The Glass Queen (The Forest of Good and Evil #2) - Gena Showalter Page 0,126

was a mother now. I had babies to feed. When I could make a sell, I was going to make a sell. “Though I’m extremely humble about the greatness of my skill—”

“Extremely humble?”

“—I know my work is too valuable to be traded for a ten-minute air ride.”

A skittering sound registered, and I had the same reaction I’d had last night: a hiss of breath as every inch of me tensed. A spidorpion—the spidorpion?—crept along the beam Eve was leaning against. “Um... Eve? Don’t look now but—”

The fist-size creature hopped onto her shoulder—a shoulder she hiked as if she hadn’t a care.

“You’re wearing a spidorpion,” I bellowed.

“And he’s one minute late, the tardy little darling. His name is Phobia, and your look of horror is hurting his feelings.” She reached up to pet his head. Pet. His. Head. “What do you want for the weapons?”

To not die as a buffet breakfast? “The ride and a gold coin.”

“Deal.” The spidorpion raced down her arm. An arm she slowly lifted, palm up. He settled in the crevasse of her fingers, and she brought him to her face for a kiss. As I gaped, she helped him resettle on the beam. Then, she wrapped an arm around my waist and transported me to the inside of Saxon’s tent.

Dizziness nearly tipped me over, but I managed to stay upright. “How did you do that? There was no voice magic involved to make me lose track of time. No command telling me to instantly appear where I wanted to be.”

“I don’t have voice magic. I have energy magic, like Ophelia.”

Ohhh. That made sense, and yet there was something about Eve’s tone that suggested she was saying more than she was saying. But what?

“Saxon isn’t here,” she said. “His guards surround the tent, though, and they know they’ll be executed if they harm you. You’re safe here, and I have duties to attend—apparently I’ve got to go make a gold coin. Deuces.” With another wink, she vanished, leaving me alone.

Where was Saxon? What was he doing? Preparing for the courtship?

Deep breath in, out. It was okay. Everything was okay.

Stupid fate. So dumb.

A commotion erupted outside. A stampede of footsteps. A woman snapped, “The time for change has come. Prince Saxon can no longer be trusted as our sovereign. As a Skylair, I am seizing control from my brother at the tournament’s end. Move aside, or consider yourself a traitor to the crown.”

“He isn’t here, Princess,” a male replied. “He—”

“I know he isn’t here. Move. Aside.”

Shock waves coursed through me, and I tripped backward. Tempest stalked inside the tent a few seconds later, her gaze scanning. She ground to a stop when she spotted me, and grinned as if I’d been expected. Queen Raven entered and stopped behind her daughter, her eyes narrowed to tiny slits. Then both females grinned with relish.

“Well, well, well. The warlock was right,” Raven said. “Ashleigh was indeed waiting in the tent this morning.”

Heart galloping, I called, “Guards! Guards!” But my shouts did no good, the magical sound barrier preventing my voice from escaping the inside of the tent.

Fear threatened to paralyze me as one female moved in front of me, and the other moved behind me. They walked a circle around me.

“Saxon doesn’t want—” I began.

“You don’t get to speak his name, girl,” the queen hissed. “We know who you are.”

Not me. But, if I told them that I was possessed by a phantom, they would certainly kill me to try to kill her. If they believed me at all. “I’m not going to harm your son, or your people.”

But Leonora might.

“You’re right about that,” Raven said, gleeful. “You aren’t going to harm any avian. We won’t let you.”

Tempest yanked my arms behind my back and shackled my wrists with a metal cuff. With a hard shove, she sent me stumbling forward. Both females laughed as I crash-landed on one of my shoulders, pain exploding through the joint.

Tears blurred my vision, but I blinked them back and spat out grains of dirt. My stomach protested as I labored to my feet. “Saxon killed the last avian who dared to attack me.”

Tempest purred, “So sure he cares about you? He’s currently with your stepsister. The king sent word before sunrise. Saxon is the first to try to win Dior’s heart.” Another slow grin. “Who says he’ll learn what happened to you...or ever find your body?”

They planned to kill me, even without knowing about the phantom?

They lunged. In a blind panic, I kicked