The room fell silent except for the clink of my leg shackle chain against the floor. Bauchan took his time escorting me toward the throne, no doubt to build the suspense and excitement of those in attendance. It worked. All eyes were riveted on me as we approached the dais.
We stopped fifteen feet from the throne, close enough for me to see the gleam of anticipation in Queen Anwyn’s eyes that belied her serious, regal expression. The knot in my stomach grew, but I kept my face impassive. I would not give her the satisfaction of seeing my fear.
“Kneel before the queen,” Bauchan barked. He pushed me down hard, and pain shot through my knees when they hit the floor.
Rhys shifted in his chair like he was struggling to move. It was then that I noticed his arms were bound to the sides of his throne. He was as much a prisoner here as I was. A quick sweep of the room’s occupants revealed that none of his personal guards were here.
Queen Anwyn stood and addressed the room. “I have summoned you all here because today, a heinous crime was committed against Faerie.”
Murmurs spread through the room. A few people leaned forward to get a better look at me. I could imagine what a spectacle I was in my dirty, stained clothes and shackles. The people at the Unseelie court had gotten used to my red hair, but it was a strange oddity here, making me look even more like an outsider.
“Five days ago, the prisoner, Jesse James, was apprehended at the goddess’s temple trying to steal the ke’tain.” The queen paused dramatically as murmurs turned to loud gasps. “She was brought to Unseelie and detained, but she escaped from their custody and was believed to have fled to the human world. In truth, she was still in Faerie, hiding until she could make another attempt to steal the ke’tain. Today, she was successful.”
Shouts went up from her audience as outrage spread through the room. People stood, making angry gestures as the noise level rose to a loud buzz. Queen Anwyn gave them a minute to get worked up before she raised her hands and called for order.
“It was by the grace of the goddess that Conard and Gans chose that time to visit the temple. They found all four temple guards slaughtered and the ke’tain gone.” The queen put a hand to her chest as if imagining it was too much for her. “They ran outside and caught Jesse James trying to escape. If they had not gone there at that exact time, she would have gotten away.”
My stomach roiled in horror, and the room erupted again. Her men had murdered four innocent guards, two of them her own people.
It wasn’t as easy for her to calm the room this time, and she had to shout to be heard. Her cheeks grew flushed with the effort, and annoyance flashed in her eyes. She wasn’t used to people not jumping to attention when she spoke.
“I share your anger and pain, my friends.” She spoke in a consoling voice, the picture of empathy. “We will have justice for our fallen, and you will bear witness to it.”
The door opened, and every head turned toward it. I couldn’t see it from my position, but I heard someone enter and walk toward us. My heart pounded as my mind conjured images of what was behind me. I pictured an executioner with a sword and wondered if I would see the blow coming before it ended my life.
The footsteps drew closer until Aibel appeared carrying a box the size of a shoebox at arm’s length. He stopped a few feet from me to bow his head to the queen, and his teeth were gritted in an effort not to grimace in pain. I looked at the box that appeared to be made of some kind of thick leather. Drakkan hide probably. I didn’t need him to open it for me to know what it held because I could feel its power.
“Show us,” Queen Anwyn said, indifferent to his discomfort.
He lifted the hinged lid, and I was close enough to hear his hiss of pain. All eyes in the room except mine and Queen Anwyn’s locked on the ke’tain. I looked at the queen, who was watching the faces of the people she had brought here to witness this spectacle. She shifted her gaze to me. She was careful to keep her face solemn, but for one second, she let me see the triumph in her eyes.
“I believe in my heart that Aedhna called Conard and Gans to the island so they could capture the thief and save the ke’tain,” Queen Anwyn said. Her voice rang with emotion when she added, “We are indeed goddess blessed.”
I raised my eyebrows at her performance. If she pulled a goddess stone out of her pocket next, even I was going to applaud her.
The queen looked at me. “For the crimes of theft, murder, and desecrating the temple there can only be one punishment. Death.”
Cold suffused me as angry murmurs of agreement spread through the room. Rhys gave the queen a pleading look and whispered, “Mother, please.”
She turned her head and shot him a warning look that made him go still. I didn’t think she would harm him, so she had to be threatening Bayard and his other guards. If Rhys was as close to them as Lukas was to Faolin and the others, he would do anything for them.
Queen Anwyn swept her gaze around the room. “These crimes were committed with the purpose of stealing our most precious artifact. It is only fitting that the ke’tain carry out the sentence before we return it to the temple.”
Aibel set the box on the floor in front of me. I winced and leaned away from the ke’tain. In the days since I’d taken it to the lake, it had grown much stronger, and the energy it gave off was like thousands of tiny needles piercing my skin.
“Touch it,” the queen ordered me.
“No.” I stared back at her defiantly. Did she honestly think I would submit to her will when her torture hadn’t worked?
Her lips curved slightly. “You cannot escape justice. Prolonging it will only make it worse for you.”
“This isn’t justice. The only one here guilty of murder and theft is you,” I shot back.
She waved a hand at the room. “Look around you, Jesse James. There is no one from Unseelie to believe your lies, no Prince Vaerik to shield you this time. Surrender to the ke’tain, and let the power of Aedhna cleanse you of your sins before you leave this life.”
Bauchan pressed the tip of his sword against my back and whispered, “Do it or I will kill you myself.”
I looked down at the ke’tain. After everything I’d gone through to return it to Faerie and then to restore it to full power, it would not end like this. All I could do was hope the goddess stone was strong enough to protect me.
The room went deathly quiet as if every single person in it was holding their breath. I leaned down and reached out my shackled hands. The ke’tain began to emit pulses of soft blue light, and the tiny needles in my skin became a swarm of angry bee stings. I gritted my teeth against the pain as tears ran down my cheeks.
My fingertips touched the ke’tain, and it was like someone had pressed a live wire to the center of my chest. Stars exploded before my eyes, and every muscle in my body seized. I couldn’t breathe or move as my heart began to slow.
An image of Rhys’s tormented eyes floated through my mind. Even though he was older than I was, I felt like the older sibling. He had been sheltered his whole life, and he was so naïve about the world. He blamed himself for not saving me, and I wished I could tell him none of this was his fault. I was grateful for the time I got to spend with him, not as a prince but as my brother.
I thought about my parents, Finch, and Aisla and the days I’d spent with them on the island. If I’d known it might be the last time I saw them, I would have made the most of every second of my time with them. But the most important thing was that they were together and safe.