Rhys frowned in confusion.
“Blade,” Endellion managed to say. “I need your blade.”
Once she had it in her hands, she turned to face the survivors of the wreck and her subjects and announced, “My daughter is dead.” She paused to let her words settle on the assembled crowd. “You killed my daughter, my hope . . .
my people’s
savior.”
And then there were no more words. She turned her blade against the murderers and slaughtered every human
who’d dared to destroy her heart and her sea. Given time, she would destroy every last one of them. She would eradicate the plague that had taken everything from her.
When Zephyr finished reading, he looked at Lilywhite. “As you told me when I woke,
this changes nothing
. Not for me. I understand what the queen lost, and I understand her anger . . .”
“My mother wasn’t killed,” Lilywhite pointed out.
“It doesn’t matter,” Zephyr said. “We need to do as the queen orders. Surely, you can understand that. Please, Lilywhite.”
Lilywhite said nothing.
Creed walked out of her bedroom and said, “I prefer
Abernathy Commandment #17: Love is a risk, so if you embark upon it, do it with no reservations. Never halfway.
” He clamped a hand on Zephyr’s shoulder. “No bargains. No compromises. If we all stick together, maybe we can have a future we
want.
”
“I’m not attacking humans, Zeph. I’m not giving up Lily either. We just need a plan. Either we work to put Lily on the throne or—”
“I don’t want the throne,” Lilywhite interjected.
“Fine,” Creed continued with a shrug. “Then we try to reason with the queen. Her granddaughter is
alive
. She has a grandson.” Creed nodded at him. “There are no reasons to keep on this path of war with humanity. With Rhys and Eilidh on our side, we stand a chance at being done with
the things she wants of us.”
For a glimmer of a moment, Zephyr considered it. He wanted to believe the pretty fantasies Creed and Lilywhite spun. Reality was different.
“I won’t be a part of any treason, Creed. Not even if my father is a part of it. I won’t tell our queen, but that’s the most I can offer you. If she orders me to wed Lilywhite, I will. If she orders me to die, I will.”
“And if she orders you to kill?” Creed prompted.
“I obey our queen,” Zephyr said.
“You’d kill us? The people you’ve been trying to protect?” Creed didn’t sound angry. His voice was twisted with challenge and doubt as he pushed harder. “Can you truly say that? Without lying, Zephyr, can you say you’d kill us?”
Alkamy looked up at him with nothing but trust in her eyes, and both Lilywhite and Creed stared at him expectantly. Then Alkamy said in a clear, strong voice, “I wouldn’t fight against the blade if you had to do it. I will stand at your side
no matter what.
”
He swallowed against words he wanted to say, promises he couldn’t make. Then he met Creed’s eyes and said, “I will obey our queen.”
Lily couldn’t say that she was surprised by Zephyr’s choices. She suspected he wasn’t truly surprised by hers. They’d both been raised to believe certain truths. For him, that meant unerring loyalty to the faery queen; for her, it meant that she would fight for her
own
beliefs and choices.
The unavoidable fact, though, was that she and Zephr were still at odds. The queen had ordered Zephyr to bring Lily to the Hidden Lands. She could run, of course, but doing so was sentencing the rest of the Sleepers to punishment. Going, on the other hand, meant that maybe she would be able to convince the queen that there was no need for war. She’d started it over her daughter’s death at sea, but Iana had survived. Lily was
proof
of that. Maybe the queen wasn’t as terrifying as everyone thought. Maybe the stories Lily’s mother had left behind were reason for hope.
“I’ll meet her,” Lily said. “I’ll come willingly to see her. I can’t make any promises beyond that, but . . . I will go with you to see her.”
Zephyr nodded. “Thank you.”
She said nothing. No matter how much Lily rationalized it, entering the Hidden Lands felt akin to entering a dragon’s lair. The primary difference, of course, was that the Queen of Blood and Rage was real—and far more vindictive than the dragons of lore.
