And then, to my absolute shock, the shadows of the hearth shift, and then it’s not Sinna in front of me, it’s the queen.
My breath catches in my throat, and I stumble back, nearly falling over my own feet. The queen’s sleeping shift is flecked with black stains from the hearth, but she steps through, followed by her daughter.
“How—” I begin. “What—”
“I told you!” Sinna chirps.
“Quietly,” the queen whispers. “You said Callyn told you we need to play a game.” She looks at me pointedly. “Is this similar to the game I once had to play in your barn?”
I swallow thickly, remembering the day I first met the queen. She’d been kidnapped by the Truthbringers, brutalized and locked in my barn with little Sinna. She pretended it was a game then, too.
“Yes, Your Majesty,” I say softly.
She nods. “Tell me.”
I glance at Sinna. “Lord Alek has learned that the scravers have sensed magic in the palace.” I pause. “And they may be coming to eradicate it.”
She stares at me. I stare back at her.
For months, I’ve known the queen has magic. She’sknownthat I know. But she’s refused to acknowledge it, so I’ve done my best to accommodate her wishes.
But I think of that moment when I finally told my sister the truth. I think of that moment when I finally revealed the queen’s secret. Instead of leaving me weak and vulnerable, admitting the truth finally allowed me to help figure out a way to move forward.
“Does he know?” she whispers.
I hesitate, then nod. “He was coming to rescue me. But once I knew the reason, I had to tell you.”
She puts a hand over her mouth, and for a moment, her fingers tremble. Then she says, “Alek despises magic. Does he intend to drive me out like my husband? Or is this another trick like—”
“What? No!” I step closer to her and drop my voice. “Alek is loyal.” I pause. “And so am I.”
Her eyes search mine. “Why did you tell Sinna to evade the guards?”
Sinna pipes up beside us. “It was part of our game, Mama!”
“That’s right!” I whisper brightly. But then I bite my lip and look back at the queen. “I considered it. But . . . the guards have been implicated. They didn’t stop your—” I break off, glancing at little Sinna, who’s watching us both with wide eyes. “They didn’t stop thegamelast time.” I hesitate, thinking of our moments during the scravers’ attack on the palace, when her advisers and guards were urging her to send the king out into the melee. “Neither did your sister,” I add softly. “I wasn’t sure who could be trusted.”
For the longest time, the queen is completely silent, regarding me. I wish I could read her thoughts, because I have no idea what she could be thinking. Her breathing has a slight tremor, and I realize she’s wary ofme. I suddenly consider how all of this must look: sneaking into her room, using Sinna as a ploy, revealing her magic to Alek. She could easily call for guards right this second and have us all hauled off to the stone prison for conspiring against her.
But the queen eventually scoops up her daughter, situating the little girl on her hip. “Alek warned me about the Truthbringers days ago,” she says. There’s no tremor in her breath now. “I sent word to the king.”
“You did?”
“Yes. But it’s too soon for him to return. Where is Alek now?”
“In my chambers,” I say. “With Nora— if she hasn’t killed him yet.” I grimace. “But I’m not sure how to sneak you past the guards—”
“Oh, don’t worry about that,” she says. She heads for the hearth on the opposite side of the nursery. “I never should’ve shown Sinna, because I’ve regretted this little trick since that day she escaped from the palace. But I’ll showyou.”
“We’re going through the fireplace?” I squeak.
“I told you!” says little Sinna.
“Yes,” says the queen. “Verin and I used to sneak past Mother when we were little.” She draws up the skirts of her sleeping shift and crawls into darkness with her daughter.
For a breath of time, I stare after them. Then, hoping I’m not leading us all into danger, I hitch up my sleeping gown and do the same thing.
CHAPTER 21
