Ava sat upright. Two minutes? This would never work. Without time to ease into it and earn the respect of the queen, Ava decided to lay it all out there and hope she could get Seraphina to see reason.
“You think your kingdom is safe now, and maybe it is. But eventually it won’t be. When Andras is finally on your doorstep, there will be no one left to help you. The magicof your kingdom is powerful. We need you. Are you really going to sit by and watch while the world is torn apart?”
Seraphina stared at her, no emotion on her face aside from irritation. “Anything else?”
“Seraphina, please.”
“Your Majesty,” she corrected.
“Yes. Sorry. Your Majesty.”
This was going so poorly. Though she had succeeded in Saxumdale, Ava knew she was terrible at diplomacy. And Saxumdale wasn’t even a good enough gauge of her abilities since Astrid and Soren were friends with her brother.
Ava took a breath. “I’ve been told you all have powerful healing magic as well. That could make or break our victory. With your starlight, healing and other abilities, it could turn the tide of this war. We barely won the battle to take Igneothenia back. We only did because I found animals to help us. And that wasn’t even the entirety of the daemon forces.”
“I’m going to be honest with you. You’re wasting your breath. No one can convince Orion to do anything. Not even me.”
“You won’t even try?” Ava asked, setting her cup down.
“No. I will not. So, like I said. You’re wasting your time and mine.”
What else could she say? People had already died fighting this war and there would be more to come. People like Remy. Trying to hold back the tears threatening to spill at the thought of her friend and what he gave up, Ava met eyes with the queen, prepared to keep going.
“Your time is up,” Seraphina said before Ava had a chance to speak again.
“What? No. Please,” Ava continued, trying to swallow her grief. She wasn’t going to leave now. She wouldmakeher listen.
“Guards,” Seraphina called, “Escort Her Highness back to her suite.”
“Wait.”
Two guards wearing golden armor approached. “Come with us, please.”
Ava’s grief transformed into anger as her temper got the better of her. “You don’t care about anyone but yourselves up here. You’re a coward. You’re not protecting your people like this, just delaying their deaths. Eventually, the daemons will come after you too.”
The guards lifted her from the couch, one holding each of Ava’s arms, but she was so angry, she couldn’t see straight. She yanked out of their grip. “I’m not going anywhere until you listen to me.”
“Get her out of my sight,” Seraphina said.
They grasped her again, leading her away. “Our friends are down there right now facing who knows what and you have barely batted an eye. I was tortured by them! So was Casimir! I can’t believe you don’t care!”
Seraphina regarded her with a hint of distaste.
Ava saw red, fighting and struggling against the guards.
“I know the way back. Let me go,” she said.
“Her Majesty said to escort you back to your suite.”
Tears pricked her eyes at the humiliation of being dragged away. She shouldn’t have spoken that way to Seraphina or lost her temper. It was her own fault they were practically manhandling her, but she couldn’t help it. Citizens and soldiers were dying, and no one here cared. Raine was down there. And her brother…and the rest of her friends and family. They could be fighting right now for all she knew.
They could be dying while Ava was up here, safe in the clouds.
She attempted to pull away again, but their grip tightened around her arms. “Let go,” she ordered. “You’re hurting me.”
They ignored her.
A slight pressure took root in her chest. Her breathing spedup, her vision wavered, her heart raced. She was on the verge of a panic attack.
