Page 47 of The Witch Queen

“Of course I did!” I can tell he’s panicking now. He didn’t have a backup plan in case they were noticed, relying too much on my magical abilities to shield them from view. “It’ll have to be enough,” he growls. “Everyone, grab two crates. I’ll impale them on their swords, and we’ll make a run for it!” I don’t take any crates, since they can’t see me, but I do keep the rebels hidden. I’m relying on the guards outside to stop them, so I don’t have to break my cover. “On the count of three,” Krantz says. “One, two…”

The doors blow apart before the rebels can make a run for it, shrapnel flying everywhere. Mist and dust obscure visibility as screams and groans sound from those injured by whatever blast that just occurred. It’s chaotic, and no one seems to know what’s going on. All the rebels are yelling at one another, fear in their voices now that they’re injured, and more guards seem to have arrived.

The dust finally settles, and Laurel stands in the door frame.

She is all Witch Queen, terrifying and lethal. Dressed in an all-black ensemble of form fitting pants with a black corset as her top and a black cape, that same unholy light I saw at Rusthelm blazing through her furious eyes. She looks right at me as she takes several slow steps into the room, eyes narrowing in anger and suspicion. The hairs on my arm stand up with goosebumps. I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t absolutely terrified of her and what she might do to me if she doesn’t give me a chance to explain.

She turns in a circle, likely seeing that only the back wall of crates is visible to the rebels. I hope that’s enough to convince her I’m on her side. I shake my head to silently tell her not to let on that she sees them or me, hoping I can convey everything with just my expression. They can’t believe she knows about my involvement with them, or our ruse will be over before it even starts. Thankfully, she understands my silent words.

“I know there are fae in here. I can smell you, and my magic can feel you. Give yourself up now, and I’ll consider a merciful punishment instead of feeding your hearts to my cat.” Her words are a feral hiss, and more than one rebel trembles. I don’t think sheactuallyfeeds hearts to that enormous beast she calls a pet, but I’m not completely sure. She certainly knows how to lean into the persona of the Witch Queen, though a voice in the back of my mind whispers that it’s not a persona, just another facet of this complex female.

Krantz remains steadfast while his group falls apart with fear, many of them dropping their crates. He uses his magic to send weapons sailing toward her, but they vanish the instant they make it off the ground. As soon as her eyes lock on him, her nostrils flare. It’s the only subtle sign that she not only sees the metal channeler but recognizes him as one of the rebels she allowed to escape her clutches.

“Someone else tried that trick on me, and it worked then about as well as it did now. I wonder if you’re the same male who I so graciously did not kill the last time I captured you.” She speaks with a quiet ferocity that makes me ache in ways that are sonotappropriate considering the circumstances. Laurel stalks toward the group as a glowing mist appears. It covers every inch of the room, except for where the rebels stand.Smart.Even though she can see them through my magic, she uses the mist to expose where they are without revealing our secret. Then vines wrap around their bodies, my own included. I hope it’s just a way to protect our scheme and not her actually trapping me along with the rebels. Though I wouldn’t mind being trapped by her inothercircumstances.

Shit. Focus. Get your mind away from Laurel and all the things she absolutely has no interest in doing with you.

There’s a loud crash from the entryway, and Laurel’s attention moves behind her for just a moment. Krantz lunges for her, pulling a knife from where it’s sheathed at his side and sending it hurling toward her exposed stomach. My heart drops out of my chest and my breath hitches. I’m running for her, all sense of reason gone. I’m determined to keep that blade from even grazing her perfect milky white skin, but I won’t reach her in time. The blade is spinning end over end, humming with the magic of a metal channeler.

Right as it’s about to strike her, the blade diverts, likely from Laurel’s own magic, and all the tension in my body releases. It’s enough of a distraction that several rebels have ripped the vines off and made it out of the room, but I don’t care. Laurel is safe. Krantz rolls past her on the ground, then runs out of the room himself, hands empty. They’ve stolen very little thayar, thank the aether.

