Ten minutes later, Dedalus followed him back into the office. They both bowed (Dedalusbowed!) and sat down in chairs on the other side of the desk from me.
“Bylur’s curse explains everything about you except one thing,” Dedalus said without preamble. “Why do you care now?”
I tipped my head, confused by the question.
He elaborated. “He belongs to Queen Daneira. You can safely assume you’ll never see him again. You can rule his house, steal outright without apology, and essentially do anything you’ve ever wanted. Why die trying to bring him home?”
My expression hardened. “Because I love him. We might have married as a means to an end, but that means is everything to me now. And it’s a good thing too, since apparently his friends already count him as dead.”
Dearan had the grace to drop his eyes, but Dedalus met my gaze. “He let himself fall to the queen. There is nothing you can do. You should not waste your life as well.”
I raised a brow. “Dedalus. That almost sounded like you care.”
His perpetual frown lifted into an almost neutral position. “Any respect I had for Bylur would ask me to keep you alive. And I’m not opposed to you continuing to live.”
I snorted. “That’s high praise from you.”
“You’re not completely intolerable. Don’t ruin it.”
I sighed. “I am going. And if neither of you will help me, I’ll take Ivodar and Rat and a triple dose of hope to make up for all you pessimists. We will get him back.”
Dedalus rubbed his forehead. “You don’t scare easily enough.”
I blew out a burst of exasperation. “No, I’m absolutely terrified. But I’ll pretend like I’m not afraid until I win. I’ve been in hostile castles before, and I’m still alive.” I’d never sought out an evil queen before, but there was a first time for everything. I stood up and rubbed my hands together. “So. What do you have for me?”
Dedalus stared at me for a long minute. I stared right back because it seemed like the gateway to getting his advice. Long after it became awkward, he stood up. “Fine. I’ll tell you everything I can think of, but I don’t think it will be enough to keep you alive.”
I forced my best smile. “I’ll take whatever you can think of.”
He waved at my dress. “Change into something a servant would wear so you don’t stand out. Don’t takeIvodar or your bird. They’ll draw attention. You can sneak around the same way you did when you first came here.”
“She has no idea where she’s going,” Ivodar protested.
“Fine,” Dedalus said. “Take Ivodar to the border. Before you cross the footbridge, though, you have to go on yourself. The queen has spies and soldiers reporting everyone who enters Kerebos and highlighting anyone suspicious. As a human, you’ll catch their attention immediately. Bring a soldier and a squawking parrot, and they’ll question any story you make up.”
My mouth twitched, and I couldn’t help the small smile. “Are you telling me to make up stories, Dedalus?”
His scowl deepened. “If you want to stay alive, you’ll need something to convince them you’re not a threat. I don’t know if they’d buy a maid looking for work, but whatever you think of will be ruined with a bodyguard and a bird.”
I couldn’t leave Rat behind. I’d never done anything dangerous without him. “What about a performer?”
Dedalus cocked an eyebrow. “Do you have any performing skills?”
I bit my lip. “Rat can do tricks—”
He shook his head. “No. Performing, especially having a bird perform, will draw too much attention. You want to slip in without notice, confront the queen without threatening her, and leave alive. You can’t do any of that with a soldier and a bird.”
My eyes bulged. “Confront the queen?”
“Now wait,” Dearan said at the same time. “What happened to keeping her alive?”
Dedalus half turned to face both me and the other noble. “She can sneak in, but she can’t sneak Bylur out. He’s bound by magic. The only way she can break it is with more magic. Unless you had a better idea?”
Dearan snapped his fingers. “Brilliant! Auria, you do have a chance! Much better than trying to kill the queen.” He slapped Dedalus’s shoulder. “I knew there was a reason we kept a grump like you around.”
Dedalus ignored him and faced me again. “You’ll have to think of a bargain or challenge. Something she’s sure she’ll be able to win. And make your prize Bylur’s freedom. Make her say the words and seal the arrangement with magic. You should get a magic tattoo on your wrist to show it is binding. Then beat her and bring your husband home.”
I bit my lip. This sounded both impossible and completely doable. Impossible to even consider going up against a magic queen. But a challenge or bargain I could win? Surely I could think of something.
