We took a few turns, went down more corridors, and then came out into the throne room. I thought I'd been there before, for Guirmean's wedding to Nora. But either Guirmean had changed the throne room's location or he had married Nora in a ballroom because this didn't look anything like that place.
The space was long and narrow, with branches of pink polished (and therefore dead) coral forming columns that stood scattered around the room with no order to them. The floor was sandstone, or the fey version—a pink, glittering stone, speckled like sand. And it looked seamless. As if it were liquid, it flowed up to a dais at the end of the room. There, seated atop a massive throne whose coral back branched into a pink fan, was Queen Dubheasa.
Of course, everything was pink in that room. She probably demanded it match her stupid pink, opalescent hair. Hoover dam it all, I hated how pretty she was. So delicate looking, with mother-of-pearl skin and lean, elegant limbs. I'll bet her breasts never needed a bra. They just sat where they were supposed to, all perky and firm. The only feature of hers I didn't like—I mean apart from her evil soul—was her stare. Dubheasa's eyes were a pale green, and that was fine, but they were also fish eyes. Big, round, sclera-less fishy eyes. Ew. Dragon eyes are cool; fish eyes are gross.
As usual, Dubheasa was dressed in ethereal garments that suited her appearance, long lengths of fey silk draping her slight body. Her hair sat atop her head in a froth of curls spun with pearls and pierced with white coral hairpins. She lifted a graceful hand tipped in delicate claws and waved us forward.
“Nori,” The Water Queen purred. The rest of what she said was in Fey.
Nori brought me to the edge of the dais and bowed. He smacked me as if he wanted me to bow as well. But I wasn't going to do that. I stared the bitch right in the eye. If I was going to wreck the future by meeting her, I'd go out in a blaze of glory. I was a dragon after all. Blazes were kinda our thing.
Dubheasa's stare twitched. She said something to Nori. He replied. Finally, they slipped into English.
“Why do you only speak English?” Queen Dubheasa demanded.
“Long story,” I said.
“I have time.”
“I don't care how much time you have. I'm not telling you. Neener, neener, neener.”
Her fish eyes widened as Nori groaned.
“She is an unusual woman, my Queen,” Nori said. “And impossible in so many ways. You'll soon notice that her speech is odd in addition to being English. I believe King Arach has done something rash to get himself a bride who can bear his children.”
“A spell?” Dubheasa looked even more interested. “You're saying this woman is the result of a spell?”
Huh. I hadn't thought of that. Sure, that could work as an explanation. Arach had cast some kind of major spell to make me or summon me from another time. Interesting. Either way, I was going to do what I should have done all along and keep quiet about the truth. It was bad enough that I was meeting Dubheasa. I wasn't about to tell her I had come back in time.
And come to think of it, the whole reason the Fey made rings of remembrance was to remember. They lived so long that their memories had to fade or they'd probably go insane. And with time moving faster in Faerie, when we did meet again, it would be unlikely that Dubheasa would remember my face. Now, a name might be a different story. So, we were sticking with—
“Samara, is it?” Queen Dubheasa asked as she stood up and came down the dais.
“That's right,” I said.
“I don't need you to answer all my questions.” She lifted a hand to draw her nails down my cheek.
I lifted my hands to intercept her.
The guards around the room stepped forward, their hands going to their swords.
Dubheasa laughed merrily and lowered her hand. “I don't even need you to be subservient to me. I rather enjoy that you're not.”
“Good. Then we'll get along just fine.”
She cocked her head. “All I need from you is your existence. You are valuable, Samara. More valuable than you know. Your king was a fool to let you out of his sight. But I am not a fool. For you and my silence, I will demand tribute from him. A great tribute.”
“Good luck with that.” I leaned forward to growl, “What you're gonna get is war, bitch. War unlike any other you've been through. The rules are gonna fly out the window like water draining out of your ocean. King Arach is going destroy you and your entire kingdom if you try to keep me from him. And he's not going to hold back. We're talking real war like the humans do, with real death. This ocean will become a bowl of rotting fish and fey flesh.”
The faeries around the room gasped.
Dubheasa did not. But here hands trembled and her stare fell away. “We shall see, Samara.” She waved at the guards who had accompanied us. “Take her to a guest room.”
The guards bowed, but they didn't grab me, only motioned me toward the door. Respectfully. As we left, Dubheasa said something to Nori in Fey, something in a sexy drawl. He was staring at me with worried eyes but his stare quickly shot to his queen and a smile softened his lips. Nori went to his queen like a puppy, and she pressed a kiss upon his lips before drawing him away.
Well, at least he was going to get laid for his trouble. I hope Dubheasa rocked his world because I was about to bring it all crashing down. Either I or my husband.
Chapter Thirty-One
