Page 6 of Queen of Ever (Curse of Fate and Fae #2)

Chapter 6

Imogen

M arietta hadn’t come in that morning, which was strange, given she’d been there every morning since I’d arrived, acting like my very own lady’s maid. Perhaps she’d rightly deduced that I needed some space. Of course, that also meant I’d dressed myself, so my hair was braided simply and I’d spent more time going through the wardrobe trying to pick the plainest dress I could from amongst all that shimmer and lace and froth than I had on actually getting ready.

Sleep had somewhat dissolved my anger over the entire situation, though I was still a long way from forgiving Solas, even if he was acting for the greater good, as Marietta had suggested. However, logic had time to reassert itself and remind me I wasn’t exactly in a position to stamp my feet like a child and demand things from the Seelie King. He could revoke his protection at any time and then where would I be? Without his protection, I’d be vulnerable to the Unseelie, and even though I was—much to my chagrin—undoubtedly pining for Tarian, I wasn’t sure I wanted to be at the mercy of the Unseelie Prince and his mother. God knew what fate lay down that path, but it surely wasn’t a fate I wanted to find myself neck deep in. At least, that’s what I tried to remind myself. Even if I’d been secretly hoping he would come and find me, would at least try ...

I shook myself internally, jumping from that dangerous train of thought.

The third option would be to go back home, but there was exactly no one in this place who would help me do that, except maybe Ethan, wherever he was. I hoped he was alright. I’d hoped he might appear out of the blue like he had when I’d been taken to Dreadhold, but so far he’d been as absent as Tarian. I didn’t even know where to begin trying to get news of him. I alternated between feeling anxious for his safety and disappointed that he seemed to have abandoned me. He’d said he would take me home. Home, where I’d be an oddity once again, even more so now that I’d seen what I’d seen and looked as I looked. And how long would it take for the fae to find me there? I really didn’t like the cards in my deck.

As I adjusted the tie on my braid, a confident knock sounded on my door that had me grinding my teeth. Just because I had limited options didn’t mean I didn’t want to punch Solas in his stupid face. I took a moment to breathe and let go of some of the anger simmering beneath my skin—though not enough to make my expression a pleasant one—before finally opening the door.

‘Solas, what an unexpected surprise,’ I said, my tone bland as I waited for whatever pretty words he was about to butter me up with. Or not. Perhaps as the king he wouldn’t feel the need to even attempt to apologise.

‘You’re still mad at me,’ he said, nodding as if this was to be expected. ‘I regret the events of last night. I knew you would be safe, but I didn’t take your feelings into consideration.’

Understatement. But I let that thought slip by unvoiced. ‘Did you at least get something useful out of the events ?’ I said, using his word to describe my assassination attempt. It tasted bitter on my tongue as I spat it back at him.

He’d taken an extra measure in his appearance that morning, which was saying something, given that he always looked immaculate and regal, glittering with gold, making the sun appear to dance around him as if it was overjoyed at his existence. No doubt that was how he expected everyone to feel when he was in their presence. Tarian never cared much for what other people thought.

Except me. He seemed to care what I thought. A pang of longing hit my chest with an unexpected force. I missed him. I hated how much I missed him.

I hated he hadn’t shown up to save me when it mattered most.

Logically, I knew that was a stupid thing to think, and yet, the hurt remained, unwilling to remove itself from the burrow it had dug in my heart. I hadn’t realised it before, but a part of me had begun to expect that he would be there when I was in danger. Like he’d somehow feel it and appear out of nowhere to frown at me and tell me off for getting myself in trouble again. But he hadn’t bothered to come for me. I hadn’t heard a single peep out of him, not a letter, not a whisper that he had tried to storm the gate, or even tried to find out if I was alright. It was as if I had simply drifted into the shadows of his life, as if I didn’t matter to him at all.

‘But that’s not important right now,’ Solas said, and I realised he’d been speaking to me while I had been lost inside my own head. ‘I’ve come to make it up to you. I promised you could see the city.’

A spark of interest lit me. All I’d seen of the city that surrounded the Summer Palace was what I could see from the balconies. ‘You’re going to let me leave the palace?’ I asked, unable to stop myself. What a welcome distraction it would be from my endless studies and thoughts on a certain dark prince. And I would get to learn something I was actually interested in.

‘I’ll show it to you myself,’ he said proudly, flashing me a smile that was a little too victorious for my liking but I didn’t care enough to comment. I was going to get out of these walls, stretch my legs, see some of the wonders this place had to offer.

‘Okay, I’d like that,’ I said. If I was going to be stuck in this realm for the foreseeable future, then I should know more about it. The city looked beautiful from my balcony, I bet it was even more beautiful close up.

‘Good. We’ll go tomorrow,’ he said. Oh, not today. The thought must have shown on my face because his smile faltered ever so slightly before he added, ‘Today I must deal with those who dared to try to harm you. Tomorrow I’m all yours.’

