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Angela squeaked, followed by a shuffle, thud, and whoosh of air.
“Did you forget I was here?” I tried not to laugh as I reached toward the sound she’d made. I found her arm and pulled her to her feet.
“I’m not cut out for this breaking and entering crap,” she muttered.
A moment later, a flickering orb illuminated the path forward.
Looking back at the wall we’d come through, it was completely smooth, with no seam marking where it had opened and no visible button or switch to activate it again. I ran a hand over the wall, admiring the work, then turned to face the awaiting darkness. “Let’s go.”
The orb traveled a foot ahead of us, lighting enough of our way to keep from tripping on loose rubble or tangling in cobwebs. Like rats looking for a meal, we moved within the innards of the castle with no one the wiser save Edric.
I wondered if anyone else knew of this tunnel or if the queen had created it to escape if her life was in danger. When she wasn’t under Colin’s magical control, that is. Perhaps the passage had always been here.
Whatever the case, I looked forward to having the time to ask those kinds of questions again soon. We would succeed, no matter the cost.
After several more twists and turns, the corridor ended at a knee-high grate close to the floor. Angela extinguished the light, and we crouched beside the slats.
Peeking through the thin angled gaps was difficult, but the room beyond appeared to be the queen’s private quarters, just as Edric had said. To the left, a four-poster bed rested against the wall shared with the grate, and a small sitting area and vanity sat opposite.
One wall was glass, which would have provided an impressive view before Colin’s corrupted magic spread over the city. Because it was so dark outside, fae lights flickered in wall sconces around the room.
Queen Fiadh sat on a cushioned purple and gold stool at the vanity, brushing her long golden hair and staring vacantly into the mirror. A silk robe nearly the same color as her hair covered her body and flowed to her ankles.
Edric had warned us that Colin controlled the queen like a puppet, trapped her in her own mind. But if he sent us here, I had to assume it was safe to enter.
If not, well…
I had every faith in Veronica finishing the job.
I took a deep breath and pushed the grate forward out of the wall. The queen’s blue-eyed gaze flicked to meet mine in the mirror, not a trace of fear on her face. It was almost as if she expected us. My muscles tensed, but there was no going back.
The queen swiveled to face us as we climbed out of the tunnel and dusted ourselves off. Her expression was cold and impassive as she inspected us, but her gaze was sharp and focused. No sign of mind control.
“I hadn’t realized I’d be entertaining guests this morning,” she said as she rose, the silk robe’s hem falling to brush the tops of her bare feet. “Especially with such an interesting entrance.”
Okay, not expecting us, but not entirely surprised, either.
“Forgive our intrusion, Your Majesty,” I said, bowing my head. “Prince Edric sent us.”
“He’s alive,” she breathed and clasped her hands in front of her mouth, her eyes lighting up like a summer sky. “He wouldn’t tell me what he’d done with my son.”
I assumed she meant Colin. “Yes, but we need to get you out of here before Colin realizes we’ve arrived.”
Her upper lip curled in disgust. “I knew I shouldn’t have simply banished him. Our long history as friends clouded my judgment. I should have killed him.”
“Why did you take his wings?” Angela asked, her voice quiet. “What did he do to you?”
Despite an outer appearance of calm, the skin around the queen’s eyes tightened, her gaze hardening like ice. “On the night I became queen, Colin stole my innocence and virtue against my will. His warped mind has conveniently forgotten that part, claiming it was consensual, but I will never forget that night and what he took from me.”
Mixed emotions vied for space inside my heart and set my pulse racing. What he did was unforgivable, and I understood her regret for not killing him. Adding to my rage was how close he’d been to dating and possibly doing the same to Veronica.
Thank God she saw through some of his façade.
Angela pressed her hand over her heart, her wide brown eyes sparkling with moisture. “I’m so sorry.”
“Now’s your chance to remind him of the truth and execute the proper punishment.” I gestured to the staff Angela held. “We have something that will break the spell binding you.”
Understanding filled her eyes, and her demeanor morphed from strength and confidence into raw, vulnerable fear. “That cannot be here. He will—”
