By: Krista Street   
I frowned. A fluke of genetics—what an unsatisfying reason for the lifetime of torment I’d suffered from thanks to my black hair. I played with the bedsheets, wanting to ask her more questions as I mulled that over, but I was unsure if propriety allowed it. I tangled my fingers in the bedsheets more.
She laid her hand over mine. “There is no need to be anxious. I’m here of my own making and am happy to speak freely.” She leaned closer and whispered, “Nobody even knows I’m here.” She winked, and the gesture was so ordinary, so normal, that it felt as though I was speaking with Birnee.
I laughed.
Her smile grew, and she patted my hand. A hum of her magic washed over me, vibrating beneath the surface of her skin, and in that prolonged contact, I felt it. The queen held power. Immense power. “Would you like to speak more?”
“I mean, I would. I just—” I twisted my fingers again, but instead of seeing annoyance wash over her features, she simply folded her hands in her lap.
“You may ask me anything, Lady Seary.”
My eyes widened. “Truly?”
She smiled again. “Now, what is your first question?”
“Did your affinities also bloom late?”
An understanding lit her eyes. “Ah, yes, they did. Mine bloomed quite similar to yours in fact. My family was convinced that I was a defective—probably as your family also labeled you—but when my first affinity manifested, they were proven wrong.”
“Nuwin mentioned that you have five affinities.”
“That I do.”
“And did they all manifest around the same time?”
She settled into her seated position more. “They did not. When the first one manifested, my illusion affinity, I thought it was to be my only one. But my second and third came several weeks later. A fourth a few months after that, and my final affinity, not until a full season had passed.”
“They were that spread out?”
“Indeed.” Her look turned serene. “I wouldn’t be surprised if you’re similar. The crown prince tells me that to date, you’ve had three affinities manifest. Is that correct?”
“Yes.” I debated telling her what Matron Olsander had told me. That she sensed something slumbering within me, but I decided against it. If I truly was to manifest more affinities, the less fae that knew, the better. If having three affinities put a target on my back for the Olirum Accords, I didn’t even want to fathom what more would do. “And in your family, did others have affinities like yours?”
“My mother shares my illusion affinity, but other than that, no, not in the slightest. Like you, I come from a non-noble family of average affinities. However, my mother’s affinity was strong enough that she could hide my black hair from an early age as a way to protect me from hateful comments and gawking. Consequently, I grew up as any defective does and was able to lead a relatively normal life on the shores of Osaravee. My father was a merchant, and my mother was our store’s bookkeeper. My four brothers still live there.”
My eyes widened even more. I’d known the queen hadn’t been born of noble blood, but I hadn’t realized her beginnings were so humble.
“How did the king find you?”
Her expression took on a faraway look, as though morphing into a void that only she could see. “In the same manner that the three other females were found. Sir Featherton has proven quite useful in sniffing out fae with multiple affinities.”
Her comment reminded me that I was supposed to have met with the noble last night, but I imagined Daiseeum would have shooed him away if Sir Featherton had made an appearance while I was sleeping. I also surmised that I would be seeing him soon, perhaps even this afternoon, so I could learn the rest of the Trial’s requirements.
“Did you also partake in a Rising Queen Trial, Your Majesty?”
Her lips thinned. They sealed so hard they were practically white. “I did not. That is something the king has created for my son. The king has many beliefs that I do not share.”
Her angry comment smoldered between us, but her aura didn’t grow. Not like the prince’s did when his emotions ran high. I figured she had mastered complete control of her Outlets, perhaps even discovering a way to release her powerful magic in a way that didn’t affect others. I’d yet to detect any aura from her.
She took a deep breath and then another. Slowly, her thinned lips softened, and that faraway look entered her eyes again. After a few more breaths, she patted my hand, then replaced her scarf, covering her hair once more. “I must go now. I shall have your lady’s servant notified that you’ve awoken.”
I sat up more, wondering if I’d done something to offend her and sorely hoped I hadn’t. “Thank you for coming to see me, Your Majesty. And thank you for . . . answering my questions.”
She nodded swiftly, still breathing deeply. “The pleasure was mine. Goodbye, Lady Seary.”
She walked quickly from the room, her head high, her shoulders stiff. Her deep rhythmic breaths continued, and I wondered anew if I’d done something wrong.
But I had a feeling I would never know.
CHAPTER 8
“The necessary courting during the Trial will occur once per week, which means that you will have approximately one date with each potential male . . .”
I tried to pay attention as Sir Featherton reviewed the rules of the Trial. He hadn’t bothered to sit down. A part of me thought the archon liked standing over me as I sat on the couch in my familiar tunic and leggings. At least this time, I was dressed.
“You do not have a choice in what order the males court you. You are expected to engage in polite conversation. Any discourse between you and another male may be reported to me.”
The Trial archon had arrived not long after the queen left, and he didn’t waste any time jumping into what was expected. He held a scroll in front of him, reading it off like he was a magistrate in the supernatural courts, as though this were an actual trial being held in a criminal case.
Several times I had to stop myself from rolling my eyes.
Cailis’s hands were on her hips, a scowl painted on her features, as Daiseeum stood quietly in the corner. My sister had arrived just before the Trial archon and had been looking vexed ever since Sir Featherton had begun reciting the rules.
He continued reading, and my stomach turned into a ball of worry the more and more he revealed.
If anything, it was becoming entirely apparent that I no longer had any rights at all. None. And when he got to the tests, I learned that they could be won by using any means necessary. No outside interference was allowed in any way, even if a female’s life was at stake, and none of the females would be given any information about what the tests entailed. All of us would be walking into them blind.
A flash of horror filled me. I could literally die in the tests.
My sister and I shared a veiled look. Escape. We will escape. Her silent look nearly screamed the reassurance.
“Thank you, Sir Featherton,” I said when he finally finished.
He dipped his head. “My pleasure, and might I add that I’m pleased to see that you and the crown prince are both well after that terrible incident in Isalee Territory yesterday.”
