:Fifty Blood for each queen,:G said lightly. :Good odds for the Executioner.:
:Plus a thrall somewhere,:Rik reminded.
G patted his thigh where I presume he had his best weapon stashed.:I’m ready for him, alpha.:
“I’m pleased to offer Queen Rosalind three of my own Blood as a gesture of good will among our courts,” Marne said. She didn’t speak any louder, but her voice carried, magnified with magic so everyone in the huge room heard.
“Yes, yes, in a moment, Your Majesty,” Rosalind said. “First, I’d like to present my siblings to you.”
A look of irritation flashed over Marne’s face. Evidently a change in timing from what she’d been told—likely because Rosalind knew something fishy was going on.
“I thought it must be a mistake, but Charles assures me several of my long-lost siblings made the arduous trip from America to be here today. After decades of absence, I feel as though we should celebrate the return of Leonie Delafosse and Isabelle Vasconia to court.”
Polite applause broke out for a few moments. Leonie shot a look of dread mixed with excitement at me.
I gave her a subtle nod.:This is it. We play along as long as we can. It’s possible the thrall may be confused and think you’re still the Dauphine, so slip in some of their kill switch commands if you can. I want to see if Rosalind’s in on it. Rik, be ready.:
An image filled my mind of the rest of my Blood all crammed chest to chest, thigh to thigh, arms locked around each other, standing in the small pool. It made me laugh, which came out like a rattling wheeze from Isabelle’s dry throat.
:We’ll be there before you can even utter the order, my queen.:
53
SHARA
Playing my part, I leaned heavily on Guillaume’s arm as we stepped onto the red carpeted walkway. Leonie went first with Jenrade beside her. Head high, she wore a bright, traditional African print in sumptuous jewel green and purple. Jenrade had chosen to wear a black tux my guys had scrounged up for him, though he’d added a striped animal fur around his shoulders like a cloak.
The liveried man tapped his staff again. “Her Majesty Leonie Delafosse, daughter of Aisha Delafosse, daughters of Oya, Mother of the Nine.”
She curtsied to the two queens and then moved slightly to the left, making room for me to follow her.
The man announced me as, “Her Majesty Isabelle Vasconia, daughter of Eleanor of Castile, daughters of Epona, Protector of Equos.”
G let out a low grunt of surprise in the bond.:A distant relative of my first queen, Eleanor of Aquitaine.:
I allowed my knees to wobble, my body tottering in an awkward curtsey. Then Guillaume helped me shuffle to theside, breathing hard as if the short walk had thoroughly exhausted me.
“It’s so interesting.” Rosalind stared at me. “According to the rolls, you died years ago.”
Allowing the magic to flow and shape my behavior, I nodded my head sagely with a wide smile. “I’m grateful to still be alive, Your Majesty.”
Her eyelids flickered ever so slightly. She recognized Isabelle’s voice. She looked over at Guillaume, and I knew he looked the part of my elderly knight. He ducked his head in a sketch of a bow but didn’t say anything.
Rosalind turned her gaze on Leonie. “The last record I have of you is a visit from Isabelle back in the seventies. Surely she hasn’t stayed with you this long.”
“Forgive me, Your Majesty, for not coming sooner to pay my respects to House Valois. Isabelle took ill during her visit, and I’ve been caring for her ever since.”
Skeptical, Rosalind glanced my way again. Trying to figure out which of us was the imposter. Or how we could both be imposters.
“I don’t believe this is the same Blood you had before,” she finally said.
“You’re correct, Your Majesty. Albin was killed several years ago.” Leonie’s voice barely quivered at all. I doubted anyone who didn’t know her well would have even noticed the emotional catch. “This is my new Blood, Jenrade.”
He bent at the waist. “It’s an honor to serve, Your Majesty.”
The air chilled, and frost spread from Rosalind’s chair. Our breath plumed in soft puffs.
“Perhaps you don’t know whatIknow.” Her voice crackled with ice. “You see, the Dauphine used to sneak into my court wearing the veil. Even though I was her granddaughter and heir, she tried to infiltrate my own nest. It was a simple thing to add an alert to my blood circle so I would always know when sheattempted to slip into my nest. So, you see, I know one of you is wearing a false face. Perhaps both of you. Though I’m not sure how that would work.”
