Page 81 of Lore of the Wilds

Lore swallowed thickly as she shuffled her feet forward a millimeter at a time. She’d made a terrible mistake.

Except, no. Shehadn’t, because there Grey was, asleep below the queen. His head was on the lap of the queen’s consort, who looked at Lore with a blank and apathetic expression, despite her sharp tusks. The queen’s consort ran a hand through Grey’s hair, the pale green of her skin contrasting starkly with his silken black waves.

“Who is this, Naevrys? They’ve missed the party.” The queen sounded bored, almost drowsy.

“We caught her trying to infiltrate the palace in a shepherd’s cart, Your Majesty,” the guard, Naevrys, spoke behind Lore, her voice raspy. She twisted the sword viciously into Lore’s back.

The queen laid her head on her hand, slouching into her throne. “You know what we do with thieves. Kill her and be done with it. Feed her to the pigs.”

Naevrys hesitated. “She is a human, my queen. I thought you would want to see her before deciding.”

The queen bolted up straight, suddenly awake. “Two humans in the same week? Bring her closer. I wish to see her better.”

Lore didn’t wish to go any closer, well aware that she smelled like animal shit, covered as she was in dirt and grime from the sheep-filled wagon she’d hidden in. Her hands were still tied behind her back, the ropes biting into her wrists, and her hair—now half tied back and half wild curls—displayed her human ears for all to see.

She suspected the guards would have killed her if her ears hadn’t been so clearly human.

“Move.”

Lore had no choice but to obey. She shuffled closer, keeping her eyes on the floor.

“At last, a human girl! I must admit, I’ve been curious since your kind appeared in the north. I was little when the news cameof a creature who could walk and talk but wasn’t from our world—you all are such poor things, cursed to live without magic. I remember asking my mother for one of you. The greedy Alytherian king denied my request, of course.”

Lore stayed quiet. The queen had admitted that she’d once asked for a human, as if they were little more than pets. Lore needed to figure out the rules here.

The queen continued, eyeing her up and down again. Her gaze snagged on Lore’s wild hair, and she wrinkled her nose at the smell wafting off her. “I have to admit, you aren’t as pretty as the human boy I have.”

Lore gritted her teeth, widening her eyes in surprise. She decided to pretend she hadn’t recognized Grey the moment she’d seen him. He was still asleep, though she could hear his ragged breathing now that she was so close to him. He didn’t sound well.

“More wine!” the queen ordered, startling one of the many servants lining the back wall. The one closest to the double doors at the back of the room—a smaller creature with skin like pebbles at the bottom of a riverbed—exited hurriedly, coattails flapping behind them. “Please sit while they fetch the wine. Are you hungry? Thirsty?”

Lore shook her head and looked around for a place to sit. Apparently, the queen meant for her to sit on the floor. She stepped forward eagerly, relief flooding her when the sword at her back fell away. She dropped to the marble floor, shivering as the coolness instantly started to leech through her clothing.

She finally got a good look at the guard who had discovered her. She was small for a fae, though her powerful, feathered wings made up for her height. She was brown like Lore, with shockingly blue eyes, full lips, and vibrant red hair that curled around her face, like a fiery version of Lore’s own. The winged female scowled at her; chin raised as she pointedly put her hand on her unsheathed sword.

What was a dark fae warrior doing working for the rival queen? Lore thought tensions were high between the two kingdoms.

Lore didn’t avert her gaze, instead raising her chin and stilling her features.

“Oh, Naevrys! Stop scaring the human and untie her bonds. She won’t hurt me,” ordered the queen.

Naevrys scowled, clearly not liking the command, but she quickly sliced the rope wrapped around Lore’s wrists before stepping back a few paces. Lore watched as Naevrys sheathed her sword and stood straight, hands behind her back and wings folded in.

“Girl, do you speak?”

Fear forced Lore to raise her eyes to the queen again, flinching at the annoyed twist of her features. “Yes, Your Majesty. I apologize. I’ve never met a queen before, and in truth, I am stricken by your beauty.”

The queen smiled with delight. “Oh, you are a doll, aren’t you? Isn’t she a doll, Bea?”

Her consort, Bea, paused in playing with Grey’s hair and sniffed. “She stinks of sheep.”

“That is because she was caught hiding with the sheep. Isn’t that amusing?” She paused, her smile faltering. “Now, why would a human be sneaking in here?”

Sweat dripped down Lore’s back. Grey should have heard her voice by now. Why wasn’t he looking at her?

The small attendant returned with a decanter of wine and two mugs. He poured a thick red into each, then handed one to the queen, who waited as the attendant walked over to Lore. She didn’t want to accept, but she suspected refusal would mean death. She grabbed the offered chalice of wine; it looked like blood but smelled sweet, like summer rain.

“Please, drink with me. You must be thirsty. We shall toast to our friendship and then we shall have a celebration in yourhonor.” The queen drank deeply from the cup, tipping it back until she’d swallowed every last drop. When she pulled the chalice away, her red lips had deepened in color, now so purple they were almost black.

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