Page 31 of A Game of Queens
"I don't know Skolos or Medusa, but I do know how to use mirrors to protect myself."
"I'd rather have a pack of wolves any day. Or at least a couple of weapons. What does a mirror do?"
"The best defense against light is darkness, but when you lose the cover of night, you use the next best thing."
"Their reflection?"
I shifted around slightly so I could lay my head against the seat but still see him if he tried to touch me again. "Not the reflection of an image, but a reflection—and magnification—of their greatest strength, their brightness. Sunfires love the sun, but even they can't stand against their own blinding brightness."
"Tell me more." His voice lowered, a deep, soothing rumble. I still didn't trust him, but I was starting to understand him more. He would definitely bite the hand that tried to loop a rope around his neck. Luckily for him, I had no such plans. What would I do with a rabid wolf on a rope? "Close your eyes, Karmen. Breathe deeply. Allow the past to flow over you, rather than chasing and forcing the memories to come."
I closed my eyes slightly, but I couldn't stop checking on his location every few seconds through barely cracked eyelids. "That's the problem, wolfman. I don't want to remember."
"You can call me by name, you know."
I huffed out one of his grumpy grunts. "Can I? When you haven't told me what your name is?"
"You've got me there." He laughed softly. "Eivind Ironheart, king of the wolves."
"King, like you said I'm a queen?"
"Not exactly. You have power from your goddess, whoever She is. I was given the ability to shift into a wolf when I was born. Our kind usually have to swear to a queen to get that kind of power."
There was a heaviness in his words that implied secrets and regrets, things that he didn't want to talk about. Naturally, I wanted to prod those areas and drag the truth out of him. "That's why you're scared of me? You think I'll somehow force you to swear to me?"
In the darkness, I couldn't see much of his features, but I could hear the growl rolling from his chest and the hair on the back of his neck stood on end. A tuft of hair bristling up along hisskull. A warning, like a cobra's hood.He didn’t like that I’d said he was afraid out loud. It wounded his ego, even if it was true.
"It happens all the time. You queens are so fucking powerful that you forget we're living beings with wills of our own. I won't be taken, Karmen."
"Good." I yawned, trying to keep my eyelids partially cracked despite their increasing heaviness. "I don't want to take you in any way, shape, or form."
"So you say now. But when you remember what you are..."
I knew who I was, at least at my core. I was a survivor. I knew that much. I'd endured things I couldn't make myself remember. But I was still alive, and that's all that mattered. Now that I had my freedom, I'd do anything.
Anything.
To stay free.
6
KARMEN
Ijerked awake, disoriented and sick with sudden fear. My throat closed off. My heart pounded frantically. I sat upright so quickly that I smacked my head on something hard. The small pain helped push the dregs of sleep away.
"Hey," a man said softly, holding his hands up peacefully. "It's okay. You're safe."
It took me a moment to remember who he was. Eivind, the wolfman, who'd given me a ride from the hospital. For the first time, I could see more of his features. Shaggy reddish hair hung around his shoulders and covered his chin. Brown eyes with a hint of amber watched me carefully, as if I might bite or run away. He wasn't sure which.
To be honest, neither was I. But where would I run? I didn't know this place, world, or time, as if I'd been in another dimension entirely. Until I understood more about this world, he was my only source of information. He'd been helpful so far, though I didn't appreciate his doubts. I supposed that I couldn't blame him. Maybe nobody knew what sunfires were in this world. If so, they were extremely lucky.
Then it dawned on me. I couldseehim clearly. I turned my head, ignoring the stiffness in my neck from sleeping in the car. A fresh wave of terror flooded me, making me gasp softly. The sky was lightening with the rising sun. It was dawn. It might already be too late.
"We're here," he continued. "I called ahead to make sure we could get a room to your specifications. I don't know how nice it'll be, but they do have an interior room with no windows. The manager thought I was crazy asking for it. Evidently, it's their overflow room and they only have guests in it during racing season, when all the hotels closer to the city are booked."
Breathing hard, I fumbled at the door, trying to figure out how to open it. I thumped on the glass, but it wouldn't budge. In my panic, nothing made sense. I couldn't find the right lever or button.
He got out and came around to open the door for me. "Here." Holding up a dark-colored coat, he helped me slip it on over the top of my hospital gown. "Fewer questions. We need to go through the lobby to get to the room."
