A Tale That Dawned [Book 4 of Selvina's Tale series]

Chapter 28: Captive Guest

If only I had my elf-arrow, she remembered, her resolve cracking. She wouldn't be able to hurt me then... She had been an utter fool to leave it behind. An utter, careless fool...

Just then, footsteps.

Selvina's bubbling courage popped into nothing and she sunk her head behind her knees, hoping it was just the short, bearded man returning with more food. Her eyes were glued to the door across the room, specifically the narrow line of light between it and the floor. The footsteps, silent as they were, echoed in her mind and felt like tremors.

Shadows blocked the light under the door as a figure approached it. A moment later, the door swung open slowly. It was indeed the short man again but he had no plate of food and standing behind him, tall, dark, and beautiful, was the empress.

The empress eyed Selvina, her brows furrowed, as if in confusion. She glanced at the door and then back at the girl as the short man, the top of his head only coming to the empress's chin, stepped aside.

"The door was unlocked the whole time, did you not know?" Empress Rhiannon asked, raising an eyebrow.

Selvina blinked, her face reddening with embarrassment. She could have left long ago. She could have run off as soon as she had woken up. She could be miles away by now, racing back to New Avalon, if only she had overcome her fear sooner!

"I see you enjoyed last night's supper," the empress went on, gazing at the empty plate on the bedside table. "Mountain elk is a favorite dish of mine. I am glad you liked it."

"What do you want with me?" Selvina blurted, taking a note from Jack's book. Enough with the pleasantries, why am I here?

The empress sighed and gave her escort a quick glance. He nodded and left the room, closing the door behind him after the empress stepped in. She moved to the chair and sat down slowly, her long black dress shuffling silently. "Get out of that corner, Selvina. At the very least, sit on the bed. You have nothing to fear from me."

Yeah right. Selvina didn't move.

"Everything I told you before King Arthur and his knights arrived was true. You are welcome here, Selvina. If you would only come with me, I can show you to your proper room. This was only a small holding room of sorts to acclimatize you to the higher elevation and to keep you until your room was properly prepared for you. I am here to tell you that it is."

Selvina had been too terrified to realize that the air felt different. She had been out of breath upon first waking up but she had cast it off as simple fear. Was she on some mountaintop then? The window had revealed little other than a stone tower rising up from far below.

The wall vibrated suddenly and Selvina whimpered, hiding her face. Be done with me already! Stop toying with me!

"That wasn't me," said the empress. "There is a rather fearsome storm outside. It is quite late in the season to be having thunderstorms but, as you can hear and feel, there is one nonetheless."

Selvina, frowning and startling herself, spat, "Probably because you're screwing up the magical balance, like Merlin says."

The empress, surprisingly, appeared to take no offense. "I will not deny that I am partly responsible for its imbalance. Storms are more powerful and stay later in the season, snow is taking longer to arrive, and some of my northernmost provinces report having a summer hotter than ever experienced. If nothing is remedied the weather will only worsen. I know of this, Selvina, and it deeply saddens me to know that I am the one responsible."

Selvina eyed the empress for a few moments, judging her sincerity, and then said, "Well then stop doing whatever it is you're doing to mess it all up. It's that simple."