6. The Test
CHAPTER SIX
THE TEST
“She’s in the castle, and still, the Goddess is silent.”
The cloaked figure paced before the tower room door in agitation. Another, smaller form, which had been no more than a voice in the dark when this conversation had begun some twenty-odd years earlier, sat cross-legged on the bed. Without the mysterious shroud of darkness, they were rather unremarkable: a short, blond individual of indeterminable age and gender, dressed in a distinctly unflattering but admittedly comfortable-looking frock. Before them lay a wooden board with checkered spaces occupied by carved animal figurines.
“And?” the person asked, their attention remaining on the game in front of them. “Or have you simply come to see me so that you can vent? Your presence is welcome either way, but if it’s all the same, I’d rather avoid the small talk today. I’m in the middle of something.”
The cloaked figure stopped their pacing and threw back their hood to reveal an astonishing beauty as fair as day, with golden hair like sunbeams gathered atop her head and held in place by a delicate circlet. Although she appeared barely forty years of age, there was a depthless maturity in her face and the regal way she held herself. This was the one and only Lady of House Wysalar, the fae the humans knew as a queen.
“To ashes with your game,” she hissed. “I can’t be the only one who sees this for what it is. She’s working with them . This is a ploy to slip a spy past our defenses.”
“It could be,” the person on the bed remarked thoughtfully, “that they hope to unlock the secret behind our blessing. Given the jealousy they have harbored these past years, it would not be a surprise. It could also explain why the Goddess chooses to remain silent on the matter.”
“This must be part of the test. If the Americans are working with House Leimor, then the girl must be dealt with swiftly and without mercy.”
“Indeed, my queen.”
“Riel has offered to keep an eye on her while she is here. I cannot help but feel that it is a mistake to trust him with something so important. Is this part of the test as well?”
“That, I cannot answer.”
“Have you not seen the results of our current course?”
There was a moment’s hesitation. “I have.”
“And?”
“He will be successful at earning her trust. But there is a great deal of grief in his future.”
“Grief, what grief?” the queen demanded. “Will she turn on us?”
“As I have explained to you before, those from Earth evade my sight. But, although I cannot predict her actions, I can see that her presence here will lead to conflict with our people.”
“A conflict.” The queen scoffed. “You’re no help.” She resumed her pacing.
The person on the bed shrugged and turned their attention back to their game. “I will let you know if I can glean any more details. In the meantime, I recommend that you observe the situation for now. Riel may yet surprise you. You know he seeks to impress the family. ”
“The boy serves his purpose as a spare.” The queen punctuated her dismissive words with a wave of her hand. “I dare not form higher expectations where he is involved.”
“Be that as it may.”
After another moment, the queen stopped at the door and loosed a dispirited sigh. “Is there anything more I can do? Anything at all? I cannot bear this… this powerlessness.”
“Continue to pray for Valuen’s intercession. It is all we can hope for. If the Goddess means for us to know Her plan, She will make it known, one way or another.”