Total pages in book: 140
Estimated words: 132625 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 663(@200wpm)___ 531(@250wpm)___ 442(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 132625 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 663(@200wpm)___ 531(@250wpm)___ 442(@300wpm)
The warmth in my cheeks notches up to inferno. Forget I asked.
Unlikely.
The Midnight Palace’s clock tower chimes for the hour, and Abriella clears her throat, pulling my attention off the infuriating king beside me and onto her. She looks to each person at the table before she begins—a look that makes me feel simultaneously intimidated by her presence and proud to deserve her attention. A queen indeed.
“Every one of you played a role in helping us find my sister and rid her of that ring, and before we discuss what comes next I just want to take a moment to say how grateful I am.” She directs her gaze to Jasalyn, who bows her head uncomfortably. “She is my heart, and I couldn’t do this without her.”
“Welcome back, kid,” the red-eyed, horned male calls out.
“Good to see you,” Pretha says softly, nodding toward the princess.
“You are all here because you care about my sister as much as I do. In the case of many of you, you also care about this kingdom as much as I do. Unfortunately, ridding Jas of the ring can’t undo what’s been done. Her life is still tied to Mordeus’s, and we have every reason to believe that in five days, on her eighteenth birthday, he will take”—her words hitch with emotion, but she schools her face and lifts her chin—“take over her body. And at that point he plans to take over the court. We also now know that Mordeus and Erith are working together.”
“Erith or all of the Seven?” Remme asks.
“We don’t know,” the queen says. “We only know Erith for sure. But while we don’t know all the parties involved or the extent of what they have planned, we have reason to believe that the future of both Elora and the shadow court hang in the balance.”
Beside the queen, Finn props his forearms on the table and leans forward, gaze scanning the Elorans opposite him. “We are aware that you all have a mission of your own—to bring down the Seven and restore the Eloran monarchy—and after Mordeus has been handled once and for all, we want to help you do that.”
“And in return, you want us to keep Mordeus from taking over your court?” Skylar asks.
I can’t help but admire the way Abriella meets Skylar’s antagonistic gaze. “First, we need to establish two things. One, I support your mission. I want to see the Seven removed from power and Elora returned to a more equitable society where children can enjoy free childhoods instead of finding themselves in lifelong servitude under those unjust contracts.”
“Hear, hear,” Remme says, and that earns him a rare smile from the queen.
“Two, you’ve given me more than I could ever ask by helping me get my sister back, so my kingdom’s support of your cause isn’t contingent on anything else from you.” She takes a breath and looks to Skylar. “But, yes, if you’re thinking I plan to prioritize dealing with Mordeus and protecting this court and that I would like your help in doing that, you are correct.”
“That’s understandable,” Hale says, his gratitude shining in his eyes. “We hope that Elora and the shadow court can have a long, healthy alliance.”
“Even if the queen weren’t offering her support,” Natan says, giving a respectful nod in her direction, “we should move forward operating under the assumption that our respective kingdoms aren’t only both at stake but that their futures are tangled together—whether through whatever deal Mordeus made with Erith to get him to assist in his resurrection or through some arrangement the two made long before that. In short, by helping each other, we are helping ourselves.”
“I wasn’t against it,” Skylar says defensively. “I just like to know what kind of deal I’m making before I get all sucked in.”
Abriella nods. “That’s fair, but there’s no deal just yet. I didn’t bring you here to command you on your next moves. I brought you here so we can determine our next moves together.”
“The first thing we need to keep in mind is that Mordeus can’t take over the shadow court as a corpse,” Hale says. “He needs Jasalyn to complete what he’s started.”
I watch Jasalyn, waiting for her to shrink in on herself at the mention of Mordeus like she would’ve a year ago, but she keeps her back straight, even if her eyes are averted.
She’s changed, I tell Misha through our connection. Before I met her, she would’ve avoided this meeting altogether, but look at her now.
I was thinking the same thing.
“Judging by what happened when Jas went to kill Mordeus,” Abriella says with a quick glance to the princess, “Erith needs Mordeus’s plans to play out as much as anyone. If we’re going to stop Mordeus from using her any more than he already has, we need to understand what he’s put into place.”