nervous. It seemed the perfect solution for escape from Nicolae's hands. She could go about her merry way, free of the wounded man's threats and possible blame, and neither he nor Nyx would ever know all the trouble she had helped cause.
She was tempted. For a long moment, she saw the door of escape open wide before her.
But something inside would not allow her to step through it. Some frustrating, annoying, hell-bent-on-trouble part of herself reached forward and shut the door.
"I don't think that would be fair," Samira said, her voice barely audible.
"What was that?"
She cleared her throat. "I said, I don't think that would be fair. To Nicolae. You see…" She trailed off, her courage failing her.
Nyx tilted her dark head to the side, starry brows arching in question.
Samira hunched down, and then poured forth the tale in one breath. "You see, I gave a dream to Dragosh of Maramures, and it caused him to break off an engagement between Nicolae and Dragosh's sister, Lucia. And then a war started, and Nicolae was hurt. So it's really my fault that Nicolae is stuck in a tower reading magic books, and I think I should find a way to help him, instead of just making him forget everything." Samira winced, and dared to meet Nyx's eyes.
Nyx stared back, her white and black eyes wide. The stars in the walls around them began to whirl, and a coldness swept through Samira.
"You
what
?!" Nyx said, her lips barely moving.
Samira hunched lower, her head beneath the tops of her wings.
"You delivered a dream to a
ruling prince
?"
"Yes, Your Majesty," Samira whispered.
"You
knew
that only Morpheus, Ikelos, and Phantasos are allowed to deliver dreams to rulers. You know the reason: It is to avoid such disasters as you have created."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
"You knew all that, and yet you did it anyway?"
"I was very much in the wrong, Your Majesty. I should not have done it. I did not think of all the harm it could do."
Nyx stood and began to pace, the stars whirling yet faster around them, the air turning colder. Nyx's black hair seemed to grow longer and float out around her, obliterating half the light from the distant stars and the moon. Samira flinched away from a strand of it that came near her, afraid of what might happen should she touch that inky blackness.
Nyx stopped, and faced Samira where she huddled on the moonlight floor. "Why?"
Samira tried to meet her gaze but failed, her eyes dropping guiltily. "I wasn't thinking," she said, in a half-truth.
"You must have had a reason. I have never known you to misbehave in such fashion before. Why?"
Alarm ran through Samira. Had Nyx truly been keeping some sort of watch—however haphazard—over Samira and all her other subjects? How much did she know and how much could she sense?
"It was mischief on my part," Samira said. "Dragosh saw his sister as a woman so pure she was no longer human. I thought it was funny to shock him with a dream that was the opposite."
Nyx narrowed her eyes. "There must be more to this story. Are you hiding something from me, Samira?"
Samira gazed fearfully up at her queen. She had sworn to Theron that she would say nothing of his role in this. "I have more concern for this Nicolae of Moldavia than I should. I want to help right the wrongs that have been done to him. I feel… responsible."
Nyx continued staring. "Was someone else involved in delivering this dream to Dragosh?"
Samira flinched. Nyx's lips tightened.
"Who?" Nyx asked.
Samira shook her head, her whole body quivering. "I swore."
"Who?"
Samira prostrated herself on the moonlight floor and crawled to Nyx's feet. "I swore," she whimpered. "Please, Your Majesty. I swore."
Samira felt a cold force yank her up by the wings. She dangled before an enraged Nyx, the Queen of the Night's eyes gone as lightless as black holes.
"You refuse to answer me?"
"Kill me. Please," Samira said. "I deserve it, I know. I have been disobedient. But…"
"
But
?" Nyx screeched.
"But please make
She was tempted. For a long moment, she saw the door of escape open wide before her.
But something inside would not allow her to step through it. Some frustrating, annoying, hell-bent-on-trouble part of herself reached forward and shut the door.
"I don't think that would be fair," Samira said, her voice barely audible.
"What was that?"
She cleared her throat. "I said, I don't think that would be fair. To Nicolae. You see…" She trailed off, her courage failing her.
Nyx tilted her dark head to the side, starry brows arching in question.
Samira hunched down, and then poured forth the tale in one breath. "You see, I gave a dream to Dragosh of Maramures, and it caused him to break off an engagement between Nicolae and Dragosh's sister, Lucia. And then a war started, and Nicolae was hurt. So it's really my fault that Nicolae is stuck in a tower reading magic books, and I think I should find a way to help him, instead of just making him forget everything." Samira winced, and dared to meet Nyx's eyes.
Nyx stared back, her white and black eyes wide. The stars in the walls around them began to whirl, and a coldness swept through Samira.
"You
what
?!" Nyx said, her lips barely moving.
Samira hunched lower, her head beneath the tops of her wings.
"You delivered a dream to a
ruling prince
?"
"Yes, Your Majesty," Samira whispered.
"You
knew
that only Morpheus, Ikelos, and Phantasos are allowed to deliver dreams to rulers. You know the reason: It is to avoid such disasters as you have created."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
"You knew all that, and yet you did it anyway?"
"I was very much in the wrong, Your Majesty. I should not have done it. I did not think of all the harm it could do."
Nyx stood and began to pace, the stars whirling yet faster around them, the air turning colder. Nyx's black hair seemed to grow longer and float out around her, obliterating half the light from the distant stars and the moon. Samira flinched away from a strand of it that came near her, afraid of what might happen should she touch that inky blackness.
Nyx stopped, and faced Samira where she huddled on the moonlight floor. "Why?"
Samira tried to meet her gaze but failed, her eyes dropping guiltily. "I wasn't thinking," she said, in a half-truth.
"You must have had a reason. I have never known you to misbehave in such fashion before. Why?"
Alarm ran through Samira. Had Nyx truly been keeping some sort of watch—however haphazard—over Samira and all her other subjects? How much did she know and how much could she sense?
"It was mischief on my part," Samira said. "Dragosh saw his sister as a woman so pure she was no longer human. I thought it was funny to shock him with a dream that was the opposite."
Nyx narrowed her eyes. "There must be more to this story. Are you hiding something from me, Samira?"
Samira gazed fearfully up at her queen. She had sworn to Theron that she would say nothing of his role in this. "I have more concern for this Nicolae of Moldavia than I should. I want to help right the wrongs that have been done to him. I feel… responsible."
Nyx continued staring. "Was someone else involved in delivering this dream to Dragosh?"
Samira flinched. Nyx's lips tightened.
"Who?" Nyx asked.
Samira shook her head, her whole body quivering. "I swore."
"Who?"
Samira prostrated herself on the moonlight floor and crawled to Nyx's feet. "I swore," she whimpered. "Please, Your Majesty. I swore."
Samira felt a cold force yank her up by the wings. She dangled before an enraged Nyx, the Queen of the Night's eyes gone as lightless as black holes.
"You refuse to answer me?"
"Kill me. Please," Samira said. "I deserve it, I know. I have been disobedient. But…"
"
But
?" Nyx screeched.
"But please make
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