AllFreeNovel
Share Us
His heavy breaths sounded harsh as he came barreling after me. He was almost on top of me.
Jaqueth came around the corner and threw himself at the man, knocking him to the stone floor. I nearly stopped to watch them in shock.
“Help! Help! Guards! He is trying to attack the queen!” Jaqueth tangled with the faerie man.
“What?” the guard roared. “Get off me, boy!”
I raced ahead, disappearing around the corner, a smile splitting my face. So he had picked up on my signal. The pounding of faerie’s footsteps in the halls beyond marked the approach of more guards hurrying toward the scene. Clever Jaqueth.
Still, fear lanced through me as my time was running out, and now I had other complications to fret over. Would news of the scuffle make it to Badb, alerting her? Then again, what could she do?
But I couldn’t worry about that now.
I descended the stairs to the kitchens. The smell of baked bread assaulted my nostrils. When I entered, I forced myself to walk. A few other servants nodded to me but didn’t care that I was there, my Ellehave disguise holding strong. I grabbed a tray of bread rolls and headed for the stairwell that led to the throne room. I raced up the steps, not caring that a few rolls fell off my tray, desperate to get into the throne room before it was too late. When I rounded the last curve and saw the guard at the top, I slowed and moved with more care, trying to hide how my hands shook, how quick my breaths came.
This guard merely glanced at me and allowed me to pass.
The brightness of the throne room struck me compared to the dim hallway, although the room wasn’t its normal brightly lit self as I noticed the long royal curtains over the lengthy throne room windows were drawn. Lanterns simmered along the walls, casting a sickly yellow hue over the lavishly dressed faeries present.
Faeries that were dressed in black and other somber colors. Veils and lacy gloves and ebony robes.
Like a funeral.
I worked my way through the crowd, toward the center of the room, closer to the throne. Badb’s crown lingered above the crowd, so I knew she must be on my throne, though I didn’t have a clear view of her yet. I also saw no sign of Dagda, and a pulsing dread inside worried I was too late.
“You. Serving girl, come here,” a voice said.
I paused. A woman in a long black gown with a feathered hat that looked ready to eat her head beckoned to me. I considered pretending like I hadn’t heard and moving on, but our eyes met and I didn’t want to make a scene. Not yet, at least.
I walked over to the woman who stood with a tall, brown-haired man.
The woman eyed me. “Do serving girls not bow before a member of the court?”
I held in a growl and tried to balance the tray in one hand while I bowed. The food wobbled, and I began to straighten.
“No, do not rise,” the man said in a smooth voice. “Hold there.”
I grit my teeth and focused on maintaining the transformation and keeping my crossbow from sliding off my back. If it fell too far from me, they would see it through my disguise.
“I am surprised the queen has agreed to this ceremony,” the woman said to the man as if I were not present. The fine silk of her skirt rustled with the slightest movement. A slight pressure against my tray told me she had picked up one of the bread rolls. “Were these two not supposed to be great loves?”
“You are not up on your gossip. Apparently, they had a terrible fight a few days before Samhain. She declaring she no longer wished to be bonded to him.”
“Indeed? What caused it, do you think?”
My back ached, and I felt the phantom pressure of the crossbow adjusting along my side.
“Many people say it is because he is such a weak king. Letting enemies onto the court that wish the queen’s death is not an act that causes an endearing relationship. However, a multitude of sins are forgivable in the bedroom.” The suggestiveness in his voice made my stomach feel flat.
The woman chuckled. “You believe the king is deficient at pleasing her majesty?”
My ears burned.
“When one is deficient in one area, they tend to be deficient in others.”
An angry fire lodged in my throat. I wanted to shout at the man, tell him how Dagda had brought me to the floor of this very throne room, had made me cry out, how the thought of him making love to me even now made my skin flush with a wild heat.
“Your words, sir. I’m afraid they are driving the serving girl into a tizzy. Do you not see how red she has gone?”
