—was worthless, and if not for the fact that I was the hybrid heir, I never would have seen Lorian again.

I wished it were only fury that rampaged through me. But the fae king had known exactly where to strike.

Satisfaction glimmered in Conreth’s eyes at my silence. I tilted my head. “Apology accepted,” I said coolly, keeping my gaze steady on his. “I trust you won’t make such choices in the future.”

Silence stretched between us. Finally, Conreth gave me a chilly smile. “Of course.” Getting to his feet, he nodded at us, stalking from the tent.

“Pris?” Asinia murmured.

“I’m fine. I don’t want to talk about it.”

I spent the rest of the day preparing. Before Lorian had left, Hevdrin and Demos had announced the new living arrangements. To say they weren’t popular was an understatement. Several fights had broken out, which left Demos and Hevdrin busy as they put a stop to them.

The hybrids and fae had been moving in to new tents as ordered. And while Hevdrin and Demos had taken joint responsibility for the decision, it was clear everyone knew it had come from me.

I could no longer walk anywhere in the camp without facing mutters and dirty looks from both the hybrids and fae.

At least they could all agree on one thing, even if it was how much they hated me.

It was a start.

I was now in the perfect mood to talk to Madinia. This time, I’d wait her out until she listened. Funny how dealing with the fae king had made verbal sparring with Madinia seem easy in comparison.

Madinia let out a low growl when I walked into her tent. She was lying on her cot, her head buried in her pillow.

“Leave me alone, Prisca.”

How had she known it was me? I chewed on my lower lip as the answer to that question made my stomach clench. She’d known it was me because absolutely no one else here cared enough to check on her.

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