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A huge, decadent castle loomed over us all—its towers and soaring cornices rising higher than the craggy cliffs. The palace of Lyrica was a shining jewel, but this monument before me was an obsidian saber. A strange comparison, but the only one that fit.
There was something sharp and deadly about the pitch-black sandstone, and bronze slats on every window my eyes could see. Light and color attacked the castle, and was soundly beaten and drowned—never taking up the fight again. And yet... it was magnificent.
“What is this?” I croaked. “How can all of this be here? Is it a trick?”
“It is no trick. That is your home,” Alisdair said, speaking of the castle though he did not look at it or me. “This is your kingdom. Your people.”
I swallowed hard. “How did all of this get here? Nothing I ever heard of Wind and Wild said it was... this.”
“What did you expect, Princess? A dirty cave hovel where we ran around naked, bayed at the moon, and picked the blood and bones of fae from our maws?”
I looked him straight in the eyes. “Yes.”
He chuckled. “What a relief this must be for you. The rest of your life will be nothing like the nightmare you imagined.”
I clenched my teeth, hearing the threat loud and clear. “Why did you do this?” The carriage jarred to a stop. “Why bring me here? Why lie? We had a deal. I was going to lie to the king of Lyrica for you. The greatest threat against you and—”
“Ah, but that’s where you failed in your calculations.” His smirk was a living thing, reaching across the carriage to chase the chill up my spine. “That old fool is no threat to me. None of you are,” he hissed. “You waste your time, your coin, and your lives on this silly little war, because it delays your accepting the inevitable—that your unimpeachable lord and masteris me.”
He leaped across the divide, trapping a scream in my throat when he slammed his hands on either side of my head—trapping me in. “Let them come. Let them water the earth with their blood and the soil with their bones. When all the fighters and the defiant are gone, I will stand above as all you see before you spreads from sea to sea, consuming the faelands.
“Soon, all will be cursed, everyone will be faeriken, and everything will be mine— Oh, excuse me. I meantours.” My heart curdled in face of his grin. “The worst part is, my queen, after all you’ve been raised to believe, and hate, now that you’ve seen what I’ve created, a part of you is thinkingthat might not be so bad.”
“I— You— No!” I cried, even as shame filled me. There was a brief and terrible moment when I thought this might be a better life than Lyrica’s. “Your horrid, lunatic’s rant aside, why didn’t you simply tell me you didn’t care about the heart or ending the war? Why lie when you were never going to take me home!”
He shrugged. “Turnabout is fair play, little bird. You lied to me first.”
“I did not—”
His hand flashed, snagging mine from my lap. My jaw cracked in a silent cry as he took the fingers that were inside me, wrapped his lips around, and sucked them clean.
“No blood,” he whispered. “No teeth.” Shadowsoul flicked my nose like a child, further humiliating me. “This is the deadliest game you’ll ever play, Princess. You’ll either need better lies, or better aim.”
“I—”
He climbed out of the carriage—done with the conversation and me.
“Wait. Come back here!” I tumbled out, chasing him down.
This wasn’t over. I was getting back to my family no matter what I had to do. Better lies or better aim? I chose better aim.
“Argh!” I leapt on his back and climbed him like a spider monkey. Hooking around his neck, I squeezed and wrenched—bellowing my war cry. “You’re going to take me back! Now!”
Alisdair didn’t slow his stride. He was as unbothered as the contingent of guards following us over the drawbridge. What were they for? Because protecting Shadowsoul from threats wasn’t it.
“Surrender, beast!” I got my legs over his shoulders and grabbed his horns. Holding on tight, I squeezed, straining to tear his wretched head off his shoulders. “One thing I said wasn’t a lie. I vowed to be your nightmare, your poison, the sword in your side.” I threw myself back, yanking him with me.
The castle doors opened for us, releasing a blast of heat and light.
“You won’t know peace for a single day in your life! While I breathe, I’ll see to it that you don’t! I’ll never—”
Claws seized me and the world spun. “Take this.”
Shadowsoul dropped me and I fell on a hard body. Many hard bodies. They barely caught me and stopped me taking us all down.
“Feed her. Bathe her,” Alisdair barked. “I want her ready for the ceremony within the hour.”
“Yes, my lord,” said a deep, smoky voice.
