Steal the Sun (Thieves #4)(120)

“Declan doesn’t listen to me.”

“And you said he was upset about the baby?” Her eyes stared straight into mine.

“Declan was upset,” I agreed. “Not as upset as Dev, of course. Dev was…I’ve never seen him so upset and we’ve been through some serious crap in the couple of years we’ve been together.”

Chima looked over at Nim, who pointedly stared at her friend.

“Devinshea was heartbroken when his brand new goddess lost their baby.” Nim spoke the words slowly, as though speaking to a child. “Devinshea recently married.”

“Devinshea…yes. Of course.” Chima took a moment to process and then addressed me. “Your Grace,” Chima said with an almost intense sincerity. She leaned across the table. “Please accept my condolences. I’ve behaved poorly as a hostess and as a fellow female. I apologize for any bitterness I’ve shown toward you.”

Nim sat forward. “You see, Zoey…”

Chima stopped whatever she was about to say with a harsh look. “I have no excuse but one. I cared deeply for Devinshea. I was obviously not the woman for him. Whatever we had is completely in the past and I ask that you keep Sean a secret between us. I have no intention of making a claim on the priest. It would only put a strain on your marriage and make all of us unhappy if you mention it to him.”

Nim seemed upset, and I was glad that at least one person understood my position. I was about to argue when Neil rushed into the room.

“Do you feel that, Z?” he asked.

A wind whipped across the balcony, making me balance against the table to remain standing.

“It’s an eddy wind,” Chima shouted over the roar. “And it sounds crowded.”

I was sure I looked confused. Another strong wind whipped by, making my hair blow back.

Neil stared up, shaking his head. “It smells like goblins and some sidhe, maybe. It’s confusing. There’s so much in that wind.”

Chima nodded. “I’m sure it’s a messenger from my father.”

But it wasn’t. We watched as the eddy wind gave up its riders and the red caps appeared on the lawn, their heads dripping with blood. They stood in perfect formation, and there were more of them than before.

“Why has my father sent red caps?” Chima stared at the army in her yard.

“He didn’t,” Nim said in a tight voice.

One final figure fell from the sky and landed gracefully on the lawn, his sword already drawn. He was tall and bulky, his scarlet eyes betraying his goblin blood. When he opened his mouth I recognized the voice of the man who had taken me from Gilliana.

“Felicitations, Your Highness,” Con said in his gravelly voice. “Your father has sent me on a grim errand. You are to surrender Her Grace to me. She will be executed forthwith.”





Chapter Twenty-Nine





“That makes no sense,” Chima called down to her father’s advisor. “Why would my father wish to incense the Seelies by executing the priest’s goddess? I thought my father wished to avoid war.”

Nim took her place beside Chima, but she pushed me into the shadows. I was pretty sure that Con knew exactly where I was, but at least he didn’t have a good shot at me. Though the red caps enjoyed close fighting, they would use arrows when it was expedient. Even as Nim had shoved me back, I saw the goblins notch arrows in their longbows and someone start a fire to set them aflame.

“Your father believes the time has come to take out the Seelie plague,” Con explained, his raspy voice all rational logic. “They’ve threatened us too many times over the past few years. If Declan Quinn is allowed to take the throne in the future, he will do whatever it takes to kill us all. We must act now to ensure our continued survival.”

“Con is a traitor, Chima,” Nim said loudly.

“Now, Nim,” Con began. “There’s no reason to throw about such inflammatory words. I’ve served the king with everything I have. I’ve tried to protect him from those who seek to overthrow him, like your mate, the ascended god, Arawn. You can’t trust them, Your Highness. I know this girl is pretending to be your friend, but she’s plotting against you.”

“Chima knows who her friends are,” Nim insisted.

Con wouldn’t let up. “You must ask yourself why a ‘friend’ would put you at such risk. Why is Nim running about the countryside with not one but two fugitives? The Seelie royal is here to create trouble and your father has already declared Herne the Hunter an outlaw. Yet your good friend places your whole household at risk by bringing them here to you.”

“Asshole,” Nim shouted down at the king’s advisor. “You’re the one who sold Her Grace to me.”

“She is filled with lies,” Con protested, looking as innocent as someone with blood-red eyes could.

“Give me one good reason why my father wants the priest’s wife executed,” Chima said, ignoring Con’s accusation about her friend. I admired her ability to stay calm and get to the heart of the matter.

Con stepped forward and the entire army moved with him. “Your father will have his revenge on the priest for what he did to you. He left you to bear a child alone. He has no honor, and he will have no wife since he dishonored you.”