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He climbed up the stairs, too quickly for a man of his age. I struggled to keep up with him despite sharing his urgency.
The queen had started her meeting a few minutes ago. I wanted to be there as soon as possible to find out her evil plans.
No... I could not allow those thoughts to linger. The queen is kind and beautiful. Her plans are righteous.
“If you don’t hurry,” Master Frin shouted the words from a distance due to my failure to keep up. “I shall tell her that we are late because of you.”
Master Frin was a cowardly man. He did not think that was anything to be ashamed of, thus he never tried to hide that side of him. It was infuriating for me, but I could see how freeing it must be for him.
“Yes, master!” I shouted before I pushed myself to run. He did not stop to wait for me. The hallway became a blur around me as I quickly caught up to him, right before he greeted the guards outside the queen’s door.
The guards let us pass without question. We had been here in this room multiple times, Master Frin more than I. They knew what we looked like. As we entered the antechamber, the guards closed the door behind us.
The door to the queen’s audience chamber was wide open. I could not see the queen, but I could see a man with red cheeks.
Master Frin led the way, but he walked slowly, probably to catch his breath before presenting himself to the queen.
I used that time to listen without being seen.
“Once he marries the princess, even the prince will not be able to challenge Lugh’s claim to the throne,” a man said, his voice shrill with the fear of reporting directly to the queen. I did not recognize his voice, but the sentiment was clear.
“Luckily, the prince is younger than the princess,” Lord Brendon added needlessly.
“What news do we have of the prince?” the queen asked.
“Nothing new, my queen,” the first man replied quickly as Master Frin was about to enter the room. “He was spotted a few days ago. They travel as a group. Ten tents.”
“There could be more now,” Lady Dahlia, the queen’s Master Mind Magicker, said. “The monsters are gathering.”
This was important. I had to do something to stop Master Frin, and I didn’t have a plan. So I stepped onto Master Frin’s cloak, making him nearly trip before he had to grab the statue next to the door to steady himself. I tried to look utterly embarrassed as Master Frin stopped to glare at me.
Master Frin started to dust off his cloak, giving me a few more seconds to listen.
“We don’t know that for sure,” Lord Brendon replied, his dark mustache twitching as though he tried to contain his anger. “It is merely a rumor.”
“The thought is spreading,” Lady Dahlia said mysteriously. “The fae in Terlyth start finding out about the change in the monsters. No one has seen a transformed monster, but they each have a tale about them.”
“I don’t believe it,” Lord Brendon said. “We have not seen any former monsters in the realm. Even if it is true that they were fae once, there is no reason to think they are fae again. It is all speculation. Why would they be gathering? Why not come back to their homes if they were indeed fae?”
Master Frin was done dusting himself off. He took another moment to straighten up and find his calm again.
Then, glaring at me once more to make sure I was still embarrassed about delaying his entry, he walked into the queen’s chamber. I followed him in.
The queen lifted her gaze from the table where they had gathered around a large map and observed us as Master Frin and I walked toward them. She did not seem pleased to see us arrive late, but she did not say anything as she gestured for us to approach the table.
“Perhaps they were all Unseelie,” the first man broke the silence, his reddened cheeks becoming redder as he did. I did not recognize him, but judging by his clothes, he was an officer and not a lord. Lord Brendon’s condescending glare supported that thought.
“They were not,” the queen replied, darting her gaze off us. “And simply because you were not able to find any, does not mean they do not exist, Lord Brendon. Lady Dahlia is right. They are gathering, but I am certain some will come back to Terlyth. And those, you will find.”
Lord Brendon seemed afraid as he met the eyes of the queen. I knew why. Her green eyes were like a thin line whenever she was frustrated. Despite her beauty, I could not help but think she looked like a snake.
Lady Dahlia caught my gaze. Beautiful, I tried to think. The queen is beautiful.
“Yes, my queen,” Lord Brendon said. “I will send word. We shall offer a reward for...”
“No,” the queen stopped the man. “We do not want that knowledge to get out. Do it in secret. Can you manage that at least?”
Lord Brendon was on thin ice. He knew.
