Page 59 of The Witch Queen

His lips twitch. “Silene also ordered me to take the long way to make sure she had enough time to get everything in place. Also, you do live at the top of these stairs. In a giant palace with endless rooms to choose from. This seems like your own fault.”

“In case you haven’t noticed, I’m a super powerfulwitchwho can magically appear anywhere I want in an instant. Where I live doesn’t matter,” I quip back.

“Except when faced with the unstoppable power of one Silene Kalmeera. She’s a force of nature. In a tiny little fae body,” he says, and I can’t stop the deep belly laugh that erupts from me.

“That she is,” I say with real fondness when I finally stop laughing, and his eyes are bright with amusement. We walk down the endless stairs, trading flirtatious barbs despite my resolve to be nothing more than allies. Maybe the flirting is harmless, anyway. It’s not like he doesn’t flirt with everyone else around him. I’m no different than everyone else.

When we come to the wing of the palace with the greenhouse, I’m surprised when he leads me there. “We’re meeting in here?” I ask, but he only smirks before throwing the doors wide open.

Silene has transformed the room. Plants line the edges of the space, stacked neatly together but not overcrowded, their vibrant hues popping against the dreary landscape beyond the glass panels. In the newly cleared area is a giant rug with brightly colored poufs that match the brightness of the exotic flowers around them. A pile of gifts sits in the middle of the rug, and there’s a spread of pastries off to the side with several pots of tea.

Silene is bouncing with excitement. “Happy Solstice, Laurel!” she squeals before rushing over and giving me a tight hug. I still for only a moment, surprised by the contact, but then easily wrap my arms around her to return the squeeze. She takes my hand and leads me to a pouf. “When Thorne showed me the greenhouse, I knew we had to have our Solstice morning celebration in here. It feels so much like Velmara. It was such a thoughtful gesture.” The genuine warmth in her expression makes me smile.

“I wish I’d known you guys exchanged gifts. I would have prepared…” I say, but Silene cuts me off.

“Nonsense. You’ve already given us something wonderful. The gift of home on a holiday is more than we could have asked for.”

“Agreed,” Fionn adds. The giant male sits on a pouf next to me, his long limbs awkwardly curled up next to him. I have to stifle giggles at the comical sight.

Thorne appears at my side with a cup of tea, lightened with just the right amount of cream. I take a sip, and sigh. It’s perfect. No sugar, the right ratios. Then I realize the servants aren’t working this morning, so they shouldn’t have my favorite cream for tea. “You have cream?” I ask, incredulous.

“Thorne had the servants bring extra the last few days so we could save up enough for you since you need so much of it in your tea,” Silene tells me with a mischievous look I don’t understand. Thorne blushes, and the sight… It melts my insides to see the usually cool and collected charmer blushing.

“Thank… uh… thank you,” I manage to get out. The gesture is so thoughtful. It sends me spiraling, especially the fact that Silene is aware of it and seemsinon it. Maybe she just appreciates seeing her betrothed show the kindness she clearly values so much. A small, hopeful voice whispers that maybe they don’t have feelings for one another, that the betrothal really is just political, like Thorne said. I smother it. Even if that’s the case, it doesn’t change the situation we’re in. Now is not the time for me to entertain such distractions. I’m hosting a ball tonight in the palace becausehundredsof my people lost their homes only days ago. I shouldn’t be worried about males who are shameless flirts and likely only want me for the conquest it would be.

Thorne sits next to Silene with the tray of pastries in his hands. He takes one, then passes it to her. When it reaches me, I’m delighted to find my favorite sweet bread on the tray. “Where did you get the pastries?” Now Fionn blushes.

“There was a baker whose shop wasn’t impacted by the attack and who took in as many displaced people as he could,” Fionn says. “I bought out his entire shop yesterday. It seemed like the least I could do.” Once again, the hulking male surprises me with his gentleness.

“Time for gifts!” Silene cheers. She grabs a parcel wrapped in black paper ornamented with thayar flowers and hands it to me. “Open it, open it!” I peel the paper back and frown at the compact silver box in my hands. Opening the lid, my confusion grows when I see what’s inside. I look up at Silene. “It’s a travel makeup container,” she informs me. “It has dark kohl, dark red lipstick, eye paint—everything you need to transform into the Witch Queen on a moment’s notice. I noticed how much you rely on the makeup when you’re in public. Now you can carry that little mask with you for whenever you need it.”

I swallow down the lump in my throat. It’s extremely thoughtful and affects me more than I can say. “Thank you,” I whisper.

Silene moves on to watch Fionn and Thorne open their gifts from her. An extremely well-made dagger for Fionn with thayars carved into the hilt, and a pair of silk lounge pants for Thorne. I catch myself analyzing her gift for Thorne, wondering if it’s the gift of a lover or just a friend, before I scold myself for caring. It doesn’t matter what his betrothed got him. Focus on helping your people.

I don’t get to watch Silene open her gift from Thorne, because Fionn hands me a small package. I’m surprised. I assumed only Silene would give me a gift. The box reveals a set of small and very sharp metal pins.

“These are popular in Velmara with female metal channelers, and I found a blacksmith here who would make them for me. You pin them into your sleeve, so that you always have a weapon on you. With enough force, these sharp little things can do serious damage to an enemy. You need that protection on you at all times, queenie.” His smile is mischievous, revealing a side to him I’ve never seen. And the nickname—it hints at an acceptance of me by the warrior that I didn’t know I desired.

Overwhelmed by a second thoughtful gift, I stifle the emotion surging through me. “That’s so kind, Fionn. I’ll wear them every day,” I promise, and he beams.

All three of them have considered me in every aspect of their plans for this day. It makes me uncomfortable while also lighting up something inside of me I thought I buried long ago. The more time we spend together, the moreopenI am with them, and that’s dangerous, for them and for me. Despite the casual way Thorne invited me here today, I sense the significance of spending this day together. If I let it, today will solidify our alliance—our buddingfriendship.Is that what I want? Do I actually care for these Velmarans, or am I simply feeling vulnerable without Nemesia? Before I can even consider the question fully, I know the answer, and that scares me.

Determined to ignore these feelings, I reach for my bag, pulling out the lump of ore I’d nabbed for Fionn before leaving my room, and hand the hunk of metal to him. He looks at it a few moments, brows furrowed, before thanking me politely. I laugh.

“You don’t even know what it is.”

“It’s, uh, a rock. It’s a great gift,” he says sheepishly, and I burst out laughing.

“If that’s all it was, it would be a terrible gift. It’s not just a rock. It’s ore refined with thayar petals and stems. It makes the metal even more sensitive to the aether and fluid in its shape. A skilled metal channeler can shape it into different weapons instantly, like how a light channeler can shape their weapons. Thorne won’t be able to beat you ever again with this in your pocket.” I give him a conspiratorial grin.

His eyes widen, and he looks at the gift with a new appreciation. He closes his eyes, and the metal slowly shifts into two daggers, then a short sword, before morphing back into a misshapen hunk.

“This might be the best present I’ve ever received, queenie,” he says with wonder in his voice that’s so unusual for the warrior, and my heart squeezes. I leave him to test out the properties of the gift.

“Silene, I have something for you,” I tell her. “It’s not much, but I couldn’t just let my gift be a warm room with some plants.” I hand her the book. She flips through it and her eyes light up with glee.

“What is it?” Thorne asks.

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