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"DID YOU HEAR ME, MEREDITH? TORTURE HAS SOLVED YOUR cri their so-called evidence" She gave another jerk with her hand, and tore a ragged scream from the man&039;s throat I was alainst Rhys&039;s chest, and fought to keep my face as blank as I could I know I did not keep all the horror off of it, because it was too awful It was sis I&039;d ever seen, and I could not hide entirely how I felt about it I fought to hide s, knew I failed, and finally wasn&039;t certain I cared Sory if you didn&039;t appreciate her work I could never enjoy it, so all that was left ht her talents could be

She gave a low throaty laugh "Such a look, Meredith Do you find Gwennin&039;s fate terrible?"

I nodded, huddling in tighter against Rhys His arhtened around ue with the results, aye?"

I could have, but I chose to be indirect about it "If you tell me it&039;s Gwennin, then I will believe you, but in truth I would not have known hiure at her side, tightening her grip on his body He ain, and that ain That pleased her

"What reason did he give for killing Beatrice?" I asked the question without i there would have confessed to anything, froe of Rome, to make the pain stop No one could have withstood what she had done to hian to refuse him"

"He killed Beatrice because she refused to continue as his lover?" I fought to keep the incredulity out ofanother shriek frohed to clear his throat, and the sound et He spat blood, then finally ed to speak His voice was as broken as his body, hoarse and raw fro "I did not mean for her to die She is fey, immortal I did not use cold iron or steel It should not have been a killing blow" He coughed again, and started to fall flatter to the ground, but Andais kept her grip on his intestines, so he struggled to prop himself up on one skinless arm

When he had recovered a bit, I asked, "You stabbed her in the back because she refused to continue as your lover?"

"She was a distraction, not a lover"

"A distraction?" I said "Because she was lesser fey, and they can&039;t be lovers?"

"Yes," he said in that raw voice

Strangely, I wasn&039;t feeling as sorry for hio It was still pitiable, and no one deserved such treat to you, then why did her refusal of your attentions drive you to murder her?"

"I did not mean her death" His voice broke, not from tears but from the abuse Andais had forced on him

"But, Gwennin, if she truly was only a distraction, you could have found a dozen like her Many lesser fey would have jumped at the chance to bed a sidhe lord"

His formless face, that held only the shadow of his bone structure to let ive me no emotion Andais had stripped that aith his skin and flesh But his voice held so "They would not have been Beatrice"

And there was the truth He had loved her in his way, and she had scorned him He hadn&039;t meant to kill her, only to hurt her as she hurt hih the heart as she had wounded hiile that a blade that was neither cold iron nor steel could kill her

"And the human reporter?" I asked "Why did he have to die?"

"He itness," Gwennin said

My breath ca more than to hide my eyes fro If I&039;d been a hundred percent certain I could have stood oninto the mud would have ruined what little authority I still possessed

"I would ask that ait on the human police and their science, just to confiro better if the police can be up there confir it all"

"Press conference? He dies no later than tomorrow"

"Aunt Andais, he killed a human reporter If we do not show him well and fairly whole to the press, it could under decades"

She let out an audible breath "There is wisdom in your words, Meredith The press will need him whole, or more whole than this" She s on one who is dead already"

I couldn&039;t argue that, but said, "We dare not let the humans see him like this"

"You think it would offend the humans?"

"I think it would confir of mud, mine of blood - they look very much the same," she said

I looked at ht I was covered in thick, dark mud Amatheon was as black with earth as the queen ith blood His hair was plastered down the length of his body When he&039;d vanished his hair had been shorn above his shoulders; now it seemed to be at least to his calves

Adair was less filthy, for he had been on top But his hair, too, fell in broaves around his face, no longer shorn stubble It did not touch his broad shoulders, but it was a start

I turned my head, and found that er as well It fell below my shoulders now

"You have made a mess of the entryway to ies, Aunt Andais, it was not on purpose" My voice sounded almost normal as I said it I tried not to look at the ruin of the man she held, but it was both hard not to look at hi I looked because still ant, handsoure at her feet Even knoho it was did not help my mind see it She had destroyed him

Anyone, absolutely anyone, would have confessed to anything to stop such pain I did not trust her "confession," but I dared not say that out loud She was entirely too pleased with herself After a good, successful torture, she was as happy as I ever saw her I guess everyone needed a hobby

"There is now a spring where you had your little threesome," she said

I looked down and Rhys , and a s out, finding a channel for a s a pool It would take time for the water to find its way, and decide what shape it wished the earth to take Whether it wished to be a deep, still pool, or a stream Of course, some rocks for the water to dance over would make a happy sound

I should have known better than to think it My only excuse was that I was trying to find so else to look at, to think of, than that pitiable wretch that had once been a sidhe lord

The earth shivered like the flesh of a horse when a fly lands upon it Rocks began to rise up through thecourse of the water

"It seems the sithen is alive once more," Andais said, but her voice wasn&039;t as happy as I thought it should have been "I think a deep, reflecting pool to complement the pool we already have would be lovely, don&039;t you, Meredith?"

I didn&039;t knohat to say because a yes would be a lie, and a no would be iree, niece?"

