Total pages in book: 116
Estimated words: 109099 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 545(@200wpm)___ 436(@250wpm)___ 364(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 109099 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 545(@200wpm)___ 436(@250wpm)___ 364(@300wpm)
“And be sure you use plenty of meat,” I added. I pointed to a large haunch of what looked like venison sitting on the chopping block. “Use that and more like it if you have it.”
“Oh but my Lady!” Goztel protested. “That right there is reserved for the Lord Regent’s table at supper tonight!”
“Not anymore it’s not!” I said firmly. “In fact, maybe you should make him a nice pot of potato stew or vegetable soup so he can get a taste of what the Lesser Fae have been living on.”
Goztel looked uncertain, but he nodded in response.
“I’ll do as you say, my Princess,” he murmured. “And thank you again for your kindness and generosity. I come from the Lesser Fae too, you know,” he added. “So these are my people.”
“They’re my people too,” I told him and I meant it. These people needed to be represented and considered and appreciated—not starved and kept in ignorance. I might not feel like a real Princess, but I could by-God act like one, I told myself. And if this new position I had stumbled into gave me power to do good, I was going to do it—no matter what that asshole, Mordren said.
I was about to go, but I realized that all this talking had made me thirsty again.
“Pardon me, Gotzel,” I said to the Head Chef. “But could you get me a glass of water? I’m parched.”
Gotzel’s large yellow eyes widened and he took a step back, one huge hand going to his throat.
“Oh, er, of course your Ladyship,” he said, sounding nervous for the first time. “Pally—get the Princess water,” he added, calling over his shoulder at one of the kitchen helpers, though his eyes never left my face. “A lot of it—she’s thirsting!”
I frowned, feeling a bit of irritation.
“It’s all right, Gotzel,” I told him. “I know the legends you have about how the Queen needs to, uh, bite people but I’m not like that. Water is all I need.”
As I spoke, one of the kitchen help handed me a ceramic mug filled with water. I drained it almost in one gulp and felt refreshed…but still rather thirsty. I thought of asking for another cup of water, but I could see I had already freaked poor Gotzel out.
“Thank you,” I said, handing the mug back. “I feel much better now.”
“Of course, your Ladyship. I’m so glad.” Gotzel nodded at me, a tentative smile returning to his large face. But he was still keeping his distance, I noticed.
It amazed and disturbed me that someone who was over eight feet tall would be scared of someone my size and I said so to Sel and Krynn as we left the Palace kitchens.
“He probably fears you because you’re not wearing the Jewel of Lolth,” Krynn told me.
“You mean the silver necklace with the purple stone, right?” I said. “The one still locked up in my ex-husband’s safe.”
“It’s a great pity you couldn’t get it before you left him,” Krynn said, nodding. “The Jewel of Lolth helps her descendants in two ways. First, it helps the rightful Queen to focus her Power…”
“And second, it helps control the Thirst,” Sel rumbled from my other side. “Gotzel feared you because he thought you might demand to take his vein.”
“What? But I don’t even really know him! And besides, I’m not going to drink anyone’s blood,” I exclaimed. “I don’t need any magic necklace to keep me from going around biting people!”
“My Lady, I know you think that now, but as a true daughter of Lolth, you will eventually have to bend to the Thirst,” Krynn said quietly. “But we need not speak of it now. Soon it will be time for dinner in the Great Hall. We should have just enough time to meet with the High Fae in their towers before we have to get you ready.”
I sighed inwardly. I doubted I would enjoy meeting with the High Fae very much. They struck me as the rich, entitled type. A bunch of Fae Karens. Still, some of them had looked honestly happy to meet me that morning in the Throne Room.
I thought of the nice older Fae woman, who’d had tears in her eyes when she took my hands in hers. Lady Nolana—that was her name. She’d said she was in the room when my mother gave birth to me. I wouldn’t mind talking more to her.
But just thinking about that—about the dead Queen being my real mother—made me feel weird. This whole situation still felt unreal to me. My whole body changing and somehow de-aging…finding out I was a Princess and promising to rule my new people fairly. It just couldn’t be real, could it?
I didn’t know but the longer I went without waking up and finding out it was all a dream, the more I questioned my new reality.