The Dark Throne (73 page)

Vell grinned. “Indeed. Set the Laedrek to it.”

Gray bowed her head in acknowledgement.

“We will be glad to assist the Laedrek in devising these weapons,” said Lumina. “I believe that my master-at-arms would be most helpful.” Forsythe bowed slightly from the waist as the Glasidhe queen spoke of him.

“I’d be grateful for his aid,” said Gray gracefully.

“We could have guessed that the ruins would be his chosen battleground,” said Mab. Her new Vaelanmavar stood just behind Ramel. I didn’t know him, but he looked older than Ramel and younger than the Unseelie Vaelanseld. I thought tiredly about the seismic shifts in both Courts since Finnead had argued with the Warden and brought me through the Gate into Mab’s lands. Nothing seemed the same except for the Unseelie Queen’s cool indifference toward me.

“We have been making many plans, but we might sharpen them now that we are closer to the day of reckoning,” said Niall, Titania’s Vaelanseld.

“Much of our plan remains the same.” The simple golden band that the Crown of Bones had spun from liquid fire gleamed across Vell’s brow. “We will open our portal to the Dark Throne, and face him in the flesh. Break him and bind him.”

“Our forces will still need leaders,” said Titania.

“Yes,” Vell replied. “I propose that each of us leaves one of our Three as our commanders. We will still be able to draw on their power, and if all should fail they will know and rally what is left of our great army.”

Finnead stiffened slightly at Vell’s words. If he was chosen to lead the forces of the Wild Court, he might not have the opportunity to rescue the princess. Then again, who was to say that the princess would be in Malravenar’s keep? Perhaps she would be sent out onto the field of battle with her deadly poisoned arrows. But I also didn’t miss the light kindled in Gray’s eyes.

“And we will be taking a small force with us through the portal, will we not?” asked Mab. “We do not know what lies in the Enemy’s lair.”

Vell nodded. “A small fighting force, nimble enough to move quickly but well versed in the Enemy’s ways. We will finalize this group tonight.” Her gaze swept down the table. “The White City should be in sight tomorrow.”

A thrill of anticipation mingled with anxiety coursed through me. Only a few more days until we would face the enemy whose shadow had fallen over the Fae lands, darkening into an encroaching night.

“And so we should choose our standard-bearers,” said Titania. She turned to her Three. “Gawain.” The named knight sunk to one knee before the Seelie Queen. She placed one slender hand on his head. “You shall lead our Court in the great battle against this Dark host.”

“My Queen,” said Gawain in a low voice, “as ever, my life is yours to do with as you will. I only regret that I will not be at your side at the last.” He raised his gaze to the fair Seelie queen, such worship written on his face that it made my chest ache to see it. His pale eyes gleamed a little too brightly.

“Ah, Gawain,” Titania said tenderly, speaking only to him, the rest of us fading into nothingness around them. “You have been by my side for centuries, and you shall be at my side for centuries more. This will not be your last battle, valiant heart.”

Though Titania’s words sounded sure, I wondered if she truly knew that Gawain would not fall in the battle, or that we would succeed when we matched ourselves against the terrible power of Malravenar. Then Gawain bowed his head again and stood. Niall and Ailin each gripped one of his forearms, the love between them almost tangible. The Sidhe version of my brother and his teammates, I thought as I watched. The Sword hummed in its scabbard on my back.

Then Mab said, “My Vaelanbrigh shall lead the Unseelie Court.”

It took me a moment to remember that Ramel was now the Vaelanbrigh of the Unseelie Court. He bowed his coppery head, but there was no raw display of emotion from the coldy beautiful Unseelie Queen, nor did her knight fall on bended knee before her. The focus shifted to Vell. She stood at the head of the table, silently staring down at the map. I tried to guess her thoughts. Arcana would not lead an army—that would be like commanding a rattlesnake to join the hunt with wolves; and so that left Gray and Finnead. Did Vell trust that Finnead would do his part to vanquish the Shadow, if the enthralled princess was laid as bait before him? And did it really matter whether he was with the army or with us? The silence stretched around us as Vell considered.

“Gray,” said the High Queen finally. “You have proven time and again your courage on the field of battle. You will lead this army against the White City.”

