The Shadow Queen by Anne Bishop Page A

in Halaway live by the Old Ways, spending a few hours there would give you a good idea of what would be expected from your people.”
    *Walkies? I like walkies!*
    The voice sounded like a young girl’s, but he didn’t actually hear it. It rang inside his head, just outside his inner barriers, as if someone had communicated on a psychic thread. But the only other being in the room besides him and the High Lord was . . .
    *He does not talk? He is not trained?*
    “His training has just started.” Saetan’s mouth curved in a maliciously amused smile. “Lady Vae is a kindred Sceltie. A Purple Dusk witch.”
    Theran felt the blood draining out of his head. “Kindred? Witch?” That Jewel he’d seen was real ? This dog was the same rank as his Birthright Jewel?
    “Yes,” Saetan crooned. “I think Vae will be the perfect escort for you.”
    *He is male and foolish. I will protect him.*
    “You do that.”A pause. “Is there anything else you wanted to discuss right now, Prince Theran?”
    He knew a dismissal when he heard one, but his legs felt like overstretched taffy and it took him a couple of tries to get out of the chair. He vanished the paper with the conditions his people would have to agree to, and as he walked toward the door, he realized the dog was waiting for him.
    *I can pass through doors,Vae said. *I know my Craft. But you are in training, so I will wait for you to open the door.*
    As he stepped into the great hall and the study door closed behind him, he heard the High Lord of Hell laugh.
     
    Cassidy stared at Jaenelle Angelline, then looked at her cousin Aaron, who was pacing the length of the sitting room in her parents’ house.
    “You’re both teasing,” Cassidy said. “This is a joke.”
    “I wish it were,” Aaron growled. “But she’s serious.”
    “You can’t be serious!”
    “Why not?” Jaenelle asked.
    “I’m a minor Queen. I wear a Rose Jewel. I’ve never ruled anything larger than a small village.” Which no one else had wanted until a new, young Queen needed a place to rule to gain credentials for something better. “Aaron, tell her!”
    “I did,” Aaron replied. “All the way here.”
    “My entire First Circle resigned and broke the court.”
    “They were idiots,” Aaron growled.
    “And because they were idiots, you’re now available to help a people who need you,” Jaenelle said calmly.
    “They need a strong Queen,” Cassidy argued.
    “You are a strong Queen.”
    “They need a . . . a polished Queen.”
    “They need a Queen who knows the Old Ways, who lives by the Old Ways, who knows Protocol, and who knows how to rule fairly,” Jaenelle said. “They need someone like you, Cassidy.” She placed one hand over Cassidy’s. “Look at me.”
    She didn’t want to look into those sapphire eyes. They saw too much. Understood too much. But she obeyed because it didn’t matter if Jaenelle officially ruled or not. She was still the Queen. And no one disobeyed Witch.
    “They aren’t going to understand you,” Jaenelle said. “Most of them aren’t going to see who you really are. They’ll be disappointed by the surface.”
    Cassidy winced—and winced again when Aaron snarled his opinion of her former court.
    “Most, Cassidy. But some will see who you are as a woman, and in time the others will appreciate who you are as a Queen. You can do this. I wouldn’t be here if I had any doubts about that.” Jaenelle patted her hand and sat back. “You’ll have a few days to think about it.”
    Living in a strange Territory. In a different Realm. In Terreille. People didn’t go to Terreille. They ran from Terreille.
    But she could make a difference to these people. She could help them remember who they were, help them rebuild.
    “How long would I be gone?” Cassidy asked. Would she ever see her family again? Could she go home to visit, to reassure her parents that she was all right?
    “There would have to be terms, conditions,” Aaron said as he continued to