Page 5

EUNICE’S brOWS ARCHED, and she sat there for a second, seemingly uncertain about my invitation.

“Your Majesty?” she asked.

“Yes, come on in and have a seat on the ottoman,” I said.

She gathered her sheet around her and did as I instructed, perching on the edge of a huge round, upholstered monstrosity that sat in the center of the dressing room.

She opened her mouth to speak, but I heard the door chime followed by the sound of the latch releasing.

“Yoo-hoo, Your Majesty!” hollered Claudine, my loud and possibly hard-of-hearing attendant. “It’s just me, come with clothes for your, ah, guest.”

I went out and met her, taking the stack of garments.

She curtsied. “So very happy to be in Your Majesty’s service!” She leaned to one side to look around me, obviously trying to get a look at Eunice. I shifted to block her view. “And is there anything else I can do for you or your girl on this fine—”

“No, this is all we need,” I interrupted. “Your services are much appreciated.”

She cocked her head at my abruptness, but to my relief, she turned to go. I locked the door after her, went back into the dressing room, and handed Eunice the stack of clothes. I turned around to give her some privacy.

“Continue, please,” I said. “How do you know Eldon is not truly with Finvarra?”

There was the sound of rustling fabric. “Once when I was leaving King Finvarra’s quarters late at night, I decided to take a shortcut back to my own room.”

“Where was this?” I cut in.

“Oh, well, the Undine realm, Your Majesty,” she said. “King Finvarra lived there for a spell.”

I had, in fact, first met Finvarra in the Undine kingdom. Jasper and I had gone there to confront the banished Unseelie High King, and that was when we’d learned of his alliance with the Tuatha De Danann. That was many weeks ago.

“So you’ve been with Finvarra for some time, then,” I said.

“Yes, oh yes,” she said. “Nearly half a year now.”

My brows shot up. “Please continue with your story.”

“Yes. So. I was taking a shortcut. There was a dark courtyard. I didn’t know Eldon and his friend were there until I was halfway across, as the Fae sorcerer used his gloaming magic to conceal them.”

“But you could hear them?”

“I have very exceptional hearing on occasion, Your Majesty,” she said.

I scoured my knowledge of Fae races for one that had such an attribute but came up empty.

“What race are you?” I asked. It wasn’t a rude question in Faerie. Bloodlines were important and often a point of pride to Fae.

She made a short humming noise and then cleared her throat. “My mother was a halfling. Half human and Daoine Sidhe. My father was also a halfling, his Fae blood a mix of which I do not know.”

I didn’t comment, not wanting to embarrass her, but it was exceedingly rare for two halflings to have offspring. Halflings were nearly always infertile.

“When I heard voices, I froze,” she continued. “I recognized Eldon, but not the other one. I was sure I’d be caught any second, but I was also too terrified to move. I shouldn’t have stayed there, but I did, and they kept talking.”

Eldon should have sensed an eavesdropper. Or more likely, he would have woven magic that prevented anyone from hearing his private conversation. Yet somehow, Eunice had heard it. Perhaps it was a magical talent of hers. Those with little Fae blood usually had weak magic, or no magic at all from the Fae races of their parents, but sometimes they had unusual talents.

There was an insistent knock at my door.

“Your Majesty,” called the voice of my male page. “I must escort you to an audience with Queen Vida and King Moreau.”

I cursed under my breath. My conversation with Eunice would have to wait.

I turned to find she’d dressed in the simple brown gown and matching ballet flats that had been brought for her.

“Come with me,” I said, and went to get the door.

She followed me.

“This is Eunice,” I said to the page. “She needs a room and a meal. Can I trust you to take care of it?”

He bowed. “Of course, Your Majesty. I’ll escort you to your meeting room and then take care of your guest.” He turned to Eunice. “Please accompany us.”

On the way to Vida and Moreau, I wanted badly to ask Eunice to finish her story, but not knowing everything she might reveal, I didn’t want to take the chance of someone overhearing.

“I ask that you keep all of your information to yourself until we speak again,” I said quietly to her.

“Oh, my, absolutely, Your Majesty,” she said. She took a breath as if to say more, but hesitated.

“Is there something you need?”

She pressed her lips together, and then her gaze met mine. “I do not want to seem impertinent, but I must admit I don’t recognize you among the Queens I know of. May I ask . . . what realm do you rule?”

I chuckled. “You may. And you don’t recognize me because I only very recently acquired the throne of a brand new kingdom. I’m the Queen of the Carraig Sidhe, formerly known as New Gargoyles.”

