“The queen is here,” I whispered to Clarke, and he nodded, crossing the room and waiting at the base of the steps.
‘Okay, get lost. I’ll meet up with you after,’I told my familiar.
‘Fine, but I want it noted that I do so with regret. I would very much like to see Queen Soulless again,’he growled.
I covered a grin at the new nickname.‘Complaint noted.’
The footsteps echoed off the basement walls, and I steeled myself. I had yet to have a pleasant encounter with this woman. Her two Royal Guardsmen arrived first, decked head to toe in the royal armor of The Gilded City. Then came the queen, wearing a sleek and stylish pastel-blue pantsuit. Following her was a fae I didn’t recognize, but from the looks of her tattered apron and dirty shoes, she was a fellow Westie.
“It’s wonderful to see you, my queen. To what do we owe the pleasure?” Master Clarke bowed deeply.
Queen Solana waved her hand, acknowledging him, and then flicked her wrist to me. “I’ve been meeting with my council to brainstorm a way to get my nephew back, and they’ve come up with a fabulous idea.” She grinned at me then, and it felt like ice-cold water had been dumped into my veins.
I swallowed hard, bracing myself for whatever she was about to say or do. This woman hated me beyond words right now. All trust was lost, and I knew whatever she was about to say would not be in my favor.
“Misty is a beloved and loyal housekeeper in my palace.” Queen Solana motioned to the woman with the apron, and the fae blushed, curtsying deeply. “And she is of low magical talent and therefore a prime candidate to switch powers with Fallon.”
Master Clarke and I shared a confused look.
“Switch?” Master Clarke asked, and I was grateful because I felt that the less talking I did around the queen, the better.
Queen Solana nodded, pursing her cherry-red lips. “It’s clear that Miss Bane has the power to steal someone’s magic and replace it with her own, like she did with Ariyon, and so now she will do it with Misty. I cannot have my greatest healer be a Bane!” She roared the last part, and I flinched.
Ohhh, she wanted me to have Misty’s low-grade fae powers and for Misty to be the new Maven healer.
“Umm.” Master Clarke looked alarmed at the suggestion. “Not to question your council, my queen, but—”
“I listened to you and schooled the girl,” she said, cutting off Master Clarke and pointing a finger at him, “instead of locking her up. Look where that got us!” She snapped a glare at him.
I had to say something. “You seriously think I know how to do that? You think I had any clue what I was doing when I switched with Ariyon?” I laughed, but it was cut short the moment the queen shot me an icy stare. “I just wanted to save his life. I have no idea about the specifics of what happened, and there is zero way I could replicate it,” I assured her.
The queen’s nostrils flared, and her lips thinned to a line. “Lies,” she growled.
I rolled my eyes. “Really? And how many lies have you caught me in?” I removed my glove and held my hand out to her. Both guards stepped closer to me, mistaking this for a threat, but the queen just sighed.
She had used her power on me more than once in an effort to catch me in a lie but had yet to do so. And she knew that even though I had healing power now, it still hurt to be touched. I wouldn’t offer this if I were hiding the truth.
“Oh, drop your hand.” She waved me off and then started to pace the room. After about a minute, she stopped in front of Clarke. “This could get me dethroned! You think The Gilded City fae are going to put faith in someone who cannot even control one child? It’s time to cage her.”
A whimper left my throat as my stomach dropped, and I took two large steps backward. Had she built a cage that could hold me already?
‘Permission to enter,’Yanric bellowed in my mind.
‘Denied,’I shot back. My heart constricted, and a rush of adrenaline shot through me. The idea of being locked up for the rest of my life caused panic to flood my system, and I beganto eye the exit. If I somehow got away, maybe I could hide in the outlying towns past Isariah. My childhood hometown was a three-hour walk south, and past that were many more villages and cites in the realm I could disappear in.
Clarke scoffed at the queen. “How will she learn to get Ariyon back if you cage her?”
My heart calmed slightly at that rationale.
The queen pulled a thumbnail to her mouth and began to chew. I’d never seen her so uncomposed and…frazzled. “What do you suggest?”
“Let Master Hart and me work with her on healing—”
Solana barked out a laugh and shot me a glare from across the room. “Have you cast a spell over this entire school to see you as some deity?”
“No, your majesty. I haven’t learned spells yet,” I said honestly, and Master Clarke’s lips curled.
The queen marched across the room and stood two feet from me, causing the breath to freeze in my throat.