Gray said nothing, but none could miss the flash of joy in her eyes as she bowed her head to the High Queen, and the barest hint of relief that surfaced across Finnead’s face before he regained his stoic composure.

“Lady Bearer,” said Vell, breaking my silent reverie. I raised my chin in acknowledgement. “You have the river-stones?”

In reply I drew the smooth dark stones from my beltpouch, holding them out in one palm. They seemed to grow heavier with the weight of every gaze in the council.

“Transformed from iron by the Sword,” Vell said. “A weapon of the Enemy, a trap broken by our Bearer and forged into what will be his prison.”

I made a mental note to ask Vell whether she’d drafted her poetic lines in this council while lying in bed last night.

“Let us each take ours now,” said Mab, looking with something like hunger at the stones in my scarred palm. I looked back at Vell, who nodded, and I walked my way around the table, offering the stones first to Vell, and then Titania, and finally Mab. The Unseelie Queen couldn’t resist a slight look of distaste as I drew near. For my part, I swallowed the scathing words trying to make it past my teeth and kept my face carefully blank as she selected her smooth river-stone. Her skin didn’t touch mine as she delicately lifted the dark oblong stone from my hand.

That left two stones in my hand. I blinked. The Sword had created nine stones. I’d lost four on the banks of the Darinwel, in the blood-magic that had saved Finnead’s life. Three for the Queens, one for me, and one lonely stone left with no pair and no purpose.

There may come a time when it will be of use,
the Caedbranr said silkily in the back of my mind. I slipped the two stones back into my beltpouch.

“Before the soul binding,” said Vell in a quiet voice, “the Enemy’s physical body will need to be destroyed.” She met my eyes. “The Sword is the only weapon that will be able to break the wards of necromancy about him.”

I took a deep breath. “So I need to spear the big bad before you can finish your spell.” Titania smiled faintly, and Niall hid a grin. Mab looked unamused, but I caught Ramel look quickly away from me, his cheeks dimpling slightly.

Vell smiled but her eyes remained serious. “Yes. The Sword will release Malravenar’s spirit, so that we may bind it.”

“Unleashing the Sword could be deadly,” I said. “Not just for Malravenar. For all of you.”

“The spell will be woven already,” Vell replied.

“Why do you think we took these stones now?” Titania said with a warm smile.

“Gods willing, it won’t kill us instantly,” the High Queen continued. “The majority of our power will already be spent, in preparing the stones and creating the portal.”

I felt as though I stood on quicksand. “This is sounding less and less appealing,” I said with a sigh. “If the stones will already be prepared, why not just let me carry them? Why come?”

“Because he would merely kill you, if you were alone, or hold you prisoner until we came to him.” Vell spread her hands. “He
needs
us to break the Seal.” Her eyes glimmered. “We are offering him everything he needs to break the Seal, and destroy the remnants of the power that he so hates.”

“He needs the blood of the queens and the blood of the Bearer, if I remember correctly,” I said.

“As far as we know, yes,” Vell replied.

“
As far as you know
?” I felt half a dozen sharp gazes upon me at the tone of my voice, but I ignored them. “This feels…” I took a deep breath, actually thought about my words. “I’m not trying to say it’s not a good plan, or that I could come up with anything better. But…it feels like a shot in the dark.”

“A shot into the very heart of darkness itself,” said Vell in agreement. She drew back her shoulders and looked every bit the High Queen. “There are many things that could go wrong. We have not faced this enemy before. But this is our plan.” She raised her chin. “We bring the fight to him now, or he will tear us apart one by one.”

“We will end this before another moon waxes full,” said Mab, suprising me. I thought I heard something like
emotion
in her cold voice. “Malravenar has taken far too much from us already, and for that we will destroy him.”

Finnead’s jaw tightened at the Unseelie Queen’s words. I rested my hand again on the hilt of my sword, thinking of all the names engraved down its silver length. Kavoryk. Kaleth. Murtagh. All the others whom I knew only because I’d whispered their name to my blade as I watched their still faces wreathed in smoke on their funeral pyres.

“Ten warriors each for the force through the portal,” said Vell quietly. “We will send messengers tonight, and meet again when the City is in sight.”

