Page 27 of Royal Hunt
I ran the rest of the distance quickly.
A group of a dozen or so formed a semicircle, watching the confrontation with wild eyes. A vein stood out in Gregory’s temple, his face beet red. I’d never seen him so angry. And when had he gotten so tall? Standing eye-to-eye with his father, they were exactly the same height.
“You sold us out, and what did it get you?” he seethed. “Did you know the fae were controlling us the entire time?”
“I didn’t know!” Trenton screamed back. “We were just trying to stamp out magick!”
My nose wrinkled in disdain. Trenton wasn’t so impressive when he didn’t have his soldiers to bully people with. And the ones that were roped into these games certainly weren’t going to listen to him anymore.
“Gregory, come with me,” I firmly stated. “I need to speak with you.”
Gregory’s teeth gnashed together, but he turned his back on his father with a curt motion and stomped toward me. He allowed me to pull him away, and I ignored how Trenton practically crumpled in relief. I tugged Gregory away from the small group, not protesting when he tucked me against his side. I needed the heat.
“Tell me you weren’t in on this ... plot.” I spat at him, pushing my fingers down my neckline to try and warm them. I tried to ignore his eyes, which tracked my movements, lingering on my breasts. I stepped on his toe when he didn’t answer immediately.
“Ow! Sorry! I knew about the rebellion, but not the fae and … other stuff. I didn’t even know the rebellion was outside of our own realm!” he sputtered, honest confusion shining in his eyes.
“And all of this rubbish about God ‘smiting the wicked?’ ” I pressed.
Gregory flushed, looking away. “I was never into all of that, Eve. Neither were you.” He put a hand on the back of his flushed neck and leaned in conspiratorially. “Between you and me, I think he used that religion nonsense as a farce. Father’s always wanted more power, and this was a convenient way to get it.”
My eyes narrowed. “Didn’t stop you from buying into it, did it? And tell me: was I to be your prize for your participation in this idiocy?”
I already knew it was true. I just wanted him to admit it out loud.
Those brown eyes flicked up at me, filled with remorse. His shoulders crumpled inward, and he held his hands out helplessly. “I ... I was just trying to protect you. If I didn’t claim you, someone else might have. And I thought ...I thought it was what you wanted. Would it really be so bad to be with me?”
I blinked, taken aback. Guilt flooded my veins. Perhaps the stress of everything was getting to me, and I was seeing enemies where there weren’t any. Gregory had always been my friend, after all. And I had at times entertained thoughts about what it might be like to be his wife, instead of whatever rich noble my father picked out for me.
Such times seemed so long ago, though.
“Forgive me?” he whispered in my ear. I huddled into the warmth of his body. It all sounded so reasonable when he said it. Perhaps I was overreacting.
“Fine. But we need to—”
“Wonderful! Come over here, with us then. Away from them.” Gregory put both of his hands on my shoulders and forcefully guided me back toward the gathering group of nobles.
It took me a moment to realize what he was talking about, but then I saw it: all the nobles had congregated in the top north corner of the pen, and the heirs in a separate group across from them. I finally spotted Ellis lying prone on the ground, though Nessian and his youngest sister were bent over him with worried looks.
My stomach twisted uneasily. It was clear both factions planned on ignoring each other completely. The other half of the pen loomed in front of us, empty.
“The fae blocked it with a barrier of some kind. We’re all stuck on this side,” Gregory muttered, incensed. “We humans need to stick together against the unnatural fae blood.” He spat on the ground, and it took a moment for it to click in my mind what he meant. Was he talking about the fae or their heirs? Surely no one here would lump the heirs into the same category! They were victims just as we were!
I cringed. Then again, if I were an heir, the last thing I’d do is help the humans who orchestrated the murders of my family.
I watched the heirs carefully, struck by how different their posture was to the humans. None of the heirs were hunched over, trying to conserve heat. They stood and walked normally, as if … as if the cold didn’t bother them as much.
I blinked. “And here I thought you didn’t buy into all that religious nonsense.” I pushed Gregory away, determined to check on Ellis.
“Where are you going?” he protested. “Don’t go over there! They’re the reason we’re in this mess!”
I rolled my eyes and ignored him, instead wondering if Ellis’s sickness meant he would struggle more in this climate. Was his condition persistent, or temporary? I remembered a worker on our farm who drank too much a few times. As awful as he was with it, he was a sore sight worse without it. I don’t think I’d ever forget the sight or sound of him retching up blood behind the barn.
Gregory’s face went red when he realized my intention to ignore him. “If you go over there, I’ll—”
I never found out what, because at the moment, the sky exploded. Hundreds, no thousands of rips materialized over us, tearing into the very fabric of reality. It sounded like the world was being torn in two.From deep within each tear were eyes, glowing. Fae. Watching us.
“Oh for fuck’s sake,” Viana hissed, standing up and sheathing her knife. The other heirs rushed to her, Nessian supporting Ellis as he slowly roused and begrudgingly tried to stand. The nobles clustered in fear, shouting and crying as they pointed up at the sky. A stab of annoyance flashed through me. I was just as confused and frightened as they were, but that was no reason to start braying like a panicked donkey.
