Elle chewed her lip. “Okay, but if you feel pain or anything…we tell Trissa.”
“Deal.” My powers weren’t hurting me, and I felt in control of them, so I didn’t think it would make a difference to wait on telling anyone.
Elle and I met the boys, and we ventured out into the town. Faerie was bustling; people flitted around, going about their daily tasks as we headed left to the riverbank. As we passed people, they stared at Liam and Cam, but when I smiled or waved, they did so back. I thought revealing the truth about the crystals and what my job was had given them a greater respect for me—a respect I would not take for granted.
When we turned the corner and came out of the alley that led from the village to the riverbed, my gaze fell on Indra and the Elders. Trissa stood beside them, and they were all armed with swords at their sides.
As we approached, Indra’s nostrils flared, her gaze running over Cam. “I don’t recall approving him to be here.”
I took a deep breath, trying to calm myself. “Cam is my guest and has been helping us track the crystals. We found three last night, and I need to get more healing water because they’ve all turned dark.” Technically, I hadn’t seen the crystals, but I was going to assume they had turned.
Indra’s eyes seemed almost hungry for a moment, but she quickly schooled her expression. “You found three?” She looked to Liam. “And you took the fourth before you left?” Her words could cut glass—it was an accusation.
I cleared my throat. “Yes, and once I bring all the crystals back and we restore Faerie, Liam, five of his brothers, and seventy of his men will come live among us in peace.”
There—I’d said it. I hadn’t asked, I’d just said it.
Indra’s gaze darkened, and the other Elders shifted nervously. Trissa looked worried for me, but I no longer cared. I wouldn’t live in fear and allow injustice to continue.
“Well, dear,” Indra said, “when you bring all the crystals back and Faerie is restored, we can talk about it then.”
I was about to retort when Liam stepped forward. “No. We talk about it now.”
I froze, feeling my hands heat up with power.
Indra glared at Liam, her sharp gaze running over his black wings. “Excuse me?”
He chuckled condescendingly. “I’m risking my life touching the dark crystals. I’m the only Seeker who can bring them here. I want you to vow, right here and now, that you will allow my friends and family to live here permanently if I deliver the four crystals. Or you can go fuck yourself.”
We all froze. Indra’s back straightened, her gaze sharpening. I’d never been more attracted to Liam than in this moment. Something about a guy sticking up for himself and his friends, knowing his worth. It was hot.
“You don’t talk to me like that,” Indra snarled. “Who made you king?”
Liam stepped closer to her, and the Elders pulled their blades. “That’s prince to you. Prince of Winter.”
It hadn’t really dawned on me until that moment that Liam was an actual fucking prince. He was the eldest son of the Winter King…and I knew that Indra probably didn’t know his lineage, so this was going to be a shock for her.
She looked shaken. “No. You can’t be. You’re a Halfling. Even if the Winter King were your father, the human blood in you would leave you without any real power.” She seemed to be trying to convince herself.
Liam held out his palms, and ice started to form, causing everyone to back up—everyone but Indra. She watched his power with a greedy fascination that gave me chills. Frost poured from his hands, creating a ring of ice around our entire group—the top was open, but the sides were closed. The Elders and Trissa watched in wonder as he created this structure.
“You sure about that?” Liam cocked his head to the side. “You sure my human half makes me weak?” He looked ready to decapitate Indra, and I was ready to jump in at any moment if need be.
But Indra held her head high. “All right. Bring me the final four crystals, and I’ll find land for you and your people.”
Liam snapped his fingers, and the ice crashed around us. Trissa and the Elders looked fearful at his power, but Indra looked unimpressed, and that scared me a little.
“Your word holds no weight with me. Vow it,” Liam demanded. “With blood.”
The collective gasp was audible. An Elder would never, ever do blood magic.
Indra glared at Liam. “Your father clearly raised you. I will do nothing of the sort.”
He shrugged, crossing his arms. “Then I won’t help you. I have seventy trained men who would be willing to fight for Faerie if they were offered a home here. But good luck fighting my father and his men off when they try to take the crystals back. And trust me, they will.”
Maple stepped forward, her voice soft. “He has an army…an army we need,” she told the Summer Elder.
“He’s a Halfling!” Indra roared.
“A powerful Halfling with the magic of the Winter King!” Aubin returned.
Indra spun on her fellow councilman. “Are you seriously suggesting I take a blood oath with this…creature?”
Liam lunged at her, but I was ready for it. Reaching out, I yanked him hard backward and held him by the upper arms. When Indra spun at the noise, he was in my grasp.
Trissa watched all of this with wide eyes, and I wished I’d had time to tell her everything I suspected about Indra.
The wind picked up, and Indra’s hair whipped around her face. I’d never seen her look so…demonic. Her eyes glowed, and she held her hands out like claws. “Do you think you are the only one here with power, boy?”
Liam shrugged me off and stood firm. “Take the vow, or I don’t help you.”
Rose, the Elder of Spring, was the final voice of
