Chapter 37
T he healing room wasn’t a room at all. It was a cave built directly into the castle wall and tucked away in the queen’s private quarters at the back of the structure, with her very own pool and built-in rock outcroppings that held numerous candles.
The place would have been the envy of every spa owner.
“Wow,” I breathed, taking it all in as I followed her around the pool. “Are there lights in there?” The water was glowing a beautiful blue that seemed unnatural.
“It is the sprites,” she said, pulling two gold goblets off one of the shelves.
“Water sprites? Really?” I bent over the pool to see if I could find them.
“No!” she shouted at me. When I stumbled back, she tried to calm her voice. “The sprites are not always friendly.”
“Oh, thank you.”
Queen Fiadh crouched to the ground and scooped up water from the pool into the cups. She handed the smaller goblet to me as she stood and then sat on one of the two wooden chairs. Similar to the furniture in her throne room, I felt a little unsure of sitting across from her .
When she didn’t start the conversation, I sucked in a breath and began. “I only recently found out that Gil was my father.”
She sipped her water, encouraging me to do the same. “Go on.”
“And I have a lot of questions. For him. And for my mother. And I would like an opportunity to have those conversations.”
“His family owes me,” she reiterated, although her tone had lightened. Maybe it was the water.
“I understand.” Trying to find the right words, I took a deep breath.
“But Gil doesn’t belong here anymore. He’s been living with the humans for a long time.
He has friends and family and a whole life that you’ve ripped away from him.
” I paused for a minute to let all the thoughts swarming inside my brain come to some kind of logical order.
The queen studied me as I schooled my face and allowed my instincts to take over. “How did you capture Gil anyway?”
She stopped sipping the water. “How do you mean?”
Stepping closer to her, I set my own goblet down and crossed my arms in defiance. Imagining Tris was behind me with his camera and support, I pushed forward. “You know exactly what I mean.”
Fiadh’s eyes widened, and I swore I saw a hint of a smirk tugging at her lips. Just like Wylen, I would guess she wasn’t used to people talking back to her. “I’m afraid I don’t, and you should watch your tone.”
My heart pounded in fear, but I did all I could not to let it get the best of me. “Was it Razi?”
“Razi?” she asked, her voice high as though saying the name for the first time. “I do not know a Razi.”
I couldn’t explain the why, but somehow, I knew she was telling the truth. Tris would be happy about that. It wasn’t the trolls after all. “The halflings, then?”
The queen smiled at me with narrowed eyes that made me feel like I was being hunted and admired at the same time. She stood, slowly pacing around her pool, her lithe form seeming to float across the floor as she made barely a sound. “The halflings,” she finally confirmed.
“Why?” I breathed. “Why would you want them to do that?”
“I’m not sure what you are referring to, Sosasia Raine Westwood.”
Using all three of my names as though I were beneath her set me off. Stomping closer to the pool so I could look at her across the water, I glared. “They are killing your kin! They are killing the pure-blooded!”
Before I even had a chance to suck in a breath, Fiadh appeared beside me, and her bony hand reached out toward my throat. She grabbed my neck and squeezed, fingers digging into my skin far enough that I was sure she could feel my vertebrae. “Explain!” she demanded.
“I…can’t…breathe.” She squeezed tighter, and I reached up to pry her fingers off me. It was useless. “Let…go!”
“Explain!” Her shout echoed throughout the cavern, and I swore even the water stopped making sound.
Instead of trying to speak, I kicked out my leg toward the faerie queen. It made contact with some part of her body, and it was enough to surprise her. I was certain no one would ever strike her, but this was my life, and she was not going to take it from me…no matter the consequences.
She dropped her grip, and I fell to my knees as she backed up a few steps. Staring at her leg, she shook her head. “Did you just…kick me?”
Gasping for air and holding my throat like I could heal it, I managed to glance up at her. “I couldn’t breathe,” I whispered. I had no intention of apologizing.
She clicked her tongue and brushed her hands against her pristine gown. “I forget how weak you all are.” Sauntering over to her chair, she picked up her discarded goblet and sat down as though nothing had just happened between us. “You will tell me about these deaths.”
