contradict me?” The wind howls in the sudden silence. No one breathes.
“Yes.” His reply is firm because he doesn't care for himself. She steps forward, her soldiers mirroring her.
“No!” I cry out. Every eye turns to me. One month ago, I would have flushed and moved away in fear.
Not now.
“I'll come with you,” I say hesitantly, “if you promise not to harm anyone.”
Not that I have a choice. She will take me no matter what. She will take me without hurting me, hurting instead those I love.
“Now that's a good girl,” she purrs. But her eyes are ablaze. No one barters with a queen.
“Do we have a deal?” I don't move. I find strength in the power of my voice. She purses her lips and her eyes flash before she hides her emotion behind another fake smile that sets my blood on fire.
“Of course we do, darling.”
I exhale and close my eyes for the briefest of moments.
“Now come. I won’t harm anyone.” She turns with a swish of her robe and trails toward the door as a trio of soldiers slides closer to me. “But you aren't coming alone.”
“Just me, or no one,” I call and clamp my mouth shut. She turns, the air suddenly frigid. I suppress a shiver.
“Darling, you can most definitely come alone,” she says sweetly. I release my breath and she smiles. “As long as the others die.”
“No,” I breathe, my legs weak.
“Exactly what I thought.”
“Do you want to die?” Slate asks me, the moment she steps into the house.
“I don't want you to.” My voice is just as hard.
“This isn't about me. I don't know what Gage told them. I don't know what they'll do to you.” With each sentence his voice gets more desperate.
“There's only one way to find out,” I say. “I won't watch them kill you and everyone else. They'll take me anyway. You heard her.”
“I was about to say the same thing,” Chancellor Kole interjects. Slate shoots him a deadly glare and wraps his fingers protectively around my arm. Chancellor Kole raises his hands in surrender. “I'm leaving, I'm leaving.”
“Your Majesty,” someone says. I freeze and turn, but the Queen is nowhere to be seen.
Instead, one of the three soldiers who stayed behind strides forward. He drops his hood and bows low, his brown eyes fixed on the floor.
Your Majesty. Me.
“You must accompany me to the carriage,” he says. His careful monotone is jittery. Wren.
I raise my chin. “Who else?”
He doesn't acknowledge me, and I wonder if he didn’t hear me. But after a silence, he speaks. “The half-breed, the old man and the platinum-haired girl.”
Slate's fingers tighten around my arm. I betray nothing.
“We'll be there in a moment.” I glance at the other soldiers behind him. “Can they leave?”
His eyes dart to mine. I inhale sharply as a shadow of a smile crosses his lips. He’s as gorgeous as all the other Jute I’ve seen. He bows. “Yes, Your Majesty.”
They disappear into the house and I wonder if they’ve cleared Slate’s home of oxygen. But I don’t really care.
The Queen will probably send her soldiers back outside as soon as she realizes we're alone, so I hasten to make use of our time.
“That was impressive,” Dena says with a raise of her eyebrows. There's a wary shadow in her eyes. Her face is even paler from the loss of blood. She leans against her father and her shoulder is wrapped in dirty white cloth.
I guess I should feel proud. Dena’s complimenting me. But I feel numb. My mother is alive. My mother is the Queen of the Jute.
I feel like screaming.
“Thanks to you and your mess of a child, I'm going to die,” Chancellor Kole growls.
“You knew the end when you got yourself into this mess,” Slate hisses back. Their voices drop to a whisper and Dena joins in.
Julian stands off to the side, lost in thought. I drift toward him.
“What if you don't come back?” I turn at the sound of Slate's pained voice.
“Gage might have been ready to hand me over,” I say. “But
“Yes.” His reply is firm because he doesn't care for himself. She steps forward, her soldiers mirroring her.
“No!” I cry out. Every eye turns to me. One month ago, I would have flushed and moved away in fear.
Not now.
“I'll come with you,” I say hesitantly, “if you promise not to harm anyone.”
Not that I have a choice. She will take me no matter what. She will take me without hurting me, hurting instead those I love.
“Now that's a good girl,” she purrs. But her eyes are ablaze. No one barters with a queen.
“Do we have a deal?” I don't move. I find strength in the power of my voice. She purses her lips and her eyes flash before she hides her emotion behind another fake smile that sets my blood on fire.
“Of course we do, darling.”
I exhale and close my eyes for the briefest of moments.
“Now come. I won’t harm anyone.” She turns with a swish of her robe and trails toward the door as a trio of soldiers slides closer to me. “But you aren't coming alone.”
“Just me, or no one,” I call and clamp my mouth shut. She turns, the air suddenly frigid. I suppress a shiver.
“Darling, you can most definitely come alone,” she says sweetly. I release my breath and she smiles. “As long as the others die.”
“No,” I breathe, my legs weak.
“Exactly what I thought.”
“Do you want to die?” Slate asks me, the moment she steps into the house.
“I don't want you to.” My voice is just as hard.
“This isn't about me. I don't know what Gage told them. I don't know what they'll do to you.” With each sentence his voice gets more desperate.
“There's only one way to find out,” I say. “I won't watch them kill you and everyone else. They'll take me anyway. You heard her.”
“I was about to say the same thing,” Chancellor Kole interjects. Slate shoots him a deadly glare and wraps his fingers protectively around my arm. Chancellor Kole raises his hands in surrender. “I'm leaving, I'm leaving.”
“Your Majesty,” someone says. I freeze and turn, but the Queen is nowhere to be seen.
Instead, one of the three soldiers who stayed behind strides forward. He drops his hood and bows low, his brown eyes fixed on the floor.
Your Majesty. Me.
“You must accompany me to the carriage,” he says. His careful monotone is jittery. Wren.
I raise my chin. “Who else?”
He doesn't acknowledge me, and I wonder if he didn’t hear me. But after a silence, he speaks. “The half-breed, the old man and the platinum-haired girl.”
Slate's fingers tighten around my arm. I betray nothing.
“We'll be there in a moment.” I glance at the other soldiers behind him. “Can they leave?”
His eyes dart to mine. I inhale sharply as a shadow of a smile crosses his lips. He’s as gorgeous as all the other Jute I’ve seen. He bows. “Yes, Your Majesty.”
They disappear into the house and I wonder if they’ve cleared Slate’s home of oxygen. But I don’t really care.
The Queen will probably send her soldiers back outside as soon as she realizes we're alone, so I hasten to make use of our time.
“That was impressive,” Dena says with a raise of her eyebrows. There's a wary shadow in her eyes. Her face is even paler from the loss of blood. She leans against her father and her shoulder is wrapped in dirty white cloth.
I guess I should feel proud. Dena’s complimenting me. But I feel numb. My mother is alive. My mother is the Queen of the Jute.
I feel like screaming.
“Thanks to you and your mess of a child, I'm going to die,” Chancellor Kole growls.
“You knew the end when you got yourself into this mess,” Slate hisses back. Their voices drop to a whisper and Dena joins in.
Julian stands off to the side, lost in thought. I drift toward him.
“What if you don't come back?” I turn at the sound of Slate's pained voice.
“Gage might have been ready to hand me over,” I say. “But
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