A cruel smile slithered across Wynter’s face. As if she had been waiting for this very moment, orchestrated it herself, and Kerrigan had stepped into her carefully laid trap. But she couldn’t back down. Not with Bay’s life on the line. Not with twelve others just like herself set to be killed for an experiment.

“And why is that?” Wynter asked.

“Because I’ll take the wall down.”

Fordham glared at her. “Kerrigan …”

“This is the miracle, my fellow Charbonnet,” Wynter said, holding her hands out before her. “You have heard me witness about the glow of the barrier around the mountain. That its golden brilliance is bright. I had never seen that color magic until now. Until her.” She pointed at Kerrigan. The crowd erupted into excitement. “The answer to our problem has arrived. We bring down the barrier tonight!”

Everyone cheered for her. Everyone, except Kerrigan and Fordham.

“Why do I feel like we walked right into that?” Kerrigan asked.

Fordham continued to glare at his sister. “Because we did.”

“Come, Kerrigan,” Wynter said, gesturing for her to come to her side.

“Ford,” she whispered.

“Together.”

They both strode on the stage. Of course, it would look like both Kerrigan, the bearer of barrier magic, and the crowned prince stood with his sister. Even if they had done it under duress.

Kerrigan knelt to help Bayton to her feet. The woman was crying. “I didn’t know. She took me. I don’t know where Benton is.”

“It’s okay,” she said soothingly. “We’ll get you out of here.”

Kerrigan walked Bayton to the back of the stage. Twelve more half-Fae and humans were bound and gagged in a back room.

Kerrigan glared at Aisling with all of her fury. “Release their bonds. This is no longer necessary.”

Aisling’s mouth quirked up on the right side, and she crossed her arms. “Sure thing, honey.”

Kerrigan wanted to punch her in her perfect little nose. But she restrained herself, helping Bayton out of her binds.

“Help them,” she told Bayton and then took a deep breath and went back onto that stage.

Wynter was speaking, and Kerrigan hadn’t been listening. Something about Fordham’s return with the half-Fae with the power to save them. She didn’t explicitly say that they should be ruling—she should be ruling—but the connotation was clear. While the king reveled in his gluttony, everyone else suffered. Wynter seemed to think she could do better.

“That’s enough,” she muttered. “Let’s get this over with.”

Wynter shot her a look of pure wrath. So, she was also here for the spectacle. Well, not that surprising.

Kerrigan smiled in the most insufferable way possible. Mischief was in her nature, but she had a way of frustrating anyone with an ounce of authority.

Wynter whipped her head back to her waiting audience. She unclenched her hands and let a smile smooth over her serene features. “Let’s begin.”