If I was distressed, Quentin was downright distraught. “That’s not right,” he said. “She should never have been allowed to do that. The High King—”
“They never called for the High King, and he was busy elsewhere when this happened.” Patrick shrugged. “North America is large, Quentin. It’s more than one man, even a man like High King Sollys, can oversee. Sometimes he has to take the Kingdoms at their word. When the Mists said all was well here, he spent his attention where it seemed more needed.”
For a moment, Quentin looked like he was going to protest. Then he sighed, sagging, and said, “I don’t like politics.”
“Then you are a very wise boy,” said Tybalt.
“No one likes politics,” said Dianda. “On the plus side, it gives me a lot of excuses to shout at people. I like that part.”
“Mom’s great at shouting,” said Dean.
“Hang on,” I said, raising my hand in a futile signal for quiet. I was still reeling from the idea that the Queen of the Mists wasn’t our rightful ruler. If I didn’t focus on something, I was going to scream. “How can you all be so calm about this?”
“Because we’ve had a long time to deal with the knowledge,” said Dianda. “King Gilad was a good ruler, and she has done her best to undermine his legacy at every turn. He believed in maintaining strong ties with the Undersea; she cut them as soon as she could. He believed changelings had a place in fae society, that we owed them that much, since we were their parents and originals. She did her best to banish changelings from the Courts. She even took us to war against the Kingdom of Silences because they dared to protest the way the changelings here were being treated. I’m so sorry she’s banished you. You are always welcome in the Undersea.”
There was a moment of silence as we all considered Dianda’s words. Finally, I sighed. “Great. I guess I know what we’re going to be doing this week.”
“What’s that?” asked Quentin.
I tried to smile. It came out feeling more like a grimace. Maybe that was a better reflection of my feelings. “We’re going to overthrow the Queen.”
SIX
WE EXCUSED OURSELVES AFTER THAT. Once it had fully sunk in that the woman who had banished me wasn’t the legitimate ruler of the Mists, there was really nowhere else for the conversation to go. Dean needed some time with his parents. We needed to go home and reassure May and Jazz that we hadn’t been arrested, deported, or worse.
It was another quiet drive. We were nearly back to the house before Quentin asked, “Toby? Are we really going to overthrow the Queen of the Mists?”
Tybalt looked at me out of the corner of his eye, clearly interested in my answer. I took a deep breath and held it for a few seconds before letting it out and nodding. “I don’t know. But I’m going to try.”
“Who would you put on the throne?” asked Tybalt mildly.
“See, there’s the stumper. She has no kids, and even if she did, they wouldn’t have a legitimate claim, since she doesn’t have a legitimate claim. She was able to take the throne because there was no known heir. The Windermere line died with King Gilad. I guess that means she’d be as valid a Queen as anyone, if she could get the High King to confirm her as the start of a new royal line, but she’s been on the throne so long . . .”
“If she knew she wasn’t King Gilad’s heir, and she took the throne anyway, that’s treason,” said Quentin. “We could tell the High King now.”
“If we can prove she wasn’t Gilad’s heir, sure,” I said, feeling even more daunted by the scope of this potentially treasonous notion. In the mortal world, contesting someone’s claim to a throne after a century had passed might have seemed excessive. In Faerie, it was likely to be filed under “guess it’s Tuesday.” “But we need something more concrete than the word of the changeling she’s just banished if we want the High King to take this seriously. If we make a false accusation, we won’t live to make a true one.”
“So we find proof,” said Quentin.
Chimes at Midnight
Seanan McGuire's books
- Fated(The Vampire Destiny Book 1)
- Death Angel
- Loving Evangeline(Patterson-Cannon Family series #1)
- A Calculated Seduction
- A Father's Name
- Atonement
- Breathe for Me
- Bitter Oath (New Atlantis)
- Cheapskate in Love
- Checkmate, My Lord
- Emancipating Andie
- Explosive Attraction
- Fatal Exposure
- Leather and Lace
- Masters at Arms
- Matchplay A New Adult Romance
- No Attachments
- Only Love (The Atonement Series)
- Operation Endurance
- Platinum (Facets of Passion)
- Playing at Forever
- Playing Patience
- Predatory
- Private Practice
- Scandal at the Cahill Saloon
- Secure Location
- St Matthew's Passion
- That Carrington Magic
- That Would Be a Fairy Tale
- The Chocolate Kiss
- The Devil's Heart The Chattan Curse
- The Pirate's Lady
- Translation of Love
- What Goes Around
- What's Life Without the Sprinkles
- Wolf at the Door
- Katabasis
- The Sheriff Catches a Bride
- Taking the Heat
- Make Me Bad(Private Lessons)
- Stolen Breaths
- A Fatal Slip(Sweet Nothings)
- Unexpected Temptation
- The Ultimate Playboy
- Wed at Leisure(The Taming Series)
- When Opposites Attract...
- Not Quite Dating
- Taken by Tuesday
- Unforeseen Heartbeat
- Wanting What She Can't Have
- What the Greek's Money Can't Buy
- When Christakos Meets His Match
- I Adored a Lord (The Prince Catchers #2)
- Trapped at the Altar
- Flat-Out Celeste(Flat-Out Love II)
- Love Me(The Keatyn Chronicles #4)
- Tempting Tatum
- An Engagement in Seattle
- Starting Over(Hart of Seattle)
- What the Duke Wants
- I Love You to Death
- What If
- Magic Breaks(Kate Daniels)
- Claimed By The Alien (Heavenly Mates Book 2)
- A Curvy Coldwater Christmas
- Alien Romance (Heavenly Mates Book 1)
- Kidnapped By The Alien (Heavenly Mates Book 3)
- Breathless In Love (The Maverick Billionaires #1)
- Tall, Tatted and Tempting
- Prom Night in Purgatory
- Beautiful Creatures
- Consolation (Consolation Duet #1)
- Conviction (Consolation Duet #2)
- Desperately Devastated (Addicted To You, Book Nine)
- Hawthorne & Heathcliff
- Troubles and Treats
- Jesus Freaks: Sins of the Father
- Slow Dance in Purgatory
- That Summer
- A Local Habitation
- Affirmation
- Reparation
- Stipulation
- Mitigation
- The Weight of Feathers
- Upon A Midnight Clear
- Midnight rainbow(Rescues (Kell Sabin) series #1)
- Midnight Special Coming on Strong