𝙳𝚊𝚛𝚔 𝙿𝚊𝚛𝚊𝚍𝚒𝚜𝚎(𝙰𝙲𝙾𝚃𝙰𝚁)

𝖈𝖍𝖆𝖕𝖙𝖊𝖗 𝖙𝖍𝖎𝖗𝖙𝖞-𝖙𝖍𝖗𝖊𝖊

Beron shielded barely fast enough to block her, but the wake singed Eris's arm—right through the cloth. And the pale, lovely arm of the Lady of Autumn.

The others shouted, shooting to their feet. Feyre stood and sent a wave of water from the reflection pond to encircle Beron and his chair. A bubble without air.

Flame pounded against it, turning water to steam, but she pushed harder. People were screaming, Rhysand was yelling for her to stop.

Beron's flame barrier slammed into her water, hard enough that ripples began to form, steam hissing amongst them.

She sent a fist of white light punching into that fiery shield—the white light of Day. Spell-breaker. Ward-cleaver.

Beron's eyes widened as his shields began to fray. As that water pushed in. Rhys jumped in front of her, holding her face in his hands. And she let go of her magic.

Berons flames exploded like an unfurling flower—and bounced harmlessly off the shield Rhys had thrown around us.

"That was how you got through my wards," Tarquin murmured.

"I wondered where it went—that little bit," Helion sighed. "So small—like a fish missing a single scale. But I still felt whenever something brushed against that empty spot. No wonder you made her High Lady."

"I made her High Lady because I love her. Her power was the last thing I considered."

"You knew of her powers?" Helion asked Tamlin.

"It was none of your business," was all Tamlin said to Helion.

"The power belongs to us. I think it is," Beron seethed.

The Lady of Autumn was clutching her arm, angry red splattered along the moon-white skin. No glimmer of pain on that face, though.

"Im sorry," Feyre said to the Lady.

"Dont talk to her, you human filth," Beron spat.

Rhys shattered through Berons shield, his fire, his defenses. Shattered through them like a stone hurled into a window, and slammed his dark power into Beron so hard he rocked back in his seat. Then that seat disintegrated into black, sparkling dust beneath him. Leaving Beron to fall on his ass.

Glittering ebony dust drifted away on a phantom wind, staining Berons crimson jacket, clinging like clumps of ash to his brown hair.

"Dont ever," Rhys said, hands sliding into his pockets, "speak to my mate like that again."

Beron shot to his feet, not bothering to brush off the dust, and declared to no one in particular, "This meeting is over. I hope Hybern butchers you all."

But Nesta rose from her chair.

"This meeting is not over."

I stared at the female, my eyes wide. Even Beron paused at her tone. Eris sized up the space between Nesta and his father.

"You are all there is," she said. "You are all that there is between Hybern and the end of everything that is good and decent. You fought against Hybern in the last war. Why do you refuse to do so now? You may hate us. I dont care if you do. But I do care if you let innocents suffer and die. At least stand for them. Your people. For Hybern will make an example of them. Of all of us."

"And you know this how?" Beron sneered.

"I went into the Cauldron," Nesta said flatly. "It showed me his heart. He will bring down the wall, and butcher those on either side of it." She turned to Kallias and Vivianne. "I am sorry for the loss of those children. The loss of one is abhorrent. But beneath the wall, I witnessed children—entire families—starve to death. Were it not for my sister I would be among them. Too long. For too long have humans beneath the wall suffered and died while you in Prythian thrived. Not during that—queens reign. But long before. If you fight for anything—fight now, to protect those you forgot. Let them know theyre not forgotten. Just this once."

I watched her in awe. She had a way with her words.

"While a noble sentiment, the details of the Treaty did not demand we provide for our human neighbors. They were to be left alone. So we obeyed," Thesan said.

"The past is the past. What I care about is the road ahead. What I care about is making sure no children—Fae or human—are harmed. You have been entrusted with protecting this land. How can you not fight for it?"

"I shall consider it," Beron said.

A look at his family, and they vanished.

"Did you master the ice?" Kallias asked Feyre.

"All of it."

"Does it make a difference, Kal?" Viviane asked her husband, placing a hand on his arm.

"I dont know," he admitted.

"You saved us Under the Mountain. Losing a kernel of power seems a worthy payment," Tarquin decided.

"It seems she took far more than that," Helion argued, "if she could be within seconds of drowning Beron despite the wards."

"Whats done is done. Short of killing her, there is nothing we can do," Thesan spoke.

"I did not take your power. You gave it to me, along with the gift of my immortal life. I am grateful for both. But they are mine now. And I will do with them what I will. I will use these powers—my powers—to smash Hybern to bits. I will burn them, and drown them, and freeze them. I will use these powers to heal the injured. To shatter through Hybern's wards. I have done so already, and I will do so again. And if you think that my possession of a kernel of your magic is your biggest problem, then your priorities are severely out of order."

"I will fight with you," Viviane decided, getting to her feet.

"As will I," Cresseida stood.

Tarquin and Kallias rose. Then Helion, smirking. And finally Thesan—Thesan and Tamlin.

"You are all welcome to stay the night and resume this discussion in the morning—unless you wish to return to your own homes for the evening," Thesan announced.

We were shown toward the suites appointed for us—the sunstone turning a deep gold in the late afternoon sun.

"That went well. It would seem none of us won our bet about who'd fight first," Rhys joked.

I raised an amused eyebrow at my little brother, who was staring, stone faced at the floor.

"Sorry," he said, the word emotionless.

"He had it coming," Viviane said. "Eris is a piece of shit." Kallias turned to his mate with high brows. "What? He is."

"Be that as it may," Kallias said with cool humor, "the question remains about whether Beron will fight with us."

"If all the others are allying," Eve began, "Beron will join. Hes too smart to risk siding with Hybern and losing. And Im sure if things go badly, he'll easily switch over."

"How many troops do you have?" Rhys asked Kallias.

"Not enough. Amarantha did her job well. We've got the army that Viv commanded and hid, but not much else. You?"

"We have sizable forces. Mostly Illyrian legions. And a few thousand Darkbringers. But we'll need every soldier who can march."

"I always knew we'd fight alongside each other one day," Viviane said to Mor, placing a hand on her shoulder.

"Its almost enough to make me feel bad for Hybern," Mor joked.

"Almost," Viviane grinned wickedly. "But not quite."