Fray did not shout, but her voice was clear and strong, amplified, Claire guessed, by some sort of magic. “All hail the Lady of the Moon, the Guardian of the Guilds, the Sorceress of Stone, the Wrath of the Wraiths, and”—Fray gestured out somewhere beyond the crowd, toward the garden wall—“the Rider of Unicorns.”

Fray fell silent, and for a moment, the entire crowd seemed as confused as Claire felt. And then, from a distance, Claire heard the quiet thunder of hoofbeats.

“The garden!” someone shouted. As though they were one creature, the guilds of Arden turned to face the forgotten garden, where a figure galloped toward them.

The rider wore silks of midnight navy, her skirts a billowing ocean over her horse’s hide, white as sea-foam. For a second, Claire wondered how she could see the colors so well with the sun already set, but then she realized that the rider and horse racing toward them carried their own light: a clear diamond glow that emanated from the spiraling horn between the horse’s ears.

Between the unicorn’s ears.

Queen Estelle d’Astora had arrived.

Chapter Twenty

CHAPTER

20

At first, Claire thought the roar she heard was simply the rush of blood in her ears. But even though she took deep breaths, the sound would not clear. Instead, it only got sharper until she realized what it was: an entire nation cheering.

An entire world celebrating. Crying. Laughing. Rejoicing.

An entire world—except for Claire and Sena.

Sena’s fingernails sank into Claire’s arm, and Claire was glad for the pain that cut through her dizziness. What was happening? Sophie had said the unicorn was captured, but Claire couldn’t see any chains around the creature. And when the queen galloped down the aisle and dismounted at the front, the unicorn stayed put, as quiet and calm as a trained dog, while the crowd’s euphoria rose higher and higher.

Starfell ribbons lay forgotten on the ground as Spinners hugged one another. A Tiller father wiped at the corner of his eye before scooping his daughter onto his shoulders so she could see. Even the Forgers, who seemed more stunned than pleased, had left their weapons dangling harmlessly at their sides, their expressions hungry with hope. And from everywhere and everyone, Claire heard the same words repeating again and again and again: “the unicorn.”

The unicorn.

The unicorn!

Claire looked at Sena, and the Forger’s amber eyes were so round, she looked more owl than girl. Her lips moved, but Claire couldn’t make out what she was saying until Sena leaned in and choked out, “How?”

Claire did not know. She did not know how the last unicorn had come to the queen. Or why he would allow the murderer of his herd on his back. Unless …

Unless Claire had gotten it wrong.