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Ten
Callum
The magic from the portal made my skin tingle as we entered a waiting room. I recognized the black and silver furnishings and crystal walls.
“We’re in the palace,” I said, and dropped Kelia’s hand.
“Yes.” Alisha appeared behind me. “We’ve been expecting your arrival. The queen is eager for you two to meet with her.”
“What happened at the lake?” I asked.
“That is not my story to tell.” Alisha headed for the doorway, but looked back over her shoulder at me, her nose scrunched. “Do you wish to wash the human’s scent off you before you meet your queen?”
“I would never keep my queen waiting,” I said with a smile.
Kelia stayed silent, gaze flitting between me and the dark fae who looked upon her with disgust. While the queen would not harm her, others couldn’t be trusted. I’d have to keep a closer eye on Kelia. There was too much uncertainty.
Alisha led us down the hall. Normally, the halls would be filled with music and laughter, but it was eerily quiet. I glanced at a passing room as a servant with a hopeless expression closed the door.
What could have everyone so on edge?
Two guards opened the throne room doors and waves of remembrance hit me. Black and deep purple curtains hung around the low obsidian tables on each side of the room. Many nights I had lounged around those tables, drinking, eating, and doing many things that went long into the night. A harpist usually sat off to the right playing, and the royal thrones had consorts and servants always tending to the royals’ needs, whatever they might be.
Queen Merelda sat on her onyx throne, seven empty thrones beside her. Her white hair hung in one long braid that draped over her shoulder, a black crown on her head. One servant held her hand, cleaning her nails while another sat in front of her, holding her foot and painting her nails. The crimson gown she wore had a deep V accentuating her curves and leaving nothing to the imagination.
“Welcome, Callum, and Kelia of the magi. Your arrival is most welcomed.” Her ancient voice sounded hoarse and tired and when she gazed at me with a stern look, I knew I would have to show her fealty.
“My queen.” I approached the throne and kneeled before her. She lifted her foot, her dress slipping down her thighs. I took her smooth foot and kissed the top before lifting my head and gaze.
Slithering down her leg, the one I still held, was the queen’s treasured pet. I stilled as the black mamba flicked its forked tongue at me. I’d never been a fan of the queen’s snake, partly because its bite would kill you in a few hours if untreated—a present from the surface fae king—and one the queen used often.
Very carefully, I lowered the queen’s leg, watching her pet wrap around her shin, moving closer. When I looked up at the queen there was no warmth in those eyes, no hint of nights we once spent together. Nothing but fury. She leaned over, removing my foot from her grasp and scooping her pet into her hand. The servants tending to her stilled, their expressions hidden by the black hoods they wore. She slid forward on the throne, and I bowed, keeping my head low and away from her venomous creature.
A pointed fingernail dug into my chin, raising it. “I cansmellher on you.”
I knew who she referred to but did not dare look at Kelia.
The queen’s mouth twitched, and I wondered if she would kill me right here. The queen waved someone in the shadows over, releasing me from her hold. “Sit over there where I don’t have to breathe in the stench of your betrayal.”
Kelia and I both sat on the cushions arranged around the low tables, hesitation in our movements. We didn’t come here for whatever this was. I at least expected a twist to the queen’s original agreement with the magi, but I sensed much more at play.
A hooded servant brought out a decanter of wine and filled two cups, before disappearing to the shadows. I had never seen this room empty and silent and that bothered me more than the hate rolling off the queen.
Out of respect, I nodded at Kelia who reluctantly picked up the cup and sipped.
“The carnage you saw at the lake is a result of my oldest son betraying us.”
“What? Prince Eldritch?” My mouth hung open in shock.
The queen held a hand up and the snake disappeared around her neck, hiding within her long hair. “As impossible as it seems, you have been gone an exceedingly long time, and things have changed in the Underground. My children don’t understand our history and how we have survived so very long.”
“I don’t understand,” I growled. “The prince loves his people.”
The queen eyed the two servants who had been tending to her and they returned from the sides and began preening at the queen, another servant, this one male and uncloaked held a crystal goblet to her lips. When she was finished drinking, he returned to a spot in the shadows hiding behind the various hanging curtains and I wondered how many assassins hid within this dimly lit room.
“And that is why he believes what he is doing is right,” Queen Merelda continued. “The magi have requested our aid against the growing Rift, and if we refuse they will stop all trade with the surface. King Kane has sided with the council putting us in a precarious position. The prince believes we should cut ourselves off from the surface and let the other races deal with the problem that we have survived centuries without needing a thing from those above. He does not understand the way of the life tree. If the Rift expands, the black death will continue, and we will not be safe forever.”
The queen stood. “If you are to help, you should see what we face.”
