“This isn’t for us,” Pan persisted, and he leaned forward, resting his arms on his knees. “This is for everyone and everything. The creatures that cross the bridge are not anything that this world can handle, and if they’re allowed to roam free, thousands of lives will be lost.”

“Thousands of lives are lost every single day.” The Queen gave an empty shrug. “What do I care about anyone dying on the other side of the planet?”

“There’s no reason to believe the death toll will stick to Scandinavia,” Pan said. “An unstoppable monster would wreak havoc everywhere. Humanity’s governments could turn to nuclear weapons, leaving devastating fallout.”

“Sounds like humanity’s got it covered then,” she replied wryly.

I cleared my throat, and when she looked over at me, I said, “You should care about this because I care.” She snorted at that. “You know who my father is.”

She’d been about to take a drink, but she froze with the glass to her lips.

“We both know that I’ll most likely never ascend the throne,” I went on. “But I have enough evidence of a legitimate claim to make your life and Furston’s very difficult.”

Her eyes narrowed, and she slowly lowered her glass.

“Except, of course, I don’t actually have the evidence on me,” I said. “That would all be in the hands of Elof Dómari. You remember him, right? The Vittra Markis and the Mimirin docent? He plans to pursue a case with the Inhemsk Project, if I don’t return from this trip. You know, in case you decided it’s easier to kill your stepdaughter than parcel up your late husband’s estate.”

Suddenly, the glass shattered when Bodil clenched her fist too hard. Pan and I flinched away, but she was unfazed. She wiped the broken glass from her lap, and took a tea towel off her side table and wrapped it around her bloody hand.

“Ten of my soldiers,” she said finally. “That is all I will spare.” She looked at me, blinking slowly. “Now get the hell out of my palace.”

56

Falling

When we got back to the hotel room, I went out onto the balcony, and watched as bearded vultures languidly soared above the treetops. Twanging rock wafted softly from the Ugly Vulture bar nearby, and the air buzzed with insects and wildlife. Even though it was late enough in the evening that the stars were coming out, it was still so hot, the air seemed to stick to my skin.

But I liked being outside anyway. Being able to see the amethyst sky, to hear the sounds of life, to feel the air around me. I leaned against the railing and pushed away thoughts of the Älvolk dungeon from my head.

The Omte palace reminded me a bit of that. The low ceilings, the darkness, everything smelling of must and decay.

Despite the heat, I shivered.