Deciding I didn’t want to look like I was bowing to her, I pushed slowly up to my feet and did my best to get enough air into my lungs. “Did you give Saoirse the necklace?”
Tapping her fingers against the goblet, the queen just stared at me.
“Look, we both need answers here.” I almost stumbled to the side with the deadly glare she tossed in my direction. “The halflings were drinking the blood of the pure. Why?”
“I do not know.”
“Was it so they could come and visit you?”
She said nothing.
“Was it so they could capture Gil?” I pushed, ignoring her silence.
“Gilanders is weak from living with the humans for too long. That should not be necessary.”
“Then why?” I asked. “Why are they killing the fae?” She shrugged, and I just about lost it. “People are dying! Your people are dying! They almost killed Wylen!”
She started to bounce her crossed legs, which were hanging out of the slit in her gown.
“War is never pleasant, Sosie. The Bladesmith clan betrayed my entire family, and in the process, I lost my father.” Snapping her lips together, she took a moment to compose herself.
“They owe me a blood debt. No matter the cost.”
“I’m sorry about your father.”
“Thank you.”
“But that doesn’t answer my question,” I snapped.
Fiadh bit her lip, giving me just a hint of her emotion. “These halflings you speak of?—”
“You mean the ones who had your necklace?” I cut in.
She narrowed her eyes in warning. “How many fae did they kill?” It was the slight twitch of her foot that let me know this might be the first time she was hearing about this.
“We found fifteen bodies.”
The queen quickly averted her eyes and stared at the wall off to the side. “And you are sure they were fae?”
“They were shriveled like mummies. And Wylen knew one of them. Her name was…” I racked my brain trying to remember. “Orlaigh.”
Sucking in a quick breath, Fiadh smacked her lips together.
Her creased brow told me she knew who Orlaigh was, and she wasn’t happy about her death.
Jumping to her feet, she shouted something over my head toward the door.
A moment later, the wooden piece of art creaked open to show two men in uniforms waiting for her orders.
She spoke to them in her language, a clipped tone that had to be some kind of order, as they quickly bowed and ducked back outside without saying anything at all.
“What did you just do?” I asked.
“The halflings will be…taken care of.”
“Don’t bother,” I huffed and then quickly tried to explain when I saw the pure madness in her eyes directed at me. “We took care of them.”
“Took care of them? You?”
I was offended by her tone, but I decided not to push my luck. “Me, Wylen, and some others, yes. Although there could be more?—”
“We will find them all,” she stated, and my heart thumped at the thought of the queen hunting all the halflings. The queen stared at the water swirling next to her feet. “What is it you do in the human world?”
“For a job?”
She nodded and took another drink from her goblet.
“I’m an investigative reporter. For a local news company.”
“I do not understand.”
“I research topics and report back on them. For example, I just finished a story on this disgusting man who liked to steal money from low-income people by promising them an apartment in a building he had no intentions of constructing.” I chuckled, remembering that night with Tris.
“I actually caught him with a prostitute and threatened to expose him if he didn’t cooperate. ”
“A prostitute? ”
“Uh…a sex worker? Gets paid to give sexual favors to someone?”
The queen tilted her head. “Humans pay for sex?”
“Yes, sometimes.”
“Very strange,” she mused.
“Anyway, I like to help others. And my job allows me to get them a little bit of justice when no one else will fight for them.”
“You are righteous.”
“I try to be.”
“I could use someone like you by my side.” Whoa. Hold on. But before I could process, she continued. “I would like to make you an offer, Sosasia Raine Westwood.”
I swallowed hard. “I’m listening.”
She stepped closer and leaned in toward me. “I will free your father and allow him safe passage back to your world. In exchange, I would like you to visit with me for two weeks each season. In public, you will be my prisoner—an example of what happens to those who betray me.”
“And in private?”
“In private,” she grinned at me, “I may have a few jobs for you to help me with. Starting with the halflings.”
It didn’t sound too terribly horrible…unless she asked me to kill them. “What’s the catch?”
“Catch?”
“Yes. The caveat. The stipulation. What do I have to do in exchange?”
