Page 118 of Beauty

“Who are you talking to?” Maris asks, walking into the room.If she’s upset about the battle about to take place, she doesn’t show it, butthen my wife is a block of ice that nothing seems to penetrate.

But I don’t need anyone to know I see my brother’s ghost. “Iwas musing about why my hags might keep something from me.”

I study my lovely bride. So beautiful. So fucking vapid. Isit possible she’s in league with the hags?

She huffs and crosses to the mirror, smoothing back heralready perfect hair. “Well, they are hags, darling. You have to think that atsome point in time they’ll turn on you. I thought you had a plan to take themout when we no longer need those nasty bitches. If you like, you can start itnow.”

I’m mollified a bit. Seamus huddles in the corner, exactlywhere he should be, hidden and unseen. “I thought you wanted to keep the Finngirl alive because the hags needed her.”

She sighs, a long-suffering sound. “Well, there’s a reasonyou’re the king. I don’t know anything about this. I have no idea why I wouldsay such a thing. Why would I sincerely wish to keep your niece alive? I hatethat whole family.” She puts a hand to her head. “I actually don’t remembervery much about the last few days. Ever since that Finn girl was brought here,my mind has been a bit cloudy. Do you think it’s something I ate? I shall havea long talk with cook just before I have him strung up. So sad to have to findanother cook. Good help is so hard to find these days, but there’s nothing forit. I should probably execute the entire kitchen staff.”

She really is an empty, dull vessel, her only contents beingpure malice. And she’s stupid. “It isn’t the food. It’s the hags.”

Maris’s face twists a bit. “Why ever should the hags bepreparing food? I thought they spent all their time with the Finn girl. One ofmy maids walked by the room they had her in. She thought she heard some ritualof pulling power.”

“Yes, they said they needed to pull the power in case mynephews have formed a true triad.” The power will be necessary to blockwhatever they ascended into.

“See, this is why you’re smarter. I heard that and wonderedif we should allow it. After all, when they’re more powerful than all of ourarmies, what is to stop them from taking the crown?” Maris smiles brightly.“But, of course, it’s surely the very helpful thing you were talking about.You’re never wrong.”

Oh, I want to slap the bitch, but she’s right. I didn’t see.I was too arrogant, believing I have power over them. Long ago we made a deal,bonded and signed by a Planeswalker demon. They would help me ascend and Iwould hold them at my right hand. The deal can only be struck down by death,and neither party can kill the other, but if the hags simply allow me to die,they can take over my kingdom. If the hags use my niece and her power, they canrule with no retribution.

I have to kill my niece and take the power back from thehags.

A loud crack pulls me out of my thoughts. The sky outsideturns black as night, the sun sinking behind an enormous cloud.

“What is that?” Maris asks.

I need only to look at the smirk on my dead brother’s faceto know the truth. “It’s an eddy cloud. The rebels are here.”

They begin descending from the clouds, their numbers farmore than I expected. Immediately there are the sounds of metal against metaland a sonic boom as the vampires prove themselves to be terrible allies.

Still, I glance down. My guard has more numbers, and theyaren’t without their own weapons.

And none of it will matter if the hags take all the power.

I run for the dungeon with only one thought on my mind.

Bronwyn’s time has come.

ChapterThirty-Nine

Lachlan

I hit the ground, bodies falling all around me, andrealize I’ve never known the true meaning of the word chaos. The sounds andsmells of battle assault me.

Clanging from swords striking swords ring out across thefield. In the distance I can see the White Palace, a gleaming pearl amidst thegloom of afternoon. The cloud we rode made it seem more like twilight, but wehave hours to go before night. My new implants aren’t even necessary to shieldmy eyes from the sun.

Dellacourt brushes past me, Kaja in her wolf form at hisside and the queen’s hand clutched in his. “Good luck to you, Your Highness.Kaja and I are on Meg duty. We’re getting clear of the field, but I can talk toyou through the implants. I’ll look for a way past the guard and into thepalace so you can get to Bron.”

I clutch my sword and, with instinct guiding me, bring itdown on a guard trying to cut through the queen’s torso. First blood and thefirst corpse of the day. The soldier falls and then almost immediately getsback up and bows to his new master.

Queen Meg’s eyes go wide as the moon. “Holy crap. That is sofreaking cool.”

Dellacourt shakes his head and hurries her along. “No timefor cool shit, Meg. Time for hiding and keeping your head on your body.”

As she’s hustled away, I can still hear her. “But that wasawesome.”

“You have a fan,” Shim says.