“Alkamy can’t come,” Zephyr pronounced.
When Lily still said nothing, he added, “Roan and Will should stay here too.”
“So . . . just you, me, Creed, and Vi?” she asked.
“I’d rather leave Creed behind.”
“Not happening,” Creed said. “I wasn’t joking when I gave her my fealty, Zeph.”
“I didn’t think you were,” Zephyr said in a remarkably calm voice.
“Fealty to her outweighs any authority you might have over me.” Creed strolled over to Lily and wrapped his arms around her.
“Lily could order you to stay.”
“Nope,” Creed said, popping the
p
loudly. “Not if she’s walking into danger. You know better, Zephyr. She’s the heir, the true heir to the joint throne of the Seelie and Unseelie Courts. A knight charged with the safety of his liege puts her safety above any order—including her own.”
Lily stared at Creed, not sure she was ready—or ever
would be ready—to think in terms of lieges or knights or anything of the sort.
“I’m not going to be Endellion’s heir,” she said quietly.
This time both boys frowned.
“You
are
the heir. It’s not an option to suddenly be something else,” Creed said. He exchanged a look with Zephyr, before saying, “Even if I hadn’t pledged myself to Lily, I’d be coming with you. She’s going to get herself into more trouble than I can even imagine if she says these sorts of things to the queen.”
“We’ll see.” Lily shrugged.
“‘Abernathy Commandment #18: Better to die free than be controlled by anyone
.’
I won’t let Endellion—or anyone else—rule my life.”
Neither boy commented. Instead, they went to Roan and Will’s room where the others all were and filled the rest of the Black Diamonds in on Lily’s plan to go to the Hidden Lands.
“I’m coming,” Violet interrupted quickly. “Kam and the boys should stay here.”
“I go where Zephyr says,” Alkamy said levelly, her gaze sweeping them as if daring anyone to object.
“Here,” Zephyr said. “I need you here where you’re safer.”
She nodded.
Roan and Will both shrugged. Will prompted, “Zeph? Lily?”
“I don’t want all of us there,” Lily started.
“But Vi can come,” Zephyr finished. “The queen has
asked after her in the past. She stands a better chance of survival . . . I think.”
“I’m coming,”
Violet repeated.
“You are,” Zephyr agreed. “The rest of you . . . stay here.”
His gaze darted to Creed, who simply smiled and shook his head. He’d already made his argument. Zephyr sighed, but didn’t press the issue.
No one else questioned the plan. Even though they’d seen Zephyr at his weakest now, they were still looking at him with the same faith Lily had seen since she’d met them. The difference was in how they watched her. Being the daughter of the missing heir made her even more special in their eyes. She saw it—and hated it—but she wasn’t going to allocate time to it today.
Decision made, the three of them followed Zephyr to the entrance he used to access the Hidden Lands. Lily had resolved not to let fear reign over her, but resolve only went so far when she was entering another world, especially one where she was going to have to face the most feared being in either world.
“Are you okay?” Creed asked softly as they stepped through a toadstool ring.
“No.”
“Anything I can do?”
“No.” She reached out and took his hand. She needed the simple comfort of a touch, and Creed wouldn’t reject her.
They were barely a breath inside the Hidden Lands
when Rhys’ voice drew their attention. “Lilywhite.”
“Uncle,” she greeted after a pause.
Rhys nodded, and then looked at Zephyr. “Son of mine.”
The four fae with Rhys all stilled, seeming not to breathe for a long moment. Then Zephyr nodded. He didn’t speak, but he didn’t deny the word that Rhys had spoken. It was apparently enough. Rhys smiled.
Then he returned to the same seemingly emotionless mien that he’d had for most of their initial encounter. He held out one hand. “Your weapons, if you would.”
Creed and Violet silently shook their heads.
“We are unarmed.” Zephyr held his arms to the sides as if inviting a search. “I would not approach the queen with threat.”
