Page 33 of Queen’s Gambit

‘Did you do it?’ I asked. Riordan nodded and rose. He stumbled, grabbing the vines.

‘That was nasty, but without the tether, I managed to dismantle it.’ He wobbled towards the former table, retrieved the single surviving bottle of wine from its branches, and took a long draught.

We won, but at what cost? I reached for Lily’s hand, stopping a hair’s breadth away, doubt flooding me. What if she thinks I’m a monster?

Lilliana was paler than normal, her white skin almost translucent, hair a damp mess clinging to Irsha’s chest. Her eyes, though, were clear. The sharp focus had returned, giving depth to the cornflower blue. When I exhaled with relief, Lily reached out, and I grabbed her trembling hand.

‘How do you feel?’ The question sounded so mundane, as if my magic had created a barrier between us along with the brambles.

‘Free.’ She tugged on my hand until I sat on the edge of the bed. ‘Alive.’

‘I had to… The poison…’ I wiped the blood still trickling from my nose. I had to be strong. She was the victim. She almost died here. It wasn’t time to ask for her forgiveness.

And yet I craved absolution.

‘Sana. I’m alive. Even if I’d died today, I wouldn’t have blamed you for choosing the freedom of death.’ Her voice trembled at the end, barely rising above a whisper. The Ice Queen’s strength still shone through as she looked around at those gathered, then placed a hand on her chest and bowed her head. ‘I heard it all, trapped in the body that was no longer mine. I would rather die than live like that. Thank you.’

‘Well, since Lily’s alive and well, no point in discussing how we achieved it. Drah’sa, wash your face and let’s clean up this mess before Reynard returns and starts asking questions,’ Tova said, shifting the axe in his hand.

I obediently trotted to the washroom, keeping my eyes away from the chaotic change my magic created.

There was no way we could clean this up today. Not without replacing all the furniture and flooring. Life, it seemed, had found a way. Even the bed linen was covered in pale blue flax flowers. Then there were the overgrown moths, and gods save me, but I swear there was a two-headed pigeon perched on the parapet outside.

Cold water stemmed the bleeding. I stayed a moment longer, giving myself time to compose my thoughts. I didn’t try to understand what happened, why I heard voices in my head whispering my name, fuelling me with a power that wasn’t entirely mine.

‘Later, I’ll think about it later,’ I whispered to the mirror but couldn’t escape the thought that something had fundamentally changed.

The room was still in disarray when I returned from the washroom. Lily was the only quiet one, while the rest argued about how to explain the sudden outburst of power to the king and the others.

‘I’ll explain it to him. First, we need to hide Lily. The Lumivitae mages must have felt the shift in her Aether, and I bet they’ll kick up a fuss as soon as they realise what happened,’ I said, and Alaric nodded.

‘I can portal her to the Erenhart estate. She can stay there until she’s stronger. Or would you like to stay in Ozar, my lady?’ Alaric asked, but Lily shook her head.

‘I’m returning to Prince Iasno’ta,’ she answered.

I bristled and looked at Riordan.

‘The spell’s been purged.’

Lily’s hand tightened on mine. ‘No, Sana,’ she whispered. ‘My husband is the only one who knows I was under the geas. If he reveals this, he’ll only be punished for using a forbidden spell. This bastard is a renegade, and Prince Iasno’ta has no idea what is brewing under his nose. He needs to be told.’ She huffed a brief, humourless laugh. ‘And I need a divorce.’

Irsha’s face changed, emotion draining from his expression.

‘I can grant you a divorce at the tip of my dagger. Fuck it, I’ll kill him anyway. You are not going back. I almost lost you today.’ Lily tried to pull away, but he held her tight. ‘You don’t want to run? Fine, but you are not going back to him. Stay with Sana. She can turn those bastards into fucking trees.’

‘Language, Blade,’ I scolded him, but I was in full agreement with his plan. ‘How about you stay here tonight? With Annika and me claiming you became unwell, who dares to question this? The Royal Healer will say what I ask him to say and Rey can sleep with the dragon if he objects.’

Lily’s eyes flashed in anger, but she was too weak to argue. After a few deep breaths, she freed herself from Irsha’s embrace.

‘I need to see the prince. Nobody knows what Niersen is planning.’ Lily pushed herself off the bed and almost fell on her face when her legs buckled. ‘They are still my people, Sana. The Lumivitae Fae will be destroyed if his plans succeed.’

‘And what use are you to them if you can’t even walk? Gods, I can’t believe I’m the one saying this, but be reasonable,’ I snapped, seeing how the ordeal had drained her.

‘Let’s settle on preparing a room for Lady Lilliana with a personal guard while she recovers from her ordeal. What do you say, Grand Master? Do you have anyone suitable for this job?’ Alaric said. He snapped a sprouting twig from the footrest and twirled it between his fingers, a dangerous smirk tilting the corner of his lips. ‘I’ll ensure Prince Iasno’ta finds his way to your chambers, my lady.’

‘And tomorrow we can all discuss your discovery and find out where Iasno’ta stands. The perfect solution.’ Alaric tossed the twig to the ground.

I nodded enthusiastically, and after a few moments, Lilliana acquiesced.