Den of Blades and Briars: A dark fairy tale romance (The Broken Kingdoms Book 7) by LJ Andrews

Author:LJ Andrews [Andrews, LJ]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Victorious
Published: 2023-02-21T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter 26

The Ambassador

“Bracken,” I said, taking a step back. “You sent Bo and Rune for me.”

The king’s smile faded. “I’m afraid I did not. An order was given for them to pursue you, true, but my friends . . . well, they are not the same. When I heard they’d attacked, we sent Hodag and Dunker to track you right away.”

My brows lifted. “They have turned wild like the fae that night?”

“Ari, it is as though a plague lives in the soil of my isles. It is corrupting my folk.”

I didn’t know what to say to offer comfort, for there was none to give.

We gathered back around the fire. I kept Saga in my sights. She avoided me, rounding to the opposite side of the flame, and stood beside Cuyler and Gorm. The way Gorm’s son grinned at her, the way his slender fingers touched the small of her back, giving her space, added a bit of violence to my thoughts I opted to keep in the forefront instead of feigning indifference.

I would puzzle out why such thoughts came so swiftly and with such gruesomeness later.

“The Southern Isles are under attack,” Bracken said without hesitation the moment everyone was in a place.

“Bold to say, High King,” Gorm said.

“Well.” Bracken tossed his hands in the air. “I don’t know how else to say it, Lord Gorm. I thought you’d appreciate my directness.”

“What causes you to think such things?” Bjorn asked. He was even more fearsome looking than Gorm. Square jaw, black, jagged fingernails, and eyes that rarely blinked.

“I’d think it was quite obvious,” Bracken said. “The Court of Hearts is in an uproar, and it’s troublesome. It can be nothing more than dark cantrips and glamour.”

Bracken huffed and rested his chin in the palm of his hand. How different the young king was compared to Valen and Kase. Blood would already be spilled, a few fingers severed, perhaps a tongue or two if either the Northern king or new Eastern king thought their people were threatened. Bracken seemed more offended than anything.

Not long before, he’d been a reckless, whimsical prince. He’d learn.

I, on the other hand, favored the idea of blood spilling more than the new fae king.

Gorm snorted, so a vicious curl to his lips made his expression a strange mix of condescension and malice. “Is that all it could be? Or perhaps the High King does not have the control of his court and has now made our courts more burdened?”

Bracken’s eyes flashed with anger. “I would hold your tongue.”

“I cannot hold my tongue when it is inside my mouth,” Gorm said without a change in his tone.

“What I mean is if you know what is good for you, Lord Gorm, you will be silent.”

“Silence does nothing for my wellbeing, ill or good, High King. Silence is merely the absence of sound.”

“I think I might kill him,” Bracken said, a touch of a king’s necessary bloodlust.

“Bickering amongst ourselves will solve nothing.” Sofia rested a hand on the king’s arm. “Ari, Princess Eryka was keen to guide you here.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.