Everyone obliged. Only once I settled in did I notice that the heads of the spy academies had followed Queen Tially into the room.
The queen sat in front of us on a plain wooden chair, although the way she perched on it made it seem like a grand throne. “I’m thankful that you’ve joined us, and delighted that you will perform the second event of the Spy Games here. I believe that we have set a suitable challenge for spies of your caliber.”
Behind the queen, Headmistress Wake gave a small nod of her head. She looked pleased, which told me the challenge was not only suitable, it would be very difficult.
“Many of you may not be intimately familiar with our courts or customs, but that is unnecessary. You will meet those who matter tonight at a state dinner. And tomorrow, you will deduce which of those fae is the traitor whom I seek.”
A coughing fit overcame Ayla, which prompted Queen Tially to place a tender hand on her own chest.
“I’m sorry for the interruption, Queen Tially,” Ayla said once her coughing stopped.
“Not at all, dear young Torna. I’m sorry to have startled you so.” The queen smiled kindly. “You see, champions, my middle son is to marry tomorrow. There is no better event than a royal wedding for those who seek to wreak havoc upon a kingdom. In fact, we have already uncovered some unpleasantness.” She wrinkled her nose.
Sam raised her hand.
An amused look crossed the queen’s face at the gesture, but she nodded. “Yes, Spellcasters champion?”
“If you have a traitor in your midst, why don’t you just question everyone?” Sam asked, her tone laden with confusion. “Or am I misinformed that full-blooded fae can’t lie?”
I arched my eyebrows. She was right. The fae in our land were more often than not demi-fae. Their mixed blood allowed them to lie, although they weren’t usually the most apt at it. But the fae of Faerie were almost always pureblooded, and the magic of their kind prevented them from outright lying.
The queen gave Sam a grim smile. “You are correct. The fae of Faerie cannot lie, but as I’m sure you’re aware, many of us can twist the truth quite skillfully.” Queen Tially released a frustrated sigh. “Everyone in the castle was questioned after the first incident, but we were unable to find anything unusual.”
The way she saidincidentsent a shudder down my spine.
“And we are quite good at ensuring that no one is twisting the truth. However,” the queen shook her head, as if she could not believe what she was saying, “atrocities are occurring. That much is undeniable. Due to this, we believe that someone has acquired the means to lie—somehow.”
The Torna twins looked aghast, which made me wonder what a fae would have to do to be able to lie. Something horrendous, clearly.
The queen rose as graceful as a ballerina. “That is all I can tell you for certain. I will leave it to my guards and your lovely headmasters and headmistresses to fill you in on the gruesome details of prior occurrences. Just know, tomorrow must be executed perfectly. And we are counting on you to discern the identity of the traitor in our midst.”
Chapter Thirty-Six
Headmistress Wake was less delicate regarding the “unpleasantness” that Queen Tially did not wish to speak about. She gave it to us straight and in detail.
Once I learned that three prominent fae visiting from Prince Elran’s bride-to-be’s court had been found beaten and ripped open, I understood the haste in getting us here. Someone did not approve of the new alliance being formed between houses, and the royal family was concerned that the next body to show up dead would be the future princess’. They wished for us to find the killer before the wedding that afternoon.
To say I was thankful that I’d packed the sheet Ms. Seeley had given me was an understatement. Despite having met the royals and those closest to them the night prior at dinner, the sheet documenting Faerie’s royal courts acted like a security blanket. I’d studied it all morning and now felt like I had a good grasp of the Snowcap court.
That Ms. Seeley had given it to me was such a coincidence that I wondered if she’d known about this challenge. Did she know more about the Dark Court and the happenings there too?
But those questions would have to wait. Today was Prince Elran’s wedding day. I had to be on point if I wanted to find the killer and bring victory to Spellcasters. Thankfully, the haze I’d succumbed to when I’d entered Faerie had cleared, and I was ready.
The queen told us to play the part of distant part-fae relatives. Or, in the case of Ayla and Sana, who bore distinct characteristics of the Riverlands Court, visiting diplomats. As undercover guests, we were to eat, drink, and mingle while sussing out the traitor.
Taking Her Majesty’s instructions to heart, I made my second trip to the buffet in Snowflake Hall. House Frost had laid out a veritable cornucopia of food, so that guests could graze and socialize before the main event. I appreciated this fae custom of gluttony because something about Faerie made me ravenous. I’d just finished examining a plate of hand pies, decorated with snowflakes and roses for the bride and groom respectively, when the first remarkable thing of the day happened.
I walked right into the very blond and regal Prince Elran.
“I’m so sorry, Prince Elran! Please excuse me!” I bent to clean up the fruit I’d dropped on the stark white floor.
Before I could do so, however, the prince grasped my hand and pulled me back up.
“Please. Don’t bother yourself with that mess,” he said, his tone low, and his ice blue eyes earnest. He straightened his silver cloak and the owl pin that had gone off-kilter when I ran into him. “The servants will tend to it. To hear my mother speak, your time is better spent elsewhere. I believe that I have a lead for you.”
I blinked. “Oh? Have you told anyone else?”
A smile tugged at lips so perfect, a master sculpture could have carved them from marble. “Not yet. You are the first I saw when I arrived here, and I will not bother with the vamps.” His mouth twisted into a look of disgust. “Our kinds don’t usually mix. However, I will tell the fae and shifters, so use your advantage wisely, clever witch.”
