Merecot sighed dramatically. “I hate having to threaten people.” Then she paused. “Oh wait, no. I don’t.”
She flicked her mind at the “marbles.” Each earth spirit stopped, and then they began to roll toward Erian and Llor, coming at them from all directions. The children abruptly quit laughing. They stood back to back in the center of the courtyard.
She felt Naelin’s mind poking at the edges of Merecot’s control. But these were Merecot’s spirits, bound to her, and she was focusing her will on them. She didn’t let that control waver. “Discussion first, then you may join your children.”
Naelin’s mind retreated—it felt like a cloud moving away from the sun—and Merecot switched her order to the tiny earth spirits.Play, she told them.Play nice.And they resumed chaotically bouncing around the courtyard.
The children watched them warily, aware now of their nature. Merecot was a bit sorry for that. It was easier if one’s prisoners forgot they were in a prison. At the same time, though, she really didn’t care if two stupid children were happy.
“Follow me,” Merecot said crisply, ignoring the death glare that Naelin was shooting her. She led the way, which meant exposing her back to the queen and the champion, but Merecot kept her thoughts flitting from spirit to spirit, using them to watch behind her. Fire spirits lurked in each of the sconces along the corridor, and Merecot was able to see her visitors through their eyes.
For now, she couldn’t see a threat from either Naelin or Ven.
Soon enough, they reached their destination. She nodded at the two soldiers on either side of the massive oak doors, which they then pushed open, straining against the weight. Whatever queen had built this castle had liked impressively large things: large turrets, large doors, and large rooms.It suits a queen’s large ego, she thought ruefully. With the guards standing at attention on either side, Merecot swept into the West Room.
Judged as the most ostentatious room in the castle (which said a lot, given the competition,Merecot thought), the West Room looked like a vast cavern, boasting an enormous arched ceiling, a polished marble floor, and huge windows that overlooked the western mountains. The western mountains were themselves ostentatious, their peaks rivaling the clouds, and it added to the overall feel of this chamber. It was a room designed to host large parties, impress visitors, and make them feel small. Merecot felt a little ridiculous using it for so few people, but it would be nice if they understood her problem:
Semo was big and yet it still wasn’t big enough.
Her gown swooshed across the stone floor, loud in the silent vast room, and she climbed the steps up to the throne. She sat. “Too obnoxious?”
“A little,” Ven agreed. “Your Majesties are equals.”
“I’m told that Queen Naelin did not have any intention of being crowned,” Merecot said, “whereas I’ve worked for this my entire life. I don’t know that we are equals.”
An old yet still strong voice carried across the room. “You’ll have to excuse Queen Merecot. She failed her diplomacy classes.”
Merecot rolled her eyes as Ambassador Hanna entered the room.Oh, yay, she’s here.She conveniently ignored the fact that she herself had called for her. “I didn’t fail. All my marks were high.”
“True enough. You simply cheated to get them,” Hanna said as one of the guards pushed her chair across the room. “Over there.” She pointed to the window. “We’ll need a table and chairs set around it. Comfortable chairs. This conversation could take a while.”
“It will be short,” Naelin said. “I won’t be kept from my children.”
“It will take as long as it takes,” Hanna said with that headmistress “charm” that Merecot hadn’t missed in the slightest—though it was satisfying to see it directed at someone else—“until all parties are satisfied. Your children are well. Now, we need that table.” She beckoned to one of Merecot’s guards.
The guard glanced at Merecot, and she nodded.Let the old woman play at being in charge.Once the conversation started, then they’d see who really pulled the strings. Merecot doubted it was Queen Naelin. Ven, maybe? Or were they all just a mouthpiece for Daleina?
She wished she could have made Daleina see that the poisoning hadn’t been personal. She hadn’twantedDaleina to die. Or, at least, she would have cried for her once the deed was done.
They waited while several servants scurried in and out of the room, delivering an overly heavy stone table, chairs plump with pillows, crystal vases with various juices, and an assortment of meat pies, the kind she’d grown fond of. “I recommend the pies. They’re mutton, but don’t let the word ‘mutton’ fool you. They actually taste good.”
She sat first, since her guests hadn’t moved yet, picked up one of the mutton pies, and bit into it. Gooey sauce dribbled from the side, and she caught it on a napkin. She laid it on the plate. “Come on. Don’t insult my hospitality. It’s not as if they’re poisoned.”
Thatjoke fell like an anchor into the ocean, and all of them stared at her in hostile silence.
Inwardly, Merecot sighed. She knew she was an excellent queen—extremely powerful, confident, and decisive—but this part of being royal was not her strong point. “Ambassador Hanna, sinceyoudid not fail diplomacy, how would you counsel us to begin?”
Hanna wheeled herself up to the table and selected a meat pie. A servant poured her a mug of hot milk. Hanna dusted each with a powder before drinking and eating, and only then did Naelin and Ven eat.
Merecot supposed it was her own fault they were so paranoid. It would have been funny if it hadn’t all failed and left Alet dead.
Hanna spoke. “The situation is as I laid it out and as Queen Merecot had claimed: Semo has more spirits than the land can support. They’re warring with one another, and if left as is, they’ll tear the land apart. Judging from what I have seen... this could happen at any time.”
“Can’t you control them?” Ven asked bluntly. He was practically bristling with hostility.I’ve met friendlier wild boars, Merecot thought. “You’re supposed to be some kind of all-powerful prodigy.”
Merecot gritted her teeth, then made herself relax. She needed these people. Maybe. Jastra had advocated for simply...disposingof Queen Naelin—it was efficient, effective, and would permanently remove one more hurdle on the way to ruling both countries—but Merecot maintained it would be best for everyone if she could convince the queens of Aratay to do what she wished. Especially since she’d already failed to kill Daleina once. “Iamcontrolling them. That’s the only reason that the country hasn’t erupted in endless earthquakes, avalanches, and volcanoes.”
“But this isn’t a permanent solution,” Hanna said, “which is what we are here to discuss.”
