Page 34 of MidKnight
I made a face as I gulped more. “Tell me what I need to know for today.”
“Well, this afternoon, there’s to be a parade through Marscha. You and Isla will ride on a float through the main street of the capital.”
“No,” I groaned. Standing on a cart drawn by horses and decorated with ribbons all afternoon? Pretending to smile? I needed a regent to do those things for me.
“That was the good news,” Connor shuffled slightly backward.
“Sard. What the hell is the bad news, then?” I drank the last of the coffee, ignoring the bitter aftertaste. I’d need it to stay alert during the interactions with Isla ahead.
“We get to meet with Isla all morning to discuss fun items like the border towns of Singah and Jewl, which she claims are still part of Rasle. We get to discuss trading terms and tolls, though really, we’d need to bring to trolls in to discuss all of those in detail, so hopefully—” he ducked as I grabbed the remains of my roll and chucked it at him.
I felt like stomping my foot. I wasn’t ready for negotiation! Not with an experienced queen. Not even with a three-year-old, if I was honest. I was a torn-up wasteland inside. Which meant my head wasn’t where it needed to be.
I rubbed my forehead. “I think I’d rather Abbas bit me again.”
Connor’s lips thinned, and his hands clenched as he said, “You don’t mean that.”
I sighed, “Of course not.” I stood and grumbled, pouring myself more of Connor’s foul-tasting drink. “Tell me what our positions are. What do I say?”
I sat there and listened to Connor, learning my lines and hoping like hell I didn’t choke like the day prior.
It was only as we were leaving the salon that I remembered to ask, “What happened with that bird?”
Connor clapped a hand to his forehead. Then he mussed his dark curls. “Thank goodness you said something! I want that bird to come with us.”
“What?” I stopped dead on the plush red rug and stared. “I thought that bird was a person under a spell. Why the sard would we want him with us during negotiations? What if he’s from Gitmore or something? Sent as a spy?”
Connor grimaced. “I don’t necessarily want him there the whole time. Cerena spelled a cage for him so he can’t attack. I want to see Isla’s reaction to him. He basically arrived when she did. So, I want to see what her reaction is.”
When we went into the hall, Connor asked one of my guards to run up and put the bluebird in a cage and then bring him to us.
The young man ran off, and I whispered to Connor, “Cerena’s sure this thing isn’t out to attack me? It’s not just another Abbas?”
“We spoke with him at length last night, it doesn’t seem so.”
I laughed. “You spoke at length. With a bluebird?”
Connor shrugged. “He was able to answer a lot of yes and no questions. He has a family. Didn’t get to his official species yet. Not troll, giant, two dozen types of fae, or mer-person. He didn’t directly see who cursed him. But he knows who it is. The specifics were a bit difficult to get at, of course.”
I sat back, impressed. Connor really could talk to anyone. Even a bird. It almost made me laugh. But he was so earnest. And he hadn’t slept. So, I bit down on a grin and tried to hold my face steady as I asked, “Really, and what else do you know about this bird?”
“He claims to have been on the grounds for several days, pinning down exact times made him shrug. We asked him about where he came from and when Cheryn came up he went into a tizzy.”
“Could Abbas have done this to him?”
Connor shrugged. “Maybe. But djinn typically deal in wishes. Why wish for someone to be an animal?”
I shrugged. “Hatred?” If I could turn Abbas into a fat little gerbil, I might consider it. It would only be the start of his punishment.
“Well, if Abbas did this to him, then he probably came here for revenge. Though how the hell he thought he’d pull that off—”
I smiled, and my heart grew warm. Someone else might hate the sarding prince as much as I did. “I’d love to let him try sometime.” I imagined letting him peck at the prince’s face down in the dungeon.
“Fat chance, Quinn’s locked him away in the mage’s tower so no one can find—”
“Good morning,” Ember bounded up to me, her black wings bouncing. She was far too excited for what was about to be a mind-numbingly boring event. “Did you hear about the parade later? Of course, you heard. This is my first official state visit. And it’s all so exciting!”
“Yes, it should be great fun later,” I responded, wishing I had her enthusiasm. “Did you and your father get settled into the ambassador’s quarters?”
