“Are you certain there’s no way out of this?” I asked the Paragon one last time. “I can’t believe there isn’t some ancient bylaw made in case the night mares picked an incapable ruler—or even just a national law that could give me the right to refuse.”
The Paragon shook his head. “No such law exists—to my knowledge. In any fae Court, once you are made ruler, you stay the ruler until the day you die. It’s why coups among the various Courts can get…bloody.”
I’d done some research in my week, so the news didn’t surprise me, but it was still crushing to hear. I absently rubbed my aching chest. “Okay. Thank you.” I glanced out the window—watching as cornfields and the occasional thicket of trees were gradually replaced with more and more houses. We were nearly to Magiford.
The Paragon pushed his glasses up to rest them on the top of his head. “When we get to the mansion, your Court is going to be waiting for you like a flock of vultures. It’s technically tradition, but since you are an unknown entity to them it’s your first impression on them, and their first chance to politically attack you.”
“They sound friendly.”
“The fact that you are already queen will help you,” the Paragon said. “Even more so that it was the night mares who bound you—they haven’t chosen a ruler that way in over a century. It’s very rare and considered to be a great honor.”
“It’s an honor I could do without,” I said.
I had spent more time with the night mares over the past few days—between my practice sessions with the Drakes who mercilessly drilled me until I could be called a fair shot—trying to sort through my mess of emotions. It just about destroyed me that they’d made me queen, but somehow, as I petted their dull coats and laughed when they lipped my hair, I couldn’t bring myself to hate them.
The Paragon adjusted his ring, popping the bubble of magic that surrounded us. “Given that we have almost arrived, my offer is rather late, but are you comfortable? Do you want music on, or more air conditioning? I’d offer you tea, but I’m afraid to report that your driver has a lead foot—isn’t that right, Azure?”
The naiad—gorgeous with her blue tinted skin and the faintest brush of opalescent scales across her forehead and dusted across her high cheekbones—didn’t even blink in acknowledgment.
I, however, was majorly distracted by the bomb the Paragon had just dropped. “Wait,mydriver?”
“Indeed. Azure is under your employment, and this is one of the cars that belongs to the monarch of the Night Court. As queen you inherit it all: the mansion in Magiford, the luxury condo in Chicago, the lake house in northern Wisconsin, the cars, the stables, the Night Realm and the palace there, everything in the treasury—all of it.”
I stared at the Paragon, my brain already crashing.
“I made an inspection of your inheritance in the months between Queen Nyte’s death and the day the night mares were set loose. I didn’t want anyone squirreling anything away from you—as has occasionally happened in Courts with outside inheritance like the Night Court,” the Paragon grimly said.
“I’m going to have employees,” I said, a new kind of dread building in me.
“Yes, of course. You have your officials and advisors. But there are also the maids, the stable employees, a few accountants, gardeners, guards, and the rest,” the Paragon casually listed.
“I’m twenty-two. How on earth am I supposed to manage all of them? Do I have an HR department?”
“HR? Goodness, no. They are under your rule.”
“That’s even worse.” I rubbed my eyes and tried to keep my spirits up. “I knew I should have gotten my degree in business management instead of communications!”
The Paragon ignored my moans. “You will find that you can delegate. Your steward will be among the most important positions you fill as he or she can manage most of your house employees and act as a go-between for you and your Court officials. You’ll also need to hire a director of security to train, organize, and recruit guards, which will take most of that work from you as well.”
I opened my mouth to ask more, but the Paragon kept going, blocking me from asking any additional questions. “If you look outside, you’ll see we are now on what passes as Night Court land in the human world. While this land here is technically under your rule, the individual houses are owned by the various fae and nobles that make up your Court—though I believe the apartment buildings belong to you.”
Curious, I peered outside as we rolled down the road.
We passed a few apartment buildings that were constructed out of darkly colored bricks and dark blue siding with a fairly modern appearance. All of the apartment buildings had sprawling gardens attached, which stretched out between them. Not surprising—wewereamong the fae. I was a little animal crazy, but I was pretty tame compared to the rest of the fae, who were practically the hippies of the supernatural world.
A few blocks later and we were driving through what felt like a regular suburban neighborhood. The houses were cute and square with dark blue or gray siding, and an excessive amount of landscaping considering the fairly small lots.
The longer we drove, the bigger the houses and lots grew.
Soon, we were driving through McMansion-ville, and I was gawking at the beautiful houses and amazing gardens.
“The Night Court lands begin about ten minutes north of Magiford and cover a large, half circle area, with your property at the center. You, naturally, own the largest property—which includes the large amount of land that makes up the other half of the circle. Most of your personal land is contained in a wildlife preserve, a very small lake, and some sprawling gardens. You should be able to see the house shortly.”
The road plowed through a thick patch of woods, and then opened up onto a pristine lawn that stretched around a massive mansion, which looked like it was doing its best to imitate a castle.
Constructed out of deep gray brick with three turrets and at least four chimneys poking above the slanted, almost gothic-like roof, it was obvious the architect had a thing for British manors. The medieval shape of the house, however, was overshadowed by the massive windows that stretched through every floor of the house.
Guess I won’t be running around the place with bed head and my pajamas anytime soon!
