These Twisted Bonds (These Hollow Vows, #2)(44)

“Please stand, Leta,” he says.

I study the discomfort on his face. It must feel terrible to have people acknowledge him as their leader when that position’s been taken from him.

“I hear there are sick children,” he says.

She nods. “Seven more just this morning,” she says.

I gasp and stop dead in my tracks. That means the number of sick children doubled overnight.

Finn frowns at me. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah. I’m fine.” I roll my shoulders back, determined to offer any assistance I can for as long as I can but feeling helpless anyway.

“Come this way,” Leta says, waving us toward the back.

We follow her into the infirmary, but once we get into the door of the sleeping room, it’s Finn’s turn to freeze.

“Explain,” Finn says.

The female nods. “They’re . . . sleeping and do not wake. There’s no sign before they go down.

They just go to sleep. Parents are terrified to put their children to bed each night.”

“We might need to consider quarantining the children,” I say, taking in all the new faces. “Perhaps they’re contagious before they go down, and if we could—”

“It wouldn’t matter,” Finn says. He’s gone pale beside me. “It’s not contagious.”

The nurse frowns. “Can you be sure?”

“I’ve seen this before,” Finn says. “We’ll make arrangements to take the sleeping ones back to Unseelie Court. I’ll be in touch with more information when we have it.”

“Are you sure it’s wise to move them?” I ask.

“Yes,” Finn says. “Being back on native soil is the best thing we can do for these children right now. Speak with their parents and whatever adults are caring for the orphans. Tell them to prepare to go first thing tomorrow.”

“Yes, Your Highness,” Leta says.

Finn turns to me. “We need to go. The sooner we return these children to the Court of the Moon, the better.” He strides out of the infirmary without waiting for me to acknowledge his command.

“Finn,” I call after him. Leta’s eyes go wide, and I realize she probably thinks it’s strange that I’m using his given name. I ignore her and chase after him. He’s already at the stables by the time I catch up to him. “Finn, slow down.”

He hands me Two Star’s reins. “We need to go.”

“Why the rush? Tell me what you’re thinking—what you know.”

“The sleeping children are the first sign of a dying court. If we want to save them, we need to get them home to buy more time, and then we need to put someone on that damn throne.”

I open my mouth to object, then snap it shut again.

“We must reunite the crown, the power, and the throne. And do it as quickly as possible. We’re running out of time.”

“How?” I ask.

Finn takes a long, shaky breath. “I don’t have the answer, but I know who does.”



We find the others on the dining terrace when we return. Judging by the empty plates scattered about the table, they’ve just finished lunch.

“Back so soon?” Misha asks, sipping a glass of dark red wine.

Finn shoves his hands into his pockets and rocks back on his heels. His jaw is hard and his silver eyes glitter with rage. “You didn’t tell me about the sick children.”

“There are sick children?” Pretha asks. Worry twists her mouth.

“Yes,” Finn says.

Misha’s eyes go wide. “I wasn’t aware that you needed detailed updates about what’s happening at the settlements, Finnian. Children are frequently unwell when they come to us, and then, after that, they fall ill from time to time, as children sometimes do. I will have Leta keep a log for you if you like.”

“This is different,” Finn snaps. “Surely you must have thought it was odd enough to mention.”

“Someone explain,” Pretha says.

Misha sighs. “Odd, yes, but it was no secret. We don’t know what’s wrong with them. It’s like they’re sleeping, but they do not wake. I’ve never seen anything like it.”

“I have,” Finn says.

Misha’s gaze snaps to him. “When?”

“Twenty years ago, when Oberon was locked in the mortal realm and Mordeus declared himself king of the Unseelie Court. Children started . . . falling into what we called the Long Sleep.”

“I remember,” Pretha says. “They looked so peaceful, but they were locked in stasis.”

“I never heard anything about this,” Misha says.

“We didn’t speak of it,” Finn says, his voice low. “We kept it quiet.”

I step forward and catch Finn’s eye. “If you’ve been through this before, then you know how to help them.”

Finn shakes his head. “It’s not that simple. Children are the future of our court. They are the sign of all the good things that are to come, so when a court is dying, it hits the children first.” He turns to Pretha. “We were so busy celebrating that Sebastian couldn’t take the throne that we didn’t stop to consider the cost of it remaining unoccupied.”

“Mordeus ruled for twenty-one years,” I say. “No one has sat on the throne in all that time. Why is this happening now?”