Thorn Queen Page 0,44

as a savior yet again.

Reaching Dorian's took less time than it had taken to get to Maiwenn's. Unlike that journey, much of our trip today passed primarily through my own land, with no respite in one of the more temperate kingdoms. The heat beat down on us, and I sweated profusely into the violet silk of my dress. I would have given anything for a breeze, anything to stir that stagnant air. My own Tucson was often windy; I didn't get why the Otherworldly version wasn't.

My father had been able to control all things connected with storms: water, air, charged particles, temperature, et cetera. So far, I only had a hold of water, but every once in a while I could feel the air with the same senses that could touch and control water. Reaching out now, I had that same experience: I could sense the air. It hummed to me. It called. But when I called back, nothing happened. Over and over I tried, attempting the same technique I used with water, urging it to bend and stir and cool me off. Nothing. I finally gave up when Dorian's castle came into sight. It was stone like mine and somehow managed to be both imposing and graceful.

Where once I had been greeted with hostility and suspicion, I was now welcomed with respect and a fair amount of groveling. And, yeah, some wariness too. My guards were led away, and Dorian's servants fell all over me, offering me any refreshment I wanted. I declined. I simply wanted to get these negotiations done with.

A servant led me to an opulently decorated chamber and announced me, titles and all. Dorian sat there, casual in a long-sleeved, cream-colored shirt, leaning over a chess board. An old man with a beard that went all the way to the floor sat opposite him. Dorian's green-gold eyes lifted at my name, and he broke out into a dazzling smile. Honestly. The man was too good-looking sometimes, and he knew it. A moment later, Dorian turned a disapproving glance toward his chess partner.

"By the gods, Kasper. Have you no manners at all? The Thorn Queen is here. Show some respect before I have you flogged."

I started to protest as the old man rose. The hunched-over posture he'd held in the chair appeared to be permanent, and it took him forever to actually get up. He managed something that passed for a bow-really, it was hard to tell the difference between that and his normal stance-and gave me a grave "Your majesty."

And as the old man's back was to the board, Dorian leaned over and moved some of the pieces around.

I opened my mouth, more in shock than to make any sort of protest. Dorian raised one finger to his lips in a shushing motion. I swallowed my comments and smiled at Kasper. "Thank you. Please sit down again."

"And you, my dear," said Dorian. "Come join us."

The servant who'd led me in hastily pulled a velvet-cushioned chair over to the chess table. I thanked him and sat down, crossing my legs out of habit. When I saw half the skirt spill over and reveal nearly the whole length of my leg, I hastily uncrossed them. Dorian saw the leg, of course. He always saw everything.

Kasper's eyes, underneath his bushy gray brows, were fixed on the board. He made a play, capturing one of Dorian's pieces. Dorian frowned briefly, then put his smile back on as he turned to me.

"You are radiant as always," he said. "That dress is particularly lovely. Kasper, look at her. Do you see the way that shade matches her eyes?"

Kasper looked like he wanted to study the board, but he turned to me obediently and gave a quick bob of the head. "Yes, your majesty. Most becoming." Dorian quickly swapped a few more pieces and then put on a look of deep pondering when Kasper turned back around.

With a sigh, Dorian moved his bishop. "Not my greatest play, but it'll have to do." He seized one of Kasper's pieces.

The move clearly took Kasper by surprise, not all that astonishing considering the pieces weren't where they'd been the last time he looked. He studied the board for almost a minute and then moved a knight, though it didn't yield a capture.

"Eugenie, you look as though you've been stranded in a desert," mused Dorian. "But then, I suppose that's the case, isn't it? Such a shame, all those towns suffering and starving, towns like Songwood."

The old