Page 15 of Midnight Kingdom

“I was not the one who took them.”

“Then who did?” Revenant barks.

Morrigan shakes her head. “I don’t know, but I hope to help you figure it out,” she sighs as she faces each of us in turn. “Is that why you’ve come here, then? To get answers?” There’s something odd about her demeanor—she seems defensive.

“No,” Eilish responds as she looks at Morrigan and shakes her head. “We came to rescue you, to free you from Variant.”

The Midnight queen steps away from us and returns to her position beside the window, where we found her when we first walked into this room.

Flumph flies up to my shoulder. Surprisingly, I don’t swat the insufferable creature. From my peripheral vision, I can see him scowling at the Midnight Queen. “Why I get the feelin’ she don’t wanna come with us?” he whispers into my ear.

I nod my head subtly because I had a similar thought. Especially when the Midnight Queen moves to sit on her bed, looking up at us as though we’re strangers.

“Coming here was very dangerous,” she starts.

“It was,” Revenant responds.

She nods and then exhales. “I wouldn’t feel comfortable knowing you made such a sacrifice for me when there’s nothing I can do to help you.”

“How can you say that?” Cambion asks, shaking his head as he takes a step forward. Morrigan turns to look at him and he stops advancing.

“You want my help in defeating Variant, do you not?” she demands, her expression harsh. “Putting an end to his reign of terror?” The air of superiority in her tone makes me see red for a moment.

“Reign of terror?” I repeat. “Then youwereaware of what has been happening at Variant’s hands?”

“As much as I’m able to learn from this gilded cage,” she responds.

“Then you admit to turning a blind eye to the suffering that’s been occurring in Variant’s name?” Revenant continues.

“I admit to nothing but survival,” she responds in an icy tone. “You saw the lock on my door, but you fail to see the wards in this room because they were not spelled for your eyes to see,” she insists. “This is a prison of my own making.”

“How is that?” I demand.

“Because the very power that keeps me hostage flows in my blood,” she answers and it’s the first time I notice the cold depths of her eyes. “Variant bleeds me of my strength and uses that strength to his advantage. I have no control over it or him.”

“You are a powerful being,” Revenant begins, shaking his head as if to say he doesn’t believe her words. “You’re able to see the past as well as the future.”

“Yes,” she nearly interrupts him. “And I’ve seen what Variant has done in snippets, in visions whenever they choose to come to me. I’ve seen the plunder and witnessed it from this room,” she continues as she faces the prison around her with an expression of defeat. “And I’ve attempted to council him, to get Variant to see reason, but he is lost.” She shakes her head as she pauses.

“And you, of all people, could not help him find his way back to sanity?” I ask, hearing the doubt in my own voice.

“Variant is not the man he once was. His power is exceedingly stronger—and it grows stronger still as he zaps me of my own.”

“We don’t have time to discuss this now,” Revenant says. “We’re on borrowed time as it is.”

“Yes,” Cambion says. “We can discuss this once we’ve safely returned to the Veil.”

“I can’t leave,” Morrigan says as she faces us each and shakes her head.

“Can’t leave?” Eilish repeats, her eyes wide pools of confusion.

“The wards in this room would destroy me as soon as I attempted to escape them,” Morrigan explains.

“Then you’ve already attempted escape?” I ask.

She faces me with regret. “Of course, I’ve already attempted it.”

“Well, we can’t just leave you here?” Eilish asks.

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