A Stroke Of Midnight

“Why?” Galen stood with an arm still around Dr. Polaski, casually, the way he would have touched another sidhe. She was looking at me as if she’d never seen me before.

“Why did everything smell like flowers?” she asked.

I shook my head, and yelled for Rhys as I started down the hallway. He came to the head of the hallway, leaving behind the scientists, police, and bodies.

“Peasblossom’s print is where it shouldn’t be, but it may be a sidhe using magic to implicate her. Put her gently in a cage until we can figure it out.”

“But…”

“No arguments. Just do it, Rhys.”

His face did a rare show of arrogance, going cold. “As the princess orders.”

“I don’t have time for ego-stroking, Rhys.” I started to run. I couldn’t explain why, but I ran down the hallway with its patches of glittering marble like some brilliant jewel peeking out of the grey matrix of the stone.

Frost and Galen ran on either side. Mistral came behind, and the others trailed after. We were down to less than ten guards, but it wouldn’t be a matter of numbers. Something bad was happening, and we could prevent it just by arriving in time. I thought about the mirror that had appeared in my room, simply because I wished to see myself in the fur cloak. As I broke into a full-out run, I whispered under my breath, “We need to get to the throne now!”

Nothing happened for a handful of heartbeats, then the stones shifted beneath my feet. I didn’t hesitate. I didn’t pause. I didn’t stumble. I trusted that the sithen would get me where I wanted to go. I ran, as the world streamed around me, grey stone flowing into white marble, as if the walls had turned to liquid. Then we were ru

Crystall and the guards I’d sent with the lords to the queen were standing in the middle of that garden. They turned frightened eyes to me. I had no idea what about the garden made Crystall look so shaken, and I didn’t ask. Panic filled me, adrenaline like fine champagne screamed through me. The double doors opened without a hand to touch them. My pulse was choking off my air. I fought the pain in my side to keep upright and ru

The climbing roses of the entry chamber, filling the darkness with crimson blossoms, writhed and slithered like great thorned serpents overhead. I ran, and the vines did not try to hinder us. The last set of double doors was just ahead. The court lay just inside them.

I whispered, “Open,” and the doors swung inward. I raced from the dimness of the roses to the brightness of the court, and staggered, almost blinded by the difference in light. I could see nothing but light and shadow and half shapes. Exhaustion danced across my vision in starbursts of grey and white. Through the thundering of the blood in my ears, I heard Queen Andais yelling.

I yelled, “Stop… this!” It took the last of my air, and Galen caught my elbow or I would have fallen. My vision came back in pieces. The court was dressed for a party, or an expensive funeral. A lot of black, a lot of silver, a lot of jewels.

Andais was on the steps leading up to her throne, staring at me, at us. Barinthus stood at the bottom of those steps. He stood so he could keep both the queen and us in his sight. I knew in that second what was happening, though not why. Why didn’t matter to me.

“By what right do you stop me from issuing challenge to anyone, niece?” Her voice held a rage that made the air itself heavier on my tongue. She was the Queen of Air and Darkness. She could make the air so thick my mortal lungs couldn’t breathe it. She’d nearly killed me that way. Was it just last night, or the night before?

“I beg a private audience with you, Aunt Andais.” My voice was breathy, and if Galen hadn’t had a death grip on my elbow, I’m not sure my legs would have held me. Supernatural strength and magic were fine, but I wasn’t used to ru

She smiled. “Begging is not done on your feet, Meredith.” She walked back up to her throne, the long black skirts trailing behind her like a cloak of darkness. She settled the skirts with a practiced gesture, fa

I dropped to one knee. Galen helped make it graceful, and knelt with me. Everyone with me knelt when I did. “I beg a private audience with you, Aunt Andais, Queen of Air and Darkness.”

“Why are you and Galen covered in blood?”

“I have much to share with you, my queen, but some of it might better be served to your ears alone.”

“Has there been another attempt on your life?”

“Not on mine, no.”

She shook her head, as if she had a fly buzzing around her, and she was ridding herself of it. “You speak in riddles.”

“I would speak clearly with you in private.”

“Let us handle our public business first,” she said, and pointed to Barinthus, who was still standing between the throne and our group. “The ring acknowledges him, and you have helped him break his vow to me.”

“The ring knows Lord Barinthus. You said that I was to fuck as many of the guards as often as possible. Wasn’t that your order to me?”

Her face narrowed down to angry lines. “Perhaps my words were hasty, or perhaps you do not know that Barinthus made a vow to me before I allowed him to join this court. One that only he made, and now he has broken it.”

“He has done nothing that will set him as king to my queen.”

“Have a care, Meredith, I know that he had sex with you.”

“Sex that was more magical than real, nothing that would get me with child.”

“He had release in your body.”

“No, he had release, but our clothes were in place, and he has never entered my body with so much as a fingertip.”

“You swear this?” she asked.

“I do.”

“I was told that Barinthus had moved from kingmaker to would-be king.”

“I tell you that he has not broken the vow he made to this court. The ring recognizes who it will, and bestows its gifts where it will, but he has broken no vow.”

“Why did you not say this, Barinthus?” she asked.

“You would not believe me, Queen Andais.”

She seemed to think about that for a second or two, then gave a very small nod. “Perhaps not.” She looked at me. It was the kind of look that a hawk gives to grass when it’s almost certain there’s a tasty morsel down there.

“I have heard many stories about your activities. Now I wonder how much is true, and how much is exaggeration designed to set me against my allies and you.”

“Until I know what you have been told, I ca

“We are in the throne room, Meredith, use my title.”

“My queen.” I bowed my head, so she would not see my face. This wasn’t good. This wasn’t good at all.