mortals busily creating art of all different forms. The light court was also known as the court of muses, so I assumed this depiction was of her inspiring them, though all the art the rendered mortals were creating seemed to be of the queen herself.
One of our guides pushed open the door and escorted us inside. There was the familiar swirl of uncertainty as the doorway took us where we were going, and then I stepped into an enormous throne room.
Fae thronged the sides of the room, leaving the path between door and throne unobstructed. The Queen of Light sat on a throne of gold, the metal glowing with the light emanating from her so that trying to stare at her was like gazing at the sun. I looked away, studying the room instead. There was less art here than in the halls, though the walls still sported several towering tapestries, most of which depicted the queen. The crowd murmured when we entered, but a hush fell around us at the appearance of the two winter guards carrying the stretcher with Lunabella’s body.
Falin and Dugan kept their heads lifted, their steps seemingly carefree and purposeful as they strode toward the golden throne. I tried to mimic them, rolling my shoulders back to prevent myself from cringing under the scrutiny as I walked.
The queen became easier to look upon as we approached, her radiant glow less blinding, which made no sense from a scientific standpoint but was perfectly logical for Faerie. She wanted her presence to cause awe, but she also wanted to be adored. We had to see her to marvel at her beauty.
And she was beautiful. Her golden hair cascaded over one shoulder in an intricate braid hanging all the way to the floor. Her gown was the color of sunset accented with gold. She smiled, and my breath caught in my throat. The urge to fall to the ground before her struck me so hard my knees buckled. I wanted to prostrate myself and beg to be allowed to remain in her presence and bask in her radiance.
Glamour.
I knew it was glamour, but that didn’t temper the urge. I forced my shields open, just a crack. Enough that I could pierce glamour, but hopefully not let more of it into my mind.
Her glow diminished significantly. She was still beautiful, still radiated power, but the urge to throw myself at her feet lifted. I let out the breath that I’d been holding; it tasted old and a little too nervous for my liking.
The queen gazed down at us benevolently, and yet, maybe it was only because she looked so much like her younger sister, I thought I caught a hint of cruelty in the curve of her smile, malice in her bright blue eyes. Falin bowed at the waist, not going down on one knee like he did for the Winter Queen, and then he straightened immediately, not waiting to be released. I wasn’t sure if that was because he didn’t owe the same level of respect to another monarch, or to show he wasn’t being cowed by her glamour that whispered that we should worship her. I followed his lead, dipping into a respectful, but short, curtsy.
A golden eyebrow arched at our actions, but the queen didn’t say anything until her gaze moved past us to the two winter guards with the body. Then her lips twisted as if she’d bitten something sour.
“Take that elsewhere,” she said, waving a dismissive hand. Then she seemed to remember she was supposed to be sad about her courtier’s death. “How very tragic for . . .” She searched for Lunabella’s name, but when it didn’t come to her, she finished with a simple, if delayed, “. . . her. I’m sure she will be missed.”
Not by the queen, obviously.
“Your Majesty, we were wondering if we could speak to some of her friends,” Falin said, keeping his words bland but his tone respectful.
“And why would you want to do that, knight of my sister?”
“Her death was of a most unnatural cause,” Falin said, and I gave him a look out of the corner of my eye because that was an understatement if I ever heard one.
“That seems like it would be my and my court’s concern. Why would you look into it?”
“Because she was involved in a murder in the winter court,” I said.
The queen’s golden eyebrow rose a little, and her mouth quirked in a maliciously pleased way that made me