Helena exhales through her nose, irritation flickering across her features.
"I'll be there!"
She straightens, all sharp elegance once more.
"We all have our secrets, new girl," she says lightly. "But we also have our obligations. Come with me."
I nod mutely and follow her down a corridor lined with private doors. She's protecting me. Giving me cover.
She pauses at the door and turns to me. "Don't worry. When I am inspired, my voice alone is enough to undo a person completely. You're safe with me."
The room is dim. Candles burn low in wall alcoves, throwing soft light across silk-draped walls and a settee wide enough for three. I see our patron the moment we enter.
Aelfric.
My knight stands near the low table, shoulders rigid. For a moment, the world tilts.
He cannot see me.
The mask hides me. I am only another imitation in a house full of imitations of the Elven Queen of Aelfheim.
Helena glides forward with effortless grace.
"I'm looking for my friend," Aelfric says, his voice tight. "An elven knight, golden hair. We were meant to meet here."
He's looking for Garrett. Are they hunting information too? I press myself further into the corner and say nothing.
Helena settles beside Aelfric as though she has known him for years. "Your friend is a no-show? What a coward."
"Something must have delayed him." Aelfric's jaw works. "I'll wait."
"Mm." Helena lifts the ledger from the side table and glances at it. "But it seems your friend has already paid. For two." She sets it down. "A generous coward."
"He did what?" Aelfric straightens. "I don't need this. I'm only here to meet him."
"I'm Helena." She gestures toward the corner without looking at me. "That's Fawn."
Aelfric's eyes find me briefly. My heart stops.
Please. Please don't look at me.
He doesn't recognize me. The enchanted mask holds.
"My name is… Garrett," Aelfric says stiffly. He is a terrible liar. The worst liar I have ever seen in my life.
"I'm just waiting for my friend," he adds quickly.
"Of course," Helena says pleasantly. She pours wine into his cup anyway. "But waiting is such a lonely thing to do."
Aelfric doesn't drink it. He sits with his hands on his knees, the picture of someone trying very hard to be somewhere else.
Helena doesn't push. She simply stays beside him quietly, until the silence does the work for her.
"This isn't right," Aelfric says after a moment. He gestures vaguely at the room, at her, at the silver wig and the mockery gown. "What they're doing tonight. The queen doesn't deserve this."
Helena tilts her head. "You admire her."
"She is my queen."
