Page 25 of Barbi and the Villain

Yeah, this is gross. But surely this is not the way to deal with someone who is clearly suffering? Even I feel sorry for the pain evident in Ivan’s features—and he threatened my baby, which in itself is unforgivable.

The Lady Jocelyn I know, however, would have asked for help or offered him some relief with her powers—she is a healer, isn’t she? Instead, she’s sentencing him to a month in solitary?

My mouth hangs open in shock. Disbelief fills me to the core.

At the worst possible moment, however, PomPom jumps from under the table, sniffing the pavement and heading toward Ivan.

“PomPom, no!” I call out. I know what she’s going to do and it breaks my heart I didn’t think to hold her in my arms to stop her from sniffing that foul substance.

I catch her just in time, wrapping my arms around her. But as I slowly raise my gaze, I meet that of my idol, Lady Jocelyn, for the first time.

I have to control myself to not faint or fangirl too hard. But one look at her expression and I know neither would be welcomed.

She doesn’t look happy.

Damn!

That is until her eyes take in the cute fluffiness that is PomPom and her expression softens—slightly.

“Oh, you pretty little thing,” she coos, leaning down and patting PomPom on the head.

“Lady Jocelyn.” I incline my head, keeping my eyes on the ground. “If I may have a word with you in private?”

“And who are you?” she asks in a disinterested tone.

One glance around and I note that everyone is staring at us with great interest, likely eavesdropping on our conversation.

“My name is Barbara Bancroft. This is my PomPom. We are from a world beyond Akkaya and we need your help to return there,” I say succinctly.

As expected, my phrasing piques her interest.

“A world beyond Akkaya?” She lowers her voice so only I can hear her.

I nod.

“I have heard many things about your magical prowess and that of Sir Damien. It is why I have come to Kiya to meet you in hopes you may be able to help me return home,” I whisper.

She assesses me with shrewd eyes.

“Follow me,” she declares, turning on her heel and going out of the grand hall.

I trail closely behind her, praying she’ll take pity on me. The Lady Jocelyn I know and admire would help me in a heartbeat. But I’m afraid my books may have been wrong on that count too.

As soon as we exit the grand hall, a dozen palace guards follow a few steps behind, their eyes trained on me in case I make any wrong moves. Their proximity stresses me out, but I suppose this is normal considering she’s the Queen.

Lady Jocelyn leads me down a gilded hallway filled with statues of her and the King. Even the marble columns have their faces etched into them. And as we switch from the main hallway to a smaller one, the walls are littered with paintings of them. Few are with the other mages. Most are of Lady Jocelyn and Sir Damien, either together or by themselves.

A shudder goes down my back.

They wasted no time in filling every corner of the castle with their likeness.

“Uhm, where are we going?” I ask when we turn to yet another hallway.

This place is dizzyingly large. And I’ve been cursed with absolutely no spatial awareness, which means that if I tried to escape, I’d likely get lost.

Yeah, that’s not at all assuring.

“There are ancient texts that speak of portals between worlds,” she explains in a sharp tone.

---