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Then his entire demeanor relaxed, and he clapped. “Let’s get you that bed, shall we?”
My next breath came easier. “Yes, please.”
He tapped a long finger against his pointed chin. “I say we put the bath through that wall, and a sweeping balcony over here, with roses sculpted into the balustrade. Should we open the ceiling for you? I can hardly breathe in here.”
I dropped my bag by the door as he knocked on solid walls. The room wasn’t tiny, yet he measured the marble with his hands as if preparing to plow through it. “Can you do that?” I asked. “Make rooms where there are only walls?”
He gave me a quirked smile. “Not me, but then again, I’m very rich. I can make it happen.”
“Right, rich thieves.”
“I will answer to that, if you forget my name.” His energy filled the room. “And don’t worry if you forget how rich I am. I love reminding people.” His fingers went to his light hair, and he tugged on a piece as if in thought. Four black earrings hung from his ear.
With a start, I realized he was the first person I’d seen with a black mask like mine.
He clicked his tongue. “If there’s anything particular you want, you should tell me now.”
A fire wall sounded ludicrous, so I abandoned Mother’s stories. My own room back home was nothing but a bed and a chest for my art supplies. The tips of my brushes still poked through my bag. “I’d love some canvases and paints.”
He stroked his chin. “It will take a day, but consider it done. Anything for my queen. Is that all? You can ask for anything.”
That word ask hung between us like a trap. My eyes narrowed. “Carlene told me never to ask anything.”
His expression split into confusion before he made a little noise in the back of his throat. “That was slightly deceptive of her. You and I are aligned now, which bars me from tricking you into any deals or favors. But tonight you must be on your guard. Anyone wearing this lapel are now aligned with you.” He tapped the blue pin at his collar of a snake wrapped through a dead tree. “The trust of others will be at your discretion.”
“That sounds . . . exhausting.”
“It gets worse. It’s in your best interest to align yourself with others. Some nobles would be a good start. A king would be ideal. The more powerful the alliance, the more power you hold. Understand?”
I collected the information in my head. I knew being queen was more than fine wine and handsome suitors, but the seriousness in Talen’s tone suggested alliances were far more important than I understood. “What exactly are my tasks as queen?”
He folded his arms. “Keep the kingdom alive. There is a power here that everything survives on, and in order to keep your kingdom alive, you must in turn be powerful. It seems simple, but it’s not.”
He was wrong. It did not seem simple.
Thankfully, he elaborated. “When you create alliances, solve riddles, or make strategic choices, the realm is pleased. In return, it grants your kingdom power. This keeps the soil healthy, buildings strong, and you in a good position. Too many alliances and you are seen as weak. Fall prey to trickery, and you lose power. Curate favors and you have the power back. It’s a delicate game, but you mortal girls always play it well.”
I thought of Gaia and her quiet demeanor. Was there more to her than I’d guessed? What games did she play?
Talen crossed to the doorway. “If your stream of questions has come to an end, allow me to prepare you and the room. The coronation is tonight, and I want to show off what an alliance between a Mortal Queen and the House of Delvers looks like.”
My seven earrings were replaced with heavier ones, and my ear throbbed under the weight. Talen acquired a healing balm to soothe the irritation, claiming it would work in ten seconds. It took seven.
“Was that magic?” I wondered.
“Science,” he replied, reclosing the lid on the jar. “If it’s magic you seek, you’ll get it soon enough.” Then he turned back to help with the setup of the chamber.
I was certain I’d seen some magic already, as there could be no other explanation for how he’d transformed the plain white room into something so glorious. Talen instructed the fae behind us as they converted the space. Sure enough, he found fae powerful enough to move the walls to create a room where the floor gave way to water to form the largest bath I’d ever seen. The sweet scent of lavender floated through the archway. In the main area, rugs were rolled over the floor, windows appeared in the walls, the ceiling was lifted, and a canopy bed, coated in what Talen swore was the finest spun silk in all the realm, was set in the middle. If I holed up in the comfort of bed for months, he said he wouldn’t blame me.
A girl with white hair and lustrous skin strolled into the room.
“She’s to get you ready,” Talen ordered me, hardly pausing his work long enough to look my way.
I sat still as her hands moved quickly, curling my hair for the first time until it lay in soft ringlets and not wild tangles, then pinning a crown atop my head. “The pins are here and here,” she showed me. “You’ll take them out at the coronation to trade this crown for your eternal one.”
I winced. The tattoo of a crown imprinted on Gaia’s forehead was stunning, but it was also very intricate, and I didn’t love the idea of needles so close to my eyes dealing with delicate skin. “Will it hurt?” Crying in front of the fae would be a terrible start to my rule.
She brushed rouge on my cheeks. “Not in the slightest.”
