She glanced over his shoulder to where Sorcha and Helly stood before she entered the room with all the regal grace she could muster. Luke was impressed at how quickly she’d regained her composure.
No doubt she didn’t want her Ankou to see her begging and weak. That would never go over well.
Clearing her throat, she moved to her throne and took a seat as if she didn’t have a care in the world.
“I summon you, Elizar.”
Almost immediately, the hooded figure appeared and bowed to his queen. It was said that Ankou were created whenever a fey creature became disfigured or was born with any malady. To keep them from being run off by others of their kind, they were given the ability for glamour, and to shapeshift into a non-repellent form.
Yet that wasn’t enough. According to legend, their jealousy was such that it blackened their hearts. Made them so angry at the “regular” fey that over time it caused them to become even more malformed and twisted.
Once that happened, the Ankou spirit took over, and they were only good for collecting the souls of the fallen fey and escorting them to the Eternal Summerlands.
Unlike Hell, it was supposed to be a wonderful eternity. The fey didn’t have a place of punishment. Turning into an Ankou was their only version of Hell.
To be honest, he’d much prefer theirs to his.
Although now that he was looking at the twisted, hideous creature that appeared to be in extreme pain…
Maybe Hell wasn’t so bad.
“My queen,” Elizar breathed. “What may I do for you?”
She gestured toward Luke.
The moment he turned and saw Luke behind him, he held up his arm to shield himself, screamed and shrank toward the gilded throne.
Appropriate response given Luke’s mood.
“Save me, Majesty.”
Luke rolled his eyes at the whiny tone. “Stop shitting your britches, bruh. I just have a few things to ask you.”
Elizar lowered his arm and peeked around the throne. In any other mood that would be comical. “You’re not here to kill me?”
Luke exchanged a bemused stare with Sorcha. “Really wish you wouldn’t hold that against me.”
Sorcha screwed up her face. “Let’s hear what he has to say first. I might change my mind.”
With a lopsided grin, he turned back to the Ankou. “Then I’d start speaking, old man. My first question, who told you to go after Amandine Dufresne?”
Elizar looked to his queen.
“Don’t you dare lay something at my feet that I didn’t do.” She turned her cold gaze to Luke. “Had I done so, I would have told you. Good or bad, I own my actions.”
“I know you do. So the question is, who else has control of your assassin?”
“No one else is supposed to.” Tanith came off her throne with such force that it made her gown sound like small bells tinkling. “Answer him! Who dared to command you in my stead?”
“Prince Elwin.”
Luke thought he was angry, but the fury on her face far surpassed his.
“Absolute Guard!”
Senka inclined her head to Luke to let him know that she was allowing her hounds to release the queen’s elite guardians.
They appeared instantly around the throne and took a knee before their queen. Dressed in blue and green armor, they made an auspicious sight.
