her starstone earrings worth a fortune? Theo thought those probably qualified as unusual, but she wasn’t about to share any of that with the woman who’d just threatened her father. “I’ve only been here a few days. I don’t know him well enough to know what would be unusual for him.”
A muscle in Vesta’s jaw twitched. “It’s very easy to forget to feed a prisoner in the dungeons. Days might go by even.”
More threats. Theo’s fingers dug into the throw she was clutching. It was that or put her fist into Vesta’s nose. How familiar that rage was, even though she hadn’t felt it in a few days. “I spent most of the day working in the kitchen.” That wasn’t a total lie. Theo’s anger spilled out just a little, raising her voice. “I can’t tell you about what I don’t know.”
“Keep it down, girl.”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
“Did he say anything about going anywhere?”
“The first day I was here, he went to the mines.”
Vesta sighed. “Anywhere else? Did he go into town?”
“He doesn’t go into town. Or anywhere, really.” Was that what she was after? Trying to find out if her bespelled boundaries were still secure? Interesting. That could mean she’d sensed something was off with her magic here but didn’t know more than that. Valuable information. And something Amelia might be able to use.
Vesta smiled and nodded like that was the answer she’d wanted. “Keep a record of that. I want to know if he leaves this house or ventures out anywhere besides the mines. I want to know where he goes. And how long he’s gone for. And if he goes to visit anyone. If he does, I want to know who that person is. In fact…” Vesta raised a finger as though an idea had just come to her. “You should try to go with him.”
Theo frowned and played dumb. Vesta probably thought very little of her IQ already, so why not? “Why would he want me to go along?”
“Yes, why?” Vesta looked her up and down. “You aren’t the most appealing thing, are you? Even so, it shouldn’t be hard to sway him. Just fawn all over him and laugh at his jokes. Then make him think you’re desperate to share his bed. That will do it. Men are simple creatures with simple needs. Robin is no exception.”
Was that what Vesta had done? Lied to Robin about her affection for him? Shared his bed and made him think it was love? “Yes, Your Highness.”
“Good. I’ll expect the first letter tomorrow.”
“How should I send it?”
Vesta made a face. “The same way you sent the letter to your father. Give it to the housekeeper. Or whoever you give them to.”
The last sentence came too late. Vesta knew Baton was the one delivering the letters. But Vesta definitely hadn’t read the second one yet. The second letter would change everything. Theo decided to test her theory. “Won’t that take longer than a day to reach you?”
Vesta sighed as if Theo was impossibly dumb. “Yes, but I will still expect tomorrow’s report as soon as possible.”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
Vesta leaned in. She smelled of sandalwood and roses and desperation. “Remember, little goblin. If I don’t get a letter every day, your father’s future will turn very dark indeed.”
Theo wanted to ram her head into Vesta’s face. Instead, she nodded. “Yes, Your Highness.”
“Tra-la-la.” Vesta waved her hand at Theo. “Off to bed with you now. You have a busy day tomorrow.”
“Yes, Your Highness.” Theo slipped back inside, leaving the door slightly ajar, then she dropped the throw and quickly shifted into the form of a lightning bug. Immediately, she flew out through the cracked door to see where the queen went.
Vesta traipsed down the stairs and into the garden. Theo followed, buzzing along a safe distance behind. With a quick glance to either side, Vesta hitched up her skirts and dashed beneath the pavilion. She went straight to the beautiful tiled fountain, took one more look around, then stepped up onto the ledge.
She whispered a few words. “Peri peri nixie ta.”
The water lit up with a soft blue glow. Vesta jumped into the fountain and disappeared without a splash.
Outside of a few pet words of her mother’s, Theo had never learned to speak fae, but she didn’t need to in order to understand what she’d just seen. The garden Vesta had built contained a portal to Limbo.
And it was controlled by fairy magic.
Still in lightning bug form, she flew straight to Robin’s balcony.