The Mirror King (The Orphan Queen, #2)(78)
Her look of concern melted into a smile. “I know. Mine did, too, when we crossed to Northland. It still does. We’re going home, Wilhelmina.”
I lifted my face toward the rising sun as the sea wind whipped around me. Home. At last.
“Don’t get too eager,” Oscar said. “It will take all day to cross the bay.”
“All day?” I looked at him aghast. “I don’t remember Snowhaven Bridge being so long.” The only thing I could see ahead was the smooth line of stone and steel, a scattering of islands, and water all around. Patches of ice still glimmered on the bridge, evident where riders ahead slowed and directed their mounts around.
“All day,” Melanie said.
“What I wonder,” Ronald mused, “is how this thing was even built. It’s amazing the ocean hasn’t eaten it away by now.”
“This water isn’t as salty as the real ocean,” I said. “The rivers that feed the bay are all fresh.”
“Flashers built the bridge.” Melanie glanced back. “Centuries ago, flashers—radiants, then—raised the support islands from the bottom of the bay. They struck the towers into the seabed, and caused the steel frame to snake across the span of the water. They made the stone unfurl, and the cables hold fast. This bridge has stood through hurricanes, battles, and things you and I can’t even dream of. And it will stand for centuries more.”
I lifted an eyebrow at Melanie. “Did you read a book about the bridge?”
She laughed and ducked her head. “Yes. The library in Sandcliff Castle has several. Snowhaven Bridge: a Modern Wonder of Aecor is the best, in case you were wondering. It was written four hundred years ago, so very modern indeed.”
My heart warmed. Even during the chaos of war, Melanie had managed to sneak moments with books. That, I hoped, would never change.
“Seems incredible, given all the advantages flashers have offered, that the world turned against them.” Oscar nodded toward me. “You, I hear.”
“You’ve seen the wraith boy. You know about the wraithland.” I clenched my jaw. “I hate what happened to flashers as much as anyone else, but I understand why the world reacted like that. It’s fear.”
“Fear doesn’t excuse a hundred years of oppression and abuse,” Oscar said.
“No. But I understand the fear.” I reached forward to pet Ferguson’s mane and neck. “When I saw the way wraith twisted everything, how it killed and changed the world, I was horrified by my own magic. I hadn’t told the wraith to mutate the animals or give trees teeth, but I felt responsible. I didn’t want to use my own magic ever again.”
Though I had. Almost right away. And a dozen times since.
“But—”
I shook my head. “I don’t want to talk about wraith and magic now. I’m going home. That’s all I want to think about.”
“Then you’ll be thinking the same thoughts for a long time, Your Highness.” Prince Colin’s voice came from behind us. Everyone turned. “We won’t reach Aecor City until tonight.”
“So I’ve heard.” I nudged Ferguson to one side as Prince Colin rode even with me. “And the proper honorific is Your Majesty now, in case you’d forgotten how to address a queen.”
“That is actually what I wanted to speak to you about.” He looked better than one might expect, given his brush with death just last night. His cheeks were flushed with cold, but he was as immaculately dressed as ever, his chin high. The cut Patrick left had been cleaned and stitched. “You have no idea what you did last night, do you?”
“Give me some credit, Your Highness.” I forced my voice to stay calm, but tension knotted in my shoulders and neck. “I did what was necessary to stop the fighting and save lives.”
“You told the Aecorian people that you’re their queen. You undermined my authority as overlord, which I’ve worked to build for almost ten years. You acted rashly—”
I lifted a hand. “Patrick already undermined your authority.” My throat was tight, roughening my words. “While you were in Skyvale, he led a revolution in Aecor. If I hadn’t joined you on this journey, the Red Militia would have overwhelmed your forces, and you would have been brought to the courtyard in Sandcliff Castle to be executed. Even if your troops had managed to get through to Aecor City, the whole city would have fought your return, and they’d have won.”
“No. They would not have. Aecor Territory is filled with my soldiers.” Prince Colin thrust a finger at me. “This was you. You gave in to his demands and declared yourself queen. Maybe that was your intention all along.”
I kept my voice low and cool. “I did it to save your life.”
The crown prince leveled a long, threatening glare at me. But unlike in my bedroom and the other day by my wagon, this one didn’t feel like a slimy touch and grope. This one felt . . . stronger. Deadlier. A hand around my throat, maybe.
“It seems, Your Highness,” James said, “that you owe Queen Wilhelmina your life.”
Prince Colin’s face turned darker. “It seems so.” He tore his eyes from me at last, looking back at James. “It would be wise for you to remember, Captain Rayner, that what Wilhelmina did last night might have appeased the peasants following the traitor, but it wasn’t legal. She is still a ward of the Indigo Kingdom, and Aecor Territory is still a territory. It is mine.”