With those words, the council dispersed. Mab swept past me, and the baying of hounds echoed faintly in my ears, ringing in my head as the Unseelie knights passed on cat-quiet feet. Titania touched my arm with one hand as she glided by the edge of the table, and the sound faded. I smiled a little in thanks.

You could make Mab hear it herself, if you wanted,
the Caedbranr informed me.

What good would my butting heads with Mab do anyone at this point?
I retorted silently.

There was a time when you would have shoved her baying hounds back into her own head,
the Sword said,
but you have grown. You have learned.
There was something like pride in its androgynous voice.

Thanks
, I replied, partly surprised and partly gratified.
So perhaps I’m not such a stubborn mortal after all?

You are very stubborn,
replied the Caedbranr.
And in the end, it might be your stubbornness that saves this world.

“Tess?” Vell looked at me from the head of the table. Lumina and Flora hovered over the map, talking in low voices, but everyone else had left. “You still with us?”

I waved a hand at the Sword’s hilt. “Silent conversation. Sorry.” I pulled out a chair and sat down. Lumina leapt gracefully into the air; I gave her a nod of acknowledgement and Flora dove close to pat my ear affectionately before following the Glasidhe queen from the tent. Vell sat on the table and rested her boots on the back of the chair next to me. I looked at her consideringly. “What happens if one of you dies?”

“One of the queens?” Vell crossed her ankles. “Don’t know. Don’t really want to find out.”

“The Sword’s power, though…”

“You marked us in the Royal Woods,” Vell pointed out. “Why not do it again?”

“I should’ve thought of that.”

“Yes, you should have,” replied the
vyldretning
, “but you’re too busy worrying about this big battle to think straight.”

“That’s not entirely true,” I protested. Then I thought of Luca, and our sweet kisses each night. I’d slept under the open sky a few more times, wrapped in his arms. Each night was as lovely as the first. That overwhelming fear clutched at my heart when I thought of him being taken away from me. I took a deep breath and pushed the emotion down.

“You have to trust that those you love will fight their hardest to stay with you,” Vell said softly.

“I know he will,” I said. We sat silently for a long moment, and then Farin slipped into the tent, bowing courteously before Vell.

“A message for you, my lady,” he said.

“Thank you.” Vell accepted the little curl of parchment, her boots still propped on the back of the chair. She grinned as she finished reading the message. “The scouts report that the distance to the White City is not so great as we imagined. The Enemy is obscuring it with a veil, hoping to catch us unawares.” She looked back at the Glasidhe messenger. “Take as many messengers as you need to spread the word throughout the army that the battle will be joined tomorrow.”

Farin bowed again, gave me half a bow and zipped away.

“Tomorrow,” I repeated. I didn’t know whether I wished for more hours in the night, or less.

“Tomorrow,” Vell said in satisfaction. Her golden eyes flashed as she looked at me. “Tomorrow will be the last day that dawns with the shadow of the Enemy across our land. I’ll tear down his veil and our army will ride into the White City.” She rubbed her thumb across the smooth black curve of her river-stone. “Do you have any opinions on who should come with us into the Dark Keep?”

“I have a feeling you already have a list in your head.”

“Entirely true,” admitted Vell, “but I’m asking you.”

I leaned back in my chair. “Luca and Chael. Elwyn.” I thought. “Robin. Merrick.” Another pause. “All the Valkyrie will be engaged with their attack on the White City, or else I’d say Niamh and Maire.”

Vell nodded. “All good names, all ones I’ve considered as well. Good. We’re of the same mind then.”

“The final decision is yours,” I pointed out. “You’re the High Queen.”

“And you’re the Bearer.” Vell shrugged. “I know you’re not a part of my court, but I respect your opinion. As both my friend and the Bearer.” She slipped the river-stone into her beltpouch and drew one of her little daggers instead, turning it end over end. “I’m of a mind to take your brother and his companions.”

“Why? They’re not…they don’t have any power of their own, other than Liam, and they’ve greatly improved with their weapons handling but I’d say they’re still far from the best.”

“But they are warriors,” Vell said. “They understand that we are fighting evil.”

“I think every member of your Court understands that.”

“Would you rather have them in your sight or left to the tides of the battle in the White City?”