Page 19 of Renegade Kingdom
“Where will Arik go?” Dean cut in. “Where does he hold up when he needs to regroup? If we’re going to strike at him, we need to know where to find him.”
“The Winter Court,” Fizzle said. “It’s the seat of his power. Rumours say he’s been hoarding something there. Some kind of weapon or magic.”
“We should ask Damon,” Ryder suggested. “The nightmare might know…”
“The nightmare’s price for cooperation is Damon’s mind,” Maddox interrupted. “We’re not agreeing to that. And we don’t even know if we can trust anything it says. It could be working with Arik, feeding him information…”
“It can’t be,” I pointed out. “Arik didn’t know we were going to hit the training camp.”
“Damon didn’t know the plan either,” Maddox reminded me.
The discussion dissolved into overlapping arguments of people talking over each other, contradicting each other, getting nowhere. I could feel the frustration building in my chest, pressure mounting behind my ribs, my magic responding to my emotions in ways I still didn’t fully understand.
“...obviously the best strategic…”
“....can’t just walk into the Winter Court…”
“...what about the people who can’t fight, who decides…”
“ENOUGH.”
The word exploded out of me, and my magic went with it.
A wave of force rippled outward from where I stood, shoving everyone back a step. Not hard enough to hurt, just enough to startle. Just enough to silence.
Everyone stared at me with wide eyes. Like they’d forgotten what I was. What I could do.
“We’re going in circles,” I said, my voice steadier than I felt. “We need a plan, and arguing about what we can’t do isn’t getting us anywhere.”
I looked around the room, meeting each pair of eyes in turn.
“We need somewhere for our people to hold. Somewhere safe. Somewhere Arik won’t think to look.” I took a breath. “The freed Endless who want to leave can take the ship and sail for the Summer Court. It’s the safest option for them, even if it’s not safe for us. But we need to make it clear to everyone staying that this is their only chance. Once the ship leaves and we move forward, there’s no turning back.”
“And where are we moving forward to?” Fizzle asked quietly.
I turned to face him directly for the first time since he’d entered the room.
“The Wildling Forest,” I said. “The Fifth Court.”
Gasps and murmurs erupted around me. Vera actually laughed. A sharp, disbelieving sound that didn’t strike me in a way it once would have.
“The Fifth Court is a myth,” Soren said. “You’ll wander into that forest and never be seen again.”
I ignored him. I was watching Fizzle, and I saw something unexpected cross his features.
Respect.
“If Arik has a weapon,” I continued, “if he’s hoarding some kind of power at the Winter Court, then we need something to fight back with. And the Fifth Court is the only place left where we might find it.”
Fizzle’s wings stilled. He was looking at me the way he used to, back before the lies and the secrets had poisoned everything between us. Like he was proud of me. Like I’d finally become what he’d always known I could be. He’d always nudged me in a direction but then he’d patiently wait for me to connect all the dots. This was no different. I could see that now. There was just so much more at stake this time.
“It’s not a myth,” he said, and his voice carried clearly through the stunned silence. “The Fifth Court is real. It is a powerful place, ancient and sacred.” His eyes never left mine. “And it’s time for Alyssa to return home.”
The words hit me like a physical blow.
Home.
“Everyone out,” Fizzle said, his tone brooking no argument. “I need to speak with Alyssa alone.”
