The Witch King himself. I think I’m ready to puke.
AZUR
Istare at the five guards surrounding me in the Sea King’s chamber, and say calmly, “I need to speak to Your Majesty.”
If that pearl works the way the king said it would, he should find me.
“Kill him,” a guard further back says.
I transcend away from the room, and find myself in the ocean, facing a white tower with tons of doors. A group of guards swims to me, but the king is among them.
“Stand down,” he says as he raises a hand, then approaches me. “What’s wrong?”
“They took her,” I say, my voice cracking with emotion.
The king’s face turns somber all at once. “What do you mean?”
“Can we talk in private?” I want to go rescue Lidiane at this very second, but I need to ensure her safety.
The king leads me to the same room, and the guards leave.
Once the door is closed, I say, “The Sea Court took Lidiane from where she was, which was very far from the shore. They flew there in a carriage pulled by moths.”
The king blinks. “How do you know that?”
“Witnesses saw it. Now, I can get to Lidiane, wherever she is, if I focus. I can bring Your Highness with me, and up to five more fae. Can you gather your most loyal guards?”
He grimaces. “You can transcend that many fae?”
The question is pointless and annoys me. “Yes. Can you get some guards?”
“Guards won’t be necessary. Are you sure you can find my daughter?”
“Positive. Give me your hand.”
He pauses, as if hesitating, looks at me, then finally extends his arm, as if my expression convinced him that he can trust me.
I grab his hand at once, then feel for where Lidiane is.
We emerge by the ceiling of an underground cave lit by crystals. Below us, more than fifty guards surround a small cage. The Sea Prince and a woman that I assume must be his mother float by the cage.
Lidiane’s there. Even with all the water between us, even from this distance, I meet her eyes.
“Go,” she mouths.
Go. As if I shouldn’t care. If we were on the surface, I would have destroyed that cage by now, but there’s no air down here. I could transcend us to another place, but I’ll need to get close enough.
The woman looks up, notices us, and narrows her eyes at the king. “There you are! Took you long enough. Always too slow on what concerns your children, isn’t it, dear Sonrad?”
“What is it you want?” the Sea King asks, his voice calm.
She raises a hand. “First, don’t try to free your little spawn. The cage is enchanted. If I’m injured—or killed—it will close in on her, and the inner spikes are quite sharp. Would you want to see your little girl torn to shreds? I don’t think so.” She looks at me. “Second, do not try to transcend. The cage is enchanted and blocks all magic in it. And that includes transcending magic.”
“Well understood, Selena,” the king says. “And I assume there’s a reason for the cage, right?” His tone’s so soothing that he sounds as if he’s trying to calm down a scared child.
I look at Lidiane again, who seems more perplexed than afraid.
The queen laughs. “You assume correctly. What I propose is a fair deal. You abdicate your crown, here in front of all these witnesses.” She points around her, at all the guards. “Crownyour son.”She says thosewords through gritted teeth,a dash of fury coating her voice.“Your true son, the one who deserves the throne, the crown, the honor. The only son who deserves your love. Abdicate your title, crown your son, and I’ll let the girl go.”