Surprise flashed abruptly across her features as if she’d been hit with a splash of water. “Oh. Oh!” She glanced at the sword I carried on my back, and a new realization dawned. “You’re Petra Maguire, Champion of the Summer Court.”

I nodded. “I am that as well.”

We’d reached my destination, my page waiting with his hand on the knob of a simple white-painted door.

“Eunice,” I said. “I need you to keep to yourself everything you’re observing here. No gossip and no outgoing messages. Can I trust you?”

She clasped her hands in front of her. “I owe you my life,” she said, her violet eyes misting. “I will serve you loyally for the rest of my days to repay you, Queen Petra.”

My brows rose slightly at her outpouring of sincerity. I awkwardly patted her shoulder. “I’m not sure that’s necessary, but I do appreciate your discretion.”

The page cleared his throat impatiently. I stepped past Eunice, and he opened the door for me. Inside, I found a small but luxuriously appointed sitting room with pretty white divans supported by carved wooden legs, a tall stained-glass pane with a comfortable-looking window seat under it, shelves filled with volumes of hard cover books, and a dark fireplace. Moreau and Vida both stood at the coffee and tea cart, helping themselves to steaming cups of liquid. There were also baskets of light fare—pastries and fruit.

My stomach growled noisily as I approached, and Vida and Moreau stopped their quiet conversation and turned my way. I pressed my palm into my midsection, trying to quiet the rumbling.

Vida, Queen of the Sylphs, wore one of her signature velvet gowns—a deep red-wine color, this time—with matching lipstick. Everything about her was curvy, from her long curling eyelashes to the roundness of her shoulders, to the hourglass shape of her torso. Like most of her kind, she gave off an undeniable sultriness. But she was also whip-smart and one of the most highly educated women in Faerie.

King Moreau was all wolfish sex appeal, with his ruggedly handsome face, dark stubble around his angular jaw line, broad shoulders, and quick, gleaming smile. As ruler of the Dobhar Sidhe, the canine shifter kingdom, he and his wife were the alphas of their people who organized themselves according to the rules of the pack. Moreau and Idara had ruled for a decade and a half, besting every challenger the pack had thrown at them. Moreau was quick to grin and had a lively energy about him, but he was vicious when challenged. No one held the Dobhar alpha spot for that long without being a serious badass, and I’d heard his wife was every bit as tough as he was.

Vida and Moreau were the only two rulers who’d offered to aid me in my quest to oust Periclase, Eldon, and Finvarra from the stone fortress. I wasn’t offended that the others had declined. Every Seelie kingdom had committed some or most of their military to the fight here at the Summerlands. That meant their own realms were largely unprotected. The bottom line was, no one really had soldiers to spare these days.

“Queen Petra.” Moreau greeted me with a magnanimous sweep of his hand. “It’s excellent to see you again.” His expression sobered, his dark brows pulling down over his eyes. “Though I heard Finvarra escaped.”

I shook my head. “We were so close, but Finvarra shifted and got away under the cover of Eldon’s gloaming magic.”

Vida hummed her disappointment low in her throat. “Pity. It would have been quite a victory to knock off that Unseelie bastard. But we all knew it was a shot in the dark.”

“Still,” I said. “It weighs heavily on Jasper. On all of us.”

Moreau pursed his lips, inhaling slowly through his nose. “Well, in any case, we must move on.”

“Yes,” I said, going to pour myself a cup of coffee. I set the porcelain cup on its saucer and dosed the dark liquid with two generous spoonfuls of sugar and a splash of cream. My mouth nearly watered as I brought the rim to my lips for a sip. “I want you both to know how deeply I appreciate your generous offers. I won’t forget your generosity.”

Moreau and Vida exchanged a look. It was just a brief flick of eyes, but my stomach tightened.

The Sylph queen set her cup on its saucer. “You understand as well as we do these are very uncertain times. Not only are we fighting to maintain Seelie rule of Faerie, there is the Tuatha’s threat.”

“Uncertain times, indeed,” I said, eyeing her warily.

“As such,” she said, “we all want to do everything we can to protect the future of our realms.”

I nodded. Something was coming. If I were speaking to anyone but a king and queen, I would have demanded they come out with whatever it was they wanted. But days of such casual conversation were behind me.

“Moreau and I would ask something in return for our support in your efforts to reclaim your stronghold,” Vida continued.

“Yes?” I prompted.

“We want the protection of the Carraig Sidhe when the Tuatha descend on Faerie.”

