"A lovely prison."
"A temporary home," Hamon corrected. "I will return with samples for you to study. Please, make yourself comfortable, and"-he forced himself to say the words-"thank you for coming, Mother."
The last part seemed to genuinely startle her. She was silent as Hamon and the guards backed out of her room and shut the door. "Two guards at all times," Hamon said quietly, so his words wouldn't travel through the wood. "You don't talk to her. You don't take anything from her. You don't touch her, or let her touch you. Understood?"
The guards saluted, and Hamon left to find his queen and bleed her.
Queen Daleina watched the spirit pick its way around her chambers, flitting to the top of her mirror and then scrambling over the beams to the wardrobe. It nibbled on a curtain, chewing the fringe, before it settled on a chair. "You aren't dead yet," it announced.
"I'm not."
"Why not? Thought you'd be dead by now."
"Are you here to frighten me?" She refused to let it see that it was working. The spirits were bolder, coming into her chambers. They'd noticed she was unwilling to use her powers, though she didn't know if they'd guessed why. Hamon had said using her powers could trigger more false deaths, and she believed him. She'd had one blackout after she'd encouraged a fire spirit to douse the palace lights, and of course there was the blackout at the new village tree. Luckily, no one else had died since then.
It bared its teeth and then giggled, a shrill sound that made shivers crisscross her skin. "Your fear is delicious." It skittered closer, moving so fast that it seemed to wink in and out, and less than a second later, it was beside her, close enough to lick her. Its tongue flicked in and out, and she pulled back.
"You will leave now," she told it.
"Aw, will you hurt me?"
"He will." She whistled, once, sharp and high, and with a growl, the wolf Bayn leapt through the curtains across the balcony. Jaws open, he sprang for the spirit.
Squealing, the spirit bolted out a window and disappeared with a rustle between the branches of one of the trees. Daleina scratched Bayn's neck, and the wolf leaned against her leg. "Good job," she told him. "Sorry to disturb your nap."
He padded back out to the balcony, circled twice, and then laid down. She spared him a smile, though it faded quickly. The spirits had noticed she was avoiding commanding them, and it wouldn't be long before they did more than merely mock her-this was a test, to see how she'd react. She wasn't convinced she'd passed.
A knock sounded on the door. "Yes?" Daleina called.
A familiar voice answered in crisp tones. "Captain Alet, returning to duty, Your Majesty."
Smiling, Daleina crossed the room and opened the door herself. "Alet!"
Alet began to bow, but Daleina hugged her friend instead. "Delighted you're back, and that you weren't eaten by bears or wolves-"
Bayn made a huffing noise from the balcony.
"Sorry, Bayn." Stepping back, she surveyed Alet. She looked well. No visible wounds. She'd bathed recently-her skin had that fresh-scrubbed look, and her hair was smoothed back beneath a traditional guard helmet. "Were you and Ven successful?"
Alet closed the door and didn't answer. She was frowning at Daleina. "You haven't been eating enough. Or sleeping enough."
"I take it I don't look majestically ethereal?" She'd been avoiding mirrors-she could tell she was beginning to look sickly, even if no one else had commented on it. Alet, though, would never lie to her. This was part of why Daleina had missed her so much.
Alet moved to pivot toward the door. "I'm calling for food."
Daleina stopped her with a hand on Alet's arm. "I'm fine. Well, not fine. But I'm not hungry. I'd rather hear about your journey. Did Ven find a new candidate?"
"He did."
She felt tension run out of her legs and arms like water. Her knees wobbled-she hadn't realized exactly how much she'd been counting on that answer. "And do you think she will do? Is she strong? Is she good?"
Alet hesitated-and in that pause, Daleina felt her newly formed hope crumble. "She is both strong and good," Alet said at last.
"But . . . ?"
The guardswoman crossed to the balcony as if checking to be sure the room was secure.
"Alet?" Daleina said. "You might think you have perfected the stoic soldier face, but those of us who know you well can read you like a book. No secrets between us, Alet. Did Ven find me an heir?"