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"Ah, Katrina," the queen said, holding out a graceful hand to me as I approached. "So good to see you, my darling."
I took her hand and bowed over it before straightening and giving her a warm smile. The queen of Elfhaven had inspired countless legends and songs, as well as whispered warnings of the dangerous, seductive power that my fae brethren possessed. Hers was a terrible sort of beauty, with deep burgundy hair, sparkling green eyes, and skin the color of shimmering opals. Her shimmering dragonfly wings were tipped in the same deep burgundy shade as her hair, as if they had been dipped in blood. Every long line of her, from her tall, pointed ears to the long, sharp nails that graced the tips of her graceful hands, cried ancient, hidden danger to the animal instincts inside me. Her magic emanated from her in curling waves that couldn't be seen with the naked eye, but could be felt, like curious fingers trailing over your aura, gently scraping and tapping, looking for any weakness there.
But I was used to all of this. What I saw was only my best friend's mother. The woman who had trusted my stepmother with the stewardship of one of Elfhaven's precious territories. The woman who trusted me with the same responsibility, and who never once treated me as a lesser being because I wasn't a highborn fae.
"It's nice to see you as well, your majesty," I told her truthfully, giving her graceful hand a squeeze before I released it and turned to bow to the king. "And you, your majesty," I said happily. "I look forward to hearing new tales during my stay."
Amaryllis's father, the fierce gray warrior king of Elfhaven, whose terrible magic and black blood had saved these lands from all manner of encroaching others over the centuries, reached out and patted the top of my head, signaling that I should rise. "I have many new tales," he said in a smooth, dark-velvet voice that was laced with the magic of mind control and could elicit terrors of nightmare so horrible one might never recover. "Though Amaryllis hardly ever lets me tell them anymore. You look well, Katrina. I know it pains you to be so presentable."
I huffed a laugh. King Wolfsbane was an imposing male, tall and black-haired, with ashen skin and eyes like black pits. He had curling horns and red claws, and wolf's fangs. The man was a figure of awe to everyone who knew him—and a dark, looming figure of fae terror to those who had only heard stories of him. But to me, he was just Ama's dad. The man who loved to make up stories and perform magic tricks to entertain children. The one who often told us fantastic tales of princesses and unicorns as we sat perched in his lap before the fireplace, when Amaryllis and I were little girls.
One of the remaining council members pulled out a chair for me and nodded to indicate that I should sit. "I have a copy of the agreed-upon tournament challenges, if you would like to review it, Lady Katrina."
I took a seat at the table and skimmed over the list of contests and challenges that would determine who I would marry. "You realize I hate every bit of this, don't you?" I asked, glancing toward the head of the table where the king and queen sat in their tall, throne-like chairs of carved rosewood and holly.
The king raised one black eyebrow. And the queen of Elfhaven simply smiled at me, slow and wicked, like the predator she was. "We are aware," she said happily.
I looked back down at the list of challenges and rules in front of me. "Well then," I said as I frowned at the paper. "As long as we're all on the same page."
I argued over a few points just for the sake of arguing, but mostly just agreed with everything the king and queen suggested, because…well, they were the monarchs and my position in Larkwood really did depend on staying in their good graces. Then I said my goodbyes to the council and trudged back up the stairs and toward the guest room to get rid of my stiff formal clothes and find a moment of peace before they expected me to dress for dinner.
I was not impressed when a group of other courtiers who were visiting the palace for the tournament accosted me before I could reach the sanctuary of my suite. The identity of the Prize—the person who was being honored by the tournament—was to be kept a strict secret. And the queen had used magic to make certain that I wasn't about to ruin all of her fun by divulging the true purpose of my visit to the palace.
So, when the half-dozen overdressed, self-important highborn nobles descended on me, I told them I was here because of an issue in my territory, and that since I wanted to visit with Amaryllis anyway, I had agreed to stay for the duration of the tournament. The palace and the city's inns would all be full of guests who had flocked here just for the same purpose. There would be bets placed, and this group of highborn nobles had clearly made it their mission to collect gossip so they could be the ones to figure out who the Prize was this time around.
I had a headache by the time I made it down the hall to my suite, which was not helped by the fact that one of the courtiers, a tall, pretty highborn male who just oozed arrogance and entitlement, followed me.
