Briony smiles and steps toward me, placing a hand on my shoulder. Pain lances up my arm and I yelp. Callum yanks Briony off me while I’m whimpering and clutching my shoulder. What in the gods… What is happening?
“Your Highness,” says Lord Iywan. “What seems to be the problem?”
I don’t even know when he arrived. I’m still reeling from the sudden pain in my shoulder.
“Your mother has requested no visitors. And that includes you. My hands are tied.”
I turn to each person one at a time. Is this a nightmare or has everyone gone absolutely mental? “My mother couldn’t possibly give such a command because she isunconscious,” I say loudly.
Iywan stands tensely, his shoulders squared. “Princess, before you say something else slanderous about the monarch of this nation, I would suggest that you retire to your bedchamber for the night.”
Slanderous? My jaw slackens. “What now? You’ll accuse me of treason?”
Callum doesn’t hesitate this time. He places his hand on the small of my back and steers me away from the chaos.
I have no words. I barely have thoughts.
My head is even woozier as we trek back across the castle. A servant rushes by, and I call out to her. “Yes, Your Highness,” she says, dropping into a curtsy with a tray held firmly in her hands.
“Send Ellynne and Lowri to my bedchamber.”
“Yes, Your Highness.” Another curtsy and she’s off.
Once we’re standing in front of my door, Callum turns to me. “Carys…” His eyes are wide, and his voice unsteady. His fear is unmistakable, almost suffocating. “Something strange isgoing on.”
“No shit, Callum.” I say louder than I mean to. “This is… mutiny, right?”
“If we were on a ship, yes.”
I grunt in frustration.
“I’ll be out here.”
With another grunt, I step into my room and Callum shuts the door. I yankThe Book of Agrynaand theErleyan Book of Folklore and Fairytalesout from beneath my bed and place them atop the mattress. I have both open in front of me as Ellynne and Lowri barge through the door without even so much as an announcement.
“What happened?” Ellynne demands.
“I couldn’t even begin to explain,” I mumble as I trace a passage of sacred texts. Even though it is written in the Ancient Tongue, some sentences are out of sequence, and some have dubious word choices. As though whoever wrote it was not as well-versed in the Ancient Tongue.
The bed sinks as Ellynne crawls onto it from the other side and settles in beside me. “Callum says that the Queen’s Guards turned on you?”
I pinch the bridge of my nose and exhale slowly. “Yes.” My voice is not nearly as tense as I am. I glance up briefly at the sisters. “I’m not sure what’s happening. I think Iywan is trying to overthrow me. They’re all claiming that the queen ordered that no one, including me, enters her bedchamber. Which is impossible, because she has been unconscious for weeks and she wouldn’t say no to visits from me.”
Would she? I swallow a sob. What if it’s all true? I flip through pages aimlessly to distract myself. I need sleep. Maybe Durvla will somehow dreamwalk to me again. Maybe if I fall asleep focusing on her. “I need more wine.”
The bed shifts as Lowri walks away. I’m confused for a moment until she reaches for the bottle of wine left on my vanity. I didn’t even realize I’d spoken aloud.
“You donotneed more wine,” Ellynne says.
Lowri returns with a goblet, but before I can take it, Ellynne snatches it and downs the whole thing.
I stare at her, exasperated, before snatching the goblet back from her. “My own advisor and the Queen’s Guards have turned against me. I need more wine.” I don’t turn away from Ellynne as I hand the goblet back to Lowri.
Ellynne sighs heavily in resignation. “Fine.”
I lose track of time as I pore over the books, trying to cram as much of the information into my mind as I can, trying to commit it all to memory in case I need to wield it like a weapon somehow. My eyes grow heavier and heavier, my stomach churning, my head woozy. I’ve yawned so much by now that my jaw aches. I close the books and set them in the drawer of my nightstand.
Beside me, Ellynne is dozing off as well. I glance to the window to find the sun still shining, but the fight to stay awake grows futile. “I’m… going to take a nap,” I tell the ladies. I try to focus my dizzying thoughts but it’s difficult.
