Found you.
Mercy, we're coming to get you.
Just sit tight." I wrapped his voice around me and held on tighter to the rope between us until it settled into my bones, and I didn't have to hold on anymore.
"Adam," I said, happily.
And then added, because he'd know I was teasing, "Took you long enough.
You were waiting for me to get myself out?" I looked around my field of snow, by then littered with cheery garland and glowing rocks.
I closed my eyes and wrapped the feel of pack around me like a warm cloak.
I felt the fairy queen's magic touch the golden rope I shared with Adam-- and this time it was the queen's magic that shattered.
MY GAZE WAS LOCKED WITH THAT OF THE TRAPPED forest lord.
He blinked, and I jerked my eyes down--and saw that my arm was still dripping blood.
From the amount I'd lost, I hadn't been out of it for more than a few seconds.
"There," said the fairy queen.
"Now you are mine." I blinked at her and tried to mold my features into the stupid expression I'd seen on the other thralls as she cut the ropes that held me to the chair.
"Go to the kitchens and get something to wipe the blood off the floor," she told me.
I stood up and started walking.
She quit paying attention to me, because I wasn't interesting anymore.
I started walking a little faster because I saw my gun on the floor by one of the benches, where someone must have kicked it.
I suppose that made sense.
There weren't many fae who could have picked it up without hurting themselves.
None of the thralls would dream of using it--but I could see that the fae might hesitate to have a thrall dispose of it.
I picked it up and turned around.
Slowly, so as not to attract the attention of the fae in the room--who were all looking at the fairy queen and not at her new thrall.
The queen was leaning over the arm of her throne, talking to her witch.
I shot the queen three times in the heart.
The witch was watching me and smiled as I pulled the trigger.
"Huh," said a voice right next to me.
I turned my head and had to look down at a human-seeming child who appeared to be no more than eight or nine years old.
She smiled at me.
"And they were afraid something would happen to you if we waited until everyone could come to the party.
Just like a coyote to spoil the fun for everyone." The last time I'd seen this fae, she'd been playing with a yo- yo in the front yard of a murder scene she was guarding.