CHAPTER 72

Behind him, he heard Beth humming the theme song of The Neverending Story.

His suit was torn in multiple places, and his shoes squished when he walked. Beth's outfit was a mess as well, but at least most of the dirt had come off in the dragon's mouth. "Well, guess we're ready to see the queen," he said, raising an eyebrow. "Unless you need a minute to fix your makeup or something."

She rolled her eyes at him and started down the path without a word. He did a quick jog to catch up, his shoes squeaking beneath him.

The fae gave them a wide berth, muttering to one another as Mike and Beth passed. The path led them inside the coliseum and terminated into a small, stone bridge. The coliseum had a giant, multi-tiered garden along the inner wall that bustled with the activity of well-dressed faerie folk. The mountain that the building was carved into had three waterfalls that fed into a river system that ran through it and around a small, flower-shaped stone island in the middle.

The bridge was the only connection between the island and the rest of the structure. The perimeter of the coliseum went silent as the fae watched them step onto the island. On the other side of the island was a throne. To its left was the shattered remnants of what may have been a second throne. On the right, sitting on a swing within a large metal cage, was Cecilia.

"Cecilia!" When Mike called to her, the banshee looked up, hope and horror etched on her face. He wanted to go to her, to rip open the bars of the cage with his bare hands, but decorum was required in the court of the faerie queen, and the last thing he needed was to bring down the wrath of the court.

That, and he would look pretty stupid trying to rip apart the bars.

There was a murmur from the surrounding crowd, and he turned around to see a large mass of golden butterflies made of light descend from the outer rim of the coliseum. They swirled around Beth and Mike, then spun into a circle above the throne. When they came in to land, they slowly melted into each other, forming in the tall silhouette of a blonde woman with pointed ears and a gold circlet on her head. Massive gossamer wings unfurled behind her, then settled like a cloak over her shoulders, and many of the fae briefly bowed or took a knee.

"So you came for her." When the queen spoke, he could feel a wicked energy wash over him. Her skin practically glowed with power, and her voice was suffused with magic the likes of which he had never felt before. Though she was beautiful, as he met her gaze, he could sense the cruelty behind the facade.

"Your Majesty." He bowed deeply as well. It was one of the few customs that Sofia had coached him on. "I have come today to discuss the imminent release of my friend, the banshee Cecilia."

There were scattered chuckles amongst the throng of fae, and many of them leaned forward with intense interest.

"I see. Tell me, Mike Radley, do you honestly believe you are in any condition to address the court?"

He sighed. "No, Your Majesty, but your land is as deadly as it is beautiful." Flattery was a weapon in his arsenal now, and he would have to be careful with any words that he spoke. "I'm afraid that we encountered many of your subjects who were uninterested in letting us pass without incident."

"Indeed. Did you know that they did so by my order?" When the queen walked, she shimmered, and she moved away from the throne.

He nodded. "It was explained to us that we were unwelcome."

"And yet you came anyway. How... delightful."

"Please, Your Majesty, the path was difficult, and I only hope to secure the release of my friend." He debated dropping to his knees and begging, but knew it would only serve to amuse the queen. Then again, if amusing her was all it would take, he would do it.

"And what have you to offer in exchange for her release?" The queen sat down on her throne and held her hand out. A sprite appeared to deliver a crystalline glass of wine, which the queen took and set down on a nearby table.

"Your Majesty, I was under the impression that Cecilia was being held captive on account of some crime she may have committed. As such, I have brought my attorney to—" when he turned to introduce Beth, he froze.

Beth's face had gone completely slack, her eyes unfocused and a stupid grin on her face.

"Beth?" He waved his hand in front of her eyes, but she didn't move.

"Your friend suffers from a serious case of being a simple mortal." The queen took a sip from her glass. "Do you really think a mere human could gaze upon the visage of the Queen of the Fae without losing herself in my beauty?"

"Beth!" He tried to grab her shoulders and give her a shake, but she moved away from him and toward the queen. A pair of winged guards landed between him and the queen, their spears held up in warning.

"This one interests me." The queen stood from her throne and approached Beth, who had kneeled down and was openly sobbing with joy. "She has much potential, even as a human."

"Don't touch her." He meant to sound tough, but his voice squeaked a little. When the queen put her hand on Beth's head, the lawyer rose and ran across the bridge to the edge of the court and stood with a group of nobles wearing light blue robes.

"I touched her. What now, Radley? Are you going to come over here and seduce me?" The queen batted her eyes dramatically. "Or maybe you plan to leave and come back with more of your friends? Maybe some of them will be like you, able to see past the glamour and function, but then what? Will you declare war on our kind?"