“And you, niece?”
“Where’s the trust?” Lily asked. She had only a few weapons: a dagger in her boot, a knife in her pocket, one single thin blade she’d given to Violet to jab into her hair twist, and, of course, a small gun she had hoped to hide under her jacket. The other fae girl wanted to secret a small arsenal on their bodies, but doing so could be interpreted as threatening the queen, so Violet agreed to carry only one weapon.
Rhys shook his head. “The trust is in
asking
rather than forcing you to give me the gun in your jacket.”
She removed the gun and handed it to him, butt first.
“And the blade on your ankle,” he said lightly.
Silently, she withdrew it and tossed it at him. The other fae all tensed, but Rhys snatched it out of the air with a grin.
He glanced briefly at Violet and said, “One more.”
Mutely, Violet bent her head toward Lily. Once Lily withdrew the sliver-thin blade, she walked toward her uncle. The other three fae who stood behind him all watched her with myriad questions simmering in their eyes. Unlike Rhys, these fae didn’t attempt to wear a mask of impenetrability.
Lily gently placed the blade in his outstretched hand. “I mean the queen no harm . . . as long as she means me none.”
“Have you no sense of your own worth?” he asked in the same level tone.
She felt the compulsion to speak Truth so she admitted, “I do, else I wouldn’t be here.”
Either she could feel affinities more here, or her uncle seemed to use his gift more freely here in his homeland. Later, she hoped to be able to ask him which was the case. For now, she merely met his eyes and added, “Would you take me to see the queen, uncle?”
Rhys nodded and glanced at Zephyr once more before saying, “She is expecting you.”
Zephyr, Creed, and Violet joined Lily. The other three fae let them all pass. Once they were at her side, Rhys led them forward. His fellow guards followed behind and to either side of the group, making quite clear that they were more
prisoners
than guests.
As they walked deeper into the Hidden Lands, the
landscape became lush, and Lily understood why the fae’s home
was
hidden. There was a beauty here, a purity of earth and air that she’d never seen in the world she knew. If this was what the whole world had once been, it was a little easier to see why the fae were displeased by the decay of the current age. The trees here were green and thriving; the air was so pure that she felt guilty for exhaling into it.
“Being here is strengthening for anyone with our blood,” Rhys remarked in a voice so quiet it was almost imperceptible.
She said nothing.
“Don’t keep your hand so near the pocket with your remaining knife,” he added in that whisper-silent voice. “It will draw attention.”
This time she peered at him from the corner of her eye.
No further words were said as they reached the open courtyard where the queen waited. The courtyard looked like it belonged in a medieval town. A stone castle loomed behind it, and animals grazed untethered. Fae watched their approach, and although they were all remarkable, they were nothing compared to the queen herself. Endellion looked out-of-time. She had the same austere presence as Rhys, but hers was emphasized by both the aged wooden throne upon which she sat and the vaguely fearful glances that the fae shot her way.
Guards stepped in front of Creed, Zephyr, and Violet. Only Lily was allowed to move forward.
The queen watched her as she approached. Her
expression betrayed nothing, no rancor or joy, no malice or acceptance. Endellion was unreadable.
Lily couldn’t look away. Aside from skin tone, the queen’s face was so similar to the pictures Lily had seen of her mother that if photographs of the queen existed, she would’ve known Endellion was
family
. Since Lily didn’t have her mother’s dark skin, her look was even more akin to the queen’s. Anyone who saw Lily here now had to know that she was of the queen’s blood. There was no way to deny it.
“Lilywhite.”
“Grandmother.”
The queen paused briefly before saying, “So you
did
know.”
“I’ve only just been told, but . . .” Lily paused, trying to measure her words while she figured out what to think of the faery queen. “My mother looked enough like you that if I hadn’t heard, I’d be wondering now. She had Seelie skin; I look more like
you
than her.”
