“You’re new to this,” Val reminded her. “You didn’t expect those repercussions.”
“I didn’t want her to die, and I didn’t think beyond that.” Sinatria bit her lip.
“You did the right thing. We’ll figure out how to stop this war.” Val raised her eyebrows. “Maybe the queen should let him have Fourth and allow faerie justice to do its thing.”
“She’s not into capital punishment. The Eternity Throne never has been. That’s why the prison realm exists.” Sinatria rubbed the back of her neck. “Queen Julia is eager for a solution that doesn’t involve an execution, and she’s not the only one.”
Val tilted her head. “You think there’s another way.”
“I’ve been working with the Eternity Throne long enough to know there is another way. A better way.” Fire gleamed in Sinatria’s eyes. “I’ve seen a system that works with fairness and justice for all species and classes. A place where we look beyond ourselves and the power we want, more than mere survival of the fittest. That’s the future I want for my people, Val. It’s better than, well, this.”
A crash resounded from the spare room. Val winced. “That sounded like a curtain rod.”
“Yep,” Sinatria observed gloomily. “I think so. Look, faeries will always be faeries. We won’t become cute creatures who drink from acorn teacups. The ogres have that covered. However, I believe there is a way to preserve our cultural identity and treat our people better.”
Her words rang, and Val smiled. “You might feel like you’re inexperienced and make mistakes, but you’ll be a kick-ass princess.”
Sinatria flushed. “I want to make things better for my people. That’s all.”
“I presume the favor you’re asking has something to do with that.” Val folded her arms.
“Yep.” Sinatria hesitated. “The faerie king offered a compromise. He’ll allow Fourth to live, but only if she is banished from the faerie kingdom, never to return. She can never set foot in Fernwood Deep again. That leaves her in the hands of Eternity Law.”
“Okay.” Val nodded. “What does Eternity Law say?”
Sinatria shuddered. “Banishment to the prison realm, where the magic-eating monsters that live there will consume her magic, leaving her a stone statue in a silent wasteland.”
Val blinked. “Not a whole lot better than capital punishment.”
“A little better, now that Qtana has developed a way to bring paras out of the realm and reverse the magic eaters’ effects. The sentence doesn’t have to be forever, but it’s still a fate I can’t imagine for my sister. What Eternity Law doesn’t allow for is that Fourth was simply doing what her culture demands.”
Val shrugged. “Not a great excuse for trying to murder your adopted sister. You grew up in the same culture. Would you do the same to her?”
“No, so I understand that Fourth still has to be punished.” Sinatria sighed. “Her only other option is to become a vassal to a trusted person. Someone loyal to the Eternity Throne.”
Val frowned. “Vassal?”
“It’s ancient Lunar Fae magic. They’ve only recently rediscovered it, thanks to King Arthur’s and Morgan Le Fay’s research on the magic that was lost during the First and Second Pendragon Wars.”
Sinatria hugged her shot glass tightly. “Basically, the vassal is magically bound to another para, their liege. The liege has total control over their vassal, and the vassal is magically compelled to do whatever their liege tells them for a certain period. King Arthur’s court commonly used that punishment during the First Golden Age.”
“Uh-huh.” Dread curled in the pit of Val’s stomach. “I’m hoping you don’t mean what I think you mean.”
Sinatria set the shot glass aside and leaned forward. “You’re the only person I trust to be the liege without destroying relations between the Eternity Throne and the faeries or turning my sister into a slave.”
Val wanted to refuse, but she bit back her words, given the desperation in Sinatria’s eyes. “Why do you care about someone who tried to murder you? You remember that assassin. He was deadly serious about ending your life.” She touched the spot on her belly where his katana had pierced her flesh.
Sinatria drew her knees to her chest and draped her arms over them. “The truth is, I don’t. She’s a real bitch. But my vision of peace for the faeries is more important than personal grudges.” She shrugged. “Maybe I made a mistake when I saved her, or maybe this is my chance to show my people a better way.”
Val chewed her bottom lip, though she knew what she had to do. “I don’t like the idea of being anyone’s liege,” she hedged.
“That’s precisely why I trust you with it, Val. You would remove Fourth from Avalon and anyone who wants to hurt her. You could make sure she uses her punishment period productively. Who knows? Maybe she’ll change.” Sinatria ventured a smile. “Trust doesn’t come easily to a faerie, but I trusted you the moment I met you. I still do.”
The weight of her trust hung on Val’s shoulders, but they were strong. “If I do this, do you think it’ll avert war between the Eternity Throne and the faeries?”
Sinatria nodded. “Queen Julia and the faerie king will patch things up if he sees that she’s committed to punishing Fourth.”
“Okay.” Val nodded. “I’ll do it.”
Sinatria sprang to her feet, wasp wings humming. “You will?”
“I’m supposed to protect, right?” Val shrugged. “This qualifies.”
“Oh, Val!” Sinatria flew a loop around Val’s head. “Thank you!”
Val held out a hand, and the faerie perched on her palm.
“A better future for the faeries, right?” Val grinned. “That’d be cool. I’m all for that.”
“We’ll make it happen!” Sinatria offered her fist.
Val bumped it with the tip of her index finger. “When do we start?”
“Can you be at the Eternal Palace first thing tomorrow morning?” Sinatria asked.
Val nodded. “I don’t have any security contracts right now. I’ll be there.”
“Thank you, Val. I owe you. I mean it.” Sinatria’s humming wings lifted her off Val’s palm.
