The Stone Queen

by L. E. Bross

  “Absolutely stunning.” He moved gracefully toward me, then with a light touch at my elbow, led me to the table. Two places had been set across from each other, and candles flickered between them. A fire crackled in the hearth. With any other reason to be there, it would feel romantic. “Red suits you my dear.”

  I hated that my first candlelit dinner was with someone I could barely stand being around. I watched him from under my eyelashes, amazed again at how someone so beautiful could have such a black heart.

  “I want to see her first, make sure she's okay.” I’d thought about it all day. If my mother was alive, I had to find her. She was the only connection I had to anything real and as much as I’d like to just leave this place and never look back, I had to know. I had to see her.

  Nephaste smiled at me, victory shining bright in his deep purple eyes. “I'm impressed that you care so much for a person you don't even remember.” He sat across from me and lifted his wine glass. Liquid the color of my dress half filled the crystal cup. His gaze remained steady and it was if he wanted me to look away first. I gave him nothing.

  My stomach wound into knots, and I lifted my own glass.

  “Freedom, my mother and enough money to live comfortably for the rest of my life. A life without faeries or elves or any other creature bothering me. In exchange I will play the willing bride. ”

  The word sat like acid on my tongue.

  The slow lazy smile on his face screamed triumph.

  “But only until Midsummer’s Eve. After that I never want to see you again.”

  His grin grew wider. He tilted his glass toward me and I moved mine to meet it.

  “I agree.”

  The clinking of our glasses sounded more like a nail in a coffin and chills washed over my skin. I’d made a deal with the devil.

  I set my glass down and leaned forward. “Now about my mother.”

  At least something good was going to come out of all this.

  I would get to see my real mother.

  Chapter 14

  “Dinner first. You haven’t eaten in the last three days and you’ll need your strength for the wedding. I won’t have my brode fainting at the altar.”

  The idea seemed to amuse him though because he smiled.

  “Fine. I’ll eat first.” He had to have heard the way my stomach was growling since I walked into the room. The door opened and a misshapen figure approached, hooves clopping on the marble floor. He looked almost identical to the creature at Evelina's. It was the first servant outside the boggart that I had seen in Nephaste’s home.

  A platter was set in front of me and when the gleaming done was lifted, the juiciest looking cheeseburger I’d ever seen practically filled the plate. Another dome was lifted and crispy fries were piled high. I practically moaned at the aroma filling my nose.

  “You approve?” There was real laughter in Nephaste’s voice.

  “Honestly, if you led with this meal the first time, I probably would have agreed to anything.” My mouth was filling with saliva as I picked up the burger, and the first bite had my eyes rolling back in my head. It was the best burger I’d ever eaten in my life. The fries were the perfect mix of crunchy and soft, and I stuffed handfuls into my mouth as Nephaste watched.

  Aside from a few sips of his wine, he didn’t touch his food.

  “You aren’t eating?” I asked around a mouthful of food.

  “And miss this?” He waved his hand in my direction and I realized I had food all over my face, my lap. After I cleared both plates and finally sat back to take a breath, I remembered I’d asked a question he never answered.

  “Okay, I’d like to see my mother now.” I dabbed at my face with the cloth napkin as the goat man swept the dishes away.

  Nephaste sighed and sat back in the large chair, drink in hand. “I'm not sure that would be wise yet.”

  My food settled like lead in my stomach. “You said I could see her. After dinner.”

  “No, I said for you to eat first. There is a difference.”

  I stood so fast that my legs bumped the table. In turn it slammed into his arm, sending red wine all over the white covering. He jumped to his feet quicker than I could follow and with a wave of his hand, the table was bare.

  “You asshole. You knew what I meant. The only reason I’m being civil to you is so I can see my mother and you’re playing games with me. You want my cooperation, Nephaste? You’re not going to get it this way.”

  “You are not in control here, Princess. I’m giving you the opportunity to walk away from all this with everything you ever wanted, but make no mistake, if I have to, I will take it, willing or not. There are ways to make you agreeable.”

