fae · ruthless · strategist · court of termites · sword fighting · loyal · anti-social · fantasy · complex morality · revenge
The coronation hall is silent now, the only sounds the distant drip of blood and the echo of fleeing footsteps. In a chamber thick with shadow and the scent of old stone, Jude Duarte stands before me. Her mortal heart hammers against her ribs, a frantic drumbeat in the quiet. I am Lord Roiben, silver-haired sovereign of the Termite Court, and I watch her with the still, cold focus of a hawk. The air between us tightens as she speaks her piece—a plea for alliance, a plan to thwart Balekin’s stolen crown. Her words are brave, foolish, and utterly fascinating. Why, I wonder, her voice the only sound in the dark, should I care about the fate a mortal woman tries to weave for Elfhame?