I hated faeries.
Taking a cue from Blackwood, I tried to be my most polite. “Majesty, I am Henrietta Howel, the burning rose of England, the sorcerers’ prophesied one destined to bring about the Ancients’ destruction.” Faeries liked long, showy titles. I curtsied. “We are your allies in this war. Giving us safe passage through your lands would illustrate the nobility of your character…and fully highlight and complement your matchless beauty.” Queen Mab beamed, blackberry jam smeared all over her teeth.
“I like this tall one,” Mab said, poking me in the stomach.
“Your Majesty is perfection, as generous as you are beautiful,” Blackwood said, his voice silk. He nodded at me. Apparently I’d done well.
Mab studied Maria again—I think she was serious about taking the girl—but Maria patted her ax, and the queen turned away. Of course. Faeries detested iron.
“You aren’t like that mean Imperator of yours, Georgy. That’s why I like you. Did you know he came to see me last week and demanded I open my roads to his Order? ‘Easier to get sorcerers about the country,’ he said. ‘Takes less time and costs fewer lives,’ he said. Well.” Her cobwebby hair rose in her passion. “I don’t even let my sister use my roads, so why does he think he gets a right?”
“We are allies in this war, Majesty,” Blackwood said smoothly.
“I’ve already given so many of my lovely subjects to the stupid war. Do you know that eighteen hundred goblins were slaughtered near Manchester, not two weeks before? And still the Imperator demands more.” Her eyes glinted with tears, presumably for her fallen soldiers. It made me soften toward the queen.
“My apologies, Majesty, for any indelicacy.” Blackwood sounded sincere, and Mab appeared mollified.
“That doesn’t change things, though. There has to be a toll.” She huffed, and considered. “Heartbreak. The pains of the heart are so delicious to me. That would be a token, yes, a very fair one.” She began to sniff at us, one after the other. She paused before me. Oh damn. “Mmm, such complexity.” Mab stood on tiptoe and brushed a hand through my hair; I kept still. “Women’s hearts are more complex than men’s, I find. Less virile, less passionate, but so utterly complicated.” She trailed a delicate pink tongue across her bottom lip. “How delicious.”
I had to force myself not to push her off. My toes curled with the effort.
“What do you want from me, Majesty?” I would not be afraid.
“A piece of your heart,” she cooed, patting my cheek with her small, dry hand. Her eyes glittered, animal and wild. “One of those moments that gives you a scrap of hope on a gray day.”
My mind rebelled. What would she take? A stolen moment on the moors with Rook? An evening playing chess with Agrippa? How would she take it? Mab must have read the resistance in my eyes.
“You won’t get out of here otherwise.” Her voice was sweet to the point of insult.
“Perhaps I might—” Blackwood began, but Mab dismissed him with a wave.
“You’ve nothing to interest me, Georgy,” the queen said flatly. “Your feelings are always so mundane.” Blackwood tightened his jaw; suppressed anger danced in his eyes. We had to finish this.
“Fine,” I said shortly. “Do what you must.” I clasped my hands together so she wouldn’t see them shaking. Mab put her fingers to my lips. I was preparing myself when Magnus strode forward.
“Majesty.” He gave an elaborate bow, as deep as Blackwood’s had been. In his naval coat and breeches, with his skin golden from the sun, Magnus looked like a small scrap of light in this underworld. “You say a young man’s heart is more virile. Why not taste mine?”
“No, Magnus,” I said quickly, but Mab’s nostrils flared. She crept closer and nestled against him, twining her small hand through his wild auburn hair. The queen pressed her cheek to Magnus’s chest.
“Such pain.” Mab swooned and chattered her teeth. “How did I miss it?” She wrapped her arms around his neck, her feet dangling off the ground. Magnus grunted. “Oh, I have to taste this. Give me a memory,” she whispered in his ear, her voice turning guttural. Magnus flinched.
“Please. Take one of mine,” I said.
“No, no. I want this.” Mab kissed Magnus’s temple. “Such a beautiful face. One of the most beautiful I can recall. I would love to see you chained with all my other pets.”
If she tried to put him in chains, I’d have her heart.
“I prefer other forms of diversion to chains, ma’am,” he said. His reserve didn’t falter.
Mab laughed, the tinkling sound of breaking glass. “Your pain is so exquisite, my little warrior.” She passed a hand along his arm. “It’s the taste of someone unused to defeat.”
Magnus closed his eyes. “If you want something, Majesty, please take it,” he said, his voice tight.
“Then give me a most cherished memory,” she whispered in his ear.
Blackwood caught my eye. “Don’t move,” he breathed.
“Quickly, if you please,” Magnus said. Mab touched his lips, pressed a hand over his heart, and pushed. Magnus grunted, pain etched on his face as she pressed deeper, harder. I winced as I listened to him cry out. I felt as helpless as if I were watching it through the bars of a cage.
Maria came up beside me, keeping close. “Poor fellow,” she whispered, holding on to my arm. I could sense it: she was both comforting and controlling me, should I decide to act.
“There it is,” Mab cooed, holding some strange thing in her hand. It pulsed with light. The sheen was soft and delicate, milk white and tinged with blue. Magnus grimaced, one hand on his chest. He watched with desperation as the queen handled whatever small piece of his soul she’d taken.
And then she ate it. Gobbled it down like a small piece of cake. Magnus buried his head in his hands.
“You bitch,” I snarled, tears springing into my eyes. Maria dug her fingers into my arm. Mab smiled.
“I know,” she said in a singsong way. Traipsing up the steps to her throne, she returned to lounging. “You may use my roads. Remember not to stray from the path,” she called as we walked out, following her tree-barked knight.
I slipped beside Magnus. “Are you all right?” I asked. When I tried to hold his arm to steady him, he pulled away with a shake of his head.
“I hate this quest,” he whispered.
“Thank you,” I said.
“Indeed. You were…brave,” Blackwood said as he came up behind us. He sounded unsteady, as if complimenting Magnus required physical effort. Maria said nothing but put a comforting hand on his shoulder.
What a wretch I was. I should have forced Mab to take something from me. As Magnus walked ahead, I felt ashamed.
The road twined ahead of us, growing rockier and more uneven. There was barely space for us to pass single file. As the path grew narrower, whispering voices on either side called out to us. Listening to them, I could feel my eyes growing heavier. My legs felt weak; I wanted to turn, to sit and rest—
“Keep moving.” Maria grabbed me by my collar and steered me straight. “They’ve a way of tricking you.” Once she’d put me right again, she clapped her hands over her ears.
I murmured my thanks, slapping my cheek to bring myself out of the daze, and covered my ears as well. The road inclined steeply up, up, and up. My temples ached, as if someone had looped a leather band around my head and was tightening it, degree by degree, until I was on the verge of going mad.
We emerged aboveground between one heartbeat and the next. One instant, there was only dark earth above us. The next, the sun was so brilliant that my eyes watered and stung. Shouts of surprise erupted as a great crowd of people materialized out of nowhere. Maria was standing next to me, looking at the cobblestones beneath our feet with an expression of wonder.