I glared at him. “She has nothing to be jealous about. Not anymore.”
“Agreed,” said Volusian. “Besides, the Willow Queen is not an adolescent girl who would risk her rule to take petty revenge. She-and her peers-are far too clever. And ruthless.”
Finn crossed his arms and glared at Volusian. It was kind of a bold move, considering Finn looked like a cartoon character and Volusian looked like he ate the souls of small children. For all I knew, he probably did.
“Of course you’d say that. You’re trying to throw Odile off Maiwenn’s trail. Makes it easy, doesn’t it? Then Maiwenn’s assassins can do your dirty work for you. We all know you’re just waiting to kill her off.” Finn jerked his thumb in my direction.
Volusian went rigid, his eyes narrowing to red slits. “Make no mistake. When I kill our mistress-and I will-I will not depend on some gentry to do it. I will rip her flesh and tear her soul apart myself.”
Silence fell.
“Truly, mistress,” Nandi said at last, “it is a wonder you even have the will to carry on.”
“Enough,” I groaned, rubbing my eyes. “Being around you guys is like being on the Jerry Springer Show sometimes. As much as I hate to admit it, I agree with Volusian.” Finn started to speak, and I cut him off with a gesture. “But I still want to talk to Maiwenn. If she is guilty, maybe I can find out. If she isn’t, maybe she’ll help me figure out who is.”
“You’re crazy,” exclaimed Finn. “You’re playing right into her hands.”
“And your opinion has been duly noted for the record. I don’t need to hear it anymore.”
He disappeared with a huff. I shook my head and turned to the others.
“Show me where the closest crossover to her home is.”
It turned out to be an hour and a half drive from Tucson, but considering how much Otherworldly travel I probably would have had to do by crossing somewhere else, I didn’t mind. This proved doubly true when the crossroads in the Willow Land deposited me within eyesight of her castle.
It was only a small consolation, considering it was still freezing in her land. Back home, the weather had been hot and perfect. Worst of all, today was Cinco de Mayo. I should have spent the rest of the day drinking copious amounts of tequila, followed by a blissful blackout under a table somewhere.
At least there was no wind now, but the air held a sharp, biting chill. It was dry too; I could sense its lack of moisture. Ice and snow drifts glittered with crystalline beauty in the stark winter sunlight, but it was a dangerous beauty. If you stared at the blankets of white too long, you could almost get afterimages from the brightness.
I trudged down the cold road, admiring the castle in spite of myself.
Unlike Aeson’s and Dorian’s, it lacked the blocky, fortress look. It was…well, pretty. Graceful, fluid spires rose up, their silvery white surface gleaming and sparkling. The entire structure had a curved, almost sinuous look, like a calla lily. I wondered if this simply resulted from the difference between male and female monarchs. Maybe Maiwenn just had better taste.
The guards turned rightfully alarmed when I informed them who I was. They tried to coax me inside to wait for Maiwenn’s admittance, but I refused to take one step until they’d requested hospitality for me. It took awhile-during which time the number of guards circling me doubled-but Maiwenn finally sent back word that I could see her and would be under the protection of her home.
A lady-in-waiting led me to Maiwenn, and she made it clear in both body language and words that I had no business disturbing her queen. She led me through twisting halls, at last leaving me in a cozy, brightly lit sitting room. Maiwenn rested in a comfy plush chair, propped up by pillows. A heavy satin dressing gown wrapped around her, and someone had tucked a blanket over her lap. Even pale-skinned and messy-haired, she looked gorgeous.
She smiled at me and gestured for the servant to leave. “Lady Markham, what a pleasant surprise. Please, sit down.”
Uneasily, I eased onto a delicate plush pink chair. “Call me Eugenie.”
She nodded, and we both sat there awkwardly. Watching her, all I could think about was how she was carrying Kiyo’s baby. It would create a lifelong bond between them that I could never share. Not that I wanted anything like that, of course. Kiyo was out of my life.
Maiwenn’s sense of propriety, being better than mine, soon kicked in. “I’m happy to receive you, but I suspect this isn’t a social call.”
“No…I’m sorry. I wanted to talk to you about…” I hesitated, suddenly feeling foolish. What had I been thinking to come here and ask her outright if she wanted to kill me? Well, it was too late to back out. Might as well go for it. “I’ve had a couple of nasty attacks lately. Attacks meant to kill me. And I was wondering if…if maybe you knew anything about them…”
Her turquoise eyes regarded me knowingly. “Or more to the point, you want to know if I had anything to do with them.”
I averted my eyes. “Yes.”
“It’s no wonder Dorian likes you so much. Your bluntness must amuse him to no end.” She sighed and leaned her head back in the chair. “You may believe me or not, but the answer is no. I neither ordered nor know anything about any attempts on your life. What happened?”
Figuring it couldn’t hurt regardless of her involvement, I told her everything about the fachan and the nixies. Her face stayed mostly blank, though I did see surprise flash in her eyes a few times. When I finished, her response was not what I expected.
“Why do you live in a desert anyway? Willingly even?”
I felt surprise cross my own face. “It’s my home. It’s not that bad.”
She shrugged. “If you say so. But Dorian is right in his assessment of getting those creatures to you in the first place. Someone powerful and motivated would have had to do it.”
“Do you know who?”
“No. Like I said, you have no reason to believe me, but I had nothing to do with this.”
She was right. I had no reason to believe her. And yet…some part of me noted that Kiyo trusted her. Whatever anger I felt over his withholding of information, I had to believe he wasn’t an entirely unreliable judge of character.
“Could you give me names of people who could do it?”
“I could give you dozens. Wouldn’t do you much good.”
I scowled and slouched into my chair. The same response as the spirits.
“I’m sorry I can’t be more help.” She sounded sincere. “I won’t lie: The thought of you having Tirigan’s grandson terrifies me. But I don’t believe in punishing you for something that has not yet happened-especially when you are trying to not make it happen. However…” That placid expression turned hesitant. “May I ask you a question?”
“Sure.”
“I know what you told me, and yet…well, I hear more and more stories about your involvement with Dorian. Kiyo said…” She tripped over the name. “Kiyo said I had nothing to worry about.”
“You don’t. It’s an act. Dorian’s teaching me to use my magic, and in exchange, I play his girlfriend.” No point in mentioning our recent bargain.
She considered. “So you’ve decided to embrace your heritage after all.”
“Only enough to not do something stupid.”
“You’re right to do that…though I’d feel better if you had another teacher. Your bargain may seem safe enough for now…yet I doubt he’ll let it stay that simple for long. Don’t let his charm blind you to his agenda. He’ll use you to get what he wants-and he wants the prophecy fulfilled.”
“Hey, I can handle Dorian. And his charm.”
“There’s more to it than just that, however. Your very life may be at risk.”
“From Dorian? I doubt it.”
“From his enemies.”
That was a new one. “I didn’t really know he had any unless…well, you and he differ in opinion…and I guess he and Aeson don’t get along either.” I sat up straighter. “Do you think his enemies are the ones trying to kill me? To get back at him?”