Wylde Magic | Book 3

Forty Three: To Meet A Queen

There was little we could do about our travel-worn clothes, but at least we were clean.

Once the bell rang, announcing our hour to be up, we made our appearance.

The armored guards that were stationed outside were joined by curious eyes, effectively doubling our spectators when Schula and I opened the door. When Spaulder stepped into the sun, his glossy black scales taking in the summer sun and giving off a bright sheen in return.

I let go of the door handle that I had been pulling and faced out at the crowd. Lady Tallulah was nowhere to be seen, and neither were Hayat or Weylyn. Aithne wasn't present either, but I didn't expect her to be.

Schula took a step to stand next to me, reaching out with her other hand to stroke Spaulder's front leg.

'What now?' I asked. 'Do we get an escort?'

'There, in the back of the crowd,' Schula said.

I looked where she nodded her head. A small fae creature of some kind, with big blue eyes and brown hair to match her fawn's legs stood watching. A nymph maybe? When I met her eyes, she bowed her head and gestured for us to follow.

We began to move forward when a soldier stepped out with his spear, barring the way.

"Her Majesty wishes only to see Schula and the witch," he said.

I raised an eyebrow at him. "Our entire triquetram is on this farce of a trial, that includes Spaulder."

"I'm following orders," he said.

I looked back up at Spaulder, the expression of a dragon unreadable. But he would do what he wanted to do, he always did.

"Fine," Schula said, walking past the soldier. "If your orders are to prevent his attendance, I wish you luck ordering around a dragon."

I snorted a laugh, following her around the poor soldier as his face paled. His eyes sliding up to Spaulder's grand stature, clearly assessing his chances of success.

Schula and I reached the fawn-like nymph, dressed in the golds of the rest of the fae who served the Summer court, and she turned to walk toward the estate.

"Her Majesty is in the audience chamber. She wishes to ask you some questions regarding your disruptions to the Wyldes," the nymph explained.

We went around the side of the building, and heavy footsteps told me Spaulder had simply walked past the guards to follow behind us. I didn't hide my smile as I watched the nymph look over her shoulder, paling as the solider had before turning around and continuing on our path.

"The chamber should be large enough to... to accommodate," she said. "Though, it will take some time to navigate which hallways will be sufficient."

'Just open the window, small one,' Spaulder said.

The way her back stiffened, I knew he was talking to our guide as well. She nodded, but didn't look behind her.

From the side of the house, we were taken inside. The nymph paused to look at Spaulder. "I will open the window, if you can spare some patience, please."

'So be it,' he answered.

Inside, the estate was a maze. Hallways, twists and turns, even the rooms that we could see in the open doorways looked to have more exits that would confuse a stranger to the house. I was thankful for our guide, and soon enough we reached a set of glass double doors that looked fit for a queen. Etched into the glass were depictions of the sun, flowers, creatures, and stars.