It was totally sick. I wished with all my heart I hadn’t fucked up the King’s Contest, and I’d become queen. If I ruled the country, the anti-gay laws would be the first thing to go. Seriously, what was wrong with this twisted nation?
Odette was in the Rec Room, making a macrame wall hanging. She was humming a pleasant tune as the TV above the fireplace droned on in the background— some teen drama show Odette loved to watch.
“Hey.” I sat down next to her. “You wanted to meet up?”
Odette caught my concerned look before I could disguise it. “You’re bothered, Emma. It’s about Ozzie and Jasper, isn’t it?”
My mouth bobbed. “Uh… n-no.”
“You don’t have to lie,” Odette whispered. “I saw them together in a vision. Poor things, having to hide like that.”
“Please tell me they get a happy ending.” I wanted that for them.
“I hope so. I haven’t seen it, though.” Odette wiggled her butt. “Anyway, I wanted us to go to the alicorn village. I think we can investigate my dryca heritage there. Theo’s coming with us.”
“That’s a great idea.” Maybe it would help us get closer to finding the Alicorn Court. “Have you had any other visions?”
“I’m getting lots of visions, but they’re all small things,” Odette gushed. “Stefan and Delmare are going to have an argument, but they’ll sort it out. Kiara’s going to fall down the stairs if she doesn’t start looking where she’s going. Oh, and you don’t need to study for Korva’s test next week. You’re going to fail, anyway.”
You didn’t need to be a druid to tell me that. I knew I was failing Korva’s class. My concentration and memory was shit lately. The brain fog I had was getting so bad, listening to teachers lecture might as well be hearing white noise. Everything went in one ear and out the other, and I couldn’t hold on to important information, not even if I took notes. My mind might as well be a strainer.
“It’s good that your powers are starting to blossom,” I said.
“Isn’t it?” Odette squealed. “I have a big vision coming on, I can just feel it.”
The TV changed, and Odette groaned as her show was taken over by a Malovian news broadcast. My nose wrinkled as Gabby came on screen, behind a podium. She began speaking in Malovian, and though I couldn’t understand, I knew whatever coming out of her mouth was probably a bunch of crap.
My hunch was confirmed when Odette rolled her eyes as Gabby spoke. She curled her lip to mock her.
“What’s she saying?” My Malovian wasn’t very good yet.
Odette let out a skeptical noise. “The usual babble she’s been pushing. That Malovia is at risk for being taken over by progressive radicals, and that we sorceresses need to fight against it by adhering to traditional values.”
“Like?” I knew this wasn’t going well.
“By not dressing like sluts and spreading our legs,” Odette said. “She’s been pushing this initiative where a sorceress’ only purpose is to serve her shifter, and her whole life needs to be about upholding Malovia’s heritage— by making fae babies and following the will of your husband without question. Apparently, if you don’t do these things, you’re not close to the gods, and they’ll curse you for turning your back on them by…”
Odette paused to listen to Gabby’s words. “Having premarital sex.”
Like Gabby hadn’t screwed Elijah before. We all knew they weren’t married yet, and she’d slept with him more times than his mattress.
I turned off the TV, because I couldn’t stand to see Gabby’s smug-ass face. “It’s funny she’s spewing that bullshit when we both know Gabby has Eli’s balls in her hand,” I grumbled. “She runs that palace.”
Odette rolled her eyes. “Well of course she doesn’t want another woman rising to power and stepping on her turf. This is her way of making sure we females stay in line.”
I nodded glumly. I could talk all day about how the patriarchy kept women down, but it wasn’t like the girls at the top weren’t perpetuating that for their own selfish purposes.
Odette shrugged as she finished her hanging. “I have no problem with girls who choose to be stay-at-home wives. I think it would be cute, honestly, to be one myself. But nobody should be forced into a lifestyle that isn’t for them, and that’s what Gabby’s trying to do, to remain in power. She’s acting like women who pick a certain path are more virtuous than others,