I sucked in breath through my nose and nodded, saying, “Well then, hit me with it.”
She nodded back then she and Valentine exchanged a glance and both settled on the pallet on either side of me.
“You have been under a sleeping spell for four days,” Lavinia stated, I nodded, she took in breath and continued. “I was captured and imprisoned here a week ago. You and Valentine arrived yesterday and when you did, Valentine was bound but awake.”
I finished the last piece of ham, set the plate aside, took another drink of water and said, “Okay.”
“We are…” she hesitated, looked to Valentine then back at me, “we are both bound still, though we bear no straps. Wherever we are has a powerful spell over it. Neither of us have command of our magic. It is not gone, we both still feel it, we just cannot command it.”
My eyes slid away and I whispered, “Great.”
“This is why, I am certain, they have brought me here for I would not stand for what is happening to my Lunwyn,” Lavinia told me and I nodded.
Valentine took it from there. “We both can, however, sense things. This is how we know…” she trailed off and I jerked my chin up so she wouldn’t continue.
I didn’t want to hear the words again. I got her. This was how they knew Frey was gone.
Lavinia spoke next. “We also know more, or I do. Valentine senses things but as she is not of this world most of what she senses, she doesn’t understand.”
“And what more do you know?” I asked but I didn’t really care. I wanted to know about my girls and Frey’s men. I wanted to know about Aurora and Atticus. I wanted to know about Skylar. And I wanted to have some time to lick my wounds and then figure out how to get the fuck out of there, out of this world and home, home, home.
“The adela trees burn,” Lavinia whispered, all these thoughts flew from my head and I felt my mouth drop open as I felt my heart squeeze.
Then I whispered back, horrified, “No.”
She nodded, her eyes growing bright. “They do. The trees burn, our glorious, glowing adelas which is bad enough but this means the elves cannot rise.”
I closed my eyes and turned my head away.
The elves could not rise.
And they had no Frey.
I had no Frey.
If I lived to deliver him or her, my son or daughter would have no Frey.
I looked back at Lavinia and said with feeling, “That sucks.”
Her head tipped to the side. “Sucks?”
“Sucks, stinks… it’s awful,” I lifted a hand and rudely, I had to admit, circled it at her to get on with it but I didn’t have it in me to be polite. “What else?”
“Aurora is taken,” Lavinia said gently and I sucked in breath.
Then I let it out on a hissed, “Shit.”
“She lives and she is held captive, like us. Not here but far away, I cannot sense where. But… I am sorry, my princess, I do not sense your father.”
I closed my eyes tight and turned my head again as the hitch in my throat tore out in a wrenching sob. Then, I forced out on a stammer, not looking at her, “He’s… he’s… is he dead?”
“I am sorry,” she whispered.
I lifted a hand to my mouth and curled my fingers around.
I’d lost him again. Again.
Fucking hell once was bad enough.
Tears forced themselves out of my eyes and slid down my face as I fought for control but my chest heaved with the effort and my throat burned so much I thought it would disintegrate. It took awhile and a lot out of me but I pulled my shit together, wiped my face with my hand and looked back at Lavinia.
“What else? My girls? Frey’s men?”
She shook her head but when she saw my face and understood I misread her, she said quickly, “I do not know. I have not met them and therefore I cannot sense them. I can only sense those I’ve met or people of prominence, like your husband. I’m sorry; I have no news of them.”
I looked to Valentine. “You?”
“I was in their presence, my Seoafin, but I’m sorry, not long enough to know their auras and be able to feel them,” she answered.
“All righty,” I whispered, sucked in another breath then looked between them both. “Do you know anything else? Who’s doing this?”
I asked this as a key scraped the lock, all three of us looked to the door then it was thrown open and I couldn’t believe my eyes or stop my mouth from dropping open when I saw Broderick saunter in followed by his lover Phobin.
No.
It couldn’t be.
But it was. He was right there and he wasn’t entering to be imprisoned.
Broderick took one look at me, his face grew hard, my heart started pumping and he turned on his lover.
“What is the matter with you?” he snapped. “She is of my blood, she is princess and she sits in filth?”
“She is prisoner,” Phobin retorted coldly.
“She is princess,” Broderick shot back then turned to address the two guards that entered with them and stood at the door. “Take the Winter Princess to my quarters. Find women to draw her a bath, find her a decent gown and bring her proper food.”
“You cannot do that, Broderick,” Phobin stated and Broderick turned on him.
“I cannot? I’m sorry; I thought it was me who just became king of two lands. Did I miss something? Was it you?”
“I’ve told you. She is of the elf, the witch said so,” Phobin clipped. “We cannot take the chance she holds any magic and escapes.”
“She is my cousin and she is princess and she will not sit in filth,” Broderick returned and Phobin’s face went hard and his eyes grew so furious and so cruel not only I shrunk back but so did Lavinia and Valentine.
Then, he strangely whispered, “Come to heel, Broderick.”
Broderick head twitched, his face going blank for a moment before his eyes flashed, he glared at Phobin and stated firmly, “A king does not heel, Phobin.”
Phobin got closer, his voice got lower and he repeated, “Come to heel.”
Broderick smiled then and, speaking softly, returned, “You fool. Did you honestly think our play in bed translated to my rule of a vast kingdom?” Broderick got closer too and his voice got softer but not so soft we couldn’t hear. “Yes, my lover, I will beg to suck your cock and I will beg you to do other things with it but outside our bed, Phobin, hear this and know it, I rule and you come to heel or I’ll find a lover who will play like I like in bed and know his place out of it.”
Phobin’s stunned face had paled but Broderick ignored it and the three of us on the pallet, turned and walked to the guards, stopping in front of them.
Then he ordered, “Take my cousin to my chambers, she is princess and treated as such. Keep guards at the door and for the gods’ sakes, give these witches some decent blankets, palatable food, wine and water to wash up with. I do not reign like my father, learn that now and part of what you need to learn is that this treatment of women is unacceptable.”
Then he swept through the guards, leaving the cell and leaving behind a still shocked and immobile Phobin.
Then we heard from the hall, “Phobin! Come!” Phobin’s body jerked, he looked confused for a moment then he rushed out of the cell.
“Come!” one of the guards grunted at me and my eyes shot to him.
“Go, Seoafin,” Valentine whispered. “We’ll be all right.”
“Come!” the guard grunted again, starting to move forward.
I quickly glanced at Lavinia who smiled reassuringly at me then Valentine, who did the same and I set the cup I still held aside and started to get to my feet.
Then I turned to Valentine and Lavinia and whispered, “I’ll be back.”
Then I gained my feet, straightened my shoulders, tossed my hair, nodded regally to the guard and swept out of the room.
* * * * *
I tortured myself.