Violet looked over her shoulder, giving him an “Oh, do I?” look, before turning back around.
“Violet…” I prodded. I needed to know too, mostly to make sure she was good enough for my best friend.
She turned to face us both. “Look, the future is an ever-changing thing. If I tell Blaine who it is, it might mess up the timeline. Like, what if he goes after her now, before he’s meant to, and it doesn’t work because of that? Or if I say who it is and he always wonders if his feelings are real, or if I influenced them? It needs to happen naturally in order to last. Just trust me.”
I dropped my hand on his forearm, giving it a squeeze. “Sorry, buddy. That actually makes a lot of sense.”
Blaine opened his mouth, no doubt to argue the point, so I laughed and pushed him back toward his books. “Let’s get to work. It’s going to be a long night. I’ll have Calista order in pizza.”
My advisor and her chosen mate Baladar had been house-sitting the Manhattan royal estate while I was living on Staten Island. I was so grateful to have someone I trusted here.
I always had a lot to be grateful for.
Here’s hoping the fae didn’t steal it all away before any of us had a chance to truly live our new lives.
Chapter Two
One, two, three, four. Oh look, a hidden door.
The next few hours passed in a blur of books and food. Calista kept us well supplied with sustenance, and Baladar put his wisdom and magical skills to use. He seemed to be able to sense where the most important books were, ones pertinent to the information we needed. He was also really good at translating obscure pieces of information. Some of the language was old and complex, and some of it very riddle-like in its prose — like reading a ton of Shakespeare, but the Tuatha version of the great bard.
So far we had a pile of about twenty books, half a dozen on the Winter Court, two on the Fall Court, and another half dozen pertaining to the Summer Court. Lastly, there were another few that might have a possible mention of the Dark Fae Lord. Everything about him was very obscure: guesswork, myths.
We weren’t giving up, though. There had to be something here that would give us an edge against the fae. We just hadn’t found it yet.
It was after midnight when I received word that Winnie was safely in California, which knocked relief and sorrow into me at the same time. Finn was close by, curled up at my side, resting his head across my thigh. I absentmindedly patted his fur to calm myself.
“This queen business is not easy.” I said, speaking to no one in particular. “Some days I wonder if I’m doing everything wrong. Sending the young away feels like the right decision, but it also doesn’t. How can I protect them when they are thousands of miles from me?”
Baladar lifted his head from where it was buried in a pile of aged parchments. “The rarity of a leader who stops to wonder if they are making the right decision … I’m not sure I ever heard the Red Queen express an iota of doubt. Most leaders believe they are crowned through divine intervention — by genetic right. And therefore they are always correct in their decisions, because what they want is by default always the right decision.”
“A true leader should be confident,” I interrupted. “We have to make split-second decisions. We cannot waver.”
Those wise, kind, and thankfully no longer blind eyes met my own. “There is a difference between confidence and arrogance. Never stop questioning yourself, Arianna. It is the very thing which makes you a worthy queen.”
A soft chuckle escaped me, and Finn’s tongue emerged as he too looked happier. “Thanks for everything you’ve done, Baladar.”
“It has been an honor, Your Majesty.”
My chuckle turned into hard laughter now. “Please, don’t start with protocol now. I much prefer that you call me Ari. All of my friends will refer to me by my name now, even if we are out in public.”
Protocol could kiss my pampered butt. I was done with the ways of old.
Blaine and Monica just shook their heads at me, before going back to their shelves. Probably going to take more than a few reminders to break years of training, Finn reminded me.
I sighed. Yeah, I know, but I have to start somewhere.
Speaking of, it was time for me to move to another pile. Jumping to my feet, I was just heading into the far back corner when Violet popped out of nowhere, scaring the crap out of me.
“Stop doing that!” I practically yelled, one hand on my chest, as if I could slow my heart down by holding it.
“Still got it,” she trilled, buffing her nails on her chest. “I was just going to tell you that I’m almost finished in that corner.”
My eyes trailed across the small space. “So what’s left?”
“The Red Queen’s chambers are still full,” Calista reminded me, crossing the room with a pile of books in her arms. “You’ve found clues in her things before. Maybe she had some of the more important stuff squirreled away.”
I let out a huff, dusting my hands across my pants. “Yep, you’re right. It would be much easier if she’d just appear in the vortex or something. Then I could ask her.”
I still didn’t trust my biological mother; she’d almost always been a shifter out for her own gain. Something I didn’t think had changed. But … I wished she would make contact. It seemed her soul would be trapped in the mecca forever, just as she wanted it, which might be useful if I needed to speak with her again. That is, if I could figure out how to reach her …
“Maybe you need to touch the mecca stone again?” Blaine said from across the room, mirroring my own thoughts. “Force the connection.”
I shook my head, turning to leave the room. “I’ll leave that as a last resort. I don’t want to make it easy for the fae to cross to Earth by opening a portal straight here. I’m also worried that attracting their attention might speed up their attack, and we need all the time we can get.”
Everyone nodded, worry spilling across their faces. I was basically out the door by then, Finn by my side. “See you all soon. I’ll just be in the Red Queen’s room.”
No one followed; Finn and I were pretty lethal on our own, and everyone was busy with their searching. But I knew Monica and Blaine would be along soon. My dominants didn’t leave me unprotected for long, not even in my own home. I crossed through halls and up a few flights of stairs, waving to members of my royal household. They hadn’t seen much of me since my re-coronation, but everyone knew it was a time of war. They expected the queen to be busy.