A Tale That Dawned [Book 4 of Selvina's Tale series]

Chapter 39: Defy

Rhiannon crossed the room slowly and calmly, her eyes on Selvina the whole time. She stepped onto the balcony and stopped at the balustrade, placing her hands upon it. After several silent and tense seconds she looked away from Selvina and gazed at her city.

"Now would be a good time to explain yourself, Selvina," she said in a quiet voice tensed with potential venom, like a coiled serpent waiting to strike. "Your fairy friend can stop hiding as well."

Selvina glanced to the side, where Tinkerbelle had flown behind Amalthea, who was still seated, and then eyed the white-haired woman. Amalthea did not seem troubled. In fact, she looked strangely pleased to see the empress. With a muster of courage, Selvina took a step toward the empress.

"I..." she started, struggling to find the right words. "I didn't know how... Um, I..."

"Start at the beginning, Selvina," said Rhiannon, still gazing at the city. "Tell me why you left the room without warning."

Selvina instinctively reached for her elf-arrow necklace but struggled to stop herself. She eyed the ground at Rhiannon's feet, avoiding the dangerous woman's face, even though it was turned the other way. Somehow it still felt as if the empress was staring directly at her. "I didn't feel safe around Queen Svala..." It wasn't a complete lie, at least.

Rhiannon sighed slowly, purposely drawing it out. "That is not the full answer." She then turned, her golden eyes frowning with intensity and boring holes into Selvina's soul. The empress walked up to the frightened girl and eyed her chest. "Show it to me, Selvina."

She can't use magic, Selvina remembered. She can't force me to do anything!

Gathering more courage, Selvina frowned and eyed the empress directly. "No! I won't!"

Quicker than she could follow, Selvina's throat was suddenly gripped by Rhiannon's slender but iron-strong fingers. They weren't squeezing but the grip was firm nonetheless. Selvina went to fight it but they clenched painfully for a moment, driving the point home. Meanwhile, Rhiannon's eyes stared unwaveringly, her irises narrowing into cat-like slits.

"I don't need magic to kill you, Selvina," she said, and Selvina believed every word of it.

Reluctantly, Selvina reached for her necklace and lifted the amulet over the top of her dress. She closed her eyes in defeat as the empress reached for it with her free hand, the other still gripping her neck.

Something strange happened then. Instead of wrenching it away to keep for herself or destroy, the empress held the elf-arrow amulet in the palm of her hand and smiled warmly. Selvina thought she saw moisture in the woman's eyes but knew she had to be mistaken.

"In all my years," she whispered, "I have never set eyes on one. Do you understand what you have here, Selvina? Do you understand the novelty of this artifact?"

"It's an elf-arrow from the swamps," Selvina explained, raising an eyebrow in confusion. "Robin Hood told me they were extremely rare."

"That would be an understatement," she replied, still studying the elf-arrow with fascination. "There were only ten elf-arrows made in the entirety of history. To see one here now is like witnessing the past."

Selvina kept her mouth shut about how she and her friends had found more than one elf-arrow, especially considering that the troll chief Serna now owned them. She had no love for the trolls but she didn't want to cause a genocide anyhow. Selvina then remembered about something and glanced at the empress's long, silky hair.

"What are you going to do to me?" Selvina asked, fearing the answer.

Rhiannon met her gaze, held it in silence for several minutes, and then let the elf-arrow drop to her chest and removed her hand from Selvina's neck. She took a step back and crossed her arms behind her back. "Keep it out of sight."