I averted my eyes. “Yes.”

“It’s no wonder Dorian likes you so much. Your bluntness must amuse him to no end.” She sighed and leaned her head back in the chair. “You may believe me or not, but the answer is no. I neither ordered nor know anything about any attempts on your life. What happened?”

Figuring it couldn’t hurt regardless of her involvement, I told her everything about the fachan and the nixies. Her face stayed mostly blank, though I did see surprise flash in her eyes a few times. When I finished, her response was not what I expected.

“Why do you live in a desert anyway? Willingly even?”

I felt surprise cross my own face. “It’s my home. It’s not that bad.”

She shrugged. “If you say so. But Dorian is right in his assessment of getting those creatures to you in the first place. Someone powerful and motivated would have had to do it.”

“Do you know who?”

“No. Like I said, you have no reason to believe me, but I had nothing to do with this.”

She was right. I had no reason to believe her. And yet…some part of me noted that Kiyo trusted her. Whatever anger I felt over his withholding of information, I had to believe he wasn’t an entirely unreliable judge of character.

“Could you give me names of people who could do it?”

“I could give you dozens. Wouldn’t do you much good.”

I scowled and slouched into my chair. The same response as the spirits.

“I’m sorry I can’t be more help.” She sounded sincere. “I won’t lie: The thought of you having Tirigan’s grandson terrifies me. But I don’t believe in punishing you for something that has not yet happened-especially when you are trying to not make it happen. However…” That placid expression turned hesitant. “May I ask you a question?”

“Sure.”

“I know what you told me, and yet…well, I hear more and more stories about your involvement with Dorian. Kiyo said…” She tripped over the name. “Kiyo said I had nothing to worry about.”

“You don’t. It’s an act. Dorian’s teaching me to use my magic, and in exchange, I play his girlfriend.” No point in mentioning our recent bargain.

She considered. “So you’ve decided to embrace your heritage after all.”

“Only enough to not do something stupid.”

“You’re right to do that…though I’d feel better if you had another teacher. Your bargain may seem safe enough for now…yet I doubt he’ll let it stay that simple for long. Don’t let his charm blind you to his agenda. He’ll use you to get what he wants-and he wants the prophecy fulfilled.”

“Hey, I can handle Dorian. And his charm.”

“There’s more to it than just that, however. Your very life may be at risk.”

“From Dorian? I doubt it.”

“From his enemies.”

That was a new one. “I didn’t really know he had any unless…well, you and he differ in opinion…and I guess he and Aeson don’t get along either.” I sat up straighter. “Do you think his enemies are the ones trying to kill me? To get back at him?”

“Any number of people could be trying to kill you. The list of his enemies is no shorter than the ones I referred to before. Most of his have nothing to do with where he stands on the prophecy. He’s powerful, and many fear that-with good reason. When this part of the Otherworld rearranged itself, he fought to seize much more of it than he did. Only at the last minute did Katrice, queen of the Rowan Land, emerge as a contender and slice up more. The land recognized her and allowed her a portion, cutting Dorian out of larger territory.”

I shivered. I had heard Roland speak of the Otherworld’s sentience, how it continually changed form and boundaries. Still. The thought of it “allowing” someone to do something creeped me out.

“Many know he has never accepted that outcome,” she continued. “He would like to expand, and they see you as the means of doing it. Your human powers have been feared for years. If you manifest Storm King’s as well, they believe you and Dorian will conquer the other kingdoms. And possibly beyond.”

“Everyone’s so obsessed with conquest,” I grumbled. “Why can’t they just leave things the way they are?”

“Your king has grander plans than that, I’m afraid.”

I wondered not for the first time who was getting the better end of this deal Dorian and I had contrived. What was it he really wanted from me? “So even people who agree with the prophecy don’t necessarily like him.”

She nodded. “They would rather see your son fathered by someone less ambitious-someone they could control. Those same people could very well attempt to remove Dorian. Or, others who wanted Storm King to succeed in theory secretly believe it will never happen, so now they simply worry about the immediate threat you present to the kingdoms here.”

This new development, that I was a threat because I wanted to conquer the Otherworld, was almost more ludicrous than the prophecy. “Why the hell would I want to rule in this world? Haven’t they noticed I’m human? Or at least half? I don’t have any claim on gentry real estate. And I don’t want any.”

“The shining ones view things differently than humans. Humans always feel the need to point out any drop of foreign blood in a person. As far as we care, you have our blood, and that suffices. You may have a human mother, but for all other intents and purposes, most of us now regard you as one of our own.”

I thought about how common “outsider” labels were back in my own world: African American, Asian American, etc. She was right. People usually called attention to “foreign” blood.

“Yeah, but all that aside, I’ve made a career out of hunting them down. Doesn’t that bother anybody or seem weird for a potential queen?”

“Some, yes,” she conceded. The slightly distasteful look on her face informed me she was among them. “And they won’t get over that anytime soon. But really-for everyone else-well, as I said, most consider you one of us now, and killing wantonly isn’t that out of line for a powerful leader. Nothing that Tirigan or Aeson or Dorian hasn’t done.”

I exhaled loudly. “This doesn’t make me feel better. I suddenly feel like I have more enemies than before.”

“I’m sorry. If it’s any consolation, Dorian’s enemies may seek you out because of your connection to him, but that very connection will compel him to protect you by whatever means he can. Conniving or not, he’s a powerful ally.”

I remembered the nixies. “Yeah. He is.”

Another uncomfortable silence descended, and we sat there watching each other. Regardless of how wussy I thought her condition was, she did look pretty exhausted. I hadn’t really decided if she was an enemy or not. Honestly, I’d received more things to worry about than any sort of answers from this visit.

“Well,” I said stupidly, “thanks for the…help. I guess I should go.”

She nodded and gave me a faint, tired smile. “You’re welcome here anytime.”

“Thanks.”

I stood up and moved to the door. My hand was on the knob when she called my name.

“Eugenie…”

I turned. A pained look crossed her face, one that had nothing to do with her physical discomfort.

“He loves you,” she said haltingly. “You should…you should forgive him. He didn’t mean to hurt you.”

I held her gaze for several painful moments and then walked out without another word. I didn’t want to think about Kiyo.

And then, as irony would have it, I ran into him when I was about halfway out of the keep. The universe was harsh sometimes. Whatever feelings her words had kindled in me dried up at the thought of him coming to visit her. The look on his face implied I was the last person he’d expected to see there.

I forcibly kept my expression cold, trying hard not to show how much I was drinking in his appearance and presence. He was as stunning as ever with that tanned skin and silky black hair curling slightly behind his ears. I wanted to run my hands through it. The heavy coat he wore couldn’t hide that graceful, athletic body.