“Ah, I see. Well, I was very disappointed to find her gone. She is . . . magnificent.”
“Yes, she is.” I grinned in what I hoped was a mysterious way. “I imagine she's worth any amount of trouble.”
“Is she, now?” Rory held out his arm, and after I stood up and took it, he escorted me out of the room. “She mentioned that you offered to bless her with Love Magic.”
“You interrupted us before I could.”
“Yes.”
“Did you want the blessing?”
He paused and turned to look at me. “What would it involve?”
“A little magic.” I shrugged. “It would ensure that you meet and fall in love with the woman who will suit you best.”
Rory frowned then looked up the corridor, toward his door. “No, I think I'll take my chances.”
I grinned. “Don't want to risk it not being her?”
He slid me a smile. “Perhaps.”
“Even though she ran away, and she's a Fire-Sidhe?”
“I don't know if she ran exactly,” he said. “Perhaps she had a good reason to leave.”
“Are you going after her?”
“I'm considering it.”
“She was that good, eh?”
Rory mimicked my motion and zipped his lips.
“Then you don't need my blessing,” I said.
“Thank you all the same for the offer, Queen Vervain.”
“My pleasure, King Rory.”
A Spriggan guard stood outside the King's open doorway, puffed up to a little larger than Rory. They could get enormous, which was hard to watch, especially since they were generally grotesque, with loose skin like a Shar Pei, bulbous eyes, and thick fangs. Of course, their skin's looseness depended on how large or small they became—the smaller, the looser. And the larger they were, the more proportionate their eyes looked. With this one being somewhere in the middle, everything was sort of halfway there. He bowed as he opened the door for his king.
Inside, the King's dining table was set with crystal glasses, wooden plates, and silverware. A plant set in the center of the table bloomed, erupting white flowers out of its center in a dramatic spray. Light shone from above, mimicking a sunrise and tinting the room gold. If I hadn't just spoken to Rory about Rivella, I would have worried that the King of Earth was trying to seduce me. As it was, I confidently sat down and settled a napkin on my lap.
“Shall I make you a plate, Queen Vervain?” Rory offered.
“I'm fine to do it myself, thanks.” I started heaping food onto my plate.
Rory filled his plate too and grinned when I started eating voraciously.
“Dragon-Sidhe,” I said.
“Please, eat all you wish. I can have more brought in if this isn't enough.”
“Thank you. I'm sure this will be fine.” After a few more bites, I asked, “So have you given any thought to helping me, King Rory?”
“Yes, I have and—”
A knock interrupted us.
