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I shrugged again. “I have no idea. Someone brought me to the human realm and left me there. I thought you knew who I was.”
She stared into my eyes, and I felt as if she was examining my soul. Reading me. “I see the humans taught you to be weak and lazy, as they are, that they raised you to bury your own great Unseelie power, so you don’t even know it exists.” She turned her head back to Morgant. “You can relax. She’s hardly a threat. This wretch has been thoroughly defanged. I’msurprised you couldn’t see that right away. Maybe that’s what happens when an Unseelie can’t even speak her own language.”
Curiosity sparked. What was this Unseelie power I allegedly possessed?
My mind whirled, and I rubbed my wrists where I’d been bound with rope. The skin was chafed and raw.
She gestured to the table. “Join me for dinner. We do not get many foreign guests here.”
Weird.Maybe people didn’t like being beaten in a dungeon or something.
Morgant pulled out her chair at the head of the table, and she gestured for me to sit next to her.
I took a seat. My stomach rumbled, and hunger ripped through me. The pheasant had been delicious, but I’d hardly eaten a thing today.
She raised one of her hands. “Morgant, have the servants bring us food and ambrosia.” She turned back to me and rested her elbows on the table, her chin propped in her hands.
It seemed a very casual posture for a brutal queen.
I licked my lips. I had no idea what ambrosia was, but my mouth was already watering. The only thing ruining the moment was the knot of guilt in my chest. Wherever Torin was now, I doubted he was about to eat.
The queen narrowed her eyes at me. “I imagine King Torin is still upset that I killed his parents. It was a slow and nasty curse.” She smiled at me and fluttered her eyelashes. “And perhaps he’s angry abouthiscurse. Did he tell you how it works?”
I swallowed hard. I didn’t want to answer a single question about him. My strategy right now was simple: say as little as possible.
Mab lifted her eyes to the moon, and they darkened to a deep forest green. “It was fated, though. All of this is written in the stars. For a while, I had lost faith in my destiny. Now, I can see it written once more.” The corners of her lips curled, and she dragged her gaze back to me. “And when I am through with the Seelie king, I will have what I want. My heirs will sit on the throne of Faerie for the rest of time, turning it into the realm of the Unseelie once more. It was our land from the start, you know. At least we shared it.”
A shudder rippled up my spine. Gods, Torin needed to get out of herefast,and I could only hope he’d already learned the key to our escape.There was something particularly fanatical about the way her eyes shone as she spoke of destiny.
The door creaked open, and female servants in black gowns began bringing out a feast fit for a queen: steaming earthenware bowls filled with broad beans, carrots, peas, and sauces that smelled of spices. A woman with black braids carried out a wooden tray with tiny roasted skewers of cheese and tomatoes and a large bowl of rice. A third woman brought a fresh salad garnished with flower petals and a loaf of flat, buttery bread.
“I hope you like the food. Unlike in Faerie, we do not eat corpses in my kingdom.”
It took me a moment to realize she was referring toanimal meat. I would not mention the pheasant I’d eaten last night, then.
I had a vague sense that you were supposed to wait for a queen to eat, but it really was her fault I was ravenous, so I started with the bread. When you are truly starving, nothing seems better than bread and butter. As I ate, someone filled our glasses with a pale blue liquid that shimmered under the moonlight—the ambrosia, I assumed.
I scooped the sauces and beans onto the bread, shoveling it into my mouth. Every moment here felt like it could be my last, so why not fill my stomach? The spicy food left a delicious burn on my tongue, and I washed it down with ambrosia.
Gods, what I would do to kill this queen and replace her with Torin instead. He deserved to be here with us, eating the roasted cheese. Oh, gods. The flavor of the cheese was extraordinary, rubbed with ginger and coconut and something delicious that made my tongue burn. I don’t know if it was ghost chilies or a spice unique to the Unseelie realm, but the burning grew increasingly intense.
I sipped the ambrosia again. It was cold and fresh and flavored like berries. Immediately, the burning sensation in my mouth faded. Except the queen wasn’t drinking the ambrosia, which made me wonder if I was about to get hammered.
I licked my lips. “Might I request some water instead of this ambrosia?”
She pinned me with her gaze. “It’s only concentrated black orchid nectar.”
“And what does that do to someone who’s not used to it?” I speared a lettuce leaf because that wasn’t spicy at all.
“Maybe it will loosen your tongue. What does the Seelie king have planned for us? An invasion? Is that what this spy mission is about?”
“My companion and I only want to go home, and if you could help us with that, you will never need to speak to us again.” The ambrosia had gone to my head. My body felt warm and tingly, and my cheeks had gone hot.
She drummed her fingers on the aged wood of the table. “Your companion is in chains right now.” She sipped her drink, eying me over the rim of her cup. “And if you are wondering if I am lying, I would like to remind you that we don’t lie.” She raised her hand again. “Morgant! Bring out the shattered king.”
My stomach dropped, and my breath went shallow.
I turned to the door, and the air left my lungs as Morgant and an Unseelie with fiery hair dragged out Torin. Blood poured down his chest, and he struggled to keep his head raised.
