Knight's End: A Reverse Harem Fantasy (Tangled Crowns Book 3), page 22
She helped me into a bright orange gown, this time, the burning rose of Evaness was embroidered in a tiny, repeating red, orange, and black pattern of flowers on the skirt. She helped me into my black traveling coat. I grabbed my coin purse and stuck it onto my waist as she set a tiara with onyx stones on my head. Inside was the flower I’d promised to give to Posey. Surprisingly, it had yet to wilt.
Gennifer hesitated, looking me over one last time. “Your necklace, Your Majesty,” she said hesitantly.
My hand flew to my neck, where the love potion sat. “This will do.” It was all of Donaloo and Cerena that I had left. I wasn’t about to leave it. I needed them with me. I touched it gently and nodded to Gennifer. “Thank you.”
“Um … Your Majesty?” Gennifer asked as I turned to leave.
“Yes?” I turned back around.
Gennifer turned nearly puce as she whispered. “If you ever … um … require an audience again … I’m courting a man from the laundry. He’d love to –” She couldn’t finish. My poor, shy maid, couldn’t finish her offer.
I gave her a grin. “We’ll call you first.”
She bobbed a curtsey and I had to tamp down a laugh so that I didn’t insult the poor, sweet thing. Connor and I had definitely traumatized her.
Then I left the Queen’s chambers, my amusement melting as my mind turned to the task ahead. I left Gennifer and a few staff to pack up what was left so that they could move to the safety of another province.
I swallowed hard as I took a saddled Pony from Jace. My gargoyle gave me a lopsided smile as I climbed onto his back and stared at my castle.
The sea crashed violently against some buildings in Marscha. It had invaded the streets nearest the ocean two days past and was slowly creeping forward. Other than the violent smack of water against stone, the capital and my castle were empty and quiet. With the damage from recent battles and the tangle of flowering vines growing on the mage’s tower, my home looked like an abandoned castle from a kingdom fallen long ago. Most the people had already left. Only a few like Gennifer remained. Most of our gargoyles had been sent north to fight the djinn. Only five remained for us. Each of my knights and I clambered onto our gargoyles.
I looked at Declan. “Is Quinn on?”
I still couldn’t see or feel my knight. I didn’t know if it made him feel bound, to have to stay with me at all times. But knowing he was there, even if I couldn’t see or feel him yet, made me feel better.
Declan nodded. “He’s good.”
I yanked Pony’s reins and rose into the sky. I didn’t look back at my castle. There was no point. I had to look forward. It was the only way to keep all of Evaness from falling victim to the same fate as those battered towers.
I soared into the sky, my eyes and hopes directed toward Gitmore.
We descended on the castle, which looked like something from a tapestry or some illustrated tome. It didn’t look real. Nestled in the midst of some jagged mountain peaks, the castle was well-protected and nearly as large as the mountains themselves. The castle was made of pristine white stone. Green stained-glass created geometric patterns in the archway above the main entrance, above the windows, on the many towers. Metallic blue domes capped the towers and to the right, a waterfall spilled through arches underneath a bridge that led toward the entrance. The effect was stunning.
I found myself feeling a little intimidated as our gargoyles descended to the bridge.
But my sense of trepidation only increased when two guards blocked our path.
"Who goes there?"
Connor took the lead. "Queen Bloss of Evaness is here to meet with her Majesty, Queen Shenna."
One of the guards nodded to the other, and the younger man trotted off to verify Connor's statement.
We waited. And waited. And waited. My anxiety grew. I kept my face calm and confident, but I mentally asked Blue, Can you read any thoughts beyond this guard’s? What are they doing in the castle? Can you tell?
It seems like this is pretty much their standard intimidation technique. It also looks like they typically have the waterfall overflow the bridge once we pass, making visitors feel cut off. They’re discussing that in the guard tower right now.
Lovely. Good thing we have gargoyles.
They’ll ask us to leave those behind.
My stomach sank. What do you think our chances are? Shite. We need this. I need this.
