Page 59 of The Nightmare Queen

“I tortured her for a few reasons. To find out how much Hadar’s Guards know thanks to her lover, because I could, and because you let me.” His face drops at my words. I smile as I back away from him, letting him stew over that fact, the fact that he could’ve stopped me and didn’t.

Rorin

Again another sleepless night came and went. Her words plaguing me the entire time.“Because you let me.”

I did, and the problem is, I would again. The things that damn woman does to my head. I was accosted by Bennett and Will after she left the cells. Panic rising between the two of them over how she’ll behave in Valen. I simply reminded them of who’s responsibility she is and that I would handle it. But she makes it difficult. Everything about her disrupts my sense of reason.

I can’t figure her out. There are times I think things are getting more comfortable, that we are bridging across whatever tensions our kingdoms have but then she slams those walls down again. When I saw her on that field, when I waited for her to wake up, I couldn’t explain that the emotions that ran through me at the sight of her torn body. How could I explain to my men that I didn’t care what the traitor or his lover suffered at her hands because they almost cost me her. Maybe I could have convinced them that without her Baelor’s army with destroy us, but I didn’t think that explanation would hold. So instead I said I’d handleit, and the quickest solution I came up with to handle it was to have us play the part of lovers.

My Wield pools in the palm of my hand, the mist twisting and turning. Anger and disgust fills me as I watch the cursed magic move. The Wield clouds over the seal’s rune the glint of it’s own magic glows under and through the mist. I’ve studied my magic in these controlled states for years, trying to understand why my mist wouldn’t be the same as my mother’s. My father’s fury over it led me to my lessons - but those lessons weren’t to learn it, adapt to it, Wield it. They were to contain it. I’ve worked so hard not to let it consume me but around her…around her I have no control. Yet another frustrating development since getting her involved.

THUD! THUD! THUD!“COME ON GENERAL WAKE UP!” I snuff the mist out, pulling my Wield back to me.

“If you’ve any good sense you would shut the hell up!” I grumble, burying my face into the pillow. There is a muffled sound of metal meeting wood before my door bursts inwards.

“She is apparently not a morning person.” Bennett quips. He rips the pillow out from under my face and throws it across the room in the general direction of where the queen must be, “we know you aren’t too excited about going back to court, but your appearance is unfortunately required. So get up and dust that crown off, Prince. Otherwise the creepy queen might eat us for breakfast as penance for the wake up call.”

Will rounds the bed without making eye contact with me, the both of them each take an edge of the covers and pull them back off my body.Good thing I decided to sleep in pants last night.My body flinches at the stark contrast in temperature. “I think right now I would let her.” I mutter.

I dress quickly and pass off the last of my things to one of the servants. While walking out of my room I noticed one of her throwing stars embedded in the door frame outside my room.That must have been what was used as the precursor to her thank you this morning.

Strangely enough she had found her way to the portal room without me or one of my two men guiding her because when I walked into the room, there she was already standing with her men, Axel was tying her hair up for her while she worked on the buttons to the front of her corset. The position has them nearly fused together, whereas the rest of her men stand a bit away, eyes focused forward on the portal.

I place my hand on the portal, imbuing it with my magic. “I am sure you all are aware of how to use this?” I ask. The only people to shake their heads are Maxwell and Orem. “Right, so for those who don’t know, repeat exactly what Will says and then follow quickly behind one another. You don’t want to risk ending up in the wrong place. For the future - if you can envision the portal location you want to go you won’t need to say it out loud, but today as you all have never been to Valen Court it’ll be safer to say the words.”

Will steps up loudly stating, “VALEN COURT, SUN PORTAL” and then steps through. They each follow suit and step in one after the other leaving Eveera and I alone. Her face is tight as she attempts to conceal her unease.“Nervous?”I ask through the seal.

Her eyes flit to mine before settling back on the swirling portal,“should I be?”She retorts.

“Don’t forget. Play your role.”My hand drifts to hover over her lower back as I say the words aloud again and then we step letting the magic suck us in. The magic spinning our bodies through the ley channels that the portals work off of. It spits us out in mere minutes.

The attendant working the room looks at our group with a stricken expression sputtering and stumbling his words together. “Now what?” Axel asks as Eveera and I straighten our clothes.

My lips flatten into a grim line. “Now we go make our entrance.”

The servants scatter at our approach down the gilded halls. They have somehow managed to become even more ostentatious than usual in my absence. Eveera and her men keep tight-lipped as we make our way through the castle towards the two arched mahogany doors leading into the council room. Tentatively, I reach for her through the seal but her walls are locked down tightly preventing me from seeing, feeling, or hearing any of her thoughts right now. The guards as we approach gape in confusion before switching over to a defensive stance that blocks our path.

The guard to my left speaks up first, his eyes drifting towards the added members to my entourage. "Prince. Welcome back.”

“Gerald.” I greet, stepping up to move him out of the way.

“Prince, the council is in a meeting.” He warns, hand going to his hilt.

My knuckles press into my palm cracking as I stare down at the man. “Am I not a part of said council?”

His feet shift underneath him in nervousness cracking through his resolve. “Uh-uhm. Well yes.”

“Then get out of my way.” He looks over to his fellow guards, the one to my right giving him a nod as they move. Gerald ducks his head down and reaches for the handle.

The doors pull wide and we position ourselves so that myself and the men are the only visible people upon our entry. All heads turn towards us. A few mouths drop while others frown, but my focus is only on the individual directly in front of me. My father rises from the table, hisexpression guarded, “Son. I see you’ve returned. How is Bair?” He asks while looking down at the papers in front of him.

My magic thrums in my veins at his nonchalant tone. “Shit.” I say flatly. “But that shouldn’t come as a surprise.”

He hums feigned concern, “and you’ve brought new men with you. New recruits for your personal force?”

A smile twitches at my lips. “Sort of.”

My father looks up at that, “sort of?” He asks while everyone else at the table exchange a look. From the corner of my eye I see a curious black tendril curling around my ankle.

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