Dragons Against Them (Kingdoms of Fire and Ice #2)(24)

“’Tis true, my queen. Princess Adelaide, Prince Tristan’s twin, was found deep in Forath’s wilderness wearing the strangest of garb. The man to whom I was then betrothed discovered her and saved her from a pack of hungry wolves.”

Beside her, Jaxon flinched. Giselle’s gaze shifted to him. “Go, seek Rachel.”

With a nod, he turned and strode away without another look back. And though he spoke not, Rosalind could sense a silent fury brewing beneath his skin. Whether from Rosalind’s disclosure or the task his mother bestowed upon him, she did not know.

“And where is the man of whom you speak?” Giselle drew closer, flanked immediately by a pair of guards who stepped out from the shadows behind their queen, and lowered her voice. “Why not bring him with you to speak on your behalf?”

“Because he is no longer my betrothed. The daughter of Queen Vanora stole his heart. I seek to steal it back.”

“Steal it back?” She barked a laugh. “Hearts are not possessions, child. They must be won, not taken.

“Then help me to win his heart by sending my sister away, back to the foreign world from which she was summoned.”

“And what will you give me in return if I do?”

“My father’s head.”

Giselle staggered back as though she’d been struck. “Do you think me a fool, child?”

“No, Your Majesty. But you of all people must hate my father as much as I. For casting you and your people from our lands, leaving them homeless and with only the clothes on their backs.”

“I shall not deny my hatred of the man. Yet even if your father’s life is extinguished, would your brother not step forward to claim his rightful place on the throne and command all remaining warriors to destroy what remained of our village?” She shook her head. “No, we value life above possessions here, daughter of Jarin. Perhaps you would be wise to do the same.”

The queen waved her off and strode toward a golden throne set amid the vegetation, which Rosalind had previously overlooked. Frustration warred with panic inside her mind. She had counted on the witches’ help, had been sure they would be eager to exchange their spell for her father’s destruction. A reception such as this had not once entered her mind.

“Will nothing sway your decision?” she asked.

“We do not meddle in royal affairs. If your betrothed is in love with another, then he was never your true mate. Find another man and move on.”

Rosalind bit back a growl. She’d spent too long in the wilderness and come too far to accept “no” for an answer. So she waited for Giselle to be seated then stepped toward the throne and tried a different approach: goading and lies.

“Pity, I would have enjoyed watching my father’s kingdom crumble at the hands of his most capable enemy. Or so I believed. Perhaps Haelan spoke the truth when he suggested you lacked the powers necessary to create a doorway between worlds.”

A look of annoyance lit upon the queen’s features. “A foolish claim spoken by Forath’s high wizard. I assure you, our powers far exceed his.”

“And yet he has something in his possession that you do not.”

Giselle’s eyes narrowed. “Which is?”

“Adelaide, the girl summoned by Edana’s high wizard from across two realms so that she may become Prince Zayne’s wedded mate.”

“Prince Zayne Godfrey?” The queen’s previously waning attention came into sharp focus. She descended the steps once more and came to stand before Rosalind. “Do you swear these claims to be true?”

“Aye.”

Giselle studied her for a long moment, the blackness now gone from her eyes. In its place seemed to be a wary optimism. “Jaxon, bring Rachel forth.”

Caught up in her plea to the queen, Rosalind had not sensed Jaxon’s return. He stepped forward now with an elder woman at his arm, their pace slow and cautious. It wasn’t until the pair drew quite near that she understood the reason behind their halting gait. Rachel’s eyes lacked all color and were clouded white with age and disease.

Giselle took the elder’s hands in her own. “My most trusted Rachel.”

“Yes, my queen?”

“I wish you to lay hands on this woman and say the sooth.”

Unease washed over Rosalind. If her journey was to end poorly, would she truly want to know? “Your Majesty, I—”

“Fear not, child. Rachel shall not hurt you as she looks into your future. And your past.”

Her past. A tightness formed in Rosalind’s chest. Would this Rachel see her evil ways and warn the queen not to trust her? Or suggest she be punished for her past wrongs, that she be tortured as she had considered torturing Adelaide before her identity had been known? Rosalind remained steadfast as the queen led Rachel to her, resisting the growing urge to retreat.

The blind woman reached a hand to Rosalind’s face, and time came to a halt. Unseeing eyes tracked the movement of calloused fingers as they felt their way along her cheek. Around her eyes. Down her nose, her neck, and stopped just above her heart.

Rachel’s head tipped to one side. “Ah, yes. We’ve been expecting this one.”

“And this girl of whom she spoke?” asked Giselle.

“Her memories show the girl summoned by Edana’s wizard, Berinon. A girl who twice has departed our realm…and twice returned.”