Page 57 of Queen of Ever

‘With someone sympathetic on the throne of both courts,’ Marietta said.

‘And who do you suppose that will be?’Cassian asked.‘Even if we could get you on the Seelie throne, Tarian is another story.’

‘He’s not as bad as you think he is,’ I said, automatically coming to his defence even as I felt a trickle of shame at how detached he’d been when he’d spoken of attacking the rebels.There was so much he just accepted that he shouldn’t.Maybe I was beginning to understand why that was, because sometimes detached was the only way to be when you felt like you had no power to change anything.A bit like I’d been when I was younger and caught up in psychiatric wards being treated like I was crazy.I’d had to learn to say what the doctors wanted to hear, to squash down my feelings and bend my reality until I was left alone.But there was another, softer side to him.I’d seen it.He’d at least been willing to listen to me about the changelings when I’d broached the subject with him, I was sure he’d listen to reason about the lesser fae, too.He’d never demonstrated the kind of disgust or prejudice towards lesser fae that I’d seen in Solas.Sure, he treated them with curt impatience, but that was how he treated everyone.Surely, he could be prevailed upon to implement some change in the Unseelie Kingdom if he was on the throne.

He would.IfIasked it of him.

‘Evenifthat was true, getting Moriana’s arse off that seat would take nothing short of a miracle,’ Cassiansaid.‘It’s a lot of moving parts, no matter which way you look at it, and a lot of problems to solve.War is the simplest way.’

‘And the most deadly,’ Marietta said.‘We hardly have the army to go up against both courts.’

‘For now,’ Cassiansaid.

‘Having our strategy meeting early, I see,’ a new voice said.We all spun around to see who had spoken.

A petite woman stood at the end of one of the winding pathways down the crevasse, draped in a green dress with long flowing sleeves and a hem that didn’t quite reach the ground, revealing a peek of bare feet covered in soft brown fur.Her ears were pointed like a High Fae and were adorned with bronze cuffs and earrings.Her cheekbones were high, her tanned skin flecked with white.Her eyes were big and round, making her look young, and they were the most brilliant green I had ever seen, with dark rings around the edges.Perching on her chestnut hair was a crown that looked to be made of bone, strands twisting around each other like the roots of a tree, and a giant emerald sat in the centre of it.Small antlers protruded through her hair around the crown, holding it in place.It didn’t take a genius to figure out who she must be.

‘Your Majesty, we were just on our way to see you,’ Cassiansaid, bowing his head low in respect.

‘It seems you got a little side tracked,’ she said mildly.She seemed perfectly calm and patient, with a curl of a smile to her lips.She walked towards me, and I realised how short she was, coming only to my shoulders.‘My name is Sylara, and here they call me queen, though I doubt your friends in the Seelie and Unseelie courts would agree with that title.I’ve been looking forward to meeting you, Imogen.’

‘You have?’I asked, my confusion showing in my voice.‘I was under the impression that I was a prisoner.’

Her eyes flicked down to the marks on my wrists, then back to my face.‘You’ll have to excuse Cassian, his heart is in the right place but he can be… overly cautious.’

‘I hardly think it was excessive,’ Cassiansaid defensively.‘She’s mated to the Unseelie prince and engaged to the Seelie King.’

‘I amnotengaged to him,’ I snapped.

‘He knows that,’ the queen said, quirking an eyebrow at him.‘Come,’ she said, linking her arm with mine as if we were equals.‘We have much to discuss, but first I think we should get you settled in and cleaned up so you’re more comfortable.’

‘We hardly have time for—’ Cassianbegan, but he was cut off with a wave of the queen’s hand as she led me up the curling pathway she’d been standing on moments ago.

‘After our guest has had a chance to eat, we will discuss the future,’ she said pointedly, leaving no room for argument.

We walked in silence for some moments as she led us through an opening in the wall and down another winding passage of the underground hideaway.I had so many questions, but I wasn’t sure where to start or if I even should start.Why had this queen wanted to meet me?What was she hoping I could do for her and her cause?How long would it take for Tarian to find me?

Finally, we stopped outside a door that was lit with purple lanterns.It was a strange, ornate wooden thing that looked out of place in the compacted dirt wall.Cassianopened it, quickly jumping in before the queen could do it herself.The room was small, though bigger than the one I’d been held in before and furnished strangely.It was bizarre to see beautiful antique furniture in a room carved out of the ground.But I was glad to see there was a bathroom.

‘Marietta has already found you something to wear.I’ll send someone in with food,’ the queen said.‘A bath has been poured in the adjoining room, so you should use it.I know this has been a lot to take in, but try to relax a little.Take some time to think about what you’ve seen here today.’

‘We can’t just leave her here unguarded,’ Cassian protested.

Queen Sylara considered him for a moment, her head slightly tilted, before she nodded.‘Very well.Stand guard outside her door if you must,’ she said.‘You personally and no one else.’

Cassian let out a frustrated sigh.‘As you wish, Your Majesty,’ he said before turning on his heels and heading out the door.I had no doubt he would stay there.

‘We’ll leave you to get settled.If you need anything at all, feel free to ask Cassian.He’ll be sure to arrange it for you,’ the queen said, loud enough for Cassian to hear.A smile tugged at her lips as he muttered irritably to himself.

She and Marietta left the room, leaving me completely alone except for my silent and disgruntled guard outside the closed door.I blew out a breath, hand raising to rub some of the tension from my shoulder.There was no way I was going to get out of here.For starters, I had no idea where to go to find the exit.And there was no way my guard was going to let me wander around unsupervised.There was nothing to do but exactly as I’d been told—soak in the bath, clean up, and think about what the fuck was going on here.

Tarian, where are you?I wondered as I headed into the little bathroom.

Chapter 23

Tarian

Myfootstepsechoedthroughthe hallway, timed against a pounding refrain in my head.Find her, find her, find her.I’d tried.I’d taken to the skies on Melaie, tried to follow my instincts and the thread between us in a clear direction, but it was faint and the choking dread that had clamped around my throat made it almost impossible to focus on.My sense of Imogen, of where she was, seemed to dip in and out, leading me to a stretch of land in a fork in the Sunder that I’d circled over and over again, seeingnothingthat suggested she was anywhere nearby, or ever had been.

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