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“Yes, as many as Artur says we’ll need for the team.” He finally faced his advisors again. “Make no mistake, our first attack will not be our last. After we’ve secured the princess, we march on the Night Realm.”
23
Desmond managed to land us on the northern route slightly south of Vaenor before his magic stuttered out. Princess Gizela woke again with an ear-shattering wail, and I tucked her closer to my body, gently swaying from side to side in an attempt to soothe her. All night, she’d cried, and only just before dawn had she finally exhausted herself to the point of sleep.
I sliced Kazimir with a sharp, sidelong glance. He didn’t even notice.
To trust him with the princess’s care would be an absolute mistake. I had to get her away from him and to safety immediately.
My decision wasn’t even difficult. “I am going to ride ahead to the castle. You guys check in with Vadim.”
Without waiting for a response, I dug my heels into my horse’s side and galloped away.
The streets of Vaenor blurred by as I dodged Fae moving about their days. With my hood up, I looked like any other hurried rider. At the gates of Este Castle, though, I was forced to slow and reveal myself. The sentries standing atattention recognized me immediately, and by the mix of raised and furrowed eyebrows, I knew my appearance was highly unexpected.
The leader shouted for the gate to open, and with a groan, the newly reinforced metal gate swung inward. With only a sliver to allow me passage, I pushed forward and trotted to the stables. Normally, I’d speak with the grooms and check over my mount, but when Princess Gizela wailed again, I merely tossed off the reins and strode straight for the front doors.
They loomed open, looking like the maw of a beast waiting to swallow me whole.
Temporary darkness engulfed me as I entered, eyes adjusting away from the bright light outside. My hurried footsteps refused to drown out the blood raging in my ears as I pounded the carpet runner toward the High House Wing. Este Castle was silent, almost tomb-like, and I wondered for a fleeting moment if they could sense the return of their king, or if everyone was so exhausted from the months we’d been back that they needed extra respite while he was away.
Princess Gizela fussed again, and I shifted her to a more comfortable position. She hadn’t eaten since we left the Day Realm, and I needed my mother’s help to care for the tiny infant. I rounded the last corner and nearly sprinted to House Zadik’s apartments. Shouldering open the door, I found my parents seated on the plush red couches that centered our living area.
“Endre, what–” My mother jumped to her feet, a concerned expression breaking across her face.
“Mother, I need a wet nurse, immediately.” My tone left no room for argument. She swept her eyes over me once and bolted from the room.
Must look as crazy as I feel.
Fury still boiled my blood, so I didn’t care that she was already gone. In fact, I welcomed her hurried action. At leastsomeoneelse saw this madness and wanted to act. These new feelings about my friends ate at every memory, and I didn’t know what to do with them all.
“Who is that?” My father’s voice was flat and hard as he approached.
“Princess Gizela of the Day Realm,” I gritted out, throwing back my cloak to reveal her face.
My father’s head whipped up, eyes wide. “How?”
“There’s a lot I haven’t told you,” I admitted, preparing myself for the disappointed sighs that would likely ensue.
“Let’s take care of the babe first, then talk.” He squeezed my arm, then walked past me to the open door, glancing up and down the hall before closing it softly and leaning against the wall beside it. I shifted from foot to foot as we waited for my mother to return, anxious to get the princess out of my arms and into those of someone who could care for her.
What seemed like an eternity later, my mother rapped on the door, whispering, “It’s me.”
My father opened it, allowing her entry, followed by a young female wearing the attire of a kitchen maid.
“We can trust her,” she assured me, no doubt reading my pinched expression.
With a wary perusal, I offered her the babe, who woke with the shuffling and immediately began to wail. Her cries were so anguished that they nearly split my ears. The female accepted her from me with a confident nod, then walked past me to a chair in the far corner to nurse.
“Okay, son, tell me what in the worlds is going on,” my father said, leading me toward the center of the room and guiding me to sit on a couch.
I buried my face in my hands, adrenaline sizzling out of my blood now that we were finally somewhere safe. After a few shaky breaths, I smoothed back my hair and locked gazes withmy parents who sat across from me, holding hands as they clung to each other for support.
“Izidora rejected Kazimir… and then he tried to kill her. That’s why we left the Iron Realm in such a hurry. We’re forbidden from entering it again unless we have a death wish.”
A gasp slipped from my mother, and she covered her mouth to stem any further sound.
My father opened his own mouth to speak, but I held up a hand to silence the questions that were poised to flow. “I’m not finished. Kazimir has binding magic now. At first, we thought it would help defeat the Iron Realm and save Izidora, but when we arrived and found her perfectly happy there, it started to break him. He was desperate to win her back. Eventually, it became apparent that she would not choose him, and that’s why we voted to make him king of the Night Realm. It wasn’t until after that, that he started to become more erratic and paranoid.” I clenched and unclenched my fists, fighting the burning in my eyes as disappointment with my own actions settled in my chest. “On our return journey, we decided on the lies we’d tell to cover up subverting the law and keep him in power. The others all believed he would get over it with time, especially after Taya showed up. But this,” I gestured toward the babe in the corner, “just proves that I was right all along.”
