I only have to get through the next two hours, I told myself. Then I can go back to the Summer Court and never see her again. I just have to avoid a conflict until then—that’s all.
“The Winter Realm is beautiful,” I said, trying to make polite conversation, though I could have cheerfully strangled her.
“Ah yes, isn’t it? There’s so much beauty all around us here.”
Her mad black eyes were trained on one of the lovely young wood nymphs, I saw—a girl with long brown hair that seemed to have leaves in it. She was wearing a gown of matching brown, that looked like bark.
I wondered dismally if the little nymph was going to be Mab’s next victim and felt a surge of anger rising inside me. Grimly, I pushed it back down. It was a bad idea to mix magic and anger—I ought to know that by now, after what had happened to Mr. Groperson and Morganna.
“Ah, here comes the first course,” Mab said, as a bevy of servers—all of them older women and possibly Mab’s past victims—brought out huge tureens of bright green soup. “Won’t you have some, my dear?” she said to me.
I allowed the servers to ladle some soup into the black china bowl in front of me and stirred it around with my spoon, pretending to take a sip now and again. But I was very careful not to let the food actually touch my lips. I did the same with every course after that, from the fish to the game to the dessert, which was an enormous pie.
When it was cut open, black birds actually flew out of it and went whirling around the ceiling squawking loudly in their hoarse voices. (It didn’t take much willpower to resist that one—I didn’t like the idea of eating anything a bunch of birds had been roosting in.)
I kept up the polite conversation with Mab but about a third of the way through the banquet, I became aware of something pecking at the magical shield Lachlan had taught me how to make around myself. It felt like a bird’s beak—or maybe a claw—scratching at my shielding, trying to find an opening—a way to get inside.
I didn’t say anything, just reached for more power and tightened up my defenses some more. Mab didn’t say anything about what she was trying to do either—she acted as though nothing was happening. But though both of us were being so polite, it felt like she was assaulting me in some way and it made me mad.
I felt almost like I had when Mr. Groperson had grabbed me and dragged me into his apartment. I mean, there was nothing sexual about what she was trying to do, but it was still an attack—an attempt to take what didn’t belong to her— and the fact that Mab had the nerve to try it on me, right there in public—after she’d already tried the same thing on my real mother and then killed her and my father—was making me so angry I was having trouble controlling my temper.
Almost over, I reminded myself, looking up at the enormous clock face that was etched in silver on the far wall of the banquet hall. Almost over—it’s nearly midnight! Just hang in there, Emma—you can make it!
“It’s almost midnight, you know, Granddaughter,” Mab said, surprising me by echoing my thoughts. “When the clock strikes twelve, you must declare to everyone your choice of which court you will rule when you come of age.” She smiled at me, her cruel red lips curving upwards. “I do hope we’ve made a good enough impression on you for you to choose the Winter Court.”
“I…haven’t made up my mind yet,” I said—which was actually true. I knew I didn’t want to stay in the Winter Court with the woman who had murdered my parents and was even now trying to get past my magical defenses to suck me dry, but I couldn’t bear the thought of having to choose one of my guys over the other.
“I see.” She nodded equably. “Well, I just want you to know that whichever Court you choose, you will be giving me a little gift before you go.”
“Excuse me?” I raised my eyebrows at her, frowning.
“You heard what I said and you know what I require, Granddaughter,” she said, still speaking in that perfectly calm voice, as though we were discussing the weather. “Do you know I’ve been watching you for some time in my magic mirror?” she went on. “Well—people call it a mirror, but it’s actually a Seeing Stone. The only one like it in all the Realms. It shows me things, you know. And it showed me you.”
Mirror, mirror on the wall, I thought, feeling chills creep down my spine. How long had she been watching me in this Seeing Stone of hers? And what had she been thinking?
“You were quite the ugly duckling while you still had your dear departed father’s geas on you,” Mab went on. “I had no interest in you then. But once it was removed and I saw your beauty, well, then I knew I had to have it for myself. Not even your mother, as lovely as she was, had the power to fascinate, you know,” she went on. “Just think what I could do with such beauty at my disposal! When you hand it and your youth over to me, I shall once again become the fairest in the land and no one shall dare to stand before me—not even the Summer Court.”
“You must be joking,” I said flatly. “I’m not giving you my youth or my beauty.”
“Oh, but you will, my dear Granddaughter.” She smirked at me. “And once I have it, I shall invade the Summer Court and take it for my own. I’ll use the power to fascinate to disarm every guard and warrior that fool, Elia, sends against me.” Her smile widened. “With your beauty, I will rule over both Realms! All shall love me and despair.”
“No,” I said tightly, trying to hold on to my temper. “Stop talking about it—it’s not going to happen.”
“Oh, but it is.” She turned to her right, where Lady Isella was seated. I had been glad to see Lachlan’s mom at the head table, but a little worried for her too, when I saw where she was sitting. But since Mab had spent the entire banquet talking to me, I figured Lady Isella was probably safe.
Now, it appeared that I had been wrong.
“You have gotten quite fond of your dark consort’s mother, have you not, my dear?” Mab asked me. She had Lady Isella by the arm and was pinching her cruelly. I saw that her lovely face was frozen in a mask of fear.
“Leave her alone,” I said, my anger inching up another notch. “She’s never done anything to you.”
“Oh, none of them have, my dear. But I take their youth and beauty anyway,” Mab said calmly. “Of course, poor Isella here doesn’t have as much youth as she once did, but she has beauty to spare, don’t you my dear Lady Isella?”
Her grip tightened on Lady Isella’s arm and Lachlan’s mother let out a hurt cry.
“Mother!” Lachlan was on his feet at once and Bran was right behind him, but I beat them both to the punch—if you could call what I did a punch.
What happened was, the simmering pot of anger in the back of my mind finally boiled over. This evil woman had killed my parents! And now she had the nerve to demand that I simply let her take my youth and beauty so she could rule over both Realms and spread her hatred and evil everywhere! Not only that, but she was threatening the lovely lady Isella, who was Lachlan’s mom and who I really liked a lot!
It all added up to more than I could bear. And though I knew that magic and anger were a bad mixture, I found myself reaching for the river of silver sparks anyway, recklessly grabbing power. And then I threw it at her.