Page 74 of Kiss of Smoke

It was a beautiful patchwork, no longer made solely of glass. The gnomes had incorporated some of the remnants of the previous palace, so that iridescent colors glimmered behind veils of vines and roses, but this time the queen had allowed much of nature to take its course.

We entered through the doors, tall arches made of roots.

Gwyn strode insouciantly at my side, looking gorgeous in head to toe leather with the Left Hand badge on his chest.

Robin and Jack were in suits, of course, light and dark, and I was having one of those days where I wanted to put off this meeting and take them all home.

But the queen had demanded we be here… and so here we were.

It was a secret meeting, so we wouldn’t be greeting the queen in her throne room, beneath the bower of white roses.

She was in her new parlor, which was high in the palace, overlooking the Eridanus River. I glanced out the window and saw the Blood Tree glimmering in the sun.

My father was there, fully armored, and he reached out and put a gloved hand on my shoulder as we entered.

“Right on time,” Queen Titania said briskly. Her dress was as black as a crow, shot through with lines of pure gold. She was already holding a teacup, a brownie waiting near her elbow.

I bowed deeply. On the rare occasion I saw the queen, I tried to make up for the time that I’d seen her living in sweatpants and drinking brandy in our kitchen.

It wouldn’t do to let that image of her stick in my head when she was the highest authority I answered to—and the one who had given me citizenship and made all my dreams come true.

Robin and Jack settled in chairs, and Gwyn and I took a loveseat opposite them.

The soft moss of the cushions was pleasantly cool, and several flowers bloomed under my fingers when I tried to rest my hand on the arm of the chair.

Titania waved a hand magnanimously when I surreptitiously tried to pick the flowers away. “Let them be. I enjoy the scent.”

I managed a tentative smile, leaving the flowers alone. “Yes, your Majesty.”

There was an old-fashioned letter on the table in front of the queen. She picked it up and handed it to Robin, who frowned at the letter as he read. “I dislike having to send you away, but I owe Lissar a favor.”

I straightened up in my seat as soon as I heard that. Sending us away?

Gwyn and I exchanged a look. Jack was already reading the letter over Robin’s shoulder.

“They’re having trouble in the Wight Isles,” Robin said, informing us as he read. “Potential Dark Fae activity.”

Titania nodded, sipping her tea primly. “Lissar had taken out many of the Dark Fae after the Tithe War, but the Isles are brimming with wild magic. She would go investigate herself, but as she’s currently pregnant with her newest child… well, her days of spying are over for now. The Autumn King will be your liaison when you enter Tír na nÓg.”

“And… when are we expected there?” Robin asked, lowering the letter.

Titania glanced up at a clock growing out of a tree trunk. “In one hour.”

Gwyn raised both eyebrows. “Short notice for exploring places like the Wight Isles, don’t you think?”

I inwardly winced. Once a Hunter, always a Hunter, and he was practically incapable of being polite to the queen.

Fortunately, Titania seemed to find it charming.

“You’re my elite team,” she said sternly. “The four of you should have the Isles covered by the end of the day, along with a report to Lissar. I don’t want any of you gone for any longer than you have to be.”

She’d gone tense. I realized that she probably wasn’t feeling too secure, not this soon after her daughter’s death, and this was going to be hard on her to have her primary force outside Avilion.

Noctifer strolled around the room, coming to a stop in his customary place at the queen’s side, and reached out and put a comforting hand on her shoulder.

To my shock, Titania reached up and laid her hand over his.

“You will not be alone,” he said, and she smiled at him.

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