  I stumbled away from him, knowing that he could do exactly as he threatened. He’d made me act like a whore in front of Torin. He had no concious to steer him should he choose to push it even further.

  My burger crawled up the back of my throat.

  “When can I see her then?” I ground out.

  Before he could answer, an enormous shadow filled the doorway, and the ogre there grunted. Yet another face that had been absent, though the hideousness of the snouted nose and protruding forehead made me wish it would disappear again. Nephaste stood and motioned for it to follow him to the corner of the room. When he waved his hand, a shimmery veil appeared, cutting off their conversation, but I could still see them there.

  The ogre gestured with huge hands, easily twice the size of Nephaste, but not once did the elf appear uneasy or nervous. In fact, his hands were on his hips and he was glaring at the beast. Something had annoyed him.

  The ogre stormed from the room and Nephaste stood facing the window. He looked agitated and that made me all kinds of happy.

  “Something wrong in Nephastlandia?” I asked with sweet mockery.

  He turned, the furious expression in his face immediately making me question how far I wanted to push him right now. He strode forward until we were toe to toe. Rage radiated from him and his eyes practically glowed obsidian.

  Air atalled in my lungs.

  I expected violence from him.

  When he lifted his hand, I cringed out of instinct. He drove it into his hair and pushed the strands back. Slowly, the anger dimmed until he had restrained it.

  “I will let you see your mother, but only for a moment. Consider it an olive branch to show I can be reasonable.”

  His acceptance had me on edge. I replayed his words in my head to make sure there was no trickery. That it was the truth and not a disguised lie. He eased down into a chair and motioned for me to do the same.

  I was still uneasy. The way his anger came and went terrified me. When he was lit up in rage, I could barely see the Nephaste I’d come to expect. A new wine glass appeared in his hand and when I finally sat carefully on the edge of a settee, a fresh glass awaited me. I ignored it, instead focusing on the man in front of me.

  “When? When can I see her?” My voice was a hoarse whisper and I swallowed at the flash of annoyance in his eyes. But I needed to know.

  “Let’s discuss the wedding details and when that’s taken care of, we can come to an agreement.”

  He kept spinning words. “Do you promise?”

  “Of course. I only want you to be happy.”

  I snorted. “Sure you do. So what do we have to decide? I don’t care what kind of flowers I’ll carry or what music is playing, so other than that, I just show up. There, wedding planned. I’d like to see my mother.”

  “We must invite all the members of the Dawn Court to the ceremony after which you will abdicate the throne.”

  “They’re made of stone. How can they attend?”

  He seemed amused by my question. “The ceremony will take place at exactly five minutes to midnight. On the stroke of midnight on Midsummer’s Eve, the curse will be lifted as you are the rightful queen and you will have reclaimed the throne. Your people will be freed. They will then be witnesses to the final vow, and it will be done. I will be king and you wi
ll be free.”

  The people of Alcaria would be awake, aware that I was handing them over to Nephaste. I rubbed the throbbing spot between my eyes.

  “You must be convincing, Princess. They will follow your lead if they believe it’s what you truly want.”

  “You never said anything about this. Give you the throne by leaving, that’s all I expected.” My chest squeezed tight. Could I stand in front of Kalian and give his beloved Alcaria over to Nephaste? Could I bear the look in his eyes when he had sacrificed so much for me? “I can’t do that. I just want to leave.”

  I thought about the pixie in the trees, laughing and playing with the bird there. What would happen to all the good once Nephaste had the power over my people?

  The thought stopped me cold.

  My people? Since when had they become mine? Now more than ever it became more apparent how very wrong I was for them. Who would sell out their own kind to the worst sort of enemy?

  Someone like me.

  Someone incapable of feeling anything but bitterness and despair.

  The room had grown still. Nephaste watched me, a predator calculating his opponent.

