Dancing on Strings

Queendom

"Then by all means," Reve said, creating the door to the lower banquet halls and pulling it open. "Or maybe you want to look here."

He conjured up another door and opened it, nothing but darkness beyond and Mai knew she was looking into black water; below the island where she had swam with Kazimir.

"Go down there. Have a look. I'll even let you come back up instead of trapping out. Spend as much time as you need down there. Find that door."

Mai didn't move and Reve smiled, slamming both doors closed again.

"But only take that risk if you know where it is," he said.

Mai waved a hand and the doors vanished.

"Why did you do that to Black?" she snapped instead.

"Why? Because I don't need him anymore. Griffin is gone. Griffin was the one that mattered to me. Griffin was all that ever mattered. Black was a wild, antagonistic invention that came with him into death. He wasn't originally there when I met Griffin in his childhood dreams. He possessed no loyalty to me. He possessed no loyalty to anyone but Griffin. With Griffin gone, he's unpredictable and not useful. I don't need him."

Mai narrowed her eyes at him.

She wanted to conjure up a chair, her legs were still trembling, but she didn't dare sit so long as he stood.

"What did you mean?" she muttered.

"Would you say you've been unhappy here?" Reve asked, walking towards her, knowing she was asking about her mother and ignoring the question.

Mai narrowed her eyes again. "There have been highs and lows," she said.

"Would you say you've enjoyed yourself?" Reve continued, beginning to circle her, just out of arms each, watching her the whole time. "Would you say you've had all you can ask for? A willing, delighted audience. Every lead role under the sun. The greatest food. The finest drink. Clothing no mortal should have the right to wear. Grand parties with fabulous company. A host that showed you how to touch the sky. And a romance that could have easily been prevented and yet was allowed to live and grow. Have you not enjoyed yourself?"

"I have enjoyed myself," Mai said, watching him right back.

"Yes, you have. And yet, here we stand, you still bleating on about opening The Door to Broken Dreams. Why can you not be happy with this gift I have given you? What do you think is so worthwhile out there that it defeats the existence of dreams?"

"If you had let me stay willingly, perhaps we would not be having this conversation now," Mai said.

Reve stopped.

"It doesn't get through that pretty head of yours, does it?" Mai said, starting to walk, moving quickly, before Reve did, so it was her turn to circle him, him watching her with darkened eyes, moving nothing but his head to watch carefully. "Maybe I would have welcomed my life here. But here's the problem, for all my pretty jewels and fancy gowns, I am aware that they are shackles masquerading as bracelets. If you let my family continue to live and exist in their real world, I might have been coaxed into staying here. But then, I'm not the end goal, am I? I am an interest passing through. Because the end goal is to imprison my family and my friends down in those halls until the end of your days, let my father waste away with worry, rob my sisters of their future, rob their mothers of their daughters and rob the life from my friends as you move onto your next target. There is no gift or jewel or gown or crown in this world that can stop me from fighting you. You crippled Angelique when she rebelled because you killed and trapped her family and friends. But Griffin is dead now. And you have no replacement yet. There is no one you can send into The Waking World to do your dirty work. I may not have long, but until you find someone who can actually threaten my loved ones in The Waking World, there's nothing that can stop me."