Page 69 of In Rising Tides

There appeared to be no other prisoners in the High King’s private dungeon, and if it weren’t for the sporadic visits of his mother, there were no guards to ensure he was fed or given water.

Wilder listened for his mother’s footsteps, much quieter now that he had instructed her not to wear anything but slippersdown here again. Water sloshed, and he licked his lips as she moved closer.

“Darling,” she whispered.

Wilder stuck his fingers through the gaps in the bars as she appeared.

“Every time I think I know what cell you’re in, it’s farther than I thought,” she muttered, shaking her head.

She looked different this afternoon—worse. Shadows bloomed like violets beneath her eyes, her cheeks appearing more gaunt.The black dress she wore hung off her shoulders and was drastically different from what she usually wore.

“Are you alright?” he asked, taking the water and bread from her trembling fingers.

“Am I alright?” she asked incredulously. “My kingdom is on the brink of ruin, my son is being accused of treason,” the sounds of shouting reached their ears, “and my husband is a monster.”

Wilder bit into the bread. “Thanks for the food.”

She shook her head, a light chuckle slipping through her lips.

“There has been pushback all across the kingdom,” she raised a finger in the air as the yelling grew. “Your father has tried to tighten his grip. And has faced violent criticism.”

“Tightened how?” Wilder asked.

Aine’s eyes fluttered closed with her sharp inhale. “Anyone siding with your accusation against him has been imprisoned.”

Wilder licked his dry lips. Leave it to King Oberon to try to stifle criticism with an iron fist.

“Maelys and Ridge cornered me this morning,” Aine spoke quickly.

Wilder’s brow rose. “And?”

“They demanded to know where you were and what I was doing to get you out.”

“They don’t know where I am?”

Queen Aine looked up at the ceiling and sighed. “No. This is a magic-less place. The animals here can not speak to her, and plants do not grow.”

Without their gifts, they would have to resort to following Queen Aine, and she had been stealthy enough to slip her guards and whoever was supposed to be monitoring this place.

“What else?”

She wrung her hands, biting her lower lip. “There have been uprisings on the border. Wulver’s slaughtering innocents and decimating trade routes. He refuses to do anything about them, and I fear—I fear a coup is on the horizon.”

Wilder drank deeply from the small copper water tin and wiped the droplets away.

“Good,” he muttered.

It felt like all he had done was beat his head against the wall since the moment he had woken up down here. He hadn’t felt so helpless since he had been taken by the wulvers, but even that couldn’t compare to this.

Then he had only let himself down—now he was letting her down. Her, the only thing in his life that had felt worth living for.

“I spoke with Baelwyn?—”

His mother’s words penetrated his spiraling and stopped him right in his tracks.

“Why?” Wilder growled. “He has partnered with Warick. They are behind this!”

Queen Aine shook her head. “Baelwyn is using his position as an emissary for the Mannereds to leverage your release. Queen Titania is also threatening war.”