Despite the imperious attitude of the throned woman and uncomfortable twitching of her attending masters, Cary’s heart sang. After everything they had been through, the torture and separation from Emilia meant nothing to her now. Emilia had confessed her love for Cary, and Cary had taken the opportunity to do the same. Nothing could nullify that fact.

Masters Cary did not know escorted Dorcas and Mirabel away, though the fairy lingered as long as she could waving to the queen on her throne and assuring her that not only was she a loyal subject, but that the queen “could totally call on Mirabel for sex anytime.”

Until the others had left Cary and Emilia kept their hands intertwined and faced the throne with their heads held high. When the queen turned her gaze upon the two of them, Cary saw the all-silver orbs within her eye sockets for the first time. This was no mortal queen, this was a Fae Queen, possibly the Fae Queen. The first hint of nervousness crept between her shoulders at that revelation.

“Do you know why we diverted your portal to this place?” The queen spoke without preamble, keeping her rod-straight back flat against her throne as she moved only enough to stare down at the two of them.

Cary felt nothing in particular from that gaze, but the words send Emilia’s hands trembling. “No ma’am.”

“I would care to hear your guess.”

Emilia’s slight tremor shifted into full on quakes as her knees knocked together and her shoulders rocked back and forth. “B…because we snuck into the black spire and spied on the captive Fel Slaves?”

Cary sucked in breath and bit her lip. She had heard such titles and did not care for them. That the Sanctorum used them transformed the flickering between her shoulders into something vicious and painful.

“No, but perhaps we will hear more of this adventure. For now, I wish to hear the darkest secret you can manage from your own lips.” Until she had spoken those last words, Cary had not realized what the Fae Queen was doing. Her powers were beyond subtle, here Cary was holding Emilia’s hand and Cary could not sense the effect the Fae Queen laid upon Emilia.

“I…” Emilia bit her lip in a mirror of Cary’s pose.

In a fit of inspiration, Cary whispered to Emilia telepathically, lending her the strength to foil the Fae Queen’s power. “I snuck away astrally and found my demon servant. Then I snuck away physically and rescued her from a Fallen Angel.”

The self-same words issued from Emilia’s throat, bidden by the mortal’s instant acquiescence to Cary’s will. She could have coerced Emilia, but she trusted Cary and nothing on Earth would move the demoness to abuse that trust.

Cary smiled as Emilia finished her delivery, right until the Fae Queen dug her nails into the top of her throne. “Separate them, now.”

I love you Emilia, I am sorry… Cary sent a message to Emilia, but a pair of rough hands, large enough to belong to a giant, grabbed Cary and pulled her away from Emilia. Another giant appeared at Emilia’s side and held in her place.

“Now I will re-ask my question. What is the darkest secret you keep from me, child? What have you been hiding?” The Fae Queen stared at Cary with a glare hot enough to melt Cary’s own stone body.

“I am Cary’s mortal servant.” Emilia shook her head as the Fae Queen’s magic forced the words from between Emilia’s lips.

Boris sucked in a breath shaking his head and mouthing “I don’t believe it,” at Emilia’s acknowledgment. Joshua blushed and tried to maintain a deadpan expression at Emilia’s non-revelation. At the very least, Cary knew she could trust the master to hold his tongue.

As if the Fae Queen read Joshua’s thoughts, she raised her head and said, “all servants and masters who knew of this secret themselves, step forward and declared yourselves recreant.”

Joshua mouthed words silently as his legs forced him forward. Even Cary stepped forward with two steps toward the throne. With a small puff of air, Mirabel appeared. All three of them spoke in unison. “I am recreant of my oaths.”

The words offended Cary. She had spoken no oath of fealty to this queen. The Fae Queen turned her gaze upon Joshua and said, “you are dismissed from your place among the masters. You are returned to your place as servant.” She then pointed to Mirabel, “Mir of White Belle, when did you learn that Emilia was the mortal servant of this Formless One?”

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Mirabel lowered her head, nodding lighter than the queen deserved. “The night Miss Olren saved my life and I hers, the night I gave up my centuries of service to You, my queen.”

The Fae Queen sucked in a breath, but her eyes did not move. With a strange flash of insight, Cary recognized that as one of the Fae Queen’s tells. She already knew Mirabel no longer served her, this theatre had been arranged beforehand, though as far as Cary could tell, Mirabel had no part of the deception. “I will decline to punish you, under the condition that you provide a full report of this night and explain how it was that a mortal risked her life for yours.”

“Now, my queen?” Mirabel spoke with a miserable tone in her throat.