Queen Fiadh turned her back to me, setting her empty goblet down on the rock shelf. “While you are here in Ashtabulah, you will be my loyal servant.”
“It sounds too simple. What else?”
“Well, I will have you…” She stopped speaking suddenly and whipped her head around to stare at me. “Why am I telling you these things?”
Oh no . “I don’t know what you’re talking about. ”
“Do not lie to me,” she snapped. “You are more than false words. No, your fae gift? From your father’s side. What is it?”
I almost told her a lie and then thought better of it. “Persuasion.”
“Ah, yes.” She sauntered to the far side of the room, taking her time and leaving that discovery to hang in the air.
I watched closely as she opened a small wooden box and removed something from it.
“That will be just perfect,” she muttered to herself.
Turning back to me with an object cupped in her palms, she asked, “Are we in agreement?”
“So, Gil goes free, and in exchange, I visit eight weeks out of the year. Once per season?”
“Yes.”
“When will we start?”
She tapped the thing in her hand while she thought. “We can wait until the autumn season arrives.”
Fair. “And Gil and I can leave today?”
“Yes.”
I felt like I was forgetting something. “Oh, and you won’t do any harm to Wylen.”
“How do you mean?” Her lips narrowed, so I knew I’d struck another chord with her.
“Wylen was just doing what you asked him to do. He is loyal to you. Even when he found out you were the one who took Gil.”
“He shared his blood with a halfling.”
“And that’s what’s going to allow me to come back to you each season.” I had no idea if that was a true statement, but when Fiadh dropped her shoulders, I sighed in relief.
Walking straight at me, she held out her hand. In it was a crystal ring at least three carats in size. “This will also help you each season.”
I took the ring and examined it closely. “What is it?”
“A ring.”
Rolling my eyes, I temporarily forgot that I was speaking to a queen. “I can see that. ”
With a small smile, she continued. “Wear that ring and envision this pool, and you will arrive safely in my quarters.”
“Is this like the necklace you gave Saoirse?”
She glared at me but said nothing.
“You trust me with this?” I asked in her silence.
“I do. And if you share it with anyone else, I will know. And I will hunt down you and your family until there is no one left.”
And…there was the fine print. “Understood.”
She clapped her hands together, making me jump. “Excellent. Now, you may leave.”
“Can I talk to my father first? He needs to hear about our deal from me.”
“I suppose I will allow it.”
“Thank you.”
She started to walk away, but then turned slowly back to me. “I could grow to like you, Sosie Westwood. And I don’t like many people. I will send your father to you. Wait here.”
And with that, the queen disappeared. Blinked out of existence to a place I couldn’t see.
I was all alone in her private healing chambers, and I had absolutely no idea what had just transpired.
I felt like I was having an out-of-body experience the whole time.
How had I managed to make a deal that didn’t seem like I was selling my soul?
Sure, I would be her prisoner, but I had a sneaking suspicion I wouldn’t be locked up and tied out in front for the entire court to see.
I had no doubt the queen had a secondary plan for me.
One that involved the halflings and their murderous doings.
But I, too, certainly had a plan for her.
She would be my best informant when it came to all things fae.
I would have a list of questions for every visit.
Kneeling next to the pool, I brushed my fingertips along the surface of the water.
Like the phosphorescent algae in my world, the water particles lit up each place I touched.
The sheer beauty…once again, I had no words.
I stuck my hand in deeper, feeling the warmth of the water crawl up my arms and tingle my skin.
Similar to Wylen’s touch, the healing pool gave me a sense of peace and calmness and?—
“Ouch!” Yanking my hand away, I fell back on my butt, the stone floor smashing into my tailbone. My finger was bleeding. Not bad, kind of like a paper cut, but still. “What the hell?”
I swore I heard a tinkling of laughter coming from the water. “You nasty little sprites.”
Just as I was about to search for the culprits, three men blinked into existence at the edge of the healing pool.
I stifled a scream and tried to figure out what was happening.
They were servants, wearing that weird white leather outfit.
Between them was a man, standing only because they were lifting him.
“Gil?” I guessed.
He tried to raise his head a second before the two servants tossed him face-first into the pool.