Page 63 of Knight's End
“Even sprites need warmth.” Her petals drooped. “Maybe they’re keeping her cold to keep her compliant.”
Fury made my insides as hot as a blacksmith’s anvil. I pressed my lips together. I wanted to forget everything else and go yank Avia out of there. “Mayi is her mother! She’s treating her own daughter like a prisoner?”
Donaloo let the scrying stone fade to black as Dini said, “Well, now. Her daughter was raised by strangers. Mayi happens to be in a war against the kingdom that raised her daughter. I can see how she might not know where Avia’s loyalties lie.”
My nostrils flared. “If the bitch had come to me and told me what my mother had done, this war could have been preven—”
“Be careful of could haves, should haves, too. They can wrap you up in wondering, when there are things to do.”
I could have punched Donaloo—that snoutband. My fingers were curling into fists when shouts came in from some of the guards on the parapet behind us. I looked up.
"Messenger on a pegasus, Your Majesty," one called down to me.
I made my way to the drawbridge to greet the messenger. Donaloo and Dini trailed behind. I hoped it wasn't bad news, but my stomach sank when I saw Connor come out onto the drawbridge as well. He’d abandoned his meeting with Fer.
“They spotted one of my fathers through the looking glass,” Connor stated, watching the winged horse gently come to a landing in the field in front of the castle.
My eyes widened when I recognized the man dismounting. "Michael!" I ran forward and embraced one of Connor's fathers. My best friend hugged his father as soon as I let go.
Their hug was long and spoke volumes. Bad things were afoot.
Michael let go first and turned to me. "Your Majesty," he started to bow but I hit him in the shoulder.
"You aren’t allowed to kneel for me."
He smiled, but it was a thin, wan smile. It didn't meet his eyes, which were lined with worry. It was the kind of smile one gave to a dying person, a lie that said everything would be okay, when it most definitely would not.
"What happened?"
"Your Majesty, we are under attack."
I nodded and tried to keep my face neutral. Dammit all! Quinn and Blue hadn’t noted any attacks going on near Connor’s family! I would have yanked them all back to the castle if we’d heard hide or hair of this sort of attack.
I hated that I had to ask, "Which country is attacking you?"
Michael shook his head and ran his hand through his grey hair. "That's the thing. I'm not certain. We're under attack from a rainbow."
