Grave Destiny (Alex Craft, #6) - Kalayna Price Page 0,28

followed Falin closer, I could see that some of the scrolls appeared to be maps, while others boasted strings of text that were written not only in a language I didn’t know but also an alphabet I couldn’t identify.

The woman beside the queen looked over first, straightening when she saw us, and I nearly stumbled. All thoughts of maps or scrolls fled from my mind as I registered her familiar features. I’d only met Maeve a handful of times before, but the last time I’d seen her, she’d been dead on the floor of the queen’s throne room.

Apparently Falin wasn’t exaggerating about death being less permanent in Faerie.

Lyell, another member of the queen’s council, was still saying something, gesticulating to the map, so the queen hadn’t looked up yet. I took a moment to dart a glance around the room. I half expected to see Blayne, the final member of the queen’s council. He’d also died last I heard, but judging by his absence, his condition must have been more lasting.

We were only a few yards from the table when the queen finally turned. Falin immediately dropped to one knee, bowing deep before his queen. When I didn’t follow suit, he shot me a look and I obediently dropped into a curtsy, dipping my head but keeping my gaze up and locked on the queen. I didn’t want to be caught unaware because I was staring respectfully at the ground. Dugan remained standing.

The queen gave us a grim smile and then her gaze landed on Dugan. Her eyes widened slightly, her smile failing, but that was the only overt sign of surprise she revealed. Pretty much everyone else we’d encountered so far had moved to attack Dugan on sight. The queen only raked her cold gaze over him before turning to Falin. Either she’d been forewarned so her surprise was only that he was still in the winter court, or she was biding her time.

“Did you bring me a snake, Knight?”

Falin shook his head, still bowing. “The Shadow Prince is here as a guest to help us in our investigation.”

“I was unaware we needed help.” She smiled at Dugan, but it was a cruel thing, cold and menacing. “Though I imagine it would be of great help if an enemy of war were to walk right into my torture chamber. I have not spent much time in Rath recently.”

“Hello to you as well, Cousin,” Dugan said, inclining his head fractionally to the queen.

It was my turn to gape at him. Cousins? I had been told before that the nobility of Faerie were rather interconnected, and now that I looked at them, I could see some family resemblance. They had the same ebony hair with light eyes. The same sharp features, though those were common on most Sleagh Maith. I had to wonder if the Shadow King had sent the prince on this particular mission hoping the queen would show some leniency to her own cousin if he was caught in her territory. It certainly didn’t sound like the family tie was helping him much.

“Declaring war prematurely would be unwise, my lady. And of the many traits I’ve heard attributed to you, ‘unwise’ has never been one of them,” Dugan said. His own smile was equal parts dazzling and menacing, and I wasn’t sure exactly how he accomplished that one, but it made me want to take a step away from him.

“And why would it be unwise to attack an adversary, little prince?”

And all pretense of familial friendship dropped.

“Because it appears we have a mutual enemy who would like to see us at each other’s throats. If you waste your resources and energy on attacking shadow for perceived crimes, you will leave yourself weakened and an easy target for whoever it was who actually killed our fae.”

“You say that as if you do not know who killed my noble. Was your courtier not found at the scene?”

Dugan inclined his head. “He was. But your knight and Alexis have found evidence that he died before your fae was killed.”

“Lexi?” The queen turned the nickname she’d given me into a purred question.

Crap. I’d really been hoping I would not come under her scrutiny. I started to straighten from my curtsy, but her eyebrow shot up. Behind her, Lyell shook his head ever so minutely. Right, she hadn’t released me to rise yet. I held back my sigh and hoped my legs wouldn’t shake from holding the awkward position as I considered her implied