Page 73 of The Witch Queen

“You said you can feel that something is wrong. That she’s in danger. Can you feel where she is? Would you be able to point to it on a map?” She’s so clever, and I want to wrap her in a bear hug.

I close my eyes, then seek out the bright light that is the core of my power. I can feel the way it’s changed since the mating bond. Where once it was static, an immovable and steady orb of light, it now pulses like a beating heart. It expands and shrinks, moving erratically. I hone every bit of myself onto that vibrating orb.

First, I feel Laurel’s pain. Her grief. It nearly knocks me to my knees, and I ache in ways I can’t explain knowing that she’s feeling such deep emotion and I’m not there to share her burden. But then I feel the creeping cold that surrounds her, threatening to wink out her aether-force.Where are you?There’s a tugging on that bright orb, like a thread pulling me to her.

“Get me a map!” I bellow. Silene and Fionn scramble, opening up our hidden compartment in Silene’s dresser to pull out the map of Thayaria Laurel lent us. Fionn spreads it out along the dining table, keeping his distance from the cat who still lurks along the edges of the room. I close my eyes again, and Laurel’s energy is easier to find this time. It guides me to an area due north of Arberly. There’s a vastness around Laurel, and when I spot caves identified on the map, I immediately know she’s in them. “There.”

“You’re sure?” Silene asks.

“As sure as I can be,” I tell her and shrug.

“Works for me,” she chirps back. “Now we just need to get into Laurel’s rooms.”

We bundle ourselves up for the foray outside, then sneak out of our apartment and start the endless trek up to Laurel’s room.I can’t believe I’ve done this twice today.Laurel’s cat stalks alongside us, hurrying us along every time we slow. When we finally reach the top, I bend the surrounding light to hide us. As we approach Laurel’s door, I stiffen. Carex stands there, knocking.

“Laurel, please let me in. I want to apologize for the Solstice dinner,” he says to the empty room beyond. The cat pads up behind him and he jumps when he notices her. She growls, low in her throat. Not loudly, but enough to warn him away. “What are you doing out here, Lunaria?” he asks, trying to pet her head, but she pulls away, hissing. A pang of jealousy zings through me at his knowledge of the cat’s name. It represents history with Laurel, an openness between them I long for. Before I know what I’m doing, I let out my own growl.

Carex’s eyes widen and immediately search the hallway. He draws a sword, and ivy vines curl toward us. “I know you’re there,Prince,”he spits. The vines inch closer, about to reveal our hiding place.

“We’re here to meet with Her Majesty,” I tell him casually after I release the magic cloaking us. It takes every ounce of court training I possess to keep the intensity and deep-seated need out of my voice. “She requested we come to her rooms.”

“Is that so?” he asks, his expression pulled into one of hate. “If that’s the case, then why hide yourself with your magic? Last I checked, you’re free to roam this palace, and if Her Majesty summoned you, there should be even less need to remain unseen.”

He’s going to make this difficult, and I don’t have time for that. “Force of habit.” I try to say the words casually, but they come out imposing and sneering.

“I don’t believe you. What’s more, Laurel isn’t even here. Why would she summon you to her rooms if she wasn’t going to be there? Why summon you to her rooms at all?” He advances toward us, sword raised and ivy creeping with him.

“Maybe she’s just ignoringyou,” I respond with a haughty air while picking lint off my tunic. I want to spear him through with lightning, like I told Laurel to do if he ever touched her without her permission again, but I hold it together, just barely.

“I don’t think so,” he snarls. “Return to your rooms. I’ll inform Her Majesty of this when she returns.”

“And what if we don’t?” I hiss, unable to stop myself from rising to his challenge.

“I think you know what will happen.” He sends a vine shooting toward me, but I block it easily with a shield of light.

“There are three of us here, Carex, and only one of you,” I growl menacingly. “We aren’t here to do anything nefarious. Laurel trusts us, and she can fill you in later.Step. Aside. I don’t want to hurt you.” I actuallydowant to hurt him, but only the smallest sense of how Laurel might react to that stays my hand.

“It’s Her Majesty to you,” he snaps. Carex bares his teeth, then lunges toward me with his sword. Before I can react, Fionn has ripped the blade from his hands. It throws Carex off balance, and he stumbles. Fury flashes in Carex’s eyes, and he responds by wrapping ivy around Fionn’s legs. The vines trip the warrior, and Fionn crashes to the ground. Carex plucks his sword back from Fionn.

“Oh, you shouldn’t have done that,” I tell Carex with a vicious smirk.

“Why, because you’re going to blind me with your light?” he asks in a mocking tone, as if my magic is nothing more than a glare that might make you want to cover your eyes. I’m losing my control, and I want to show him exactly what my power can do. Before I can respond or act, Fionn regains his footing and launches himself at Carex. Carex is better in hand-to-hand combat than I would have guessed, but after a few minutes of trading blows, Fionn has him in a headlock.

“No,” Fionn says to Carex in a bored voice. “Because I don’t like being swept off my feet.” Normally I would laugh at the unexpected joke from Fionn, but I’m too focused on Laurel to appreciate it. Carex spits at me, and I punch him in the stomach.

“Knock him out,” I instruct Fionn. Carex’s eyes widen.

Silene yells, “No” at the same time that Fionn says, “Gladly.” Fionn takes the end of Carex’s sword and knocks him in the head with it. The male slumps, and Silene sighs.

“That’s going to be a problem,” she says. I shrug.

“We’ll deal with it later. Let’s bring him into Laurel’s room so no one sees him.”

Fionn hauls Carex over his shoulder, then stalks to the door. The metal lock clicks open and Fionn prowls in, barely breaking his stride. As I walk into her room, I realize for the first time that she doesn’t have guards. Has never had guards here. It should have occurred to me before.

The room is empty, but I’m overwhelmed by her scent—it nearly knocks me to my knees. Even though I’ve been here before, the realized mating bond heightens every sense. I see evidence of her life spread corner to corner—empty mugs, half eaten pastries, discarded clothing, discarded correspondence. Dust and crumbs and litter. The space is solived in,and woven throughout every inch of the room is that intoxicating smell. I let myself drown in it, my body tingling as I take in deep inhales.

Silene’s movements near the bar cart bring me out of my haze. She quickly retrieves the bottle of concentrated thayar, pours herself a measure of the liquid, then downs it. She unrolls the map and focuses on the spot I identified, looking at me for confirmation that she has it right. I nod.

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