Page 3 of The Crowned Queen

The leader of the fae resistance sat behind a heavy desk, its scarred surface scattered with hand-drawn maps and notes scrawled in a tight, economical hand. She shoved them aside, abandoning whatever she’d been working on to focus on a more pressing issue.

Mainly, him.

“Guilty as charged.” Kai spread his hands, grinning weakly. “I was hoping to talk to you.”

“So I gathered by the way you wandered around my district asking questions you shouldn’t.” The silver-haired female arched an eyebrow, the movement pulling at the pale scar that ran the length of her face. “Sit.”

Kai sank into the chair across from her.

“I need to reach Prince Loren,” he said. “He’s either already back in Aetheris or he’s on his way.”

Caela snorted, but Maerin’s expression didn’t flicker. “I believe he goes by King Loren now,” she said.

“Wait—he’s telling the truth?” Caela straightened, stepping away from the wall. “The lost prince is alive?”

“It’s of no consequence to us.” Maerin picked up a quill from her desk, turning it between her fingers.

“How is it of no consequence?” Caela demanded. “Don’t the fae monarchs have ancient, powerful magic? If he could⁠—”

“If he wanted to, he would have.” Maerin’s flat tone cut through her protest, silencing the younger female.

“In his defense,” Kai said, “he was a prisoner. He’s only been free for a few months.” Kai cleared his throat, shifting uncomfortably as both females looked at him. “I want to help him rescue his mate from Jaxon Shaw.”

Maerin’s gaze sharpened. “And why would you help the fae king steal your best friend’s prize away?” she asked. “I hear Commander Shaw covets the girl.”

“Well—” Kai stumbled over his words. “She doesn’t want to be…coveted.”

“And what difference does that make to you?” Maerin tapped the quill against her desk. “Human mages rape us every day. Force us to bear their children—then rip those same children from our arms.” The point of the quill snapped off, spattering one of the maps on her desk with ink. “What makes her so special, Kai Sterling?”

“She’s my friend,” Kai said lamely.

“Some friend,” Caela muttered.

Kai’s face heated. “You’re right,” he admitted. “About all of it. I told myself that I didn’t know what was really happening, that I wasn’t in a position to challenge the Arcanum. I thought not using amplifiers made me better than the rest of them—but I was wrong.” He exhaled slowly. “I can’t undo the harm I’ve done with my silence. But I can offer inside knowledge of the Shaw estate. I have access that none of your people can get on your own.”

“I don’t care about any of that.” Maerin waved a hand, cutting him off. “If you want us to help you, I need something from you first. Something real.”

“Like what?” Kai asked.

Maerin leaned forward, resting her scarred forearms on the edge of the desk. “I have ten fighters that need their ly’ithra runes removed. Is that something you can do?”

“I mean, I could—” Kai stammered, thrown by the sudden change of subject. “But what good would that do? They’ll just be arrested when they report for collection.”

“That won’t be a problem,” Maerin said.

Kai frowned, his brow furrowing. Registered fae had to present themselves every week—unless they had a waiver or were independently bonded. Any fae that failed to allow their excess magic to be harvested would be noted and recorded, eventually hunted down and punished. And if they did present for collection with their ly’ithra rune removed—well, Kai could only imagine the chaos. It was completely foolish, unless⁠—

Unless that was the plan.

“Are you…” Kai trailed off, hardly daring to speak the words aloud. “You can’t attack a collection. Are you insane? The Arcanum will slaughter your fighters⁠—”

“But we’ll take some of them with us.” Maerin sat back in her chair, studying him. “I’m not insane, Kai Sterling. I’m angry. Now, are you going to help us? Or is your newfound moral compass all talk, no action?”

Kai dropped his gaze, staring down at the papers scattered across the desk. Some of them looked like official Arcanum documents—schedules, routes, guard assignments—the sort of thing someone like Maerin should never have been able to get her hands on.

“If I don’t do it,” he said slowly, “you’ll kill me.”

Maerin just smiled.