That last little bit was a flirtation meant to make me blush, but it didn’t have the desired effect. Instead I felt that familiar twist of unease and guilt. It would have been far better if he would send me out with someone else. Marietta would have been my preference, but I knew better than to turn him down. If I did, he’d likely not let me go at all. So instead, I plastered a smile on my face and nodded. ‘Tomorrow, then.’

His confident smile returned, and he spun on his heels, clearly feeling pleased with himself as he strode away.

But delaying our excursion meant I was going to have to attend my magic lesson this morning, and I had zero interest in doing that. Staying in my room was out of the question, since it was the first place my tutor would look for me, so instead of retreating back inside, I decided to take a walk. Perhaps the fresh air would help to calm my inner turmoil, though I knew better than to think it would untangle the thoughts in my head.

I breathed a sigh of relief as I stepped into the garden, the gentle breeze caressing my skin as if it was trying to comfort me. I wondered what Solas was planning to do with my would-be assassin. He’d implied there was more than one person responsible. Did I care what happened to them? I realised I knew very little of the justice system in this place. What was the penalty for attacking the ward of the king? My fingers went to my throat as an image of a noose flashed through my mind.

I was pulled out of my disturbing thoughts by a cry of pain, followed by snickering laughter. My brow furrowed as I followed the sound until I came across the source, and then it was like my body was emptied of feeling, of colour, as I stared in horror, my brain unable to comprehend what I was looking at.

Three courtiers were standing around a young serving boy, smirking down at him. He was on his knees, a pointed tail flicking about behind him, his arms wrapped around himself as if he was trying to protect himself the only way he knew how, even though he knew it wouldn’t do him any good. His pale hair fell over his face, covering his expression, but I could tell he was in pain from his jagged breathing. Around his neck was a golden collar, a simple thing, but I had never seen any of the servants wearing them before. There was a single red gem on the front of it, and while my lessons hadn’t revealed I had any talent for working magic, I knew enough to feel the prick of it in the air, a sort of faint vibration.

One of the courtiers was holding something in his hand and he ran his thumb over it. As he did, the boy’s body jolted, and another cry was pulled from his lips. The sound ripped me out of my stupor, and I marched towards them.

‘What the hell do you think you’re doing?’ I demanded, anger boosting my confidence as I stepped between them and the boy, as if my body could block whatever they were doing to him.

They bobbed their heads at me, but shot one another strange looks as they did, all raised eyebrows and bemusement. If I could have read their thoughts, I could have imagined finding them echoing the audacity of this woman.

‘We were merely testing out the new collars the king has had designed for the lesser servants,’ one of them said as she straightened, offering me a pointed smile.

‘You’re torturing a child,’ I said, letting the disgust show in my voice.

‘A lesser,’ the one with the device explained, as if I had misunderstood something. ‘After the attempt on your life, how can you have pity for them?’

‘One man’s actions do not condemn an entire race, just as it doesn’t justify this kind of cruelty,’ I said. ‘Whatever these devices are, surely the king didn’t intend for them to be used like this.’ As the courtiers glanced at each other again, their eyes saying what they weren’t, I realised that even if I was right about that, I wasn’t entirely correct. He didn’t care how they were used. I held out my hand and pushed as much authority into my voice as I could muster, knowing full well it was a bluff. I had no power in this place except that which I pretended to wield. ‘The device please.’

After a brief moment of hesitation, the courtier handed the device to me. The three of them bowed their heads to me before walking away in complete silence. No doubt they would begin hissing viciously about me as soon as they were out of earshot but I didn’t care. Let them talk.

I turned my attention to the boy huddled on the ground and my heart ached for him. I’d never seen lessers or humans treated this way in Dreadhold. I’d wrongly assumed that the Seelie court would be better, would be built on good and decency because it was the court of day and light and summer, but it seemed they were just as bent towards cruelty. Which shouldn’t have surprised me; after all, the Seelie fae had been just as eager to hunt prey at the Beltane festival.

I squatted down in front of the boy, trying to catch his eye. ‘Are you alright?’ I asked, my tone as gentle as I could make it. But he wouldn’t even look up at me, keeping his head bowed and his arms wrapped around himself. I had no idea how quickly fae children aged, but he looked around ten years old to me. His pointed ears were strangely furry, and he had two small horns peeking through his hair. A half breed, maybe? Like Ethan? I reached out a hand but he flinched away from me. ‘I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to frighten you,’ I said. ‘I only wanted to see if I could get that collar off.’

He looked up at me then, confusion in his strange eyes. If not for the cat-like pupils that looked back at me, his face could have been mistaken him for human. But then, a lot of the lessers I’d seen in the Summer Palace were almost human in their appearance.

