Page 12 of Queen of the Wildwood
A grim look crossed the Dark Queen’s face, and her eyes stared into the distance. “Or perhaps I shall kill him for his disloyalty.”
“Please,” I choked out.
I did not want to care what became of Aelbrin. I needed to save myself, save my village, but the vision I'd seen when I touched him came back to me. I saw the firedrake consume his people, the cry of Mother Tree in the throne room, the screams of the wounded, the pleas of the downcast, the broken, the downtrodden, those whom the world would always turn a blind eye to.
“Please,” I whimpered; hands clasped at my chest. “I will do what you ask. I will give you my magic, my soul, anything. Only spare him. This is not his fault.”
A cackle came from the Dark Queen’s red lips. She stood tall, dragging me by the roots of my hair. Heat seared my scalp, and a scream tore out of my throat. I clawed at her hands and arms to fight her off, earning long scratches from her nails. She flipped me onto my back. The stone cut into my wounds, but when the sharp point of her foot slammed between my ribs, I curled up into a ball. A moan came from between my lips as she kicked me again. I felt a rib crack, and breathing turned difficult.
Chapter 8
“Your Majesty,” a male voice intoned, almost with a question.
The queen ceased kicking me, but I dared not look up.
Aelbrin. I knew it in a heartbeat. Did he know why he'd been called there? Did he know what the queen had in store for him? I wanted to warn him but couldn't, afraid if I looked at him everything I felt in my heart would be revealed on my face.
“Sir Aelbrin. My knight,” the queen quipped. Her brutal grip suddenly let go, and she stalked toward him.
I whimpered. How futile it would be to hurl myself at the queen's feet and beg—again—for her to change her mind?
“My queen—” Aelbrin began.
A snap of her fingers effectively cut him off.
“Aelbrin. I am displeased,” the queen said, shades of darkness in her tone. “I heard from Raven that you brought me a gift, a gift you tarnished by stamping your scent on her.”
“My queen,” his deep voice held no emotion. “She was naked when I found her. I gave her clothing.” His eyes chanced a glance at me, quick as the flutter of a hummingbird’s wings. “That is all.”
“Naked. Clothed.” The queen gave a mirthless laugh. “That's how you hope to escape your fate? Why didn’t you deliver her yourself?”
“You and I both know you'd rather be left to deal with new subjects as you see fit,” Aelbrin reminded her.
“Oh,” the queen spat. “Then you will not care if I take her magic and do away with her useless life.”
Aelbrin’s breath whistled between his teeth.
“Aha,” the queen snickered. “You do care. I thought as much. It has been long since you let your emotions overrule your decisions, Knight. This woman came here to save her village, a village she brought doom on by destroying the Sisters of the Light. But I see her as a lesson for you and a source of magic for myself. Now, I give you a choice. I can kill you, end our bargain, and let this woman walk free. Perhaps I will even grant her a boon since she seems desperate to save her village. Or. . .” The queen waited, giving a chance for her words to sink in. “I can killherand let the people of her village die. It's up to you.Knight. You choose who lives and who dies. Mabon draws nigh, and my monsters need a chance to enjoy the spoils of being good all year long. Tell me. What do you choose?”
I dared to lift my head and saw the queen stood with her back to me. Aelbrin faced her, head down, eyes lost in thought as he considered the impossible request. I wanted to end this, to save him from this choice, but how? There was no fleeing. The Dark Queen would hunt us to the end of the earth. And there was no magic savior.
My gaze scanned the throne room and landed on the ash tree. Gnarled roots, scorched with fire, stood out. If I could reach one of those hollow branches, perhaps I could do something, anything, before dying.
I began to crawl, even though my back cried out against my movements. My elbows dug into the stone floor, and I eyed the chained slaves, but they continued their languorous movements, eyes on their work, chains clinking as they turned the coals over the fire. As I crawled, I heard Aelbrin speak up.
“You ask much of me. As always. I would request that you reconsider, for no matter my decision, innocent lives will be lost. If you wish to punish me, then do so. Only leave the innocent out of this.”
“Bah,” the queen snorted. “No one is innocent. This you know to be true. I gave you a choice, now end this once and for all, for if you don't choose, I will.”
Aelbrin’s voice sank lower, the edges of pain bleeding out. “Your Majesty, I would remind you. How long have I been your servant? How long have I served you without question? Have I ever broken my word or betrayed your trust?”
Her piercing laugh seemed as though it would shake the foundations of the castle.
In a movement so quick I barely caught it, she snatched a fistful of Aelbrin’s tunic and yanked him near, as though he were not as solid as a rooted tree. “You think I don’t know?” she said. “You've become bold. I saw the wolf you healed, the fox you saved from the orcs. I saw you grace the owls with your presence to learn the music of the night.” She leaned close. “You took extra game to the village to feed the elders. You watched this woman and kept her safe from Raven whenever she snuck out to visit the graveyard. You think I don’t know what you do when you’re not here, in my presence, but you forget. I see your comings and goings. You have grown soft enough to believe you can cross me. Retribution was always coming, but this woman makes it all the sweeter.”
Aelbrin said nothing, but I sensed his anger all the same.
“But,” the queen continued. “If you would spare the innocent, so be it. Take up your sword, oh knight of mine. Step forward and slay the woman.”
