Unfortunately, Silvia doesn’t leave me alone for a second. She pulls her velvet rope again and a servant appears with a glass of water. He hands it to me and I pretend to take a sip. I don’t think she would go to the trouble of poisoning me a second time, but I’m not willing to take the gamble.
“Since we didn’t get to have our talk as planned,” I say, keeping my voice light despite the fear clawing at my throat, “perhaps we could do that now? While we wait for Fox to...” I let my voice trail off, unable to finish the sentence.
Silvia’s face brightens instantly, her eyes gleaming with an eagerness that seems out of place given the circumstances. “Oh, I would love that,” she breathes, leaning forward. “Areyou feeling well enough to stand? I wanted to show you my workshop.”
“Yes, of course,” I reply, getting to my feet. “Is it close by?”
“Oh yes, just through this door.”
She points across the room to another door, and I finally get the chance to really take in the room. It’s her bedroom, I think. It looks similar to the guest room Fox and I stayed in, but much larger and more lived in. There are bookshelves lining the walls, a wardrobe the size of my entire sleeping loft at home, and a large telescope facing the window, its eye pointed toward the sky.
Silvia has walked across the room to another door, which she pulls open, revealing the base of what appears to be a spiral staircase.
My intuition pounds at the back of my skull, and I sit back down on the bed. “On second thought, I’m still feeling a bit unwell. Could we stay here?”
Annoyance flashes across her face, but she covers it quickly. “Of course. We have all the time in the world for you to see the workshop. Maybe we can even work together.”
“I’d like that,” I lie. “Does that mean that magic is permitted in Thermia after all?”
“Well, for us it is,” she says, as if this is obvious. “It was so unfortunate that I had to outlaw magic for the rest of the kingdom, but it was just too dangerous. Too many people were getting hurt. I couldn’t bear to see another child suffer because of unchecked power.” She looks down at her hands. “Sometimes, to protect people, you have to make hard choices. That’s why it’s so difficult to be the queen.”
“How did you become Queen of Thermia?” I ask, keeping my tone conversational. “You never got a chance to tell me before this happened.”
“The last Queen of Thermia raised me as her daughter,” she says, solemnly. “It wasn’t until I was thirteen years old that I discovered the truth, that my real mother had been under my nose the entire time.”
My eyes widen. “She was?”
Silvia nods, her nose wrinkling. “She’s been one of my nannies and magic tutors. I confronted her about it, and something... broke in her. She was angry and unstable. She cast the curse on Vernallis too, you know.”
“Yes, I knew that,” I say slowly.
Silvia gestures with both hands as if to say:“Well, there you go.”
“She was very disturbed from the beginning. She betrayed both of us before we were even born, promising to give her child away. Then, she cursed me and our entire kingdom. That’s why we’re locked in this perpetual winter. The curse even killed my mother—the Queen, I mean, not the maniac who unfortunately birthed us—and I’ve been alone ever since. Until you, that is.”
“What happened to her?” I ask, leaning forward.
Silvia laughs. “Does it matter? She didn’t deserve to live after she killed my mother.”
“You killed her?” I ask, unable to keep the tremble out of my voice.
Silvia looks over at me, frowning. “I probably should have, but no,” she sighs, examining her nails. “I imprisoned her in the west tower for her crimes, and frankly I think I should be given credit for being so merciful. You really can’t understand unless you knew her as I did, but of course that’s not your fault. Don’t worry, I don’t blame you for feeling attached to the idea of our mother, but I promise you that we’re better off.”
All I can do is nod, unable to force myself to agree with her. At least now, I have an idea of where Fox and the others mightbe, assuming that our mother isn’t the only prisoner in the west tower.
Silvia doesn’t seem to have noticed my lack of reaction. She has spotted a hang nail, and is examining it closely, frowning. She bites off the tip of her nail, examines it again, then folds her hands in her lap. When she looks at me again, her wide-eyed expression is back in place.
“Anyway,” she says, in an affected tone. “Ever since then I’ve been trying to end this terrible winter. If I could just break through the ice...” Her voice cracks. “I’m sure my mother is still in there, preserved. I could save her, but I—” She looks down, her lashes casting shadows on her cheeks. “I don’t have enough power.”
I don’t believe a word she’s saying, but I force my lips into what I hope passes for a grateful smile. “I’ll help you.”
She beams, clapping both hands together in excitement. “Really? You would?” Silvia’s face lights up with childlike delight. “We should start right away!” she exclaims, already half-rising from her seat.
I place my hand on her arm. “Before we do that,” I say carefully, measuring each word, “I want you to do something for me.”
“Anything,” she squeals. “Whatever I can do, I’d be happy to.”
I meet her eager eyes and force myself to hold her gaze. “I want you to free the wolves.”
