Ambrosia (Frost and Nectar, #2)(25)

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.”

It took me a moment to realize she was referring to animal meat. I would not mention the pheasant I’d eaten last night, then.

I had a vague sense that you were supposed to wait for a queen to eat, but it really was her fault I was ravenous, so I started with the bread. When you are truly starving, nothing seems better than bread and butter. As I ate, someone filled our glasses with a pale blue liquid that shimmered under the moonlight—the ambrosia, I assumed.

I scooped the sauces and beans onto the bread, shoveling it into my mouth. Every moment here felt like it could be my last, so why not fill my stomach? The spicy food left a delicious burn on my tongue, and I washed it down with ambrosia.

Gods, what I would do to kill this queen and replace her with Torin instead. He deserved to be here with us, eating the roasted cheese. Oh, gods. The flavor of the cheese was extraordinary, rubbed with ginger and coconut and something delicious that made my tongue burn. I don’t know if it was ghost chilies or a spice unique to the Unseelie realm, but the burning grew increasingly intense.

I sipped the ambrosia again. It was cold and fresh and flavored like berries. Immediately, the burning sensation in my mouth faded. Except the queen wasn’t drinking the ambrosia, which made me wonder if I was about to get hammered.

I licked my lips. “Might I request some water instead of this ambrosia?”

She pinned me with her gaze. “It’s only concentrated black orchid nectar. ”

“And what does that do to someone who’s not used to it?” I speared a lettuce leaf because that wasn’t spicy at all.

“Maybe it will loosen your tongue. What does the Seelie king have planned for us? An invasion? Is that what this spy mission is about?”

“My companion and I only want to go home, and if you could help us with that, you will never need to speak to us again.” The ambrosia had gone to my head. My body felt warm and tingly, and my cheeks had gone hot.

She drummed her fingers on the aged wood of the table. “Your companion is in chains right now.” She sipped her drink, eying me over the rim of her cup. “And if you are wondering if I am lying, I would like to remind you that we don’t lie.” She raised her hand again. “Morgant! Bring out the shattered king.”

My stomach dropped, and my breath went shallow.

I turned to the door, and the air left my lungs as Morgant and an Unseelie with fiery hair dragged out Torin. Blood poured down his chest, and he struggled to keep his head raised.

Darkness flickered inside me, and for a moment, I wondered what would happen if I ripped off the queen’s wings and threw her over the side of the tower.

She was testing us, and the best thing I could do now was to keep my mouth shut, my expression blank. She was showing him to me for a reason, trying to see how I’d react.

Torin lifted his head. “Ah. Queen Mab. How lovely to see you again.” His tone sounded surprisingly bland. Almost bored. “The last time I saw you, I suppose you were cursing my entire family.”

I swallowed hard. Seems we were done pretending he was a common fae named Alan.

“Is that why you came here with this Unseelie? Revenge?” Her gaze flicked between Torin and me, her amber eyes narrowing. “One of you will die first. I haven’t yet decided who it will be. Morgant, do you think either of them can fly?”

Morgant, clearly intuiting it was a rhetorical question, merely raised an eyebrow.

With a sharp movement, Torin managed to rip his arms free. “Are you really this desperate for company, Mab? You don’t have any friends, do you?” His gaze flicked up to the skies, and I knew he’d seen the archers.

Moonlight shone from her skin. She inhaled deeply. “I suppose I do need to be entertained. If I were a purely practical person, you’d be dead by now. But I have dreams and visions I’d like to indulge.”

Mab was like a cat toying with her prey.

“Listen, Your Highness.” My jaw was clenched tight, but I tried to keep my tone friendly. “Why don’t you let the Seelie go, and I’ll stay here. I’m one of you, but clearly, he doesn’t belong here. I’ll stay, and everything will be in its right place. Otherwise, I’m afraid you might have the entire Seelie army descending on you to burn everything to the ground.”

She let out a hiss, the sound like water dousing a fire. “But there’s no queen on the throne of Faerie, is there? It must be in quite a state now. Freezing over. Dragons circling like vultures, waiting to feast on the icy dead. Did you know that they collect corpses?” Her expression changed as she seemed to warm to this idea, and she beamed at me with a radiant smile. “I think we will keep you both for fun. Won’t that be nice, Morgant?”