“He’s still under the spell,” Joss whispered, and I motioned Souris to be silent so that I could better hear. “From what I’ve heard, all he does is sit in the council chambers with his game and that dog. He speaks to no one, and that the entire city hasn’t fallen into chaos is all thanks to Marc arriving when he did.”

“It will not last,” a woman said, her voice melodious and soothing. “Magic fades. It is the way of these things.”

“But what if it doesn’t fade in time?” Joss’s voice cracked. “You showed me what Roland’s done so far. All those people dead. How many more will die while we sit around waiting?”

“A valid fear.” The Winter Queen’s voice was morose. “Mortal lives are already brief – to see them cut short is no doubt heart-wrenching.”

I shook my head at Joss’s inability to see through the fairy’s false sentiments.

“Isn’t there anything you can do to stop Roland?” Joss asked. “You’re a queen, an immortal. Surely…”

A heavy sigh. “Not alone, I’m afraid. The trolls are an abomination, Josette. An unintended outcome that should never have been allowed to live. They are too powerful, and far, far too dangerous. I fear humanity is in grave danger.”

“All because of my sister.”

The Queen made a tutting noise. “Now, now. Amongst the three powers, Tristan alone desires to protect your kind, and your sister knows that. But he has colored her mind against an alliance.”

“But why?”

“An ancient animosity exists between his family’s court and mine,” she said. “One he seems unable to set aside. One that keeps him from seeing that my assistance will secure his victory over his enemies, and that will ensure the survival of humanity.”

“Couldn’t you just tell me where the Duke is?” Joss asked, her tone pleading. “Maybe then he’d see your intentions were good.”

“I’ve told you why.” Winter’s voice was chilly, her patience for providing explanations to a sixteen year-old human, I suspected, growing thin. “If I give him the information he desires, with what will I negotiate for the safety of my court? I wish to see humanity triumph, but above all, I must protect my kind from his. Do you understand?”

“Ah,” I murmured, patting Souris on the head, the pieces of the puzzle falling into place. Since the mountain had fallen and Anushka had cursed the trolls, my uncle, the Summer King, had been working to keep us alive, especially in recent years. Winter, on the other hand, had been content to see us contained, sending the sluag to our world to trouble us, though it meant they’d be as trapped as we were. As mortal as we were. She wanted the trolls destroyed, because she believed, if freed, we’d be a threat to her court. How that was the case, I did not know, but what mattered was that now I understood why she wanted an alliance.

She wanted to use my magic to destroy my kind once and for all.