This is just another head game. Don't let her win before we even see her.
I took a deep breath. He was right. I gave myself the pep talk that my mother used to give me, one I used to roll my eyes over. She used to say it when I’d lost a battle and typically wanted to toss her war map with all its little figurines across the room. “Perseverance wins the day. Not magic. Not strength. The ability to endure agony and keep fighting. That's what separates the wheat from the chaff. It's the difference between the strong and weak. Suffering is inevitable. But some people let it destroy them. Others use it to become more. You have to become more, Bloss.”
I am more, I chanted to myself.
We waited for more than an hour, when finally, and entourage seem to approach. Queen Shenna set atop a liter carried by four nude fairy men.
My eyes immediately tried to focus upward, on the queen and her white gown. Her blue hair was streaked with silver and her eyes were the large, luminescent orange many part-fae had. She herself didn’t have wings. I had to struggle to keep my eyes on her face because her nipples were clearly visible through her gown. The men who carried her litter were insanely attractive, young and oiled so their muscles gleamed. Their wings were folded against their backs, but I had no doubt they could take flight in an instant if a threat arose.
As I looked square into her eyes, I gave a small smile. She was clever, this doxy. It was quite a unique way to intimidate her more prudish visitors. Instead of a show of strength, she put on a blatant show of sexuality. There were no weapons on her or her fairy men, she showed an utter disregard for any threat we might pose. That in itself felt dismissive.
But I caught a flicker of movement in the sky behind her. It made me certain she had archers flying somewhere.
Perhaps I needed to take a leaf out of her book.
Blue interjected. I told the men your thoughts. Quinn’s the only one who’s in favor of nudism at the castle.
I fought a laugh. Of course, he is.
We watched the young men lower the Queen and help her alight from the litter. Her dress had slits up either side, that revealed a great deal of skin as she stood. Two of the men prostrated themselves before her and began kissing their way up her ankles, past her knees, toward her thighs. The other two started their kisses at her wrists and worked inward.
Shenna merely watched me as they kissed her.
This is sarding awkward, I thought.
Be careful, Dove.
Shock buzzed through me. Quinn’s voice in my head nearly made me fall over. I felt a hand on my waist and my hand automatically went down to cover it. I could feel him!
Holy sarding hell.
You have the world’s worst timing! I thought, as I stroked the back of his hand.
Are you joking? I came back just in time for an orgy, he laughed in my mind.
I turned to look up at him. His hands were on my waist, and though he laughed, his eyes were full of tears.
My chest tightened and my eyes drank in the sight of him hungrily. For the first time in nearly a week, I could see him. His pointed ears, his dark hair, his naughty grin. I pressed my lips together. That wish cost too much.
But he gave me a slight head shake. Let’s think of other things.
He was right. We had an audience. I had to stay focused.
I turned my head back to Shenna, but thought, I love you.
I love you, too, but be aware. I recognize one of them. He was originally from Lored. He's another mind-speaker.
Should I say hello? Maybe tell him we’ve got some open positions in Evaness? I pictured myself opening my legs like Shenna was, winking.
Quinn pictured hitting me over the head with a rotten fish.
One of the fairy men kissing Shenna’s thighs grinned.
Calm down, I was only joking, I told Quinn. But I found you, I told fairy man, with a mental image of myself putting my hands on my hips and shaking my head at him.
The fairy only grinned wider. I assumed that meant he heard me.
I took a deep breath and carefully thought.
Well, Shenna’s more attractive than I would've thought, given mother's reports about her. And clearly strategic.
I maintained eye contact with her as the mind-speaker dove under her skirt, his intent clear.
Does she do this to all visitors? I asked as I held eye contact with her. It felt a bit like the staring contests I’d had as a child.
She hasn’t had visitors since the last Fire War, Quinn replied. Connor doesn't know of any.
I glanced over to see why Blue hadn’t joined in our mental conversation.
