“Sorry. I guess that's a modern word. It means I'm referring to a potential outcome.”
“Ah, I see. Potential.”
“We all want to live up to our potential. I think you'll do just fine, King Rory.”
“So, you'll help me?”
“To find out what's happening in your kingdom and to find your wayward lover?”
“Yes.” He grinned.
“Sure, King Rory. Just as long as you get me back to my time.”
“Thank you, Queen Vervain.”
“No problem. I've always wanted to be in a fairy tale.” I took the glass slipper off his lap and sniffed it.
Yeah, I was sniffing another woman's shoe. It made me feel pervy for a second, but I got over that fast. A shoe has a lot of scent in it, and Rivella's scent, her true scent and not some pretty perfume, quickly registered with my dragon senses. My mind turned the smell into a very particular shade of orange-red. I don't know why my mind does this when I use this skill, but it sure made it easier to track people. One glance, and I could see where they had gone.
But Cinderella had never been in my room.
I stood up and headed for the door, taking Rivella's shoe with me. “Take me to where you last saw her.”
Chapter Fifteen
I followed Rivella's trail from the Earth King's bedroom, through the castle, and out the main doors. The Trolls pushed them open for us, then stood aside, bowing to the Earth King.
“Must you go on foot to track her?” Rory asked me as I sniffed the air.
“No. Order a carriage,” I said.
“How about horses? She may have gone off the main road and horses would handle that better without a carriage to pull.”
“Do you think your horses will be all right with a Dragon-Sidhe rider?”
He considered that, then said, “Unicorns will do better.”
I just managed to hold back my squeal.
I've lived in Faerie for years, but I'd only seen unicorns a few times and never ridden one. My delight grew when an Earth-Sidhe boy brought me my mount—a lavender unicorn. Lavender! The little girl in mean was doing backflips.
The unicorn stamped its crystalline hooves and tossed a matching horn, catching the fading light. That horn was everything it should be—spiraled, iridescent, and as translucent as Rivella's slipper. I stopped myself from touching it, knowing that was a no-no. The saddle strapped around its lavender belly was made for war since unicorns were mainly ridden by the Earth Fey to war. But the Fey didn't do ugly. It was sturdy, sure, with sweeping panels in front to form a sort of shield, but it was also made of white leather and silver—the leather waxed to a glossy sheen and the silver worked deep into it to form swirling designs around the edges and in the corners. The pommel was pure silver, carved with leafy vines and flowers. Just gorgeous, but who wore white to war? The Fey, that's who.
I climbed up in the saddle, hiking my skirts to ride astride and not giving a pixie's patootie about it. I was riding a lavender unicorn. This had just made falling into history worth it. But then I frowned at the late afternoon sky. It probably wasn't the best idea to go roaming the Earth Kingdom after dark. Oh, screw that. I was the Queen of Fire, and I had the Earth King with me. What could go wrong?
“Her trail goes down the road there.” I pointed.
King Rory rode up beside me on a teal unicorn with a black horn. I tried to pay attention to him and not his mount, but it was difficult, especially when the unicorn fixed its glittering gold stare on me. Internal jumping jacks commence!
“Queen Vervain?”
“Yes?” I looked up at Rory.
“You need to lead.”
“Oh. Right.” I nudged my unicorn's side with my heel, but it didn't move.
“It's a war mount, Queen Vervain,” Rory said. “You'll have to be a bit more forceful.”
