“Holy slimy pixieballs, it’s the prince himself!”
As we approached, the professor stepped forward, clasped his hands behind his back formally, and bowed deeply from the waist, almost doubling over. “Prince of the Westerlands and all of the Southern plains,” he boomed in a loud voice. “Conqueror of the Twelve Isles, Heir to the throne of the Crystal Castle. Your Highness, you are most welcome in my Domicile.”
The enormous Rottweiler at his feet gave a rumble.
“Don’t worry about Bonbon,” the Professor added. “She’s already given you the green light. You are who you say you are.”
I bent down and gave her a scratch behind the ears. “Hello, Bonbon. It’s good to see you again.”
The enormous dog writhed under my touch.
Donovan stopped a few feet away and glowered. I glanced up at him, confused by his sudden hostility. “You’re fooling no one, Ahdeannowyn,” he said, his voice low and cold. “You are Elonn fae, the keepers of knowledge. You see how the chess pieces move before the game has even begun. You are not surprised to see me.”
“Oh, I am.” The professor kept his head sandwiched between his legs, still bowed. “Of course, the probabilities were there, but they were not in favor of you coming here yourself.” He chuckled sheepishly. “You are High Fae, but even more than that, you are Heir to the whole Kingdom. None of us had our money on the fact that you would embark on this mission to stop the Devourer yourself.”
Donovan let out an exasperated noise. “Does the entire Upper World think so little of us?”
Professor Owen hesitated. “Your brother is the Devourer, Your Majesty. We know what you are capable of.”
My eyes swung between them, fascinated, and a little horrified. Maybe Donovan knew more about tyrants than he was letting on.
“I have responsibilities,” Donovan said, his tone ice-cold. “You understand responsibilities, Ahdeannowyn. You are the guardian of your realm’s spark stone. You knew it was in danger, so you brought it here, to the Middle World. You came here specifically to entice the One of Every Blood so she would close it for you.”
“Of course I did. I would do anything to protect themagic of the Scribes, even if it meant taking our stone out of the Upper World.”
“You knew who she was,” Donovan’s voice grew impossibly colder. “You knew that Susan Moore was the Chosen One. You knew that she was unaware of…everything,” he growled. “You could have helped her.” Suddenly, the darkness in his eyes lifted, and he seemed a little uncomfortable. “You may rise.”
Slowly, Professor Owen rose until he was standing. He placed his hands up, palms out, as if trying to placate a thunderstorm. “Before you rip my head off, Your Highness, please remember your own words. We value knowledge above all else. The Chosen remained unaware of her nature until now. So until now, she was quite effectively hidden from those who might have harmed her.”
Donovan hesitated for just a second. “She has suffered.”
“Diamonds are formed under pressure.”
Donovan glared at him for a minute, then, finally, he turned to me. “Chosen. Will you leave us to speak in private for a moment?”
“No,” I said immediately. “Oh, God, no. I don’t want you to fight.”
Professor Owen chuckled. “It wouldn’t be much of a fight. That man could kill me with his pinky. In his sleep.”
Bonbon let out a whine.
Donovan bent his head, staring directly into the hellhound’s eyes. “I will not physically harm your master or you. You have my word.”
“Okay,” I said tentatively. “I’ll leave you to it. I’ll, uh, just go in, shall I?” Suddenly, my nervousness overwhelmed me, and it had nothing to do with Donovan or Professor Owen.
The professor opened the door behind him and boweddeeply again. Soft music, cackles of laughter, and enthusiastic conversation drifted towards me.
I am a strong, confident woman. I am in control.
I took a deep breath, lifted my chin, and walked into the dining room. All the conversation stopped immediately. If this was a movie, I’d hear a record scratch.
“What the hell are you doing here?”
Chapter
Eighteen
Adozen faces stared at me, expressions ranging from astonished to totally horrified.
