Page 20 of The Witch Queen

I chime in. “At least some of her people feel comfortable enough to petition her for help with even minor things like the cost of flour. That means people aren’t largely afraid of her. Despite my father’s nonsense about being the Golden King, no Velmaran would come to him for help like that.”

“But—we also know there’s a rebel group opposed to her rule who believe her to be a witch,” Silene adds. I nod.

“We know she’sfucking powerful,” Fionn adds, causing my lips to twitch in amusement.

“So we’ve heard,” Silene teases him. “Anything else?”

“The aether is stronger here than anywhere else. I’ve always heard it was because of all the leylines, but now we know that’s true,” I add.

“What do you mean?” Silene asks.

“Well, it’s hard to put into words…” I say. “When I tapped into the aether, I didn’t have to exert as much effort to pull the current through the light. And it bubbled up so quickly I almost sliced Fionn in half.” He grimaces, and I give him a wink. “I wasobviouslyable to control it, but it took me by surprise. I didn’t notice it until today, though. Every day that I’ve water channeled it feels the same. Have you guys noticed anything with your magic?”

“I haven’t used my magic at all,” Fionn says, disappointed. “Not much need to guide weapons into their targets when you’re sitting in diplomatic meetings all day.”

“Depends on the meeting,” I joke.

“My air channeling experience is the same as yours,” Silene says. “Have you noticed anything else?”

I’m about to shake my head no, when I remember the mist. “Actually, I can’t believe none of us remembered this and brought it up yet. The mist is somewhat sentient.” Silene and Fionn look at me in confusion. “It… reacted when we walked into it, remember? It—I don’t know—itcaressedmy face, like it was trying to figure me out. And it had an energy to it, like it was welcoming us in.”

After a few beats, Silene says, “That didn’t happen to me. It was just a thick mist.”

“Same here,” Fionn says. “Maybe you just have a thing for mist.”

“I do not!” I exclaim. “It definitely touched me.”

“Andwherewould you say that ittouchedyou?” Fionn croons, a twinkle of mirth in his eyes.

“Not like that, you bastard!” I yell, pushing him out of his seat. He grins widely at me, then heads back to the bar to get another round of drinks.

Silene furrows her brow, staring absentmindedly in concentration. “We need to learn more about the Sons and Daughters of Thayaria,” she murmurs. “Figure out why they think she practices witchcraft, and whether the leaders of the group are genuinely afraid of her or whether they’re just using a convenient narrative to take power for themselves.”

“Agreed. It doesn’t appear the attack has made anyone more fearful,” I say, looking around the room at the continuous cheering and conversing of the patrons. “I think it’s time we do a littlemingling.Get to know the locals.” I stand just as Fionn returns with a fresh pint of ale.

“Are we leaving?” he asks.

“No,” I tell him. “Just going to stretch my legs a little and see if I can make any new friends.”

“He’smingling,” Silene mocks. “And I want to go on the record saying this is a bad idea. You may be many things, Thorne Vicant, but a commoner is not one of them. These people are going to spot you for who you are instantly.”

I clutch my chest in mock offense. “I will have you know, I once convinced an entire tavern that I was a merchant from Delsar, exploring the Nivan Desert for new ways to transport goods in hot climates without magic.”

Fionn roars with laughter, causing a few heads to turn in our direction. “No, you didn’t, you bloody idiot. Everyone knew who you were and just played along because they didn’t know what else to do.” He and Silene trade looks of amusement.

I blink, genuinely shocked by the information, but recover quickly. “Well, no matter, people here don’t know what I look like. It’ll be fine. I’ll challenge a few people to a drinking game or two, buy some tables a few rounds, and everyone will think I’m just a drunk looking to have a good time.”

“You are a drunk looking to have a good time,” Fionn and Silene both say at the same time. I only wink at them, then down my pint of ale in one chug.

I drink my way through the pub, making several friends who give me very little information but who enjoy the rounds of drinks I buy for them. A group of females celebrating the last night before their friend is married buymedrinks, and when I try to leave, they put up a hearty protest. Silene has to rescue me, and we make our way to another pub, this one a little less rowdy but still accommodating. I finally find a man who’s happy to tell me all about the so-called witchcraft the Queen practices, though his description of her activities is wholly limited to sexual acts with willing fae males. Unsurprisingly, he has no reservations or concerns about her witchcraft, and simply hopes she’ll call upon him one day toserveher.

“Creep,” Silene whispers under her breath as she and Fionn drag me away. I protest, but my ale-addled mind can’t fight off their combined strength.

At the third pub, at least half the tables are set up for gambling, so it’s harder to make casual conversation. I want to join in, but Silene pulls me back, reminding me I don’t actually know how to play the game they are calling Skran. Instead, we sit at one of the smaller tables and order a round of drinks. Silene’s eyes watch the game with an intense focus that means she’s scheming.

“Stay here,” she eventually tells us before walking over to one of the tables and joining in on the game. Within half an hour, she’s cleaned out all of the patrons. It’s a testament to how females are regarded in Thayaria that the protests are jovial in nature. In Velmara, I’d be worried for Silene’s safety if she’d bested a group of males out of so much coin.

“So much for staying under the radar,” Fionn hisses at her as she returns to our table with a heaping pile of verdes, the Thayarian currency. Her expression is sheepish but proud.

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