After a long moment, he gave me a single nod and I tried again, slowly reaching out. I ran my fingers around the collar, finding it completely smooth save for a very thin line at the back that was barely visible. I could find no way to release it.

I removed my hand and turned my attention to the device the courtier had given me. It looked like a rounded, palm-sized stone, scrawled with little markings carved in a cross section over the surface. I didn’t want to touch them. I didn’t want to accidentally set the thing off.

‘I’m sorry, I don’t know how to get it off,’ I said. ‘But let’s get you to the kitchens. Maybe there’s someone there who can help. And you look like you could use something to eat.’

The boy’s eyes widened at the offer as I stood up, offering my hand to him. Did he not expect me to be kind to him? Even after what I’d just witnessed? That thought made me incredibly sad. I’d been living in this ivory tower of mine for weeks and I had never even once considered how the servants were treated here, or if they even were servants. It felt more like slavery, looking at it now.

He finally took my hand and I led him to the kitchen, only taking one wrong turn, which he helpfully corrected me on. It was the only time I’d seen even a hint of a smile from him, so it was worth getting a little lost. When we reached the kitchen, I noticed the staff working there weren’t collared and were missing the distinctly inhuman features of the lessers, which made me think they must all be changelings. I wasn’t sure if lessers ever worked in the kitchens, but it seemed they didn’t now. Was Solas afraid they’d poison the food? I couldn’t say it was an unfounded fear, given the events of last night.

The staff glanced at us with expressions of alarm, but said nothing, continuing about their work as if we didn’t exist—or perhaps as if they didn’t exist. It was clear that interactions between High Fae and servants was not something that was done here. Not unless the High Fae initiated the interaction. It made me even more uncomfortable to count myself among them. It wasn’t long ago that I would have counted myself among these people instead.

Rather than cause any more hassle for them, I opened the various cupboards until I found a jar of soft, flaky biscuits studded with oats and dried fruit, which seemed a safe bet. What child didn’t like cookies? I also dipped into a large pail of fresh, creamy milk by the door and ladled some into a glass. When I placed the offering in front of the boy and sat down, he stared at it uncertainly.

‘Go on,’ I said, trying to encourage him. It was as if he had no idea what he was looking at. But he did tentatively take a cookie and bring it slowly to his lips, sniffing at it before finally taking a bite. His eyes grew wide at the taste and he quickly shoved the rest into his mouth. I couldn’t help but chuckle. He blushed and he dropped his hand to his side. ‘You eat as many as you like,’ I told him, feeling glad when he reached for another without hesitation.

‘Imogen?’

The boy stuffed the cookie into his mouth before shrinking under his shoulders and dropping his head again. I wanted to make him feel safe but I didn’t know how to do that right then. Still, I knew that Marietta wasn’t going to ruin my efforts.

I turned to her. ‘I see you found me,’ I said a little sheepishly. She looked past me to the boy, her brow furrowed in thought. I followed her gaze. ‘I found him in the gardens, some courtiers were... testing out the new collars,’ I said, the words leaving a bitter taste on my tongue. ‘Did you know about them?’

She let out a sigh. ‘Yes. My brother had one put on every lesser in the palace this morning.’

‘Because of what happened last night?’

‘Yes.’

It made me feel faintly sick. ‘Marietta won’t hurt you,’ I said, turning back to the boy. ‘Please, keep eating if you like.’

He looked up at me, then at Marietta. I caught the small smile she offered him, the slight nod of encouragement, and I was grateful when he began to eat again.

‘It seems excessive,’ I said to her.

‘I agree. But the king has made his decision. And if you want to protect this boy, then you need to get to your lessons.’

‘How is that going to help?’ I asked, bewildered.

‘You act like everything is business as usual, which will keep from drawing attention to him. I’ll look after him.’

‘And what will you do with him? I don’t want to just send him back into service so he can be tormented again.’

‘I need you to trust me.’

I huffed out a breath. ‘Fine. I trust you,’ I said reluctantly. Not because I didn’t trust her, I knew she would do what she could to keep the boy from further harm, I just felt guilty leaving him.

Marietta smiled at me. ‘You do have a kind heart,’ she said, as if that made her somehow proud. I wasn’t sure anyone else would see it that way.

‘Well, I’m about to go fail at magic. Again. Wish me luck,’ I said, shooting the boy a wink, which made him smile a little wider this time and left me feeling a lick of triumph. At least something good had come of the day, I supposed, before I left him in Marietta’s care and headed for my lesson, my feet feeling heavy as I walked.

But I wasn’t done with this subject. I was going to confront Solas about the collars tomorrow when he took me out of the palace. It was too cruel to leave alone, and I wouldn’t be able to stop every courtier from using them. The only way to stop it would be to convince Solas to take the collars off.

And I had no idea how I was going to do that, but I was going to damn well try.