Page 97 of Of Skulls Of Shackles

The queen must die

“No sign, Your Majesty,” said Princess Take.

“No Sign or no sign?” I asked.

“Forgive me. No sign of King Bring.”

Bother and drat.King Bring was a fool—though I might hide from an all-powerful monster queen who wished to conquer me too. “Send for Princess Bring.”

“I have spoken with her?—”

“You do not possess the same ability for connection as me. Summon her, kindly.”

Princess Take curtsied.

I sighed after she departed. Since my return from hellebores last night, my tether had been as short as the wick of a dying candle. My subjects did not deserve such treatment. I felt very stretched in wellbeing, and could not care for others’ wellbeing in this state.

This was a day for self-care, and hopefully some conquering before dawn.

The dragging squelch of Princess Bring grew louder until she slimed before me. I was perched in my usual armchair in the larger of my lounges. “Princess Bring, we must find your king. Do you have any notion where he could be?”

“I have spoken to pawns of places he might lurk, my queen.”

Truth.Almost.“Something has occurred to you, however.”

She lowered her gaze to the stones, and at her second of hesitation, I did my best to hold in a terrible booming order that wished to explode from my lips. I must feel strained indeed to be at shouting point with thisprincess of all princesses.

“Yes, my queen, but I am not certain of the success of such a notion.”

Candor announced from the corner, “She was certain of the success of such a notion.”

Lie.The feeling inspired was monstrous, and Candor had confirmed the source. “Princess Bring, why do you lie to a queen?”

She looked up and her eyes moistened with the wettest of fear.

I clarified, “Find confidence in your ideas, Princess, they are often great ones.”

Princess Bring released a breath. “My queen, shall I share the idea with you?”

I tried not to clench my teeth. “Please.”

“My king naturally believes that union with you, or perhaps the death of you, is the cure to his plague. He cannot storm nor conquer your queendom. You are too strong and too protected. I believe there is a logical sense in seeking to draw him out.”

“In tricking and trapping him. In hoodwinking and hedging him. In theappearanceof my weakness,” I said, following her line of thought.

She curtsied. “Just so. King See’s royal gala approaches, and this presents a setting to outsmart him.”

I frowned.

She said hastily, “Or not. I do not wish to interfere with romantic and seductive plans. I have had much daylight activity and you have not had any at all…”

I arched a brow. I did not need to be reminded of how little daylight activity I had enjoyed lately. Now she mentioned it, some screaming pleasure was all I wished to enjoy in the name of self-care. “Your plan is sound. I do not know of this royal gala, Princess.”

Her blobs sagged in relief, then regained their turgidity. “My sincere apologies. You were through hellebores, Your Majesty. Here is the invite.”

“The princess was hiding something,”said Candor.

I regarded Princess Bring closely. She had never forgotten a thing. The smallest of tidbits could not escape her notice or memory. Indeed, she appeared wan. Stretched out. A little dry. “Princess Bring, how do you fare? What do you hide? Please tell me you are not a’plagued.”

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