His overtures would have been flattering any other time, since the highborns hardly ever deigned to flirt with my lowborn crossbreed self. He was attractive, when he wasn't speaking, with a nice build, rich light brown hair, and honey-colored eyes. In the past, I might have taken him up on his implied offer of a quick tumble, just for the novelty of it. But now…now my mind was filled with whispers that urged me to consider what his angle might be.
Was he trying to figure out if I was the Prize? Or maybe he knew the mountain pass was being built, or he had heard rumors about the mines. If a highborn courtier was willing to seduce me, there must be a reason. Typically, I was regarded as the lowborn steward of a backwoods territory of little practical importance. But if they found out about the changes that were about to occur, I might suddenly become a prime target for social climbers of all sorts.
It only reinforced the fact that the tournament was a good decision. Amaryllis was right, it was better to find some decent prospects and get married now, before everyone started trying to get on my good side just so they could use me, so they could benefit from my wealth and the status of my territory.
And on top of all of that, there was another, bigger reason behind my lack of interest as I shut my bedroom door in the pretty noble's face. I could still remember the feel of other hands on my body. I still felt the faint phantom sensation of being held in muscular arms, pressed against a big, solid body while I made love to someone who made me feel, just for a moment, like I was the most desirable thing in the world. And I didn't want to replace that ghost of a memory with a lukewarm roll in the sheets with some arrogant prick who I'd only want to stab come morning.
I went to my bedroom alone and collapsed face-first onto the bedding, letting out a muffled shriek of irritation at my stupid, sappy thoughts.
Chapter 7
I was summoned to the queen’s private office after dinner. The meal had been as extravagant and delicious and loud as one would expect of the palace, and I was more than ready to return to my suite and sleep the night away. But apparently, Queen Iris had other ideas.
I was hardly a stranger to the private wing, but I still felt a little quiver of anxiety start in my gut as I lifted my hand to knock on the heavy wooden door. The queen called a greeting and one of her personal guards opened the door to let me in. I was surprised to find a circle of candles and bones and merry mushrooms laid out in the center of the room. For once, Queen Iris looked her age. Her face was still beautiful and young, not a wrinkle or line in sight, and her burgundy hair glistened in the candlelight. But there was something ancient staring out from her eyes.
“Katrina, darling!” She said happily, taking my arm in hers and drawing me into the room. Her wings buzzed with excitement. “The tournament will officially begin tomorrow. Are you ready to work some magic?”
I licked my lips and glanced around me. I trusted my queen. I did. And I loved watching highborns work their high fae magic. But there was always a primal part of me that was more than a little afraid of the power that our ancient, once-terrible king and queen wielded. “Magic?” I asked intelligently.
Queen Iris made an effort to rein in some of her wicked enthusiasm. “Of course,” she said, patting my hand where it rested against her arm. “I’m so looking forward to this tournament. But we can’t have someone figuring out your identity and running all of our fun.”
She waved her guards away, and they left the room to take up position in the hallway, giving us some privacy. “Best if they don’t watch,” she whispered, giving me a wink. “It might confuse them once the spell is worked.”
I sighed and shook my head. “My love life is not a game, you know,” I reminded her firmly. “And I’m a little terrified of the thought of you using your magic on me, to be brutally honest.”
She stopped grinning then, turning to face me and take both my hands in hers. She was serious as she spoke. Less terrifying ancient sprite and more caring mother. “I only want what’s best for you,” she said softly. “And for Larkwood.” Her bright eyes searched mine and her expression was earnest, all pretense of flippant silliness erased. “Despite the stories they like to tell about me, I can’t tell the future,” she said evenly. “But I’ve lived long enough to heed my intuition. And I think this game of ours will result in something wonderful, if you’ll just play along.”
“What will this spell do?” I said, relenting. I had already agreed to participate in the tournament. I might as well let her have her fun. An amused fae queen was a happy fae queen. And a happy fae queen was good for everyone’s life expectancy and continued wellbeing.
She smiled again and led me into the center of the circle, drawing me down to sit cross-legged before her. “It will erase your identity,” she said simply. As if her words weren’t utterly terrifying. “Temporarily.” At my look of horror, she sighed and rolled her eyes. “Always such a stick in the mud, Katrina. It won’t harm you, my love. It will simply…alter how others see you. After tonight, it will be impossible for anyone to guess you are the Prize in the tournament. They will see only a palace employee.”
