Gogu made an ill-calculated leap, sliding down Tadeusz’s immaculate black shirt to land on the grass in an undignified heap. The dark eyes looked down impassively. One boot rose from the ground, wooden heel poised.
I swooped on my frog, snatching him from harm’s way. “I’m 116
sorry,” I lied. “I’m afraid Gogu’s left a trail on your shirt. I’ll take him away now.”
“Thank you for the dance, Jenica.” The music was drawing to a close. Tadeusz executed an elegant bow. It was not quite a mockery.
“Thank you,” I muttered, and lost myself in the crowd.
Shortly after that, Grigori came for me. He led me to the spot where Ileana and Marin sat on thrones of willow wood woven with ivy, resting from their exertions. Word of my request seemed to have gotten about. This would not be a private audience. Anatolie and three other dwarves were there, and Sten, and a good many others.
I swept a low curtsy, cleared my throat, and set it all out for them: Father’s illness, his departure, the unanswered letters.
Uncle Nicolae’s terrible accident. The fact that I believed Cezar might really plan to drive the fairy folk out of the forest.
They listened in silence. When I was finished, Ileana said calmly, “But we know all this. We watch you. We are everywhere.”
“We must do something,” I said. “Don’t you understand?
This could mean that in time the whole forest will be destroyed.
Dancing Glade could be gone. You’d have nowhere to live.”
“Your cousin does not own T?aul Ielelor,” Marin said gravely. “He does not control Piscul Dracului. You will keep it safe.”
“I’m trying,” I said through gritted teeth. “But Cezar’s doing his best to take the responsibility out of my hands. Nobody sees anything wrong with that. To the men of my world, 117
his actions must seem quite reasonable. They wouldn’t expect a family of girls to look after an estate over a whole winter. And as for what Cezar intends to do to the forest, you must know that people fear you—that they blame you for many deaths and disappearances.” I caught the sardonic eye of Tadeusz, who had appeared on the edge of the crowd, and looked quickly away.
“Now that Uncle Nicolae’s gone, there’s nobody who can help us. And if Father dies . . .”
“What if he dies?” Ileana’s tone was cool.
“If he dies before a male grandchild is born, Cezar inherits Piscul Dracului outright. Then there really will be no forest left.”
“Mmm-hm. Why has your cousin made himself into an enemy? Why does he wish to destroy us all?”
“He believes your people drowned his brother, Costin. He was lost in the Deadwash long ago. Cezar swore vengeance on all the folk of the forest. I never thought he would go through with it. I believed in time he would forget his anger, or that I could make him change his mind. I think I was wrong.”
“Maybe not,” Ileana said, her pale blue eyes meeting mine with a penetrating look. “Your cousin listens to you. Inasmuch as he can care about anyone, he cares about you. Maybe you could drive a bargain, Jena.”
I did not like this turn of the conversation at all. “Your Majesty, I have come to you for help. I don’t think I can bargain with Cezar. I don’t think I have anything I’m prepared to give him. But if Father doesn’t come back, if he doesn’t get better, I need some way to stop my cousin from carrying out his threat.”
All of them just looked at me. I had expected fear, anger, a 118
shared purpose. I had hoped for solutions. This blank acceptance seemed almost like indifference. “This is your whole future!” I burst out, against my better judgment. “Don’t you
There was a little silence. Gogu twitched.
“What would you have us do?” Ileana seemed eerily calm.
“Wage war on this cousin, frighten him from his home? Set fire to his crops, strike his animals dead? Take such a course of action, and we would spark the kind of retribution that comes on the keen edge of a scythe, the piercing tines of a pitchfork. It is not our way. Your Cezar makes his own path. Whether it leads to good or ill, only time will tell.”
“So you would just sit back and watch as your kingdom is destroyed?”
“We will not interfere. This will flow as it must; it is not for us to stem the tide. Have you considered that the solution may be no farther away than your fingertips?”
“I don’t know what you mean.” I could not keep hurt and annoyance from my voice. “I can’t even get workers to come up and mend the fences for me—how am I meant to solve a problem as big as this? Cezar’s a landholder now. He’s got power.”
“You must solve your own puzzle,” Ileana said. She rose to her feet and picked up a fold of her gold- embroidered gown, ready for another round of dancing. “You can do it. Music!
Come, strike up a reel!”
In a trice they were gone, heading onto the sward for more revelry. I was stunned. Not only had the forest queen made no offer of assistance, she’d treated my pressing problems—and her own—as almost inconsequential.
“She does care,” Grigori said. He was the only one who had 119
stayed behind. “It’s our way to let things take their course, that’s all. What was that you were saying about fences?
Sten and I could attend to your heavy work. You should have asked us.”
Sudden tears pricked my eyes. “Thank you,” I said, “but it’s best if you don’t. When you come across to our world, especially if you stay awhile, you put yourselves at huge risk. I won’t have you doing that for us. Cezar’s
