Elida made a face like she swallowed something wrong. She still wore her hat, and her suit was as impeccable as ever, today an olive green. Something about it had been bugging me since I saw her at dinner.
“I’m afraid I don’t know where the queens are at any given time, Erith. I’m right here, same as you.” Her smile remained but her expression had changed completely in the past two seconds.
“We need to speak to them. To the White Queen,” Anika said. “There must be a way to contact her. Tell her we want to see her.”
“When the White Queen decides to see you, she will,” Elida said, fists tight, knuckles white. I noticed from where I stood, a few feet away from the group.
“It’s urgent. Send her a message and tell her we want to speak to her, that it’surgent,” said Russ.
“Tell her it’s about the trials,” said March—but it wasn’t. It was about the Red Queen. Not that they toldme,but it was an easy guess. I’d seen them whispering in each other’s ears throughout the whole day, and I bet they planned to talk tothe White Queen about her sister since both Mimi and Erith claimed they knew she’ddone something.
“I will,” Elida said, but I would be very surprised if she actually made the effort to send a message to the queen. “I’ll send word. I’ll tell Her Excellency it’s about the trials.”
She wouldn’t.
The others exchanged looks, confused, unsure. Only March showed with his whole face that he didn’t believe her for a second.
Clapping her hands together, Elida smiled again. “Any other questions?”
I had several, but I chose one. “Is there a library in the palace?” Because Jinx was of the mind that books knew all the secrets of every second to have passed in the Clockrealm and every second that would come to pass. If Master Talik wasn’t going to tell me anything about the Labyrinth, maybe I could find books that could.
“Oh.” Elida was surprised. I thought maybe she expected a different question. “Yes, actually. There is one on the second floor, south wing. Feel free to check it out whenever you like.” A grin. “Now, off to your baths, all of you. Breakfast will be waiting in the eating hall.”
Second floor, south wing. Fora second there, I must have malfunctioned because I could have sworn Iknewthere was a library there.
Elida stepped aside to let us through, and the others moved slowly, heads down, flinches on their faces. They hurt everywhere and they were exhausted—and I was no better. But as I passed by Elida, there was something about her scent that poked some unknown thought in my brain. It was strange to fight against instincts and senses that knew things differently from your own mind—but I knew her scent. I could have sworn I had smelled it before, and I’d seen that olive-green fabric, too.
On a vest and on a hat.
So, I stopped, and as the others slipped out the door, I looked at Elida.
“Keep going,” she sang, never letting her smile drop, not yet.
“Where is your brother?” I wondered. Because her facecouldbe a male face as well, and in my head there was something that insistedit had been.Strange, I realized it, but she did say that her brother had been our warden before.
Her smile faltered again. “Why?”
“No reason. I’m only curious.” Which was the truth.
The way she fidgeted with her fingers wasnota good sign.
“He’s around,” Elida said.
“Can I see him?”
“I don’t see a reason why.”
“But he was with us in the original trials. Why isn’t he with us now?” If Master Talik had remained the same, and Asha and Hector as well, why had her brother not stayed, too?
“Because he can’t. He’s unwell, and I offered to fill in for him. Why—you don’t think me a competent warden?”
The way her voice slightly shook—with anger. Some part of me wanted to reassure her that shewasa competent warden no matter what I thought was the truth.Just say it!—but of course, I didn’t. If she was angry or hurt over something, it was her problem, not mine.
So, I said, “Good day,” and I walked away.
March was there with his shoulder resting against the wall, watching me in the hallway when I exited the arena. The sight of him like that, his silhouette was exactly like the one I’d drawn, and I had the overwhelming urge to drag him all the way to my bedroom and show him.
Again—of course I didn’t.
