Unfortunately, when it had been designed, the backseat had clearly been an afterthought, with absolutely no consideration for legroom in the event someone actually wanted to sit there. So, I ended up with my legs practically pressed to my chest and the knapsack of gruesome remains wedged between Ryese and me. Even the arrogant fae couldn’t make the seating arrangement look comfortable, and he scowled at the back of Falin’s head for the extent of the ride. At least Falin left the top down and the wind roaring by pretty much prevented any extended conversations.
The house would have been the most private place to conduct the ritual, but I refused to have a body lugged into my bedroom so we were headed for the forest just out of town. The drive wasn’t long—the Quarter gave way to the suburbs and then out into the wilds. I’d hoped that the trip would give me time to form an argument that would force the queen to grant me independent status, but no brilliant revelations had hit me while crammed in the backseat with a bagged body pressed against my thigh.
We found a small clearing far enough off the road that we couldn’t be seen, and I used my dagger to draw a circle for my ritual. The huge skirt made the task difficult, and I used several colorful curses as I tripped on the hem for the third time. If the gown hadn’t been ruined before, it likely was now, though Falin’s glamour still hid the damage. By the time I completed the circle, I was breathing hard, mostly from fighting with the damn layers of tulle in the skirt.
The queen frowned at me. “Do you have the energy to complete this task?”
“Today? Yeah, but I apparently need a tie to Faerie sooner rather than later. I request independent status in exchange for this ritual.” Okay, I’d been turned down once, but if I refused to ask for anything else maybe I’d wear her down, right? Probably not.
“I could offer you a place of honor in my court. Riches. Power. A place on my council. A union with my beloved nephew.” She motioned to Ryese.
I resisted a groan, but it was a near thing. The council members began chittering at the queen’s words, likely at the idea of adding me to their lot or perhaps about the proposed marriage to Ryese. I didn’t care which. I wasn’t interested in either, but especially not the latter. I pointedly avoided looking at Ryese. Still, I could imagine the haughty look on his face that was part a dare to accept the offer and part anger already guessing I wouldn’t.
“I will accept nothing less for the ritual than independent status.”
The queen frowned at me and we stood in silence for several minutes, glaring at each other. She took a step closer. I had the urge to back away, but I held my ground.
“Find out who killed my subject and created that monstrous display in my throne room, and I will grant you independent status for a year and a day,” she said, and I nearly laughed in a mix of relief and surprise—I’d demanded it three times, but I guess I hadn’t really expected her to grant the request. She wasn’t quite done yet. “During that year and a day, you will agree to continue to reside in my territory and at the end of it, you will inform me before swearing allegiances with any other court.”
I almost blurted out “deal,” but bargains with fae are binding, so I forced myself to examine the conditions she’d laid out. A year and a day wasn’t much time in the grand scheme of things, but it was more time than I had now and I was unlikely to get another Faerie monarch in the position of needing a favor from me before Rianna and I had faded out of existence. The extension would give me time to arrange something more permanent. And while she’d stipulated that I inform her if I’d be joining a court other than hers, she hadn’t said I’d need her consent. Of course, if she learned I was leaving her sphere of control, she might just have me killed when I told her, but what was my choice? Die now or die later? At least I’d have time to try to come up with a better plan.
I nodded and held out my hand. “I agree to your terms.”
“It is settled then.”
“Witnessed,” Falin said from where he stood. Each council member also repeated the phrase. It was a formality, as I could already feel the small binding our agreement had created. The queen pressed her palm against mine in a surprisingly firm but not crushing handshake. I realized it was the first time I’d ever touched her and her skin was cold, even to my low body temperature.
With that settled, I focused on the matter at hand again, namely the ritual I had to perform to finish this deal. I motioned for Falin to place the knapsack in my circle. He was frowning, but he said nothing as he placed the bag where I’d indicated. He opened it, clearly intending to lay the skeletal corpse out.
“Just leave her in there,” I said, glancing away before I caught sight of the ghastly bones again.
“Her?” The queen asked.