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Our walk to the castle seemed to take forever. Behind me, Dewla and Payne began to weep with terror, but Bricklynn shushed them, saying, “Stop that at once. Nicolette has this handled. We’ll be fine.”
I hoped she was right. But I wasn’t even sure what I was going to say to Kalendria, or what she would order her guards to do to us once I faced her.
The entire Far Shore army had amassed by the time we reached the front gate, preparing to fight off an invasion from Donnelly, which also meant that if Kalendria didn’t let us go freely, we wouldn’t be fighting our way out of here this time; too many Far Shore soldiers would be around to oppose us.
“You lot,” one of the knights said, motioning to everyone with me as we neared the entrance of the main keep. “Stay out here. The princess will talk with the queen alone.”
“Like hell,” Farrow snarled, stepping toward him threateningly.
“I’m her personal bodyguard,” Indigo added, sidling next to him. “I go where she goes.”
Farrow scowled at him for stealing his line. I rolled my eyes and wiggled my way between the two. “My entire court comes with me,” I told the knight, lifting a haughty eyebrow. “Thank you.”
He blushed, looking flustered a moment before mumbling, “Well, okay. But they all have to stay in the back of the room, against the wall.”
I nodded. “That’s fine. They’ll comply.”
Indigo snorted at that, and Farrow hissed a curse.
As we entered the keep and started down a long corridor, I grabbed an arm of both my bodyguard and true love. “Will you two behave?” I warned them under my breath. “I will handle this.”
“You’re not going anywhere alone with Kalendria,” Farrow growled, making me sigh.
“Of course, I won’t.” I placated him by patting his arm. “Which is exactly why I insisted that you all come into the hall with me.”
Indigo nodded. “And well done with that, by the way.”
Farrow scowled at him. “Not helping. This is still a very dangerous situation.”
“Which will be fine,” Indigo spat back, arching his brows in challenge, “because I’ll be present to save her, now.”
“God preserve us if the fate of our lives rests in your hands,” Farrow muttered to the ceiling.
“Hey, I resent that.”
“You mean, you represent it.”
They continued to bicker all the way down the hall to the throne room, and oddly enough, it helped alleviate my fear. With these two around, I could face anything.
At the doorway, the guards ordered the others into position against the back wall where they were to stand as another knight escorted me forward to the opposite end of the room to Kalendria who sat, smirking. A crown lay poised on her head while her late husband’s leather cape with the fur collar gripped her shoulders protectively.
In front of her, a handsome male servant stripped of a top to bear his muscled chest, knelt beside her, giving her a foot massage.
She was definitely lording the power of her new position over everyone.
“Why, princess,” she greeted. “What a surprise this is. I thought I’d seen the last of you when you escaped my dungeons. But look how you’ve returned. And brought me gifts too, it appears.” She motioned to my court. “It just so happens I’ve been seeking Torrance’s children. Thank you for delivering them all to me so tidily. Oh, and is that my fiancé I spy, as well?”
“You misunderstand,” I told her, sidestepping to block my people from her view. “I’m not here to turn anyone over to you. I’ve claimed them all as mine, thus they’re under my protection now. You’ll not be touching them.”
I spoke clearly and succinctly, not an ounce of rudeness or arrogance in my tone as I gave her the facts. And in return, she lifted her brows in surprise before throwing back her head and laughing in my face. “You’ve claimed them?” she had to repeat, amused by the notion.
But I nodded, remaining stoic. “Yes. They were being mistreated and maligned under your care, so I took them under mine.”
Kalendria paused, frowning at my words. Fi
nally growing serious, she flicked her masseur back with her foot so she could slip on her jeweled sandals with spiked heels and stand above me on her raised dais. “Excuse me, little girl? What did you just say about the way I treat my people?”
“You heard me just fine.” Keeping my eyes steady on her, I notched my chin regally high. “And now that we have that issue out of the way…”
