Chapter Three. Etan #2
If this court held one rule, it was that Malazan got whatever, and whomever, she wanted, outside of those who were already mated. A gift from her Queen for her unwavering loyalty.
“Perhaps Maeve’s powers could reasonably lean more toward her Summer Court heritage than her Shadow Court heritage, and her lack of exposure to those elements could be restraining her to some extent,” I said.
I hoped more than anything that Mab couldn’t see through the bullshit that I fed her, but even if I had no precedent to make me believe that the words I spoke were entirely true, they didn’t feel like a half-truth.
It was entirely possible that Fallon’s inability to sit in the sun or bask in the heat of the Summer Court beaches was weakening the magic that she should have had at her fingertips.
You could not play with what you did not know.
“You think going to the Summer Court will strengthen her hold if she does follow in her grandmother’s footsteps?
” Malazan asked, raising a brow. It shouldn’t have come as a surprise if she did lean toward her grandmother’s magic, given that both of Khaos’s children with Diell had done so, oddly enough.
“I don’t think it could hurt to find out.
But given that Rheaghan cannot be trusted to guide Maeve in a direction you would approve of, I am uncertain how it would be at all possible under the circumstances,” I said, knowing that Mab would never allow such a thing.
She was far too paranoid to give Rheaghan any kind of control, believing that he would do whatever it took to undermine her from a distance.
“No,” Mab agreed, rising to the occasion as I’d thought she might. “Rheaghan cannot be trusted with Maeve.
“But perhaps there is another way I could send her to the Summer Court,” she mused, turning her attention to where Malazan waited at her side. The other woman smirked, as if reading Mab’s thoughts.
“I would of course be happy to watch over her for you, my Queen. But as I am not related to her, I would have no control over her once we left Tar Mesa. She would fall under her uncle’s jurisdiction by blood right,” I said, resisting the urge to fidget with my fingers.
“Though, Maeve has proven to be an effective way to motivate Estrella to do as I wish, so I must admit my hesitation to lose her as a bargaining chip,” Mab thought out loud, standing from the bed to pace the floor of her bedroom.
Her snakes moved out of her way with each step she took, moving with her in a fluid, natural dance that shouldn’t have been possible.
“I would need for her to be supervised by someone I could trust to bring her home at a moment’s notice. ”
“What about a husband?” Malazan asked, shrugging her shoulders as Mab turned to look at her with wide, mocking eyes.
The thought had already occurred to her.
“Her husband would be responsible for her even above an uncle. Rheaghan may still be the King of Summer for the time being, but even he wouldn’t interfere with marriage.
Betroth Maeve to a Summer Court Fae and send her home with him after the Tithe.
She’ll get to experience the magic of the Summer Court and still be under your influence.
Maybe we’ll be lucky and she’ll return with magic so she can be of use,” she added, making Mab’s lips purse in thought.
“It could work,” Mab said finally. Her eyes snagged on mine as she turned to look at me, the depths of them churning as she thought through her options. “But who would I choose?”
Malazan slid her hand over Mab’s arm, stroking her skin in that affectionate, almost sisterly way that she’d adopted to manipulate her Queen. Her gaze remained fixed on me, a knowing there that said so much that we had never spoken in words.
We saw one another for what we were, for the ways that we guided Mab in directions that served our purpose. She knew exactly what I’d intended when I started this line of thinking, and she could derail me entirely.
“There is only one logical choice, my Queen,” she said, her voice practically a purr.
I tensed, waiting for the moment of truth and not knowing which direction I hoped she took.
Her support of me as Fallon’s husband would come at a cost. “Etan is your most loyal Summer Court Fae. Should something happen to Rheaghan, it only makes sense that his chosen heir should be married to Maeve. Now that she’s returned, she is the rightful heir to the Summer Court.
You would erase any conflict that may arise if people were to question who should rule under these circumstances with Maeve being so newly returned to us,” Malazan added, her smirk meant only for me.
“The heir and the spare,” Mab said with a returning grin.
“Me? I never had any intention of marrying—” I argued, wanting to dissuade any preconceived notion that this might have been an intentional result on my part.
“It’s settled. You will marry my daughter.
The bonds of marriage have long since been used to establish and strengthen alliances, and you will solidify my claim to the Summer Court through Maeve.
I’ll inform my daughter of your pending nuptials soon enough, and after the Tithe is complete you’ll be able to take her home. ”
I swallowed, bowing at the waist with a flourish as a sheepish smile claimed my face. “You honor me, my Queen,” I said. My gaze met Malazan’s for a brief moment when I straightened, her gaze knowing.
Well played, she seemed to say.
She’d need to be dealt with eventually, but for now, I let myself revel in the victory of the moment as I returned to my room to wait for the announcement to be made.
For Fallon to know she’d be mine.