Page 38 of The Queen’s Shadow

“She’s what!?” It was Rycon who spoke first. He jumped up from where he had been lounging in the pit, his cat-like pupils blown out.

Meredith nodded. “That’s what she said.”

“What the actual fuck,” Rycon snarled, and Jeremy scowled at him.

“Watch your mouth.” He snapped at the panther, but Rycon ignored him.

“Why isn’t she in the dungeons, then?” He snapped at Dossidian. “Or better yet? Fucking dead? Why are we treating her like some sort of fucking princess? Anyone who’s related to that evil cunt deserves to be six feet under.”

“LANGUAGE!” Jeremy roared, and Rycon snarled at him. The sound was animalistic, and not human at all. His skin rippled and for a moment I wondered if he was going to shift. He shuddered, and winced, before seeming to get a handle on himself.

Jeremy, to his credit, did not back down. He watched Rycon struggle to get his emotions under control with a stern, cool gaze. Finally, after a long moment of intense eye contact, Rycon took a deep breath, and unclenched his fists. He threw himself down onto the bench of the pit and crossed his arms over his chest, refusing to look at any of us.

I exchanged a glance with Conrad and he shrugged, clearly just as bemused by the interaction as I was.

“Um, anyway…” Meredith continued, giving me a ‘that was weird’ look, which I returned, unable to keep my expression neutral. “She claims she is Ash Nevra’s illegitimate half sister and has been enslaved since the death of their mother, Anjoilie. She served most of her enslavement in The Court of Greed.”

“Well, it makes sense to me that Ash Nevra would want to eliminate anyone who could pose a potential threat to her throne. Illegitimate heir or not…” I mused out loud. “But why enslave her? Why not kill her?”

“Wi had di same questions.” Conrad said.

“She says that Ash Nevra’s hatred for her is beyond reason. Death was not enough. She wanted her tortured.” Dossidian winced. “She says she gets some sort of sick joy out of causing her pain.”

Having met the evil Queen myself, that didn’t seem like a stretch to me. I believed it.

“Do you trust her?” I asked Dossidian and Meredith. They both thought about it for a moment, then nodded.

“Aye.”

“Yes.

Rycon scoffed. “You trust her? You talked to her for what, five minutes? How could you possibly make a decision just based on that?”

Everyone looked at him as if they might dismiss him, but I had to agree. I needed to know for sure if this daemon could be trusted. I didn’t have room for any more mistakes.

“Rycon’s right,” I said. His head snapped to me in surprise. His angry expression softening slightly. “We need to know for sure.” I continued, turning to the shifter. “We will meet with her. You and I, together. You’ll be able to tell if she is lying.”

He seemed to think it over for a moment, before nodding.

“Fine.” He agreed.

“Alright. Let’s go.” I said, snatching up Bond Breaker, before leading the way to the slave’s room.

Cerenah was reading a book at the table, facing the opening in the wall when we entered. She was in soft cotton pants and a comfortable sweater, with thick manacles strapped to her wrists. The long chains that restrained her were fused into the wall above her bed. I raised an eyebrow at Dossidian and Meredith, who pursed their lips.

“As long as she is enslaved, she is a risk. We needed to take precautions.” Dossidian explained. I supposed he was right. Cerenah put down her book immediately, and stood up, before dipping into a deep curtsy. The curtsy should have looked strange, considering she was wearing pants. Somehow it didn’t, it came off as graceful and natural.

“Queen Raven,” she greeted me solemnly. She remained low, and kept her head bowed. “I asked Dossidian and Meredith to restrain me, please do not punish them.” Jesus Christ. Punish them?

“Um… Cerenah, is it?” I asked, and she nodded, continuing to hold herself in the deep curtsy, her eyes trained on the ground. I realized with a start she wasn’t going to stand until I gave her permission to. “Please, uhh, rise.” I said awkwardly, trying to imagine what Amon would do or say if he were in my position.

The slave immediately stood up, though she kept her gaze down. I frowned. I wasn’t sure how to make her feel comfortable.

“Cerenah… we’ve come to ask you some questions.” I stepped forward and she winced. I watched a flash of fear pass across her face, and I frowned.

“Of course, my Queen. I will tell you anything you wish to know.” She whispered. I wasn’t sure how she was managing to stand up so straight while still giving off the impression that she was cowering. This poor daemon was terrified.

“I’m not going to hurt you.” I told her, willing her to hear the truth in my words. She said nothing, she just kept her eyes trained on the ground before her, waiting for the other shoe to drop. “Cerenah,” I said again, taking another careful step forward. “Look at me.”