Page 5 of Kill the Queens

Of course, Idalia too wore red. Blood red. Diamonds were arranged on the bodice and skirt to form little tear drops that only gave more of the illusion that the queen had swum in the blood of her enemies. And she had several of those. Perhaps even two of them were in this very room.

Farah could taste the tension between them as she finallymade her way to her throne. She sat across the way from Sienna's empty seat and tried her best not to look at it. Sienna's staff sat against it, the power of it calling for her to take it on. She would too. Farah had already set her mind to it. No one else was leaving this room with that staff. Particularly not Idalia.

That magic. That power. That strength. All of it would be hers.

Idalia swept a strand of hair that had fallen over her shoulder, reaching all the way down to pool in her lap, behind her. Her lips parted as she took a small breath and released the tightness of her jaw. This only caused her brows to furrow as if Idalia didn't fully know how to relax. It looked strange when she forced herself to smile.

"Nothing changes," Idalia started.

But everything was changing, Farah thought as she gave her sister a calculated glare.

Ambrose finally cocked her head as she turned herself to the conversation. "We must still find kings?" Her voice made the question sound...distant and vague.

Idalia nodded. "All the events we have planned will stay planned."

With her staff propped in the small hole in her armrest, Farah's fingers curled against the throne. She wanted to reach for her staff but knew that would be seen as a terrible insult. There was enough war outside their walls.

"We will find kings. With or without Sienna we must still meet the needs of our country. We double the guard. Everywhere." Idalia bounced her gaze from one sister to the other.

Anger was already steaming up from the tips of Farah's toes and boiling inside of her stomach till it burned like acid in the back of her throat. Idalia had it all planned out. She didn't have any intention of asking either of them what they wanted.How typical. Farah was sure the plan was to meet whatever unspoken need Idalia had. That's how it had always been even before the magic. These staffs...these bits of power...had only made it worse.

"The Fae are coming," Ambrose muttered. "Fae will be everywhere. Or nowhere. They could be watching now."

Those voices were talking in Ambrose's head. Farah could tell by the way Ambrose's gaze went a little hazy. Ambrose, to her knowledge, never told Idalia about the voices. When Farah found out she had begged her to keep it a secret. If her sister was losing her mind she couldn't let anyone else take advantage of her. She wouldn't.

"We defeated the Fae once; we will do it again," Idalia said as if it had been that easy the first time. They’d lost everything to defeat the Fae. They’d lost the people they’d grown up with. Their family. Their home.

"And of the staff?" Farah finally spoke up. She held her sister’s gaze as it locked on her.

"I can take it back with me. For safe keeping."

"No," Farah said, too quickly.

Idalia's eyes widened a fraction and Farah could feel Ambrose's intense gaze shift to her. She smiled at their attention even though she could feel the way she wanted to retreat. She took her time letting each of her fingers relax from the grips of her chair and leaned back into the seat.

"I suppose you think that it should come with you?" Idalia purred. She too gave a little smile.

Farah wanted to slap that smile right off her gods damned face. That was the smile she'd always gotten when she got her way growing up. Farah wasn't sure what that meant now, only that it made her angrier.

"The Fae were just in Sienna's territory. We all know that my castle is closest to hers which means they are more likely tohead my direction. I think it is only fair that I have both staffs to protect myself with. It makes sense." Farah looked to Ambrose to agree but Ambrose was staring off at the ground now, a finger twirling a loose curl. She was on her own for this.

"Plus," Farah made a show of picking at her nails, "I'm next to find myself a king. It just makes sense that I'm the next target and should then protect myself as such. Wouldn't want Sienna's power to go to waste like her corpse."

Ambrose frowned at that. Idalia's lips twitched but she managed to keep the smirk that bothered Farah so much. It was true though. They hadn't given Sienna a funeral. None of them had even bothered to go and look at her body. From what Farah had been told by the gasping messenger her body had been torn to bits, charred and singed. They couldn't really have salvaged that anyway.

"Fine." Idalia sighed and waved her hand. "Take the staff."

She knew Idalia expected her to say 'thank you' or something of her gratitude that she'd been given what she wanted. Farah kept those sorts of words tight behind her teeth. She was a queen too after all. Nothing made Idalia bigger or better than them. They shared Pasia inequalparts.

"Does anyone else know that Sienna is dead?" Idalia asked. She didn't bother with Ambrose who was now tipped back in her seat, her head tilted up to the ceiling.

What did she see up there?Farah chewed on her lip as she worried.

"I killed the messenger and sent warlocks to work on the memories of anyone who lived and witnessed anything. Though it sounds like that is few and far between. They're spinning stories that Sienna has gone off for vacation in the countryside for the time being."

"How odd," Idalia mused. "One would think that theFae would want it to be broadcasted that one of us had fallen. Nevertheless, I think we should keep it between us."

"The story of Sienna's little vacation won't last forever."

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