She was nearly human in appearance except that her eyes were orange and her skin pale, pale blue.
The second woman was covered, head to toe, with sleek brown hair about two inches long, and her arms were a third again as long as they should have been.
She was carrying a narrow silver ring just big enough to fit around my neck.
At the sight of the silver ring, I tried to run.
The tall man caught me and sat me in the chair while the woman who'd carried it in tied me into it: wrists, elbows, and ankles.
Then they put the silver collar around my neck.
Once she has them in thrall, only she can release them.
"It took me too long to find your secrets, Mercedes," she said.
"Phin was the owner, but Ariana has him safely guarded in the reservation, where none of mine can get him.
You gave it to your friend, but he has given it over to the werewolves, and we cannot go there either." How long had I been out, and what had I told her?I didn't remember all of it, and that worried me.
The fairy queen was wearing a different dress than she had been.
This one was blue and gold.
Did that mean it was a different day? Or just that she'd gotten things on her dress and had to change? "They have left me only vengeance for now." Her eyes gave that weird flutter.
"Eventually, they will not guard the Silver Borne as diligently, and I will have it.
Until then, I'll take what I can get.
I hope you enjoy your victory.
"Mercedes Athena Thompson," she said, putting a hand on my forehead.
Look at me.
The "Look at me" part was inside my head.
It reminded me of the way Mary Jo's voice had entered my head in the bowling alley.
Maybe without that experience, the queen's voice wouldn't have seemed so clearly foreign.
You want to serve me.
Nothing else matters.
Adam mattered.
If I didn't make it out of here alive, he'd think it was his fault.
That if he'd been in better shape, I'd have brought him with me, and he'd have saved the day.
He'd take responsibility for the world if someone (like me) wasn't around to shake him up.
So I had to survive--because Adam mattered to me.
The fairy queen had continued to talk in my head, but I wasn't paying attention to what she said.
"Whom do you serve?" she asked aloud, pulling her hand away from my head.