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The queen purses her lips, while shaking her head. She doesn’t say anything, but an inner war is raging within her, its toll obvious. Her shoulders slump and her squint reveals that she’s not without pain, though it’s nothing compared to Bianca’s. With no malice, only concern, she asks, “Should we send for your father?”

“Actually, he’s busy planning the uprising if this doesn’t go well.”

The queen rolls her eyes and then holds Bianca with a heavier glare until Bianca relents. “Not yet. Only if it’s hopeless. I don’t want to scare him when he was just at death’s door.”

The queen nods and sends her anxious gaze my way. Remy and his knights return holding crowns, medallions, pendants, all containing more gems. Eight more.

“Break them loose,” the queen orders, her tone harsh but also revealing a cost that has nothing to do with this moment.

Remy obeys and, a moment later, hands me the gems. I quickly begin the process again. When I’m finished, the combination of the gems and my own life force creates the shimmering glow that proves we’ve got a chance.

When I look to Archie, he’s already moving, lifting Bianca into my arms. Even in excruciating pain, she sighs to be back with me, even before I lower her into the liquid.

“The corset hurts, Pen.”

With the flick of my nail, the corset tears down the front, only her undergarments remaining.

The queen appears uncomfortable with Bianca’s clothing situation and commands the knights to turn away and sends one to obtain a robe.

Seated now, with Bianca between my legs, submerged in the shallow pool, I can finally breathe. Her wound, a deep puncture that fully impaled her, closes, healing instantly.

Bianca exhales, patting my hands that rest over her abdomen. “Thanks, Pennie.” Her eyes seem to close on their own. “I’m tired.”

“Sleep, my love.”

She’s gone into dreamland a second later, and I don’t dare speak because too many questions are gathering like storm clouds. The pool healed her this time. But will it still possess the strength to do it again, the next time Nico is injured? The next time Bianca’s body is attacked by enemies that no one in this realm can reach… or can we?

Chapter57

Bianca

Fitful dreams and a bad attitude accompany me into naptime, making it impossible for me to feel rested. Yes, my body sleeps but my awareness doesn’t; it’s trapped in a skirmish between desperately searching for Nico and dreading being sliced in half by whatever hunts him.

My main sources of solace are Pennie’s perpetual warmth and Bastien’s never-ending love song. Archie gets extra credit because I know his glare at the queen will never yield. My monsters certainly aren’t cowed by the queen’s authority and, though I was busy trying not to die, she didn’t seem terribly vengeful—or even super snooty—about their repeated disrespect on my behalf. She didn’t even seem that peeved about me crashing hergrief-a-thonin the tower, just my delightfully mouthy Bastien.

I exhale my irritation and open my eyes.

“How do you feel?” the queen asks from where she sits beside the pool on a large, gold, meditation-type pillow.

“Disappointed, if you must know.” I give Pennie’s arms around me a squeeze. To him, I whisper, “I couldn’t find him.”

“You shouldn’twantto find him.” Definitely no serene flow coming from the lady on the meditation pillow.

I ignore her outburst, in favor of focusing on the reverberations from Pennie’s husky voice as he says, “He’s protecting you, isn’t he? Staying away to shield you.”

I nod against him and love the way Pennie rests his chin on my head, like I fit perfectly on his lap. “Sounds like him, doesn’t it?” Feeling entirely entitled to express my ample spite, I glare directly at the queen’s weary face. “Which is exactly what an honorable monster would do, one who certainly doesn’t deserve to be eternally punished. Who would have thought?”

She rolls her eyes dramatically, reminding me of myself and my dad when we used to haveeye roll-offsto see which of us had perfected the art. I always claimed the win, but Dad had mad skills. My high school friends were always jealous, but everyone was jealous of me for having a dad like mine.

I tilt my head to look up at Pennie. “Is my dad okay?”

QueenChattyPantsanswers, “I believe he’s still working his way through a variety of strategies to overthrow me and my rule.” Her mood is tough to read. She’s like a helium balloon in a monsoon.

I chew on my lip, considering which information bull I want to attempt, while knowing eight seconds is likely eight seconds too long. At least there’s a water landing option. “You don’t seem worried or even hostile about that. You actually seem amused at the thought of my invader dad plotting against you.”

I think I catch the briefest of smiles, which she covers by intently studying her heavily adorned fingers.

Finally, she relents and fills the awkward silence. “I’ve held power in a foreign land for decades. I’ve lost everything that mattered to me and still maintained my rule against truly fearsome adversaries. So, do forgive me, if I don’t quake at the knowledge that two recently arrived humans are planning an uprising—especially one who is busy drinking all the wine in the city and the other who…”