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Chika met her as she came hurrying into the palace gardens. "You look like you've seen a ghost," the feline woman said, gripping her hands tightly. "What's happened?"
Hope took a deep breath. "I met a pixie in the forest," she said, before going into detail about Jorel's powers. When she finished up, Chika had gone sheet white under her fur, and her ears went back as she hissed.
"I knew it wouldn't take those two long," she snapped, grabbing Hope's hand and half dragging her along the path. "I can't say I'm surprised that Jaiden came along; he's got the most pull, and he's got the sun elves firmly under his control. I won't go into the uncomfortable details, but you know enough to know he's pushing for two of their children to become part of the new 'breeding program'."
"Bloody hell," Hope groaned. "I'd forgotten all about that, to be honest."
Chika gave her a half-smile as they hurried into the palace. "Hopefully the guardians in the lake will deal with them so we don't have to."
Hope prayed for the same. But she had the nasty feeling that wouldn't be the case; Jaiden would not let himself be stopped so easily, and if her guess was right, he had enough elven magic in him to counter Queen Tanila's, with both hands tied behind his back!
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The queen was very pale when the two women came running into her drawing room. Hope's heart sank; being an elf, Tanila would know if her distant kin was using magic to counter hers, and it showed on her face. "He is very strong," she said, her eyes like chips of ice as she called for servants to bring food and drink for the women. As the servants got to work, the queen continued. "But though I am forbidden to take him on directly, it does not mean he is going to get an easy audience."
"He can go fffff-fog himself," Hope said, hastily swapping that word out for the one she'd been about to use.
Tanila gave her a tight smile. "He most certainly can," she said. "If he and his repulsive son manage to get past The Weeds, well, then we shall have to deal with them face to face."
Hope groaned again. "Of course Arjun is his blo- blasted son," she said. "Why am I not surprised?"
"Then you will know he has altered your daughter's DNA so he can be her father in blood as well as legal fact," Tanila said, her eyes compassionate despite the ice.
"I didn't know that, but that doesn't surprise me either," Hope said crossly. "Is there no level to which the man won't stoop?"
She got her answer when Lathon came to the door. 'They have reached the meadow,' he said, his voice as close to open anger as Hope had ever heard from him so far. 'Your orders?'
"They are to be met with a strong guard," Tanila said. "Have two Faceless go with them."
Lathon left in a clatter of hooves, and the queen explained her orders once he'd gone. "The Faceless can nullify all magic, no matter how powerful," she said. "Two will more than suffice to keep Jaiden and his son from using their arts to try and manipulate their way out of the very dire trouble they are now in!"
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