There are now more rebels in the entryway, fighting the guards. There must have been some backup plans after all, at least enough to get the rebels out safely.

I want to stay with Laurel, but know I need to run out with the rebels. I look at her sharply, begging her to understand, before grabbing a half full crate of thayar and making my way past her. She could easily stop all of us with her magic, but she doesn’t. I keep the original group of rebels hidden, and we sneak out of the tower. Once we’re out, Krantz orders the others to fall back, and soon we’re all running back toward the merchant district.

“What now?” I ask Krantz, keeping pace with the fleeing group.

“We have safe houses in place. You should find your people and get back to the palace before you’re missed,” he orders, then takes the crate from me. “We hoped to get more today, but this mission still achieved what we needed it to.”

“And what is that?” I ask.

“Chaos.”

When we reach the merchant quarter, Royal Guards and soldiers battle rebels in the streets. Most of the citizens have gone, hopefully to safety. Krantz and the others slip into an alley as I release the magic hiding them.

I search for Fionn and Silene, but don’t see them anywhere and start to panic. Making my way toward the pub turned gambling den where we first met the rebels, I pray they hid somewhere when the Royal Guards arrived. My magic keeps me hidden as I traverse the deserted and rubble-filled streets.

My hunch was right, and Fionn and Silene are in the pub, pretending to be shielding from the attack with other citizens. Relief washes over me. I come up behind them and whisper, “We need to get out of here.”

They both jump but hide the movement well. We slowly creep toward the back of the pub unseen, most eyes in the room focused on what’s going on outside. I wrap my magic around them, then look at Silene, who nods. She aersteps us directly into our rooms, and we all collapse into chairs, exhausted.

“What the fuck just happened?” a familiar cold and furious voice demands from the corner.

Laurel

Sidhe cats who make themselves the companion of a Thayarian royal are extremely in tune with the emotions of their chosen fae. Many Thayarian monarchs have credited their companion feline for supporting them through their hardest moments.

A Brief History of Modern Thayaria

When I get to my room, bone-weary and full of fury, I barely register the last hour.

When Carex had pounded on my door, telling me there was an attack on the merchant district, all reason and logic left me. Ibecamemy fury, let it wash over me in a mad rage. I rushed there and aerstepped as many people as I could to safety. I wanted to obliterate the rebels attacking my city. Attacking my people. Every bit of self-control I’ve tried to hone over three centuries, every ounce of shame I’ve internalized about the nature of my magic—it all left me the instant I realized the scale of the rebel attack. I would have performed unlimited amounts of magic to stop the attack, and who knows what the result might have been. In my wrath-induced madness, I could have completely unraveled the magic of Thayaria by channeling too much aether.

But Admon had interfered, reminding me that the rebels are also Thayarians and many of them are just worried for their families. As always, his wise counsel gently guided me down the right path and back to logic. I backed off, letting the Royal Guard and army reserves handle the attackers. Thankfully, under Carex’s leadership, they’d addressed the assault on the city quickly and saved hundreds of lives.

Then I got the message that the thayar processing tower was being robbed, and my ire returned in full force. When I blasted away the doors to that storage room and saw the same faeIwas responsible for releasing, believing him to be nothing more than a farmer, I once again evolved into something more than myself, a being made of nothing but wrath. It took more control than I want to admit pretending not to see him, not to obliterate him where he stood. And Prince Hawthorne—howcouldhe have gone along with this attack and not stopped this? In the room, I understood his silent plea to go along with the plan. But it doesn’t mean he should’ve agreed to it in the first place.

My anger reignites thinking of the role the Velmarans played in this attack, and I aerstep into their apartment, not sure what I’m going to do but furious with my so-called allies. I’m ready to enact my plans to be rid of them for good. We know where the rebel base is, and I would bet we know who their leaders are. It’s time to end this farce of an alliance and kill the Velmarans. I’ll send their heads back to Mazus in a thayar crate. When I realize the Velmarans aren’t here yet, I back into a corner, prepared to wait as long as it takes.

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