  “You can and you will.” His voice had become steel. “Don’t forget that you’re getting something out of this as well, Princess. I’d hate for something unexpected to happen to your mother after all these years. Who knows, she might take one look at you and remember who you are. Or,” he stood and strode toward the door, stopping only to brush invisible lint off the sleeves of his shirt, “she might just disappear forever.”

  He was gone, leaving only the chill of his threat in the air.

  The next morning, a knock sounded. Two old women came through, arms full of frilly white fabric. My stomach flipped when I realized what they were there for.

  My dress.

  Nephaste knew I wouldn’t change my mind. Of course not. I was the one with the kingdom, but he was the one holding all the cards. I couldn’t save the woman I’d called mom in New York, but I could make sure my real mother was safe. I owed it to both of them.

  I let the old women direct me, and their gnarly hands quickly set to work, tugging off the minuscule fabric I had on and turning me this way and that. They seemed to talk in their own language, because I didn't understand a thing they said.

  I hadn't seen anything like them so far. They resembled Evelina a little, though their eyes had the look of Nephaste and Torin. I shook my head, deciding it didn't really matter. I was turned and wrapped and pinned while I daydreamed about being free.

  A tug on my wings brought me back to the present, and I spun away from the two women with a glare. The sensation had been too intimate, like the caress of a lover.

  They both chattered at me, the scolding tone setting my teeth on edge.

  I pointed to the door.

  “Go, we're done here.” I shrugged out of the mass of material and tugged on the ridiculous outfit I’d been forced to wear when I returned and found my leather pants missing.

  The women gathered their cloth and stomped from the room. I'm sure they hurried to tell Nephaste how uncooperative I was. Who cared if I even had a dress to wear? All I had to do was say a few words and I’d be done. I paced around my gilded jail cell until a slight movement from the corner of my eye made me spin around. Aliana lounged on my pillow, her arms over her head, just watching me.

  “What are you doing here?”

  How did she even get in? I checked the windows first thing when I came back and all had been repaired and sealed shut.

  “Nice place,” she said instead. “No wonder you wanted to come back. Soft bed, good food, sexy bad boy elf. What more could you want?”

  “I made a deal. I’m here because I made a choice.” Anger simmered in my gut. After being poked and prodded all afternoon, I didn’t need an indignant fairy with her tiny condescending face scrunched up in disgust judging me.

  “Choice…she had no choice…” her singsong voice recited over and over. “For someone who had no future a short time ago, it seems you now have many paths to choose from. Too bad you're making the wrong one.”

  Her tone had a mocking quality to it that made me even angrier. How dare she assume she knew me.

  “You don't have any idea who I am and have no right to judge me,” I ground out.

  “Meri this and Meri that, I have a pretty clear picture from Torin. All he talks about is you. You don't deserve him, you know. You don't even care that everything will be under the Dark Courts rule, and everyone will probably die.”

  “That's not true!” I yelled.

  “Really?” She crouched on the bed and pointed her tiny finger at me. “You are a selfish, uncaring person, Merigold Hope. No one ever mattered to you except yourself. You were selfish to leave all those years ago and you’re doing it again. You have no idea how much Torin gave up to be by your side when you left. He turned his back on what his own Court to be with you. And how do you repay him? You leave him and go with Nephaste. You willingly give your people to that sadistic Dark Elf.”

  “Torin chose to come with me for his own selfish gains,” I shouted back at her. “He admitted as much, and that's why I chose to take what Nephaste offered. I lo…I had feelings for Torin, and he used me. That's all it was. He’s a Dark Elf and he's as greedy as the rest of them, but at least Nephaste has made no secret of his intent.”

  “You might as well be a human for all the care you give others. I don't know what Torin sees in you. Why he would love someone so completely selfish.” She glared at me with her hands on her hips then flipped up her middle finger and darted away. She moved so quickly I lost her in a blink.

  “Aliana!” She didn’t appear, and I ground my teeth together. “Just so you know, you’re wrong. He never loved me.”