"I do not knohat to say, Aunt Andais"

"The truth would be nice," she said in a voice that made it clear she didn&039;t really want the truth, she wanted agree, but your tone another, which leaves er in theenuine sound "Oh, Meredith, you have not just gained a few inches of hair, but a ain, and she said, "Speak the truth, niece, do you think a reflecting pool is what the spring should beco to ask with my eyes what to say

She yelled, "Do not look at him for an answer If you are to be queen here, then be queen Answer me!"

"No, I do not think it should be a pool"

"Then what should it becohtened around h I didn&039;t need it I could feel her anger, but she was trappingdeep inside told ht the earth and water together I could not lie, but she did not want the truth, noGwennin, so that he screaround with broken hands "What would you have of this new spring, Meredith So streaood"

The earth shivered again, and this tian to fold away tobanks and a streaan to appear to break up the flow, so that it would bubble and sing

She stood now beside the still pool and its fountain With its rock set with perarden on either side of this strearee, but she held up a bloody hand "No, Meredith, do not si else, but make certain that you want it here Make certain it is the frah"

I looked at Adair and Amatheon "You helped make it, what say the two of you?"

"Meredith, Meredith," she said, "you cannot share power and rule"

"It was notIt took all three of us to make it Why should they not help form it?"

To that she had no answer, but ore, I could see her puzzlelanced froainst my body, as if he was afraid to breathe

"Answer her, oak lord, earth man, answer her," Andais said

"A round with tall grass, and flowers Good rich soil that could grow anything you wished"

Adair nodded "A nice sunny ood"

I smiled at therass meadohere the sun can shine down, and the an to appear in the fresh earth They did not grow into big plants instantly, but they were there, and the roo s The earth was si else it didn&039;t even surprisevanished and the room suddenly seemed roofed, not with rock, but with a olden ball There was a sun in this new sky I had heard ruends, that once we had had suns and round, but I had never seen one, or hoped to

Andais gazed up at the new sun "You are correct, so it seems It took all three of you to make this place, and all three of your powers have manifested But ain, it will answer to other icks besides your own Be careful what you awaken in others, for not all of it will be to your Seelie taste"

"I am Unseelie sidhe, Aunt Andais"

"We shall see, Meredith, we shall see" She gazed at otten that she was holding the intestines of ato see, and a new mystery to solve"

"What mystery would that be, Aunt Andais?" I asked

"Why would Taranis risk war between our courts over a lie? Why would his men attack my men, over the lie of some Seelie strumpet?"

"I do not know, Aunt Andais," I said

"Nor I, but ill know, Meredith We will know" She released her hold on Gwennin, and closed the space between us She was taller than Rhys by at least six inches, and she seemed even taller covered in blood, or maybe just scarier

"Give your aunt a kiss, Meredith"

I openedit to be cruel, in part, but everyone I had touched today seeained from my touch Perhaps the fact that I did not want to touch her would make it all the sweeter for her

"Of course, Aunt Andais," I said, andyour white flesh against erous question "You frightenelse would be a lie"

"Then kiss me, niece, and let htened ht in the night She bent over us, and I raised my face to her, obedient, afraid not to be

She pressed her lips to rabbed the back of my hair, and forced her mouth inside mine She kissed me so hard that I either had to open my mouth or tear ave me the taste of her mouth, her lips, and the salty, caked sweetness of Gwennin&039;s blood I knew from that kiss that she drank his blood, for it was everywhere inside her mouth

Blood is one of the ift when shared, but this had not been a sharing This had been a taking, a rape of everything that he had been

I dugI dared not show that ht not to throw up on the Queen of Air and Darkness

She fell back fro, her face rapturous "Oh, you didn&039;t like that at all, did you?"

I took deep, even breaths I would not throw up I simply would not I had no idea what she would do if I did, and Gwennin at her feet reminded me what she was capable of I had the very taste of hiht not to dwell upon that taste IandI could do about it

She laughed, a sharp, fierce, happy sound like the cry of a hawk "I think, before I give ht with you, Meredith You are entirely too human, too Seelie You would not like what I would do to you"

"If I would like it, you wouldn&039;t see the point in doing it," I said, er than fear in my voice I could not stop it

She shook her head, alain, Meredith Your words are fine, but your tone says fuck you and the horse you rode in on"

I looked at her, and for once I did not try to hide She liked that I hated her She would enjoy forcing me into her bed, in part because I hated her, and she hated , Meredith Tell your auntie dearest the words that will ry Seelie eyes" She purred at er, seduction, and the prohtened his ar I said, "We hate each other, auntie dearest, ays have"

"And the fact that I would force you into my bed, how does that make you feel?"

"That I would rather be queen sooner than later"

There were gasps Andais laughed "Are you threateningbody in ht it was too dear a price to be queen of any court I still think it, but thank you, auntie dearest, for re to my bed is not death, Meredith"

"Some deaths, auntie dearest, are of the soul rather than the body"

"Are you saying that if I force you it will kill your soul?" She laughed again

"I a inside me, and you will enjoy its death"

"Yes," she said, "I will"

I sentle perfume