Maggie swallowed, covering her mouth. “May we all have the unending confidence of an undeserving man.”
“You have been my eyes and ears all this time. Tell me the truth. Can we do this? Can we depose him?”
Yaya’s face grew serious. “It won’t be easy, Noth. He’s entrenched deep. He’s called to our people’s greatest hope - children. Those he hasn’t been able to guile, he has wires and mecha for you to wear. If you kill him, you’ll turn him into a martyr and you will never don the crown again. Maybe you should keep your freedom.”
Maggie had asked the same. None of them really understood. Yaya loved me and never thought of me as ‘other’ but she was a full elf, my father’s mother. She had told me often over the years if I was happy, she was happy. The crown didn’t mean anything more than that to her–my happiness.
“I won’t do anything stupid.”
Maggie sniggered as her cake eating finally slowed enough for her to wipe her mouth. “Then I volunteer to kill him. They’re expecting you, not me. You won’t be blamed. I know you don’t think I’m much good at magic or killing, but Brad is a human. I can take that bitch. Jax can get me in. I can blend in.”
Resisting the urge to laugh was hard. Maggie hadn’t blended with anything in her entire life. It would bedangerous, but all of this was dangerous. We were dangerous together. It couldn’t be worse than what we tried on each other. She didn’t mention that her plan would ensure we would never be together when I took the crown. Who would want a king-killer for a Queen? Certainly not me. Certainly not. I balled my fists.
“Only if you wear an illusion.”
Maybe it was better this way. I would get what I wanted and I could be a coward and never have to figure out how Maggie and I worked out forever.
Yaya’s smile grew sly. “The court thinks Elven magic is far superior to anything else in the Harrowlands so they wouldn’t know a witch’s sigil if it bit them on the ass. I can get you past the initial guards. Tomorrow is announcement day.”
“Announcement day?” Maggie and I asked together.
“Oh, yes. He feels it’s very royal to make us all gather and listen to his pep talk and grand plans. It's a monologue, by the way. We don't participate.”
“Why didn't I think of that? Then I never would have had to listen to the council tell me off every month. How are they?”
“Well, dead.” Yaya waved her hands and I choked on my slice of cake. “Sorry! As a governing body. He stripped them of all power and made them vassals again.”
“I’m sure they were thrilled.” So the usurper had no check on hispower.
“Most won’t support you outright but Brad hasn’t won many allies.”
“He won’t need allies when he’s underground,” Maggie said.
Maggie's scheme wasn’t my preferred plan, but it was stupidly brave. She never did tell us about what happened when Brad kidnapped her and Fallon. Some part of me didn’t want to know or I really would burn down all of Allfenheim to get to him. Then where would we be?
“You need a good night’s sleep before we attempt anything else. Let me set you up in the guest room. Do you need something else to eat?”
Maggie looked down at her plate. “M-more…” She stuttered. “...cake.”
Yaya had the grace not to laugh. “I can make a breakfast version in the morning.”
“Come on, Pumpkin. I’ll tell you a bedtime story.” I took her hand and she actually blushed. I never thought I would see her cheeks rosy. Maggie came out of the womb unflappable.
Just as I was about to wrestle her into a room, Jax opened the back door, looking as tired as the rest of us.
“He can listen too,” I tossed out.
“That’s not… I don’t… I don’t want anyone to watch…”
Both eyebrows raised to my hairline. Pumpkin did have limits! I never thought I’d find them.
“Fine. Hecan listen next door.”
“No thanks,” Jax grunted.
I dragged Maggie upstairs, taking the fresh linens Yaya dug out of a closet and I picked a bedroom at random. Certainly didn’t want my childhood room for what I had in mind. But as we sneezed through ripping off all the dust covers and Maggie threw dust bunnies at my head, the desire to fuck her senseless lessened. Gertrude was the only one I would admit it to, but my mind wandered to whether or not Maggie would like my royal greenhouse bower. I'd never brought a woman there before, and I wanted her to experience the peace of it.
We made the bed, Maggie working with more competence than I would have given her credit for. Her auburn hair curtained her face, playing hide and seek with her lake-blue eyes. I cracked the window to the night air.