  There was no rebuttal it the silence. I threw myself on the bed and yanked the covers over my head. I pressed my face into my pillow and screamed. I did it over and over until my voice was hoarse and the anger and pain inside had been dimmed. Exhaustion took its place, and I closed my eyes. Tiny fairies getting their wings plucked filled my restless dreams.

  Tap.tap.tap.

  The sounds broke through to my awareness, and I looked up, trying to pinpoint the sound.

  Tap.tap.tap.

  The window. A bird sat on the sill watching me. I rubbed my eyes and looked closer. It had bright purple eyes that glowed as I stood. My heart stuttered when the animal sank right through the glass and hopped down to the floor. Before my eyes, it shimmered and stretched, the air gathering around something until Torin stood there in front of me. I blinked rapidly, sure my eyes were playing a trick. I had to be in the throes of sleep still.

  But no, he was there, and I couldn't keep my traitorous heart from skipping a beat. Torin. His betrayal slammed into me, and I spun away. I didn't want to see him. It hurt too badly. If I looked into his eyes, he might make me forget who he really was. An ambitious user. A liar.

  “Mer, listen to me.” He was right behind me. I could feel the familiar heat of his body and I ached to lean back. It took all my control not to. His fingers wrapped gently around my forearm and felt warm against my bare skin. I shivered. I wanted to cry out. I wanted to throw myself in his arms.

  He turned me around slowly and my breath caught in my throat.

  Don't look at him.

  Don't listen.

  But I did look. Something deep inside needed to know for sure that he never felt anything for me. Staring into his eyes, I only saw the concern. Aliana's words floated through my head. Confusion warred with doubt. Disbelief with hope. Tears pooled until his image wavered in front of me.

  “What is it?” he whispered, brushing the tears away with his thumb. A touch so gentle I wanted to scream with the unfairness. “Mer, did Nephaste hurt you?”

  His voice turned menacing when he asked the question, and I wanted to laugh, but couldn’t.

  “Not Nephaste.” I stepped out of his hold and immediately went cold. I wrapped my arms around my middle. T
he lump in my throat just grew bigger. “You. You hurt me, Torin.”

  He took a step but stopped when a soft cry fell from my lips. His expression was tortured. He dragged his hands through his hair and then laced his fingers behind his neck, dropping his head forward.

  “The last thing I’d ever want is to hurt you, Mer. What I said on the roof the night the Hordes attacked, I meant it.” He lifted his face, and the truth shined from his eyes. “You are my heart and my air and my sun.”

  “Then why didn’t you tell me?” I whispered.

  He exhaled. “It’s so much more complicated than anyone thought it could be. Your father was coming to our Court when he was killed. He was coming…” Torin reached out and took my hand, and I let him. “There was to be a alliance. Between Alcaria and Edewiel. Between the Court of Twilight and Dawn. Between you and me.”

  “I don’t understand, I thought we’re on opposite sides.”

  “We are. But our fathers saw the benefit of a truce. How much better things could be if we stopped fighting and worked together toward more common goals. They were supposed to be signing the betrothal papers that night. We were to be married.”

  My eyes went wide, and I sucked in a breath. “I was eight.”

  “As was I. And it wasn’t meant happen then. By announcing the engagement, our kingdoms would be united long before the marriage took place. So yes, in a way I was taking a part of Alcaria, but in the same way, you would have had a part of Edewiel too. I don’t know how it happened or who knew, but your father never arrived. I went to you that night to make sure you were safe, and that’s when you ran. I followed and the rest…”

  “But you’ve gone back to your kingdom since then?”

  “I had to. My father’s court was in chaos because the Dark Queen accused him of betraying her rule. By forming the alliance behind her back, my parents were labeled traitors. The were going to lose Edewiel. I went back and convinced the queen that I knew nothing of what they planned. My father made me promise that I would do whatever I had to do to keep our home.”

  He swallowed and looked over my shoulder.