Total pages in book: 20
Estimated words: 18410 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 92(@200wpm)___ 74(@250wpm)___ 61(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 18410 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 92(@200wpm)___ 74(@250wpm)___ 61(@300wpm)
Exactly one year after Arianna flashed into Matilda’s living room, she came out.
Matilda watched as her friend, now dressed in the jeans and green blouse Matilda had bought her a few months back, move into the living room, her posture straight, her eyes determined.
She looked well, Matilda thought, though far from recovered. She had offered counseling, meditating, even crafted a few charms to dull the edge of Arianna’s grief, though both of them knew it would be temporary. So, the charms lay forgotten inside the stand drawer beside the single bed her friend had occupied for the past year, and the meditations and counseling only went as far as her friend was willing to let it go. Matilda understood there was more than the death of her daughter bothering her friend, more than her daughter’s mate withdrawal, more than Zantry’s disappearance. Not that these were weak motives for the grief, but there was also a deep fear Matilda could sense, a depth of hopelessness that went far beyond her friend’s loss.
“You are leaving.” Matilda concluded. She worried for her dear friend, for the grief and pain she could see neatly tucked and festering inside her, even if Arianna was making an effort to hide it.
“It is time.” Arianna said simply. She didn’t need to thank her, they both knew no gratitude was required here. “We will talk about all this soon, Matilda.” Arianna told her friend, because Matilda deserved to know what had transgressed between her and Remo that had caused her to retreat.
They ate breakfast in silence, and when Arianna stood to leave, Matilda walked her to the door.
“You will come again, Ari. Choose wise, consider your own sake.”
Arianna held Matilda’s gaze steadily, knowing her friend had known she was up to something. Probably had even seen it in the mirror. Arianna knew her withdrawal would have driven her friend to search. Arianna softened, hugged her friend. “I will do what’s necessary. I will come back before anything is decided.” With that promise given, Arianna left, took a cab to central park, where she knew she could use a direct route to the Sidhe land without having to pass through the Low Lands and risk giving Remo any hints.
She was welcomed warmly by the Seelie courtiers, lead to Leon – the enforcer of the Seelie court. Leon, one of the most efficient female warriors of the Seelie court, lead Arianna directly into Queen Titania’s inner sanctum without even announcing her presence, for Leon understood her queen would want to meet with Arianna at once.
Leon knelt in front of her queen, bowed her head deeply. Arianna, still standing, only lowered her head in a deferent bow – for Queen Titania was not her queen – and when she raised her head again, met Titania’s eyes head on without any fear of retribution.
“Arianna Lenard. Where is your other half?” Queen Titania mused aloud.
“Dead.” The single word had all the heads turning to look at her, all with equal shocked expressions.
Queen Titania straightened, her only sign of surprise, and waved a hand at the royal courtiers gathered around the room. At once everyone began to exit, muttering loudly under their breaths.
Arianna ignored the whispered words, holding instead Queen Titania’s eyes without flinching away. It was time, she told herself. She had waited long enough for Zantry, for the brother of her soul, the only friend who could truly understand her. And he was dead.
Remo had truly found a way to kill one of the three permanently.
Chapter Six
The Plan…
Arianna was given a royal suite, a celebration, a dinner in her honor. She dressed in the Seelie finery she was provided, ate and drank and danced, but her mind was somewhere else, her heart frozen somewhere deep. She would have rather hurried things along, but after she explained to Queen Titania the situation, the plan and their part in it, they received a message from Queen Maeve, requesting audience and permission to talk to Arianna.
Arianna had effectively gotten delayed, and there was nothing she could do but wait for the Unseelie convoy to arrive the next day. Arianna pretended she was normal, attending both festivities thrown in her name, deflected the flirtatious attempts of the Seelie males, danced another night with Oberon.
But the third day finally came, and with it, queen Maeve and her royal entourage’s arrival.
It took Arianna time and effort to convince both queens. There was a lot of arguments and denial on both parts before she was able to make them see reason. There was no other way, they had no other choice but to follow her plan.
She was forced to reveal a few secrets, explain what she had learned before she had retreated to wait for her friend Zantry, made the queens understand that they would had to work, if not together, then in tandem with each other. The queens had a lot to lose by arguing, and fools they were not, so they listened attentively, even if they acted nonchalantly.