My heart raced faster. We’d been in the right place, then. Was it possible that Torin already had an answer?”
Mab smiled. “Briga’s flames make us strong and purify us. In her sacred forge, a sword must endure the heat, the pressure, and the hammer as the steel is tempered. Only then can it become strong enough to fulfill its purpose. Love is a forge, too, as the ash goddess teaches us. And that is where Unseelie magic comes from, Lost One. From the pain of love and loss. So, perhaps you’d lie for your king, even if it hurt. Perhaps you’d endure the flames, or sacrifice yourself, as she does. Perhaps you’d come out stronger and truly live as an Unseelie.”
Her words had an entrancing quality that made me wonder if she was putting me under a spell.
She arched an eyebrow. “But the question is, would he do the same for you?”
15
AVA
Achill rippled through me. She was trying to get under my skin, but I wasn’t going to give her a single detail about him. “Don’t really know him.”
“And who, exactly, are you?” she murmured.
There was that question again. “Ava Jones.”
“A human name.”
I shrugged. “I was raised among them.”
“Why? How did you end up leaving this kingdom?”
I shrugged again. “I have no idea. Someone brought me to the human realm and left me there. I thought you knew who I was.”
She stared into my eyes, and I felt as if she was examining my soul. Reading me. “I see the humans taught you to be weak and lazy, as they are, that they raised you to bury your own great Unseelie power, so you don’t even know it exists.” She turned her head back to Morgant. “You can relax. She’s hardly a threat. This wretch has been thoroughly defanged. I’m surprised you couldn’t see that right away. Maybe that’s what happens when an Unseelie can’t even speak her own language.”
Curiosity sparked. What was this Unseelie power I allegedly possessed?
My mind whirled, and I rubbed my wrists where I’d been bound with rope. The skin was chafed and raw.
She gestured to the table. “Join me for dinner. We do not get many foreign guests here.”
Weird. Maybe people didn’t like being beaten in a dungeon or something.
Morgant pulled out her chair at the head of the table, and she gestured for me to sit next to her.
I took a seat. My stomach rumbled, and hunger ripped through me. The pheasant had been delicious, but I’d hardly eaten a thing today.
She raised one of her hands. “Morgant, have the servants bring us food and ambrosia.” She turned back to me and rested her elbows on the table, her chin propped in her hands.
It seemed a very casual posture for a brutal queen.
I licked my lips. I had no idea what ambrosia was, but my mouth was already watering. The only thing ruining the moment was the knot of guilt in my chest. Wherever Torin was now, I doubted he was about to eat.
The queen narrowed her eyes at me. “I imagine King Torin is still upset that I killed his parents. It was a slow and nasty curse.” She smiled at me and fluttered her eyelashes. “And perhaps he’s angry about his curse. Did he tell you how it works? ”
I swallowed hard. I didn’t want to answer a single question about him. My strategy right now was simple: say as little as possible.
Mab lifted her eyes to the moon, and they darkened to a deep forest green. “It was fated, though. All of this is written in the stars. For a while, I had lost faith in my destiny. Now, I can see it written once more.” The corners of her lips curled, and she dragged her gaze back to me. “And when I am through with the Seelie king, I will have what I want. My heirs will sit on the throne of Faerie for the rest of time, turning it into the realm of the Unseelie once more. It was our land from the start, you know. At least we shared it.”
A shudder rippled up my spine. Gods, Torin needed to get out of here fast, and I could only hope he’d already learned the key to our escape. There was something particularly fanatical about the way her eyes shone as she spoke of destiny.
The door creaked open, and female servants in black gowns began bringing out a feast fit for a queen: steaming earthenware bowls filled with broad beans, carrots, peas, and sauces that smelled of spices. A woman with black braids carried out a wooden tray with tiny roasted skewers of cheese and tomatoes and a large bowl of rice. A third woman brought a fresh salad garnished with flower petals and a loaf of flat, buttery bread.
“I hope you like the food. Unlike in Faerie, we do not eat corpses in my kingdom.”