Page 24 of Arise the Queen
Gwendolyn blinked. “Fèinne?”
Where had she heard that name before? And then she recalled Málik had said his mother was a daughter of theFèinne.
“More than that, I should not say.Herstory is not mine to tell, but I will tell you this, Gwendolyn of Cornwall… she did not come to her end for any reason but to save the babe… and for the sake of her son… and… for someone… else… someone who accompanied her that evening to the mortal realm…”
Once again, she peered at Gwendolyn meaningfully and said, her voice softer. “Someone… whose gifts the child bears.”
Gwendolyn blinked again.
Look with your heart,Málik had demanded.
The Púca had said so as well.
Well, Gwendolyn was looking now, and she was seeing… Wasshethat child they’d hidden away in the mortal realm?
Her visage last night—could it be?
Arachne nodded. “Someone whose magic would betray her if the child ever came to be in the Fae king’s presence,” she suggested, and then she smiled wistfully. “Oh, what a tangled web we weave… eh?”
“Esme,” Gwendolyn guessed.
Arachne nodded again. “Esme, indeed. Together, she and her mentor had hidden the princess so deeply in a mortal child’s heart that even the princess herself did not know her true self when she was reborn.”
Do you remember what I told you that night on the ramparts—everything?Málik had asked before casting her into the portal.
Mayhap you are a changeling,Esme had taunted that day in the woods.
And later, in the Druid village:I must wonder… do you even know what a changeling is, Gwendolyn?
“The babe,” Gwendolyn said, swallowing. Despite that, knowing the answer to her question before she dared ask, she whispered, “I am that child.”
Arachne once more. “Indeed, you are,” she said. “But you are something more, Gwendolyn, and until you remember this truth, you cannot know how to defeat the Fae king—and defeat him, you must. And you must put aside any notion of winning his favor, because it will gain you nought but a garroted throat.”
Gwendolyn winced, her hand lifting to her neck. With the lady’s help, perhaps she could do it. But she needed to know more. For the first time in so long, she had reason to hope. “What else can you tell me?”
“Sadly, the rest is for you to construe. And meanwhile, so you have not come in vain, I have woven this cloak. My gift to you.” Her expression turned sober now. “Whatever you do, donotrelinquish this in the Fae king’s presence.” And then she rose, and without ceremony, swung the cloak about Gwendolyn’s shoulders, and even as it settled, Gwendolyn felt it darken her soul, like a flame gone cold.
The spider woman turned to leave suddenly, but Gwendolyn said, “Wait!”
“Yes?”
She must knowwhythe Fae king wanted her dead!
And more—what part did Málik play in her mystery?
“One more thing if you will?—”
The spider lady tilted her head. “Yes?”
“Is there another besides the Fae king who may seek the babe?”
Arachne smiled shrewdly. “As in… perhaps… alover?”
Gwendolyn nodded, and the spider spun to face her, studying Gwendolyn’s face a long moment before speaking again. And then she sighed. “Evidently, I do not learn my lessons well enough, so I will reveal one last thing…”
“Please,” Gwendolyn begged, scooting to the very edge of her seat.
“The Dark Prince’s heart was shattered by his love’s departure. To soothe him, his own sister offered him a love potion to turn his heart. And, for a time, this worked; brother and sister were lovers. But when the potion wore thin, as all potions must do, and he saw her for what she was, and knew her for the siren, he cursed her.”
