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“I know you don’t believe me, but don’t you think if I’d had that kind of potential that I would have been able to bear the elf-lord power as well? Yet, I can’t. Century after century, when it arrived, it always brought crippling pain.”
Stone gained his feet, not caring that her violet eyes had filled with tears yet again. “Let’s say you’re right, which I’m not conceding, how could you have deceived me like this?”
She shrugged. “I’ve already explained the process. Even early on, I wanted to tell you, but I was too afraid of your opinion of ‘Rosamunde’. I feared not being able to battle beside you as Aralynn. And yes, it was wrong. All of it. And I’m so very sorry, Stone.”
She looked contrite. He’d give her that. She wasn’t enjoying any of this. But she was right about one thing, he’d never forgive her for tricking him.
As she picked up her shoes and her underclothes, she added, “Again, I’m sorry for what I’ve done. I don’t expect your forgiveness, but I hope we can continue working together to bring Margetta down. Beyond that, I have no expectations of you.”
“But what I want to know—”
Just like that, she was gone, teleporting away, another sign of her genetics. Sweet Goddess, he’d made love to Margetta’s fucking niece.
And Aralynn was Rosamunde.
He felt an urge to shower again, to cleanse himself from Rosamunde’s deception.
Instead, he sat back down on the be
d, picked up his coffee and sipped. It was lukewarm and not exactly appealing, but he didn’t care.
He was pissed as hell. If Rosamunde really was Aralynn then she’d saved his life, more than once. He’d be dead if it weren’t for her.
A disgusted sound came from the back of his throat. He’d despised Rosamunde for so long that he hated the idea of owing her anything.
He opened up his telepathic frequency and tapped on Davido’s path.
I’m at your service, oh, wise Mastyr of Tannisford.
Cut the crap. Why didn’t you tell me Aralynn was Rosamunde?
A stretch of silence followed, after which Davido lowered his telepathic voice, Because you, my friend, are a pigheaded impulsive fool who rarely listens to my counsel.
What? That’s not true.
Yes, it is. And I never objected before, but I must now. You’ve been very wrong about the queen and I’m begging you to make peace with her. She doesn’t possess the power you believe she does.
Then how did she create stasis?
Haven’t you figured that out? The elf-lord power, with Vojalie’s training, of course. But it’s not innate with her, which is why she suffers when the power comes to her. Wake up, Stone. For reasons I don’t understand you’ve had it in for her and that’s something you might want to explore as well. Why have you been so intent on disliking Rosamunde?
Stone couldn’t respond. Not yet. He had to think this through, especially that she’d deceived him for weeks now.
On the other hand, Davido’s loyalty to Rosamunde meant something that Stone couldn’t set aside. But he needed to understand the full picture. Davido, why didn’t you teach her sooner how to transform into her wolf-state and by the way, who in any of the realms can do that?
Only a handful that I’ve known over the centuries. Her cousin, Lorelei can.
So she does have the power to defeat Margetta.
No, Stone, she doesn’t. You’ve made yourself blind with these thoughts. Margetta has more power than you can fathom. And Rosamunde, well, I will tell you something no one else knows.
When the troll didn’t finish his thought, Stone grew impatient. What? Just say it.
She was never meant to be Queen of Ferrenden Peace.
Stone had to laugh. That makes no sense at all.
Rosamunde was very young when she discovered she could manipulate the veil of mist that her mother, Queen Evelyn, had created to protect the kingdom. She was only a child of nine. She learned that she could create pathways through the mist and she would take her miniature goats out into what was then part of Grochaire Realm.
