Page 68 of The Witch Queen

“Comeon,” she mutters to herself. “Just—”

There’s a sharpsnap. Jacquetta curses and flings something away. It flies out of her cell and past my head, landing with a brittle clatter at my feet. It’s a piece of thin metal, one Jacquetta must have been attempting to use as a lockpick.

“I’m curious,” I say, stepping out of my shadows, “what would you have done if you succeeded? You can’t exactly stroll out of here.”

Jacquetta freezes at the sound of my voice. Her blue eyes meet mine, bright in the dimness. That traitorous part of my heart speeds up.

“I would have thought of something,” she says simply.

“Yes, you always do, don’t you?”

Jacquetta just glowers. “What do you want? To gloat? Go ahead.”

She approaches the bars. Torchlight illuminates the dark circles under her eyes, which are bloodshot and rust-tinted. Her lips are dry. Dark veins are starting to track up her arm from the iron cuff. Soon, they’ll web through her whole body. Just like it was with Rhea. The old wound of my grief opens and oozes but I seal it off. Jacquetta isnotRhea. She doesn’t deserve my pity.

“Were you really going to let yourself rot down here?” I ask. “Forthem? Do you care about them so much?”

She just shrugs. “Maybe. Or maybe I just hate you more.”

I flinch at her jab, then scold myself for feeling anything at all.

Leave her here,that old voice urges.

I’d like nothing more. But I’m running out of time with Margaret. Much as I loathe the scheming witch, this might be the one time Jacquetta’s character works in my favor.

“I have a proposition for you.”

Jacquetta sweeps a look up and down my body. “I’m not interested.”

“That’s not…” Heat flames in my face. “I need your help looking into someone.”

She snorts. “Can’t your shadow minion do your dirty work for you?”

“Believe me, I would greatly prefer it,” I tell her.

But I can’t pull Shade away from searching for the other witches.Even if I could, I can’t take the risk that someone might see him. Namely, Margaret.

“The situation is complicated,” I explain. “It involves the king’s sister.”

“You mean,yoursister?” She clicks her tongue, feigning sympathy. “Oh, dear. Is there trouble in the family?”

“Margaret isn’t my family,” I say, irritated. “Nor does she desire to be. She made that fact evident when she brought the princess here to begin Braxos’s Trials.”

“Oh yes,” Jacquetta says with a laugh. “Everyone in the city was talking aboutthat.How the princess showed up to kick you off the throne.”

I bristle. Isthatwhat they’re saying about me?

“I’m not beingkickedanywhere.”

“Well, someone’s going to win, and it’s not you.”

“You’d be surprised,” I say, lifting my chin. “I made it this far when no one thought I could, especially not the covens.”

“No one thought youwould,Ayleth,” she says. “There’s a difference.”

Beneath her haughty veneer, I might detect a thrum of pain in her voice.

“The trials,” I continue, ignoring it, “are why I need your assistance with Margaret. She’s making a move against me. I need to stop her before she ruins everything.”