Page 24 of Straw and Gold
He tsked. “I can’t be correct all the time, Your Majesty.”
“You were supposed to be right abouther. Your ability to predict the change is the reason I keep you around.”
“Sure, sure,” he laughed. “Changelingfae magic doesn't always work the same way twice. You know that. Hence thechangepart. And to be fair, I did predict the change inyou. I said you would soften your heart to your future wife.”
“There was no softening. I wanted to throw her over my shoulder and take her to bed the moment I locked eyes on her, and then toss her out to go find someone else to marry who could actually love her.”
“Ah. I see I should have said you’dhardento her, then.”
“Fedir,” I scolded. But he was right, and we both knew it.
I rubbed my face, shifting my fingers through my beard. “I offered her the bargain.”
He almost tumbled out of his chair. “Thank the Goddess,” he breathed, slipping to the edge of his seat. “Did she take it?”
“Yes,” I huffed a laugh despite myself, remembering her face as it lit in the challenge. “I added a few amendments…as did she.”
He smiled slyly. “Amendments?”
“The only ones you need to know are that I will be teaching her Céaduah. And she’ll be spinning more of this each day.” I pointed to the golden thread.
“The wheel of change is spinning fast, my friend. You cannot slip up. This is your?—”
“Last chance,” I finished. “I know.”
“Three months,” he sighed, rising from his seat and taking the thread with him.
He knew what to do with it. They’d want it in the vaults below the castle. We dyed our threads gold, but this…this would raise a fortune if the weavers could use it in their embroidering.
Real threaded gold.
“Three months,” I repeated. “It has to be enough time for her to discover my name.”
“For her?” he said, tossing the spool of thread into the air on his way out the door. “I think so. But for you to make it that long?” He caught the spool in his golden fingers. “That I’m less sure about.”
He shut the door on his way out, leaving me with the same fear.
Regardless, I had no choice.
My fate was now tied to the Golden Queen of the Citrine Cliffs.
CHAPTER 15
Morella
I was goingtomaimmy husband.
Fingers raw and stiff, I chucked the third bobbin of shimmering thread across the tower room where it hit the open door, unspooling across the stone.
“Shit fucking dammit!” I hollered, bolting from my wooden stool to catch the thread before it completely unwound down the stairs.
“Queen Morella?” The voice lingered somewhere below in the stairwell.
“I’m up here!” I called, slumping onto the first step and quickly winding the thread, ready to leave this tower for the night…until tomorrow.
Alista’s head of golden ringlets appeared before me as I sat with three spools of golden thread in my lap and a yawn I covered with the back of my hand.
“Your Majesty!” she cried, gathering her skirts and racing up the steps. “I’ve been searching for you! Why in the name of the Goddess are you up here?”
