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"Or I’ll kill you. You want the truth? This is it. This is me. This is the outcome of two years worth of shit and a lifetime of never being good enough." Hollis pressed his mouth shut. Sienna swelled with pride at the small victory and gave his head a small pat. "Sit in the grass like a good dog," she chided as they came to a complete stop.
Leo's eyes never reached Sienna’s as he stared down at his friend settling into the grass. But he was exactly who she wanted to spend her time with. She wanted Hollis to see her getting along, oh so well with someone just like him.
"Leo," she said pleasantly, "would you like to join me to play some games? I can be awfully competitive, but perhaps I'll let you win one." She laughed a little.
He offered her a smile in return but it was almost cowardly. "I would love to, my Queen."
"Good, good." She purred, offering her arm to him. They turned to head toward the first game but were met with…she remembered his face, but what was his name? James? Jacob? Something with a J she was sure. His face was stained red and his hands wrung in front of him.
"My Queen, I have urgent news!!”
Ace
There was a fluttering feeling deep in the pit of Ace's stomach. Not the good kind either. This was the kind that made her regret eating her last meal because she might throw it back up.
Shelby went rigid at her side. His hand almost immediately found her arm and he held her next to him. She had an inkling that perhaps he thought she would slip away or turn to smoke and disappear like a ghost. Not without a grimoire, she wouldn't. Until that book was in her hand, they were a team. Which might not be a good thing currently.
She inhaled slowly, trying to relax her shoulders and appear as if she belonged when she so clearly did not. The warlock stared more so at Shelby than at her. Was that a good sign? She wasn't sure.
No guards were trailing behind him. Magic didn’t ignite his palms. He was justwalkingtoward them. Both those things did little to calm the rising wave of anxiety inside Ace.
"Adaram," Shelby said curtly as the man came to a stop at the front of the tent. His wide frame blocked their view of the rest of the carnival.
"What the hell,Shelby?" Adaram breathed out the question. His dark brows pushed together with concern. Adaram was a head shorter than Shelby, his dark brown hair braided behind him. "Why would you even show your face here? Why risk it?" the warlock demanded.
Shelby opened his mouth to speak, no answer readily available to give. He looked down at Ace, his hold on her loosening. He didn’t have an explanation.
Ace spoke up. "It's too much to explain. I have a plan. We have a plan."
Adaram looked down at Ace. "Who is this?" He squinted a little bit. "Please tell me it isn't the girl you gave a spell to?" He pinched the bridge of his nose. "What does she have on you to make you do this?"
Speaking as if she wasn’t actually there…not nice, Adaram.Ace couldn’t help but question the gods,Friend or foe?
Could go either way,Greshta proposed.
Stop worrying her,Sylik said pointedly.
"We have similar goals," Shelby answered, the confidence in his voice made Ace’s chest warm.
Adaram straightened. All around them a hush fell over the crowd. People turned to look past the booths up the golden path. That could only mean one thing.
The queen had finally arrived.
The excited heat in Ace’s chest went ice cold. Bile stung at the back of her throat until she forced herself to swallow it down.
The warlock spun to face the crowd that was parting for the queen. Ace could feel her pulse racing under Shelby's touch. Could he feel the way her heart was threatening to give out? Despite her drumming heart, Ace tried to peer past Adaram to get a glimpse of the queen. Would he call out to her? Would he give them away?
The three of them bowed as she passed them. Queen Sienna was a vision in yellow that quickly disappeared out of her sight, without so much as a glance. She exhaled in unison with Shelby as they stood up and Adaram turned back to face them.
"Are you going to say something?" Shelby said without the barest hint of emotion.
Ace looked up at him, marveling at the way his features smoothed out. There was no way he wasn't almost shitting his pants right now. How he could stuff all that emotion down was beyond her. Ace felt like she was nearly overflowing with emotions. Her hands shook, her legs feeling like there was a fifty-fifty shot of her either falling to the ground or sprinting as far from this fair as possible. Maybe Shelby had been right to hold onto Ace tightly.
"No." Adaram sighed. "My loyalty is to you, brother, not the queen. Any warlocks I’ve spoken to agreed that they were happy you escaped. I don't think you have much to worry about from us. It's the guards you'll have an issue with should they recognize you."
"Is Malainy out here?" Shelby pressed.
"No. He's at the front guarding the castle doors."