Blue’s eyes were not focused on Shenna’s face. He accidentally projected an image of Shenna’s nipples, wondering how hard they were now.
Excuse me! I gave him a mental smack, though I could hardly blame him. I couldn’t say every one of my thoughts was completely innocent and unaffected.
Blue immediately started thinking of military maneuvers. Fire attacks. Force concentration, Reconnaissance. His thoughts cleared and he mentally said, I know Cheryn did not send an entourage here.
Queen Shenna finally spoke. Her deep brown eyes bore into mine. And she acted like she did not feel the two men suckling on her breasts, or the nude man I could hear lapping at her.
"How times have changed. Evaness has come seeking alliance."
I nodded, eyes locked on her face as the final man in her foursome stuck his head underneath the back of her skirt and started noisily slurping.
Shenna raised a brow. "An alliance is such an intimate act, don't you think?"
Her hand slid down to caress the shoulders of the fairy who lapped at her most tender parts.
“Indeed.”
I decided terse responses would be best. My discomfort would be less likely to slip through.
Dammit. The mind speaker. He’d have heard that.
Oh well, I supposed it was the truth. I was uncomfortable, but it was better than Sedara.
I reverted to the speech that Connor had prepared for me. "We come with an offer of grain and magic."
"I will not entertain any offers, until I’ve been entertained myself," Shenna replied as her hips began to undulate.
I had worked in a bawd house. I was no stranger to public copulation. But on a bridge? In front of the castle? By the Queen? During a visit from foreign royals?
Everything I'd learned about royalty was about restraint. Control. But as I watched a queen more than twice my age dissolve into orgasm as she stood in front of me, I wondered, was everything I had been taught wrong? Or was this Queen … I cut off the thought and stared up at the clouds for a moment. I thought I saw two quick blue blurs cross a cloud.
Two archers, at least, I thought as in front of me, the Queen pressed her fairy men into giving her two more orgasms before she was sated.
On the last one, she howled and bucked against the fairy mouthing her clit.
I hope my orgasm face is a bit more attractive, I thought, before I could stop myself.
By the time she was finished, I began to doubt whether the show had been all for intimidation. I began to wonder if Queen Shenna didn't have a bit of an affinity for an audience.
Oh, she does, a voice I’d never heard before rasped in my mind. Then the thought of peach nectar, and a hand swiping at a man’s chin flickered behind my eyes. A woman’s dripping cunt popped into my head—
Hello, mind talker, I said. Fewer details next time, if you don’t mind.
I heard him chuckle in my head.
“Your Majesty,” I ducked my head respectfully at Shenna, hoping we could finally get to the reason for our visit.
Her eyes cut toward my knights’ cocks after she was finished. She smiled as if she was pleased with what she saw.
An animal-like sense of territoriality arose in me. I had to suppress a snarling word or two. But I couldn’t help myself, I stepped forward, doing my best to block her view.
My sweet tone contrasted my possessive gesture. "Queen Shenna, thank you for sharing that intimacy with us. After so many years as strangers, I’m so happy to renew the bond between our countries.” I hoped that’s what that sarding was. Otherwise … I cut off the thought as the four fairies emerged from their tasks and lined up beside the queen.
Shenna swiped a hand lazily through the air. "Oh no. You mistake me. If you want something as intimate as an alliance with me, other intimacies are required."
I tried to keep my face neutral as my mind reeled in shock.
Is she saying what I think she's saying? I asked Blue.
Yes.
I’d been less blindsided by Jorad’s betrayal. I forgot to breathe for a moment as I took in what Shenna wanted from us. A show, like the one she’d put on.
Blue’s response had been so curt that I turned my head to look at him. He swallowed hard. I glanced down and saw that he had a raging hard on.
You like the idea of this? I asked. To me, this request went beyond the pale. It was so far afield that it felt like a trick.
Actually, I don't. Strategically, she could have archers take us out while we did that. It's one thing for her to be that vulnerable in the open in her own country. It's another thing to ask us to do so. The idea of taking you in public does make me hot but using sex as a tool and a weapon … it reminds me of my father.
