Never have I so wished there was a way for me to show I was telling the truth. But there isn’t. No oath of mine carries any weight.
I feel a guard’s hand close on my arm. Then Cardan’s voice comes. “Do not touch her.”
A terrible silence follows. I wait for him to pronounce judgment on me. Whatever he commands will be done. His power is absolute. I don’t even have the strength to fight back.
“Whatever can you mean?” Randalin says. “She’s—”
“She is my wife,” Cardan says, his voice carrying over the crowd. “The rightful High Queen of Elfhame. And most definitely not in exile.”
The shocked roar of the crowd rolls around me, but none of them are more shocked than I am. I try to open my eyes, try to sit up, but darkness crowds in at the edges of my vision and drags me under.