“Mistress! Why did you not call me when you came into the Realm?”
“Airgead!” I said aloud, throwing my arms around him—though being careful not to touch him with the iron rings and bracelets I still wore. “How did you know I was here?” I asked as he nuzzled my hair and neck, snorting his sweet breath in excitement.
“I picked up your scent not long ago, near the exit to the Obsidian Portal. I have been waiting in the area for some time, hoping you would arrive. And then you did not call me,” he added reproachfully. “Though I waited for you so patiently and faithfully.”
“I’m sorry,” I said gently. “I didn’t think you’d want to come with me to Court—I’m being tried and sentenced for something that isn’t my fault. Well—it’s mostly not my fault,” I added, trying to be truthful. “And I didn’t think this was any place for a magical horse.”
“My place is by your side, Mistress—always!” Airgead bumped his head against my chest affectionately.
“My dear…” The Queen’s voice cut into my reunion and I remembered that I was still technically on trial. “Am I right in thinking that is a kelpie? A brook horse?”
“Er, yes, Your Majesty,” I said uneasily. “I’m sorry—I didn’t know he would follow me here. This is Airgead,” I added, thinking that I ought to introduce them. “And Airgead, this is Queen Elia of the Summer Court,” I told him and added, “Be respectful.”
The silvery-white brook horse seemed to take my words to heart. He bent both his front legs and made an extremely graceful bow—for a horse, anyway—dipping his head low so that his long, silky mane brushed the floor.
“Your Majesty,” I heard him say in my mind. “I am your humble servant.”
“He, er, says he’s your humble servant,” I translated for the Queen, in case she couldn’t hear him.
She looked at me, her eyes wide.
“Is this creature tamed to your hand, child?”
“Um, I suppose so.” I shrugged uneasily. “He came from the Realm to the human world when Bran called Lachlan to release me from the geas,” I added, nodding at my two guys. “And we just sort of…took a liking to each other.” I shrugged. “That’s all.”
The queen’s eyes narrowed.
“The prophecy,” she murmured, as though talking to herself. “Can it really be?” She took my hands in hers and then hissed and jerked back. “What in the name of Nature?”
“Oh, I’m so sorry, Your Majesty!” I said, taking a quick step back. “Did the iron burn you?”
The queen looked more closely at my hands, still adorned with the iron bracelets and rings and her eyes widened in shock.
“Yes of course it burns—take it off at once! But child, are you telling me that the iron does not burn you? I didn’t realize you were already wearing it!”
“No, your Majesty—iron doesn’t bother me,” I said humbly as I quickly stripped off the iron rings and bracelets and laid them on a nearby chair. “Um, it never has. Maybe because I was raised in the human world,” I added, trying to be helpful.
Morganna chose this moment to put herself forward again.
“Iron doesn’t burn her, so Mother’s going to have her flogged!” she told the queen, tossing her head. (I have to say, this gesture wasn’t nearly as effective without her long, glossy hair.)
“What?” Suddenly Queen Elia’s stern but calm face twisted with anger. She rounded on Lady Starchild who was hissing at Morganna to be quiet. “You put this girl in irons and now you propose to flog her?” she demanded. “How dare you? As one of my Ladies in Waiting, you should know better!”
“Your Majesty, please! I didn’t know!” Lady Starchild was nearly crying and wringing her hands in agitation. “I only knew what she did to my sweet Morganna! I was even going to beg your Majesty to have your physician regrow her hair, which this girl has taken from her so maliciously!”
“That brat of yours deserves what she gets!” the Queen snapped. “Let her stay as she is. And I daresay you’ll thank me later,” she added, nodding at Morganna’s bald head. “She’s much less likely to get into trouble with the guardsmen this way.” Then she turned to me. “Come, child—I have an inkling of who you are, but I must be certain. You must come with me to be tested.”
“Yes, Your Majesty,” I murmured.
What else could I say?
80
We left the courtroom with Bran, Lachlan, and Airgead all trailing behind the queen and me. I could feel everyone looking at me, but this time there was awe on their faces instead of scorn. I was in the presence of royalty and people bowed everywhere we went.
Queen Elia swept along, her royal purple gown glimmering in the magical light of the golden spheres overhead. She kept her chin up and her eyes straight ahead. I tried to do the same. I didn’t know if I was really royalty or not but I was determined to act with dignity, no matter what happened.