I looked from one to the other and then shook my head. “I don’t understand. You each have militaries at least ten times the size of the New Garg—ah, Carraig fighting force. Your kingdoms aren’t the largest of the Seelie realms, but neither are they insignificant. What possible protection could I offer either of you?”

Moreau and Vida shared another look and seemed to silently determine between them that it was the Dobhar king’s turn to speak.

He gave me a smile, flashing teeth that seemed impossibly white against his tanned face and dark stubble. “I can understand why it might seem an odd request. But we believe your people aren’t just important in keeping Seelie control of the Summerlands. We believe you are the key to defeating the Tuatha.”

I tipped my head at an angle and peered at him. “Why?”

“King Oberon mentioned his oracle before, the one who told him you must not lose the stone fortress to the Unseelie. Well, we have our own seers,” Vida said. She interlaced her fingers and held her arms loosely in front of her. “They have advised us to align ourselves with you and your people.”

I pinched the bridge of my nose and then lowered my eyelids and moved my thumb and forefinger wider to rub my eyes for a moment. I tried to think through how agreeing to their request might bite me in the ass later but couldn’t come up with anything. What did I really have to lose? And more importantly, did I really have a choice? I needed every advantage at my disposal, every bit of strength I could round up, to have any chance of taking back the fortress.

I opened my eyes, grabbed a croissant, and ripped off a big bite with my teeth. “If I go along, what specifically am I agreeing to?” I asked, chewing. Gods, I was starving. “I mean, we’re all Seelie. We’re all on the same side anyway, and we’ll be fighting together, right?”

“In theory,” Vida said, but her doubt was clear. “But even if we all have the same larger goal, each kingdom is going to be vying for advantage. Deals will be struck. There likely will be some backstabbing and betrayals.”

I gave a low, disgusted growl. “And that is exactly why the Tuatha want to wipe us out and start over.” I waved my croissant and a few crumbs flew onto the coffee service setup. “All this political bullshit. Doesn’t anyone understand we don’t have that luxury anymore?”

As soon as I said it, I heard Jasper’s voice in my head, his passionate speeches about how we all needed to rise above the usual Faerie ways. He understood it. He’d been saying it all along. Oberon had even come around to recognize the importance of uniting everyone and finding better ways. But it had taken sky iron torture to get the High King to see it, and it seemed as though very few others were picking up the message.

Moreau’s face hardened, his green eyes icy. “Some of us do realize that the political bullshit, as you call it, isn’t going to save us. But most politicians will keep on being politicians until their dying breaths. To some extent, I even include Vida and myself in that category. We’ve been at this so long we don’t really know any other way.”

“So, what, you both want a promise that I won’t turn on you? That we’ll be allies no matter what happens?” I tried to curb in my irritation, but impatience still leaked through in my voice.

“Yes, essentially,” Vida said.

I blew out a slow breath through clenched teeth and slanted my gaze off to the side. This was one of the reasons I’d left Faerie to try to make a life on the Earthly side of the hedge. The irony was, the political bullshit was almost as thick over there. On the other side, I could largely avoid it, or at least ignore it. But here in Faerie? I was a frigging queen of a realm.

I faced them. “Okay. I’ll agree to an alliance with you.”

Moreau’s face relaxed with relief, and Vida gave me a thin, close-lipped smile. Neither of them seemed the least bit smug about getting their way, though. And honestly, their seriousness scared me a bit because it meant they truly believed their survival depended on their alignment with the Carraig Sidhe. And I had no idea exactly what that meant for my people in the days ahead.

They’d already had paperwork drawn up, so we moved over to the dark wood secretary desk near the door and spent a few minutes signing documents and sealing them with magic.

Moreau lifted his coffee cup. “To a beneficial and fruitful alliance.” He inclined his head to me and then took a sip.

“Hear, hear,” Vida chimed in.

I managed a slight smile, but I wasn’t in the mood to toast or celebrate. I couldn’t shake the feeling that they were taking advantage of me, though I didn’t believe either of them had deeply malicious intent. It was more the sense that they knew they could manipulate me because I was such a green ruler. I wished Maxen were there. He would have known exactly how to negotiate Moreau and Vida’s proposal.

The thought of Maxen brought me back to what I had to do next: force the Unseelie out of the fortress and attempt to lead the new kingdom. My insides tightened as the reality of it hit me all over again, and I couldn’t help thinking of my father and wishing he could be at my side as I tried to take back the fortress.