When the queen didn’t reply, Lily pulled out the picture she’d brought and walked the rest of the way to the queen. She held it out. “This is her . . . with me.”
Endellion didn’t move to take it. She didn’t react at all, and for a moment, Lily was afraid. Perhaps boldness was the wrong tactic.
Lily started to lower her hand.
The queen moved serpent quick and caught Lily’s wrist and took the photo. “Did she know? All of those years, did she know who she was?”
“She died when I was a child, and back then . . .
I
didn’t know who she was or who you were.”
“I’ve never seen her,” the queen said in a voice that was thick with pain. “My own daughter, and I’ve never once seen her.”
Lily met the queen’s far-too-familiar eyes. “I don’t know what to say. Until I met Zephyr and the others, I was just Lilywhite Abernathy, a girl whose dad protected her and whose mom died. The rest of this”—Lily resisted the urge to look around at the assembled fae who were listening to her every word—“is all new to me.”
Endellion stared at the photo in her hand. She touched the image of Iana’s face with one finger, the barest tip skimming the surface of the photo, and said, “For years, I thought she’d died. Everyone thought that. They killed her when their boat hit me. Human carelessness, and I lost my daughter. My people lost their next queen.”
“But she
didn’t
die that day.”
The Queen of Blood and Rage looked up. “She was still lost to me.”
“The humans did not kill her,” Lily said in a firmer voice.
“And yet, my daughter, my heir, is not here ready to take the Hidden Throne.” Endellion lowered the picture of Iana to her lap and peered at Lily. “Do you come seeking the throne, Lilywhite?”
There it was: the deadly question, the one Lily had no certainty how to answer without offending someone. So
she opted for brutal honesty. “I have no need of a throne. I have a life in the other world.”
The gasps and murmurs of the fae grew louder for several moments until Endellion spared her subjects a speaking look. At her glance, all noises stopped. It was clear that her subjects might revere her, but they were afraid of her as well.
“Would you rather kill? That is the job of the Black Diamonds, and it’s what you were raised to be in
their
world, too. When I found out you existed, I was surprised at how groomed you already were for joining the mission.” She looked past Lily to the other three fae-blood. “I had my grandson and the others born to do this task, to be my weapons in that toxic world, but you . . . you were a surprise.”
This time, there were no gasps. The fae were silent, and the moment felt weightier than anything Lily had experienced. Here was their queen admitting private machinations as if they were nothing shocking.
Lily had to admire her grandmother. There was little doubt that word of Lily’s birthright—and of Zephyr’s—would spread quickly now. Lily hadn’t realized what she’d set into motion by coming to stand before the queen, but she suspected that the queen’s other two children did. More importantly, the queen’s smile made quite clear that
she
knew.
“How did you find me?” Lily asked.
Endellion gifted her with a kind smile, as if that question was the right one, and then she replied, “I heard of a
woman who had my look, who ‘looked so like a darker version of the queen that she could be her sister.’” Endellion shook her head. “I had the reporter killed, of course, but I sent trusted fae to see the woman. She did favor me—not quite as much as you do, though.”
“So you found my mother?” Lily prompted.
“I did, but she apparently died before she could be brought to me.” The queen glanced to her left where Torquil and Eilidh now stood. “But . . . in my renewed grief, I learned that my youngest child visited Iana’s house. I learned that Iana had a daughter—although Eilidh did not tell me of my daughter or granddaughter’s existence.”
Eilidh did not flinch away from her mother’s stern gaze as she said, “I serve my people and my family first, as I was taught by my mother.”
The queen said nothing, but her attention stayed fixed on Eilidh for several more moments. Finally, she simply looked back at Lily and said, “I’ve been kept apprised of you during the blink of time that has been your life. Now that you are here . . . you will know the things your mother did not. Welcome home, Lilywhite Abernathy, daughter of Iana, granddaughter of the Queen and King of the Hidden Court.”