“Finding amusement at my daughter’s expense?” Brannie heard a voice ask. A voice she recognized better than her own.

Brannie wiped the tears from her eyes with the back of her hands, and she gawked at her Aunt Rhiannon, who was standing not too far from her. She was in her human form, completely naked, and eating plums from a nearby tree.

Plum trees? There were no plum trees in this forest.

“Auntie . . . Rhiannon?” Brannie shook her head, glanced around, confused. “How did you . . . ?”

Aidan was still laughing so she punched his shoulder and pointed. When he saw Rhiannon, the Mì-runach immediately dropped to one knee, head bowed.

Brannie fought her desire to sneer and roll her eyes. Her aunt wouldn’t appreciate that one bit.

To avoid doing any of that, Brannie looked around again and now understood what was confusing her. They were no longer in the forest with the poisoned pond. They were somewhere else.

“My sacred space, dear,” Rhiannon replied, even though Brannie hadn’t asked the question. “Much easier than sending messages back and forth through Keita since she can never seem to get that right.”

“I didn’t do anything wrong,” Keita complained while reaching for one of the plums hanging near her. She had one in her hand but her mother slapped it away.

“Mum!”

“My plums!” Rhiannon snarled before smiling sweetly at Brannie and Aidan. “Stand, my dear Aidan the Divine. Stand.”

He did but, to Brannie’s growing disgust, she immediately noticed he still didn’t make eye contact with the queen.

Oy. The Mì-runach. They took their kowtowing to the queen so seriously.

“Now, my sweets, what is going on?”

Before Keita could answer, Brannie explained, “Your daughter’s murdering people again.”

“It wasn’t murder, you peasant,” Keita argued. “It was necessary action.”

“That’s what all murderers say.”

Rhiannon held up her hand with a half-eaten plum in it. “Wait. Who are we talking about?”

“Duke Abernathy, his wife, his two eldest sons, and their guards,” Keita blandly explained. As if she was talking about inviting them to some stuffy tea rather than confessing she’d just killed all of them.

“Oh, yes.” Rhiannon shrugged. “Keita’s right. They had to go. They were giving gold and supplies to that idiot Salebiri. You must know, Branwen, that Abernathy has never been a fan of our Annwyl.”

“So his whole family had to die?”

“Yes,” mother and daughter said simultaneously.

“And Annwyl’s all right with that? Since they were human and under her reign.”

Staring at Brannie coldly, Rhiannon’s lips twisted to the side and, to her amazement, Brannie’s view was suddenly blocked by Aidan’s back.

“My queen,” he said in his best soothing voice, “Branwen’s been through much today and I’m sure—”

“I can talk for my—” Brannie began, but Aidan abruptly caught hold of her wrist and pulled her around until she was in front of him. Then he wrapped his arms around her as if he was hugging her from behind, except that his hand covered her mouth.