What Blue said resonated with me. His words echoed in my heart; the way a choir’s song echoed off the stones of the Great Hall. Goosebumps formed on my arms as I decided on my next move.
She wanted intimacy. Intimacy. Thoughts rolled through my mind.
I curtsied to Shenna, a rare sign of respect and almost fealty when given from one queen to another. "Your Majesty, I'm honored that you trusted us when you are at your most vulnerable. I, too, am at my most vulnerable in this moment. Floodwaters from the sea are ravaging my castle as we speak. The djinn have stolen an entire province from me. And while I understand and appreciate your request that I be vulnerable and open as well, I think that honesty—particularly among rulers—is as vulnerable as one can get. To be honest with you, I’m scared. My family is all dead or stolen. War broke out the very day I was crowned. I'm petrified that the legacy that my foremothers gave me will be destroyed. I'm scared that the families of my husbands will be murdered in their beds. I can't sleep because I see bodies—those of the courtiers and soldiers who were killed in my own courtyard—when I close my eyes.”
Shenna gazed down on me. And I thought I’d gambled wrong. She raised her arm and my heart jumped into my throat. I couldn’t breathe, certain she was about to signal her archers. But then she reached for my hand and closed her own around it. “Go on, child.”
And I felt the calculation and cunning slip away from her facade.
I took a deep breath and continued, “The sea witch, Mayi–I've sent spies to find out her weaknesses, to no avail. She has the power to create whirlpools that suck down ships, tsunamis that threaten even Sedara. She took my sister already and thought she’d killed me. I don’t believe she’ll stop until she has. I'm about to go into battle with a creature far more magically powerful than myself. And I have no weapon with which I might defeat her. The only chance I have would come from your undead army. If you would allow some of them to accompany me, I might be able to survive.”
That’s pouring it on a bit thick, Quinn thought. We’re here. And we all have magic again. Not to mention these weapons. He flexed his biceps in his mind.
I barely avoided rolling my eyes. None of us can take down ships.
Faith, Dove. Donaloo wouldn’t have told us to seek out the undead army if he hadn’t thought it would work.
I took a deep breath and tore my mind away from his. I needed to focus.
Shenna watched me steadily. Then she asked, “And?”
“And what?”
“You could move inland. You could abandon your ports and trade only over land. You could close your borders. You could deal only with Raj. Why face this witch when you know she’ll likely kill you?”
Those were all excellent questions. Valid points. I thought long and hard before I responded. “Because I’ve learned that death isn’t the worst thing out there. If I were to curl inland, I’d be letting her chain me. Slavery is worse than death.”
“And why not fight her from the air? Why not tempt her into coming to you?”
The truth was hard to hear. It was painful. These were strategies we’d discussed, during the grey hours between midnight and dawn. Strategies I’d turned down, because all of them left Avia trapped in an underwater cave, surrounded by sea ghosts.
I bit my lip as I looked at Shenna. I was certain she already knew the truth from her mind-speaker. Otherwise, I might have attempted a pretty lie. “She has my sister.”
Shenna’s understanding look turned cold. “Love. Love is a lie. It’s a tale told to children. Only grown fools believe it.”
She withdrew her hand from mine. “You may ask the army yourself. I formed them after that sea bitch tried to take my brother’s life.”
“What?”
Shenna raised her brows at me. “A year or two before your mother killed him, that Mayi seduced him. After his engagement was announced, I found the sea witch carving open his chest. She cracked it like a clam shell.”
I reeled back in horror. I knew the part-sprite was heartless. But that? That was monstrous.
Shenna nodded. And she accidentally responded to my thoughts. “Yes. Monstrous. I hate the sea witch nearly as much as you. The undead army is free to go with you if they choose.”
Shenna climbed back into her litter without another word. She clapped her hands twice and had her fairy men lift her up. They turned and marched away, the queen not sparing us a second glance.
