With the last dregs of his strength, he pushes himself to his feet and wobbles away into the darkness.
But he is just one man and this is just one horror. All around me, the torture continues. One bonfire over, a group of fae have begun a game that I think is supposed to be some kind of replica of the Wild Hunt, tonight’s party theme. I only know because they keep yelling “Hunt!” at the tops of their lungs. In a circle, around the bonfire, they chase a girl, who scrambles on her hands and knees, a deer mask pulled over her face.
I march over, mustering all the authority I have, and shout, “Enough!” But it’s as if they don’t even see me; they just dodge me on their next lap around the fire.
I bend and help the girl to her feet. She’s petite, her mud-stained dress in tatters. I suspect she’s a few years younger than me.
“Go home,” I tell her like I told the other man. “Please, I beg of you.”
Her mud-caked hands pull at the mask on her face; the overlarge eyeholes make it look something like a skull. Her own clear blue eyes are visible through it and she’s crying.
“I can’t,” she wails as she pulls. The mask is enchanted, I realize. Some awful fae tricked her into this game with a bargain. “He told me I could join the court.” She hiccups. “I can’t even go home. My parents will know I’ve been here. Who will marry me now?”
I turn to the group around the fire. “Undo it.”
They don’t react.
“I command you. Undo it!” I say louder.
A large man, wearing a child’s christening dress as a scarf, belches, then looks up at me. “That was Westcott’s spell. He’s gonenow. Sleeping or something. I don’t know.” Then he takes another sip from his goblet and returns to his conversation.
I’ve wondered, in the months since our wedding, why Bram keeps me around. Why bother with the trouble of making me queen when he has no intention of being loyal to me, or letting me participate in any official royal business.
Now I suspect it’s because he knew I’d never get any respect from his courtiers. Even with my title and my status, I am utterly powerless. A joke, even.
Perhaps I am nothing better than Bram’s pet, and he’s enjoying torturing me the same way the fae around these bonfires enjoy their games. He keeps me close because it’s fun to see me suffer.
It’s either that or he feels some kind of affection for me, but that is even harder to wrap my head around.
There’s a tug at my shoulder and I turn to see Rhion, his handsome face knit into an expression of confusion.
My stomach sinks. Tonight, I was supposed to be perfect. Instead, I’ve made a scene, screamed at Bram’s court, and only further demonstrated my loyalty to our human subjects.
“My lady, you seem unwell. Let me accompany you home.”
“Oh,” I say weakly. “Yes. Thank you, Rhion.”
I bend down to the girl in the mask and lower my voice to a whisper. “Come see me in the morning. We’ll find Westcott together and force him to break the bargain.”
She sniffles and Rhion pulls me away.
I cast one last look at the bonfire. The girl is back on her hands and knees as they chase her, the antlers of her mask silhouetted in the firelight. I don’t know how else to help her. I’ve never felt worse about myself than I do in this moment.
Rhion leaves me at the steps of my home with kisses on both cheeks. Like Bram, his skin is the same temperature as the cool air around us.
“I’m sorry about tonight.” I put on my best act. “I was rather hoping we could become friends. After all, you and my husband are so close, and we are neighbors.”
Rhion smiles, and it lights up his whole face. “I’d like that as well, Your Majesty. Come call on me in the morning. We can discuss our newfound friendship over breakfast.”
Breakfast is early for a fae courtier; most don’t wake until late afternoon. He is unusual, indeed.
“I’d be honored,” I reply with a fake smile.
“There’s so much I’ve been meaning to discuss with you, so many human customs I’m desperate to know more about. For instance, is it usual for a lady-in-waiting to run errands in disguise?”
“I’m sorry?” I ask, confused.
“One of your ladies-in-waiting, the ginger girl. Wears a lot of green?”
