Page 18 of The Nightmare Queen

She sucks her lip in between her teeth, “Mmm. I’m not convinced. Maybe if you got on your knees and begged.” Her face is smug, already thinking she’s won this round. That damn mouth.

“Ha.” I take a careful step towards her, making sure she knows it ismewho is looking down onher- no matter how big and scary she thinks she is, “and that would convince you? Me on my knees?”

She shrugs her shoulders, looking disinterested. “Maybe.”

“I don’t know what more you want from me. This should satisfy both our causes as your people will never have to suffer at his hands like mine have.” My hands curl into fists, trying to maintain the grip on my magic that her taunts bring out.

She points her finger up and down. “I just said. I like the idea of you begging me for something.” The image of me on my knees in front of her flashes through my mind.Fuck.

My mouth curls up to match hers. “Your Highness, I assure you when I get on my knees, it is to do more than beg.”Two can play this game. I hear Will choke on a cough behind me and Ezra’s face goes red.

“Ha!” Her hands go to a slow clap. “Cute, princeling. Very cute.”

My palms are clasped behind my back still holding tight to my Wield, “do we have a deal?” The clapping stops, but her saccharine smile stays put.

“For you to get on your knees or for you to use my army?” She’s holding in a laugh, I can tell. Nothing to her is serious, everything is a game, a ploy. All of us pawns for her to toy with.

“Eveera.” Ezra bites out in warning behind her but she ignores him. Felix, I see, puts a hand on his shoulder while subtly shaking his head at him in reprimand.

I sigh, trying to not sound exasperated. “For you to allow me the use of your army against King Baelor and Hadar’s Guard.”

A look of what I know can’t be true disappointment flits across her features followed by an exaggerated yawn. “Pity. My idea sounded more fun.” She moves her gaze to Will - who looks like he is about to pull his hair out from the exchange, then to Ezra, who looks about the same. Lastly, she looks at Felix. “We have a council meeting soon, do we not?”

He nods and says, “Yes, they’re setting up for it now.”

She sidesteps me, shouting over her shoulder,“are you coming?”

Will dips his chin to whisper in my ear, “does this mean she is agreeing?”

“Your guess is as good as mine.” I have no idea what that exchange meant.

We follow her into one of the hidden passageways and are spit out into a small, well lit meeting room. Eveera takes her seat at the head, kicking her feet up. Her left leg is thrown over the right causing the slit of her dress to fall open and reveal almost her entire thigh.

She’s already playing with her throwing stars, launching them at a cork board above the main doors.Thwwwump! The star lands perfectly in the center.She managed that sitting down? No, correction. She did that reclining?!I think in mild amazement.

She pulls out another one and lands another bullseye. The motion causes the arriving council members to duck and flinch. A woman who is as tall as I am, with long plaited white hair, has her hand pressed to her chest and her mouth dropped open in shock, “Your, Highness must you play with those in here?”

“There’s a starboard above the door isn’t there?” The woman tilts her head up to look at the board, disapproval settling into her features, “besides, Alina, it’s too early for your complaints.” The queen snaps. The woman, Alina, scowls and takes her seat at the end of the table, notably furthest from the queen. Felix motions for us to take two seats directly to the left of her as he takes up his own on her right. The rest of her council files in, leaving two gentlemen staring at us; I am guessing it is their seats that Will and I are sitting in.

“Frederic, Mose, you two are fine with standing for this meeting, are you not?” She asks.

They both mutter, “Of course, your Majesty.”

With everyone situated she swings her legs down and stands, both of her hands braced against the edge of the table. “Fabulous, welcome to our weekly council meeting. I’d go through all the regular pleasantries where I pretend I care about your day to day lives-” I expect the council members to be insulted but they all just laugh - well all but the one councilwoman, Alina - Eveera throws them a wink and I can see the hint of a genuine smile on her lips which she quickly removes when she catches me staring. “As you all can see in Frederic and Mose’s seats are two new people. I’m sure you have heard of the arrival of Prince Rorin and Mousy.” Will’s face heats at the nickname while nods and murmurs of confirmation rumble through everyone.

“Great, well, this is them.” She sweeps her hand in our direction. Looks of disbelief cross some faces and some looks of anger enter others. “Prince Rorin, if you would be so kind as to explain why you’re here and what you want from me to the council.” She sits back down looking at me expectantly.

I clear my throat as I stand, “Of course.” I look and meet everyone’s eyes, “I’ve come to your queen with the realm-wide issue we are having from King Baelor of Hadar. He is wreaking havoc and committing mass genocide. We’ve already seen Mellant and Peverell fall. Evendell is sufferinggreatly under his regime as it stands. Vellar struggles as we continue to push against their invasion.” I’m cut off by a short, dark haired woman sitting three seats down from me.

“I’m sorry,” she says with the same accent I picked up on from Felix the first time we met, “but what does all this have to do with us? The Kingdom of Hadar hasn’t made a move on us and he’d be foolish to try with the state of the outer lands.” Everyone around the table nods in agreement.

“Foolish maybe, but he has his ways. My father is under the jaded impression that if we keep entertaining these petty skirmishes that eventually Baelor will give up on us. Move on.”

Another councilman interjects. “And you disagree with your father, do you?” He asks.

“I do. My father isn’t on the front lines with our men. But I am, I’ve seen first hand what Hadar’s Guards level of force looks like and that is only from a fraction of them. By the time he sends his full military…if Vellar falls, the Obsidian Kingdom is next. War will be at your doorstep before you can blink.” The councilman, who can’t be much older than eighteen, looks up at me.

“So what is your reason for being here? To warn us?” He asks genuinely.

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