The Caster Queen nodded her head sagely. “Wise advice. And I will strive not to trick you in your fine state.” Then she stared pointedly at me. “Mayhap, next time, don’t smoke anything if you do not know what it is. Especially, from my kingdom.”
Standing behind the other rulers, King Athon rubbed at his face briskly. He wore blood on his bare chest. In fact, most of the rulers had splatters of it on their persons. The Gorgon King’s white attire showed it the most. When solid black eyes met mine, he asked bluntly, “Princess Trixie, are you lucid enough to be here right now?”
“I believe so.” I nodded pertly. “Have you killed the Fae yet?” There was no tortured body lying on the rock floor, so it made me wonder where the captured Fae had been stowed away.
Father groaned quietly and slapped his free hand over my mouth, his attention snapping to the Misfits. “She knows not what she talks about. Please excuse her.”
Red Louie chuckled softly. “If you say so.”
“It is someone’s death day.” Blue Louie smirked, with his deep, deep voice resounding in the quiet. “Would you like me to tell you whose it is?”
“Ah, Louie.” Gold Louie’s voice squeaked like a mouse. He dropped his head and rubbed at his overlarge, green head. “Don’t tease them. It isn’t nice.”
Which Louie he meant was up for debate.
Then Gold Louie’s head jerked up, and he skipped to me merrily. He tilted forward and pressed himself against my front, his tiny, bony body barely reaching the bottom of my chest. He pressed a huge, pointed ear to my stomach…and giggled.
King Athon stiffened and glanced at my father sharply, while my eyebrows puckered in confusion at the gremlin.
Father quickly yanked me away from the Misfit and barked, “Do not touch my heir, Louie. I will not stand for that.”
Unexpectedly, laughter burst out of Red Louie. He shook his head side to side in his humor. “I wish I could be there.”
King Elon’s serpentine eyes, molten green with a vertical red slit, danced back and forth between my father and me. “Has Princess Trixie found her soul mate at such a young age? Is your heir with child already?” He looked…excited.
I snorted. “No, I am not with child.” Then I looked at my father. “I wish I could kill him. When ishegoing to have an heir?”
Father sighed again. “My apologies, King Elon.”
The Gorgon King simply shrugged. “I know what she speaks of. It is quite all right.” He grinned and his long, shamrock green braids twitched just so.
Queen Alora’s high pitched voice instantly grated on my nerves. “May we stay on task for once?” She twirled her lush ponytail of pink, purple, blue, yellow, and green locks around a pointed finger, and her solid sky blue eyes with white sparkles throughout gazed right at me. “Do try to keep up during this discussion, Princess Trixie. It is my kingdom we are going to this time. And even though I highly doubt I want to hear what you have to say, it may be required from your addled mind.”
I used my free hand to massage my right ear. “I am listening.”Unfortunately.
Father groaned hard. “My apologies, Queen Alora.”
My eyes rounded on my face. “Did I say that aloud?”
“Yes.” Queen Alora snickered meanly. “At least, we’ll know if you are lying.” After a tense moment, where she and I measured one another’s will, her merfolk eyes turned to the silent gremlin in black. “You may proceed, Louie. Everyone is here now.”
Fae, do not let her talk overmuch.
I would take King Elon’s hissing over her voice any day.
Fortunately, I didn’t say that audibly.
I smirked, quite pleased with myself.
King Athon eyed me warily, not taking his regard from my face, as he stated, “Yes, Louie. Please carry on.”
Black Louie stood from where he had been sitting cross-legged on the rock floor. The timeworn book he held was opened and lifted to his face. He stuffed the tome right up against his nose, smashing the stretched, green appendage down. The pages appeared blank like normal, but they were not. The Judge of Shadows had written that book in shadows, and Louie began reading aloud from it, “When the sun looks down upon the realm, you will begin your journey.”
Instantly, I barked, “High noon!”
King Elon peered at me and hissed drolly, “Yes, I believe we understood that, Princess Trixie.” His reptilian eyes tracked to Red Louie. “But which high noon, I wonder.”
Shrugging my shoulders, I continued to smile.
