Page 28 of A Bear in a Birdbath

“Margo,” she said, as if it was very difficult. “Brave, clever Margo.”

“I lost,” Margo murmured. “I’m sorry, I lost.”

“But you came for me,” Eva said adoringly. “You both did.”

“Wait a second now,” Bruno said. “I get a chance to challenge, too, right?”

All the attention in the court landed on him. “You do,” the Queen said, swinging the ends of the gold chains. “But you can only challenge for one of them.”

“You’d make me choose?”

“Take Margo!” Eva cried. “Take Margo and go free!”

“Take Eva,” Margo protested. “I’m stronger than Eva.”

“Can I trade myself for the freedom of both of them?” Bruno asked, in his hopefully golden retriever fashion.

The Queen looked between them all in disgust. “I could just keep you all,” she said. “Choose, cave bear. Choose one to challenge for, or lose them both.”

Margo cleared her throat. “Well, technically…”

“Don’t quote Code at me, troll,” The Queen snapped. She twitched the gold chain and Margo could feel the reprimand vibrate through her boot.

With effort, Margo didn’t flinch. “Bruno has three days to decide. He can take that long to make up his mind before you force it on him.”

The Queen’s beautiful face was considerably less beautiful as she pursed her lips. “Very well,” she said at last, settling back in her chair waving her hand as if it didn’t matter very much. “You may enjoy the hospitality of Faery for that time.”

Margo already didn’t think much of the hospitality of Faery, but she gravely nodded. “Than—” She caught herself. “Your majesty is fair.”

At her feet, Eva touched the Queen’s foot hopefully. “Please, may I be with them during these? Show them the wonders of your realm?” She didn’t have to say that it might be her last chance with them.

The pain in Margo’s chest from her failure was twisted deeper watching Eva plead with the Queen, who looked down at her confidently. “Go and be with them one last time,” she said with arch graciousness. “Even if he succeeds, one of you will be mine forever after that.”

24

EVA

All the beautiful places in Faery that Eva had missed were even more beautiful when she showed them to her mates.

The wish falls were crimson in this season. “Be careful,” she warned. “The stones are slippery, but if you wish unwittingly, it will still come true.” Scarlet water scattered over stones like wine and feathery rainbow ferns grew in fringes all around the little intermittent pools. Singing reeds whispered little songs of promise and pretend, spinning stories from fish dreams.

But more beautiful than the sight of it was the way that Margo looked around in wonder, and how Bruno breathed in deep, reveling in the chocolate scent of the afternoon fog and the cedar smell of the evening rainbows.

Eva watched them more than the marvels, drinking in the dear planes of their faces and the flicker of their expressions. How had she ever thought that Margo was stone-faced? Was it possible that she’d only known Bruno a few short days? They were so familiar and right, and they followed her fearlessly up into the tree canopies and across the rope bridges over the ravine of broken dreams.

They slept the first night in a mossy grove and Eva woke when the stars were being strung for the morning constellations, feeling a familiar tug as she opened her eyes and found herself somewhere else.

The Queen was no less lovely than ever, and Eva braced herself for the aching pull that never came. She was beautiful, naked except for her flower-adorned hair, but Eva knew what love was now, and had no need for empty faery splendor.

“You know your thrall has no power over me now,” she reminded the Queen. “Why did you bring me back?”

“I missed you. I missed what we had. Did I truly never mean anything to you?” The Queen’s expression might have been artfully pained, but Eva couldn’t be sure. Even without magic, she still had the power to hurt Eva’s heart.

“I never had the freedom to find out,” Eva pointed out. “You were my Queen. We were never equals, even before you enchanted me.”

“But you adored me before,” the Queen insisted. “You made me a dress of starlight flowers and sweet grass that made the court weep.”

“I loved making that dress,” Eva admitted. “It was inspired, and I was the happiest person in Faery when you wore it and then when you let me take it off of you.”

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