“I knew of the child. I cannot be happier for you.” She needed to get to the point, and soon. Aurora was coming soon to talk to her about things as well. “I’ve asked that you take over my job.”
Smiling at her, she knew immediately that CJ didn’t understand. “What job? I mean, I know you want to step down from doing your work, but surely you don’t mean—” Her face told it all. “Oh no, you didn’t. You did not put me in for your job as queen of the faeries. I refuse it. That’s what I’ll do. Refuse it.”
“I don’t think you can now.” She asked her why not, and Melisandre put out her hand. “This has been made for you. The faeries think it’s great that they are not only going to have you as queen, but they got to make your crown.”
“No.” When CJ stood up, she watched her pace. She also began talking to herself, in faerie. When she suddenly stopped and turned to her, Melisandre couldn’t help it. She began to laugh. Hard. “I was speaking something else, wasn’t I?”
“Faerie. You’ve picked it up a good deal faster than I did.” There was no stopping her laughter now. Melisandre laughed until tears streamed down her face and collected on her bosom. “If you could see your face right now, I think you’d laugh as well.”
“No I would not. Also, you need to stop right now before I hurt you.” Melisandre pointed out that she couldn’t hurt her. Not ever. “Then, by all means, laugh it up. Make fun of the person that has not only been bamboozled into something she never wanted but has no way of retaliating.”
“Oh, you know you love me, CJ. You also know there isn’t a better person for the job than you.” Tea and other delights appeared on the table in front of her. Her appetite had returned now that she’d been able to talk to CJ, and she was most assuredly hungry. “You would have figured out about the other faeries long before I did. I don’t know how anyone missed Cody being turned around, but Benson would have been found out by you had you spent any time with him. I’ve been very lax on my duties as queen, at least in reference to the people who work for me. That’s why I’m going to be staying on as your helpmate in the area of the flowers. That part I know, and well. You will be the one that keeps an eye on the faeries and others. I didn’t do that.”
“I’d like to say I noticed it too, but I didn’t. Cody had only been with me for about the last ten years, I think. So from what I’ve been able to find out, he was working with Pfeiffer since before that.” She took the little cup of tea and changed it into a large glass of ruby red juice. Smiling as she sipped her tea, she wondered if CJ had even noticed that she was wearing the crown yet. “I’m very leery of trusting the faeries right now. I know it was only the one, but he did such a good job of hiding in plain sight that I don’t know what to do about trusting anyone to be that close to me again.”
“I don’t blame you. Not at all. However, with the magic that you get by being queen, Aurora has enhanced your ability to see lies when they’re put before you.” She set down her cup and regarded the younger woman. “I’m sorry about all this, CJ. You do know I’ve always loved you. However, I think you being queen will do so much more for them than I was ever able to do. No, that’s not right. I was able to do it, but I was too focused on a single thing. That’s why, as you can multitask better than anyone I’ve ever met, nothing like this will get by you for too long before you’re able to fix it. You’ll also be fair about your punishments. Although I have to tell you, I’ve never seen the workers working so hard before. I do believe they’re afraid of you. Which isn’t a bad thing. That’s another thing I did. I was much too friendly with all of them. I made a great many mistakes.”
“We all made mistakes. Not just on Cody, but a great many things.” She looked so sad that Melisandre wanted to give her comfort. “The council is taking care of Pfeiffer. She’ll stand trial in front of the Magical Creatures Board. I wasn’t sure how that was a case they’d take, but since she took Cody from his duties for him to work for her, that is their territory. Also, because she was willing to kill me and others of this world. If there is anything left of her when she’s finished with them, they’ll allow her to be put before a human court. But from what I’ve been told, she won’t be long for this world.”
“No, she won’t.” Aurora appeared in the room, and like she did whenever she was before the queen, Melisandre bowed low. CJ just sat on the couch and drank her drink. While she knew that CJ respected the queen, she wasn’t any too happy with being picked to take over the job that Melisandre was leaving open.
“You’re supposed to pay me homage, CJ.” The younger woman snorted. “Yes, that is what I thought you’d do. However, I have it on good authority that you’re
