Page 86 of The Witch Queen

“You.” He charges toward her, but I put myself between them.

“It’s all right,” I say. “Really. She’s helping.”

“Helping?” Roland scoffs. “Like shehelpedwhen I found you blubbering in the dungeons?”

“Blubbering?” Jacquetta arches an eyebrow.

Heat flames in my face. “I wasnot.”

Nettle trills, dubious. I glare at her.

“Or when she blew up our Mines?” Roland barrels on. “You have anything to do with that, Other Mistress Witch?”

Now it’s Jacquetta’s turn to flush. “I…a little bit.”

“Oh,a little bit,is it?” Roland mocks. “How about I just pound your skull alittle bitand see how you like it?”

He stalks toward her again. Jacquetta snatches up the nearest blunt object and brandishes it like a weapon.

“Roland don’t!” I grab his arm, grunting with the effort of restraining him. He may be shorter than me, but he’s all muscle. “I—we—need her help.With the duchess. Margaret is beginning to ask questions.”

At that, Roland stills. “What kind of questions? You think she knows about you…us?”

“Not yet,” I say, releasing him. “But we can guess what will happen if she learns the truth. Jacquetta is the only one who can dig up information without raising suspicion.”

Roland huffs. “And why would you do that, Other Mistress Witch? Something tells me it’s not out of the kindness of your heart.”

Jacquetta scowls, keeping her weapon raised. “My mother is missing. Ayleth agreed to search for her.”

“Missing, is she?” Roland asks. “Afraid I can’t offer my condolences on that. In fact, I hope that witch mother of yours got what was coming to her.”

Jacquetta’s jaw sets. She advances on Roland, but I step between them again.

“Enough,” I say. “We need to focus on the bigger problems at hand.”

“And what might those be?” Roland demands.

“The substance we found in the Mine,” I explain. “There’s more of it—leaking out of a tree in the forest near the palace.”

He gapes at me. “What?”

I nod. “Yes. That’s why I called you here. Have you learned anything else about what it could have been, or what caused it?”

“Me? Shouldn’t you be asking her?” He thumbs toward Jacquetta. “Her lot put it there.”

“No, we didn’t,” Jacquetta replies, annoyed.

“But you blew up the Mines.”

Her cheeks redden again. “Yes.But we used fireroot for that. What we saw in the forest was something else.”

“She’s right,” I agree. “But I’m convinced it was at the Mine as well. In the crypt, Miranda mentioned Spirits. I know you didn’t believe her at the time, but maybe she was on to something.”

“Aye,” Roland says. “I’ll ask her—if I ever see her again.”

“What does that mean?”

“She’s gone,” Roland replies. “Her and a handful of others. My guess is that they left to try their luck elsewhere. Can’t say that I blame them, given recent events.”