Excerpt from Pinky Promise
The next installment in The Summoner’s Mark series is here, and I couldn’t be happier to introduce you to Freesia, a very special Irish Wolfhound. In this scene, Becs is once again confronting Titania.
We continued toward another set of double doors that resembled the ones at the main entrance. Two more guards stood sentry, and the commander gave them a curt nod. The guards each pushed their respective door open to reveal the throne room. A long red carpet led to where Titania occupied her majestic throne. The king was nowhere in sight. The last time I’d had an audience with the queen, there’d been courtiers of all types—elves, trolls, pixies, and even a goblin hidden in the shadows. Today there was no one. Just the tall, raven-tressed, stunning woman that had haunted my dreams for weeks sitting moodily on her fancy chair in a cold room. I rubbed my arms to warm myself up.
The guards crossed their spears in front of my body, blocking my entrance. “You have all her weapons?” They looked me over, searching for anything I may have hidden on my body. One conducted a gentle pat-down as well. Satisfied, they bade me enter. They didn’t come with me. Freesia and I entered alone. The commander stayed outside with my belongings.
The room was equally as ornate as the rest of the palace, with large windows framed by deep-red curtains held back with gold drawstrings. A massive chandelier hung from the ceiling, and braziers burned on either side of the dais where the queen waited. Sunlight flitted through the windows, but the light was muted by stained glass that hadn’t been there on my last visit. The colored windows gave the room an ethereal light and cast gentle jewel tones on the floor.
I relaxed into the comforting glow, pleased that I wouldn’t have to endure another court spectacle. Maybe the fact that I was alone with the queen boded well for our discussion.
On the other hand, an empty room meant there was no one to witness her actions. She could snap, “Eye of newt,” and turn me into a lizard, and that would be that. I’d spend the rest of my life scuddling around the throne room.
I was extremely glad to have Freesia with me.
Squaring my shoulders and gathering my courage, I approached the queen and curtsied. “Queen Titania.”
“Rebecca Naomi Greenblatt.”
“You wanted to see me?”
“No. I didn’t want to see you. You forced my hand.”
“I have done no such thing. I could have continued my quest without troubling you at all. It was you who sent soldiers to fetch me.”
The queen slumped in her chair, an unfamiliar posture for Her Haughtiness. She waved a hand my way with a derisive huff. She was always so contemptuous. I’d be willing to bet good money that she sang “Happy Birthday” with a sneer.
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