What have I gotten myself into? Val wondered. She cleared her throat, trying to figure out where to go from here. “How will I keep humans safe from her in New York City?”
“New York City?” Merlin squawked.
“Easy. Order her not to harm any humans. She has to obey you, remember?” Julie told her.
“Wait! Hold on a bloody minute.” Merlin raised his hands. “New. York. City? Eiravel, you’re not taking this faerie home, are you?”
“What else will I do with her?” Val asked.
The faerie folded her arms. “What if I would like to be part of this conversation?”
“You waived that right when you tried to kill your sister and a group of innocent humans,” the queen snapped. “Be quiet. Val will decide your fate.”
“You have total control over her, remember?” Merlin shook his head. “Order her to stay in a cell at the Eternal Palace, and she will. She’ll be cared for. You could forget her for thirteen years and get on with your life.”
The faerie froze, wings drooping.
“I know that you know faeries, Your Majesty.” Val nodded at the queen. “I know them, too. Well, one. Imprisonment would be a fate worse than death. Besides, it would do nothing to rehabilitate her.”
“Rehabilitate?” Merlin scoffed.
“Hat. Shut up,” Julie ordered. “Val, go on.”
“I want to take her to the city so I can keep an eye on her and help her,” Val explained. “Wasn’t that the plan, Your Majesty?”
The queen’s lip quirked up. “I wouldn’t say ‘plan,’ but I hoped you’d take her home. You’ve recently renovated the apartment, right? Let her stay there.”
“You renovated our apartment?” Merlin demanded.
“Shhh.” The queen flapped a hand at him.
“That was my plan, Your Majesty, but I need one more magical favor, please.” Val gestured at the faerie. “She needs an intense glamour like Sinatria’s if I’m going to make her a functional member of society.”
The queen looked at Merlin. “Can you help her with that?”
Merlin sighed. “I don’t need to. She has to obey you, Eiravel. If you tell her to look like a human, she’ll look like a human.”
Val turned to the faerie. “What do I do?”
“Tell her what you want,” the queen suggested. “Let’s see what happens.”
“’See what happens?’” Arthur hissed.
“We’ve always done well by screwing around and finding out,” Morgan told him happily.
The faerie didn’t back away. She tilted her chin up and faced Val.
“Will it hurt?” Val hedged.
“It’ll hurt less than prison,” the faerie ground out. “Do it!”
“Okay.” Val cleared her throat. “Faerie, look human.”
The faerie screamed as her limbs stretched with audible creaks. Val cringed as Fourth’s body grew and swelled. Her wings shrank, and when she screamed again, her voice deepened. Her teeth shrank to human size, and her dress fell off with thin snaps of plant material breaking.
Arthur and Merlin averted their eyes. Fourth’s bare knees buckled, and she fell to the grass, panting and sweating, looking human. Her smooth back showed no sign that she’d ever had wings.
Horror boiled in Val’s belly like nausea, and she took a step back. What have I done? The extent of her words’ power made her loathe to speak.
The queen extended a hand to the kneeling faerie, and greenery blossomed from her fingers. Long stalks of grass and willow withes wove together as they grew. Tiny flowers opened like stars on the green, and the living cloak settled over Fourth’s shoulders, returning her dignity.
The faerie clutched the cloak around herself and rose to her feet. Hatred blazed in her downturned lips and slanting eyebrows.
“Bitch,” the faerie muttered.
“Your assassin stabbed her in the guts with a katana,” Julie pointed out mildly.
The reminder made Val’s belly unclench, and she exhaled. That assassin—the one this faerie had sent—would have torn Sinatria limb from limb if Val hadn’t defeated him. Her guilt faded.
“What now?” Val managed.
“Clothes would be a start,” Merlin suggested, peeking between his fingers.
Julie elbowed him in the ribs.
“You’re free to go, Val.” The queen’s expression was somber. “I don’t think I have to explain the extent of your responsibility toward this faerie and the rest of the world. You’ve seen that for yourself.”
Val nodded mutely.
