Page 25 of A Bear in a Birdbath

The Queen reached over and stroked Eva’s short hair, interrupting her swell of joy and hope. Eva shook her head in annoyance and the Queen took her hand back rather quickly, probably not happy with the show of defiance.

Well, Eva was done with being a good little pet, and she didn’t care who saw it. She wasn’t afraid anymore, and she wasn’t enamored with the Queen and never would be again.

“Go prepare them for the trial,” the Queen snapped. “Garb them in clothing appropriate for proceedings and offer them refreshment.” She rose and started forming the riddle committee.

Each of the fae that the Queen selected solemnly swore to cast their vote fairly, and she spun them a marble bench and built a courtyard of stone, lace, and vines. They were a motley bunch, some slight fairies with glittering wings, some wild ones with horns and lichen hair, a few with animal halves, and two chuckling giants. This was the greatest spectacle in memory: a troll from the human world, companioned by a cave bear, taking on Faery’s stone champion in a battle of wits for the rescue of the Queen’s favorite lost toy.

The Queen was sometimes like a child, wanting what she couldn’t have, but she was clever and canny, and she had not kept her throne by being reckless or foolish. Her champion was not the brainless brawn that Margo would be expecting, and her fight would be no less fraught for being of words and not swords.

When they reconvened, Margo and Bruno had been given faery robes in gold and red. The gargoyle and the Queen were garbed in silver and green. Eva distracted herself by analyzing the designs and finding fault in the flow of the fabric. She would never put Margo in such bold designs; Margo was subtle and beautiful in a way that wasn’t so showy. And why disguise Bruno’s fine physique with such unnecessary flounce? He’d be better served in something more fitted and understated. Something that flattered his shoulders.

Every magical stitch was purposeful, Eva thought, because image was so much a part of this game.

Margo’s face was set in cool lines, but Eva could see the stress in her neck. Bruno made no effort to hide his helpless fury. He didn’t like this any more than she did.

A woodling banged a gavel from the edge of the jury’s bench. “We call to order this challenge.”

The Queen graciously gestured Bruno forward. “Will you introduce the challenger?”

Bruno had clearly not been expecting to speak, and he looked wildly around. “I am…ah, Bruno. Bruno Bigliotti. I name my mate, Margo Meret, as the challenger, to fight for the hand of Eva Singer. Who is also my mate. I…ah…hope you will judge objectively and…ah…have a good day?”

The jury murmured a little, and laughed. It was not kind laughter.

The Queen stepped forward in a swirl of skirts. “I am your Queen, your loving liege, the Flower of Fae. I name as my champion Gary, my most loyal and trustworthy warrior, as clever in words as he is in blades. I bid you judge fairly!” She blew them a kiss at the end.

Did that count as swaying the jury? Eva ground her teeth in frustration as Margo and Gary stepped forward.

“This timer shall be the limit of the riddle,” the Queen said, handing a golden hourglass to the woodling who was speaker of the jury. “A fair riddle must be given and answered in this time.” She demonstrated its use and the woodling reset it several times to ensure it could be done instantaneously.

The Queen raised a hand into the air and a swarm of fuzzy bees descended onto it. When they lifted away, she had a gold coin in her hand. “We shall flip to see who goes first.” She held up the coin and showed that it had two sides, a crown and a triskelion, their symbolism obvious. She handed it to a member of the jury, who tossed it gleefully into the air and let it fall to the ground. It landed triskelion up.

The Queen graciously gestured to Margo, who stepped forward and gathered it up.

“I’m sorry, do you have a name?” Margo turned to return the coin to the Queen with her brow artfully furrowed. “The rest of us have provided our true names as a part of these proceedings, but you have only supplied a title.”

“You surely don’t believe those rumors that names have power over the fae and are trying to trick me into revealing it,” the Queen said with a smirk, snatching the coin back.

“I am only requesting it as a courtesy,” Margo said blandly. “There is no magical influence permitted, and of course we would honor that as well as expect it, but there is a subconscious advantage to being referred to solely as an honorific, and that may play into the committee’s decisions without intention.”

Clever, Eva thought. She was reminding the Queen and the jury about the magical influence agreement, without making it a point of contention, and she was doing it in such a way that it would be rude to refuse her request.

The Queen frowned, but seemed unable to find a compelling reason not to give it.

“Katerina,” she finally said.

Eva shivered, wondering if the name really did have some power even without magic. She had never known it. The woman had only ever been the Queen, even when barriers of pleasure were dropped.

22

BRUNO

Bruno wished it was a fight of swords or fists. He understood that kind of battle. Someone got pounded until they didn’t want to get up, and that was the end of it.

He wasn’t sure where a battle of riddles concluded, and he didn’t want to look more stupid by asking.

Margo, clever, savvy Margo, gazed at her opponent. “What is it that falls standing, but runs lying down?”

The gargoyle was silent for an inscrutable moment. “Rain,” he said gravely. Bruno was not sure if he’d had to think about it, or if he was just pausing for effect. “What gets wet the more it dries?”

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