He clutched her tight as he kissed her. When they parted, her lips ached with bruising, but she didn’t mind.
When Grimnaugh accompanied her to court that day, she considered the diminutive Fae before asking her question. “Does the Queen realize how much Bodach is trying to undermine her power?”
He gasped and glanced around, searching for anyone who might have overheard her question. “Don’t say such things! Not here, it isn’t safe.” The frog-like Fae grabbed her hand and dragged her back into the roundhouse. “Now, we’re behind Adhna’s strongest wards. What are you saying?”
“Bodach is working to undermine the queen. I suspected it, from some grumblings of the marsh Fae, and Adhna seems to think it’s a possibility.”
“A possibility had better be a certainty before you bring it before the Queen. Have you any idea what Bodach will do to you if you accuse him of treason without proof?”
She swallowed, her imagination running rampant with horrible ideas. “How do I make certain?”
His eyes grew wide. “You can never be certain! If you find out anything for certain about Bodach, he might stop you from giving this information to the Queen. His very life depends on it, and he values his life and power above all else.”
Frustrated, she ground her teeth. There must be some way to bring Bodach’s actions to the Queen’s attention. Despite Grimnaugh’s cautions, she grew determined to bring her information to the Queen.
When they arrived at court, several courtiers mumbled at her arrival. She glanced around at the censure on a few faces who had treated her with kindness. “Grimnaugh? What’s happened?”
He looked at a few of the Fae and let out a growl. “I’m not certain, but I’ll find out. Bide next to your Queen for a while.”
The Queen made three decisions for petitioners before Grimnaugh returned, and she couldn’t speak with him right away. They had to wait for a break in the proceedings before he could report what he’d discovered. She stood and walked out of the hall, signaling a pause in court.
Once she left the room, Grimnaugh whispered, “There’s something going on regarding Adhna and his latest mission. I can’t get a straight answer from anyone. That’s nothing unusual; the Fae aren’t as direct in their speech as humans can be. However, be even more cautious than ever.”
“I wish Adhna were here.”
Grimnaugh cast a somber glance across the forty-odd courtiers. “So do I.”
“Who is doing the most grumbling? What groups of Fae are they closest to?”
He blinked a few times, staring off into the middle distance. “Cerul is in a foul mood, as is Terbhan. They both work with the wild Fae of the air and the marshes.”
“Terbhan? I don’t think I’ve met them.”
“That’s Terbhan, over near the twisted pillar. See? Pale blue skin and wicked sharp claws?”
“I see them.”
“Coming to court at all is unusual for Terbhan. They prefer to be swimming in the land’s power. Something must be very wrong for them to give that up.”
“Are they petitioning the Queen today?”
“Not that I’m aware of, but Cerul is on the list. She may not be heard today, though. The Queen has more petitioners on the list than she normally has patience to deal with.”
Queen Áine returned, forestalling further speculation between them. She glanced at her Seneschal to call up the next petitioner.
“Cerul would ask you a favor, your Grace.”
The tall wispy Fae stepped forward. However, the Queen rewarded her with an icy stare. “No. I will not hear Cerul today. Who is next?”
Murmurs flew across those assembled. Queen Áine stood. “I will have silence in my court. No more petitioners now.”
She turned and exited once again, leaving in her wake even more mumbled conjecture.
Grimnaugh wrung his hands. “This doesn’t look good. This doesn’t look good in the slightest.”
However, Clíodhna barely heard the frog-like Fae. She slipped away from him and the grumbling courtiers to follow Queen Áine.
The back passageway into the hall, the one that led to the Queen’s antechambers, remained dark and chilly. Clíodhna rubbed the pebbled skin on her arms as she walked, hoping the Queen wouldn’t blast her into cinders the moment she appeared.
When she reached the first open room, she blinked from the bright light shining from the walls themselves. Rich, shining fabrics in blues and whites draped across every surface, their reflection making the glow even stronger.
The Queen faced away from Clíodhna. She pulled open a drawer from a cabinet and drew out a stone, closing the drawer again. Without turning, she said, “What do you want, handmaiden?”
Her voice didn’t work. Clíodhna stammered, “I… I have some news for you, my Queen.”
The Queen spun, a bare hand-span from Clíodhna’s face. Her voice dripped with disdain and cold anger. “Do you know something you believe I am ignorant of?”
“I… I think so, your Grace.”
“You think so. But you are not certain. Why are you wasting my time? How dare you intrude upon my private quarters?”
Clíodhna’s skin turned to ice as the Queen drew closer, their noses almost touching. She couldn’t move her legs at all, not even to run away, something she craved. After steeling her nerve, she forced words out. “Bodach. He’s trying to…”
The Queen turned away from her and flung an arm out in a dismissive gesture. An invisible force hurled Clíodhna against the wall, her shoulder hitting it with painful impact. “Do not speak to me of Bodach. I will not have Adhna’s pet trying to manipulate me regarding him. Begone.”
Clíodhna crawled out of the antechamber with a frustrated sob, every muscle in her body screaming in protest.
By the time she regained the main hall, all the courtiers had disappeared. Only Grimnaugh remained, pacing back and forth, awaiting her return. When she poked her head through the entrance, he rounded on her.
