One True Queen (School for Good and Evil Book 2)

Chapter 4

The Treasury Master was put off until after lunch.

Chef Silkima nearly passed out when she saw there were five to feed instead of just the king and scampered back to the kitchens, which erupted in shrieks and a clatter of pans.

"I'd offer my hat to help, but it's on strike until I give it a pension plan," Merlin sighed, taking a seat in the Blue Tower dining room. "Says it wants 'security.'"

"And I thought fairies were a challenge," Professor Dovey murmured, sitting beside him.

"It's Lance's fault," said Guinevere across the table. "Couldn't leave the hat alone, demanding food night and day: turkey legs and beef bourguignon and enough bacon to rid the world of pigs . . . Wore the poor thing out."

Lancelot shrugged. "A man needs to eat."

Sitting quietly at the head of the table, Tedros listened to the group banter: first about how they'd snuck into the castle (they'd mogrified into dung beetles beneath Merlin's hat and shoved it around like a dung ball) and then how'd they'd taken turns changing under Agatha's bed into clothes they'd hidden in the hat as royal guards made their rounds—

"But won't Lady Gremlaine tell everyone you're here?" Tedros cut in, wringing his hands. "Won't they kill you for the bounty?"

The group went quiet. Merlin met Tedros' eyes.

"I'm afraid the time has come to endure such risks, Tedros. Given recent events, we need your mother and Lance to be at your side from here on out. That said, if anyone gets too close, I've reminded your mother and Lance how to use their spells from school to defend themselves."

Under Merlin's stern glare, Guinevere and Lancelot quickly lit their fingers. Guinevere's flickered feebly. Lance's burnt hot red, then snuffed out spectacularly with a loud fart sound and burp of smoke.

"Or at least, confound their attackers," Merlin piffed.

Tedros managed a smile. "You don't know how much I've missed you. All of you."

His mother smiled back, her eyes glistening.

"If only this were a social call," said Merlin.

Tedros tensed. He knew there had to be a reason that Merlin would risk

his mother's and Lance's safety and Professor Dovey would leave her students to come here. But hearing it out loud made his stomach hollow.

"I've had my fill of bad news today," he said.

"No news, good or bad, should be discussed on an empty stomach," Merlin assured. "Silkima!"

More pots clanged in the kitchen.

Lunch was meatballs with yellow curry, spaghetti squash with smoked paprika, and peppered radish patties, all of which had been violently spiced, as if the cooks had taken out their angst on the food. By the end, Tedros had sweated through his shirt and the whole table spent as much time sniffling and gulping iced water as they did eating.

"Dessert is chili-spiced truffles," Chef Silkima announced, stonefaced.

"Perhaps we'll skip it," the wizard told the chef, waiting until she was gone before he turned to the rest. "Shall we talk?"

A short while later, they were all on one side of the table, some sitting, some standing, as they studied the Quest Map floating over them and listened to Professor Dovey finish recounting what she and Merlin knew about Chaddick's death and Agatha's adventures in Avalon.

"After I spoke to her in my crystal ball, Agatha started tracking the Snake," she said, pointing at a miniature white-sailed ship inching across the Savage Sea. "The Storian painted them last night aboard the Igraine, which should reach Jaunt Jolie later today judging from its movements here. But four quest teams are missing that I haven't been able to reach via crow or crystal ball—Ravan's, Kiko's, Vex's, and now Beatrix's in Jaunt Jolie. All their teams appear safe, given their names haven't been crossed out on my map. But each of the four teams seem to be moving away from their assigned kingdoms, which seems a rather ominous coincidence."