“No. We must first dispense with those who endanger Us.” The Fae Queen pointed at Cary. “Demon, what are you intentions with the mortal Emilia Olren?”

White and black ribbons of translucent magical power streamed out of the Fae Queen’s hands, flowing from the two ghostly twins over her shoulder. Though Cary saw the magic coming, the giant’s hands on her shoulders kept her from moving. The power the Fae Queen wielded was insidious and absolutely compelling. “I intend to love and protect her, to make her my own in every meaningful way.”

Emilia gasped at Cary’s bold proclamation. It was the truth and nothing more. In a way, Cary’s chest swelled with pride at her bold announcement. But the others around them murmured with concern. As far as Cary knew, nothing she had said should have produced such noises.

The Fae Queen sighed and shook her head. “Then We have no choice but to proceed. Prepare the mortal for the Fel Prison. Take the demoness and hold her.”

Cary had a notion of what they meant by “Fel Prison.” And she had no intention of letting this assemblage take Emilia from her now. “Over my dead body…”

The stone came to Cary as naturally as breathing, as if the seed of density lived within her heart. The hand locked on her shoulder clamped itself around Cary, but instead of dropping down, she shot up into a leap from a standing position. Though she had not been able to view the full scope of the giant’s position, based on the way he held her shoulder, she did not believe he had much room to move.

To her surprise, the hand went limp on her shoulder. Cary checked with a glance and found a small red portal next to her, with the giant’s severed arm flopping pathetically on the ground. She assumed they intended to drag her into the portal when the queen made her judgement.

Two targets presented themselves for Cary, the queen herself and Emilia. Violence was always an option, but in this case, Cary just had to save the woman she loved. Wrapping her arms around Emilia, Cary lifted her out of her own giant’s grip and rolled with her toward a door at the edge of the tent. It was a desperate move, but the only moves available to Cary were desperate ones.

No one stopped her as she pulled Emilia with her into the next room. Through curtains beaded with small gemstones, Cary rose with Emilia still in her arms. Emilia’s light brown hair covered Cary’s face for a moment. When Cary could see again, she swore. A small cadre of guards stood in a semi-circle around them. Cary whispered into Emilia’s ear. “I am going to run, I want you to escape through the path I make. Don’t wait for me and don’t look back.”

Those guards wielded daggers and short swords that crackled with gold and green energies. This was not Cary’s first encounter with such weapons. Such weapons would slice through Cary’s body as if it were thin reeds, even if she assumed her toughest stone nature. But Emilia would live, and that would be enough for Cary.

As she crouched and readied herself to pounce, Emilia placed a hand on her shoulder. Unlike the giant, that hand stopped Cary without the slightest pressure. “Wait, please Cary?”

Shaking, on the edge of springing forward, Cary shook. “What?” None of the guards moved as the two women conferred with each other.

“I don’t want to watch you die. Please just let this happen and remember that I love you too. Please? I don’t think the queen… I don’t think she will let them kill you or she already would have done it.”

The thought of her impending execution rocked through Cary’s mind. Of course that was how people who saw Emilia as nothing more than a Fel Slave would end this. Cary should have known. One simple path presented itself to keep Emilia safe, now that she saw it, it was obvious to Cary.

“Okay. I love you too, Emilia.”

Emilia threw her arms around Cary’s neck and kissed her, pressing herself into Cary’s body as if she could take an impression of it before they were separated. Seconds passed and hope sprung up from Cary’s chest. If the guards were not going to stop them, perhaps they would be allowed to leave this place unharmed, together.

Then the guards burst into motion, the tiny sprig of hope in Cary’s heart died as they tore Emilia away from her. Two masters, neither of whom Cary recognized, hoodwinked Emilia with a black and gold shroud that grew longer as it wrapped itself about her.

Cary bowed her head and ceased resisting. Those energy-charged weapons could strike her down instantly, especially as she shifted herself into weakened flesh. Those guards pulled her into the queen’s throne room and forced Cary to her knees before the Fae Queen.

“If you kill me, Emilia will never forgive you. But since you will do it anyway, you deserve her vengeance.” Cary’s mouth was dry, but not so much that she could not make her last words count. “And you are as dark as a Fallen for doing this.”

“Are you done?” The Fae Queen did not sound amused.

“No. And fuck all of you for doing this! I hope you find yourselves a particularly nasty corner of the Infernim for…” a strike against her head knocked Cary senseless. As she staggered into unconsciousness, she cursed the court, the Sanctorum and their cowardly masters, and the gods themselves for turning against her but more especially against Emilia. Only as her awareness faded did she spare a thought for why they knocked her out rather than cut off her head.