Lastly, I thought of Lukas. We’d had so little time together, and it was unbearably cruel to know I’d never see his smile again or feel his arms around me. It wasn’t enough to know he’d never believe the lies Queen Anwyn would spread about me. I wanted the life with him that I would never have.
The pain ended abruptly and all I felt was peace. It was everywhere, in me, around me. I opened my eyes and looked at Aedhna who knelt in front of me.
Her eyes shone with love as she laid a hand against my cheek. “You have been so brave, Jesse. I have one last job for you.”
I wasn’t sure what I could do for her, being dead, but I asked anyway. “What?”
“Bring my ke’tain home,” she said before she disappeared.
I looked down at the stone that was no longer pulsing. It was a familiar solid blue glow that extended to my fingers. I reached both hands into the box and scooped up the ke’tain, expecting a jolt of power that never came. The glow covered my hands and spread rapidly up my arms to envelop me in an unpleasant sensation. It was like being wrapped in a scratchy wool blanket.
I stood and heard clinks and the rattle of chains as my wrist and leg shackles fell to the floor. Around me, there were shouts and cries, but my eyes were on Queen Anwyn, who stood frozen in front of her throne. Her mouth was open, and her eyes were wide with disbelief and fear.
Something hit my back, and I stumbled. Righting myself, I stared down at the tip of a sword protruding from my chest. It was a strange sight because I felt no pain. I watched in awe as the blade crumbled, and the hilt struck the floor behind me.
A male screamed. I turned to see Bauchan engulfed in blue flames. He writhed in agony, his screams echoing in the room as the fire consumed him. Suddenly, the screams were cut off, and there was a blue flash. All that remained of the queen’s head of security were the ashes drifting down to the spot where he had stood.
People screamed and ran for the doors while others cowered in their seats. I didn’t care about any of them. I turned to look for Queen Anwyn, who was no longer near her throne. I found her running for a closed door behind the dais with Aibel, Conard, and her two other personal guards.
I went after them. Conard tried to open the door, but it would not budge. He rammed his body into it as Aibel and the other guards spun to face me. Aibel grabbed a wooden staff from one of them and struck out at me.
I caught the end of the weapon and yanked him toward me. Ripping the staff from his hands with my free one, I struck him hard in the temple before he registered what had happened. He went down without a sound. I wasn’t a killer, so I couldn’t bring myself to end him, even after all he had done to my parents and me. He would be brought to justice, but not by me.
The two other guards brandished swords at me. These were some of the most elite warriors in this world, and the sight of them used to strike fear into my heart. Now they were nothing more than obstacles between me and what I wanted.
They had seen Bauchan die, so they knew they didn’t stand a chance against the power of the ke’tain. They were willing to sacrifice themselves to give the queen time to escape.
The first one rushed at me. I whipped the staff across his knees with my borrowed strength and speed and heard a bone break. He fell forward, and I stepped back to avoid touching him. I made short work of knocking him out as I had with Aibel.
I faced the last guard. Instead of waiting for him to attack, I moved in. I swung the staff in a one-handed figure eight spin that Faolin had taught me. The staff moved so fast it was invisible, and when the guard tried to block it with his sword, the metal blade snapped in two. He dropped the useless sword and backed up, looking around for another weapon. I took him down with a well-aimed blow to the head.
I turned to Queen Anwyn and Conard who were still trying desperately to open the door. I hadn’t done anything to seal the door, so it must have been the ke’tain’s doing.
Queen Anwyn saw me coming and cowered behind her guard. Conard drew his sword and assumed a fighting stance, even though he knew he could not win. I heaved a sigh, tired of all the violence. It was all I’d known since I was brought to Seelie, and I just wanted it to end.
“Lay down your weapon,” I told him, already knowing he wouldn’t comply.
“You will have to go through me to get to my queen.”
I nodded. “I can do that, but when you’re unconscious like the others, she’ll be alone. Is that what you want? To leave her to face justice alone or would you rather stand by her side?”
He lowered the sword. “I will stand with her.”
I pointed to the floor, and he laid his sword at his feet. I used the staff to push it out of his reach in case he had a change of heart.
“Walk ahead of me around the dais,” I ordered.
“Do you honestly believe my people will let you leave Seelie alive if you kill me?” Queen Anwyn snarled. Her eyes were wild, and her crown was slightly askew, making her look unhinged.
I answered by prodding her with the end of the staff. She swatted at it with her hand, and Conard took her arm to lead her past the still bodies of her guards. She didn’t so much as look at them or show any concern for their wellbeing. How could they give their loyalty so faithfully to someone who didn’t return it?
We came to the open area in front of the throne and stopped at the sight of the group of people huddled in front of the main entrance. Whatever had locked the queen’s getaway door must have locked all the doors. The people Queen Anwyn had summoned to witness my death stared at me in fear. They probably thought they were all going to die like Bauchan.
I looked at Rhys, who was still bound to his throne. “Are you okay?”
“I think I am supposed to ask you that,” he answered in a shaky voice.
I turned to our audience and motioned one of the male advisors forward. I recognized him from the first meeting I’d attended at Unseelie. He stayed a good six feet from me, and I remembered I was still sporting the ke’tain aura.
“Would you please free the prince?” I asked him.
He nodded jerkily and did as I asked. Rhys stood, rubbing his wrists, and joined us.
I looked at Conard. “Put the queen on her throne and secure her there with the binds you used on the prince.”
Queen Anwyn shouted at the crowd by the door. “I am your queen. Are you going to stand by while this criminal treats me this way?”
No one spoke or moved. Someone pounded on the other side of the main doors. Her reinforcements were here.
“You have been lied to and misled by your queen,” I told the scared onlookers. “It was she who stole the ke’tain the first time, and it was her guards who murdered the temple guards and stole the ke’tain today. She wanted to force Unseelie to seal the barrier between Faerie and the human world.”
“Lies!” Queen Anwyn shrieked.
I winced as her shrill voice started a dull ache in my head. “Secure her,” I ordered Conard. “And gag her while you’re at it.”
“Jesse, are you okay?” Rhys asked, his voice laden with concern.
“Yes.” I turned toward him, and the room tilted. “I don’t know.”
“You don’t look well.” He pointed at the dais. “Perhaps, you should sit.”
I waved him off. “I’m tired. I haven’t slept much.” I looked down at my hand that held the ke’tain and saw that the blue aura around me had faded to a bluish white. I lifted my arm, and it trembled from the effort. My limbs felt heavy, and my headache was getting worse.