I spread them wide, audible gasps heard around the room at the coloring and size. The queen blinked in interest, and the princess was gripping hard onto the edge of her mother’s throne. I disliked being displayed like an animal, but I felt their fear as well as their awe. It was all a part of a show, a display of strength meant to convince them to join our side. Aldur was a kingdom rich with plenty of goods. The prosperity of their people made for relatively clean and safe streets, but it also meant fewer people were found to give a shit about the plight of their human neighbors to the north. Why should the normal Aldurian give up their life of comfort to fight for the Cantradians? Aldur had their own magnificent city paved with white stones, high, sturdy walls, and the demon hordes had never bothered them. I knew from King Erias’s plump, sneering face that this wasn’t going to be easy.

“Show them to their chambers. We look forward to your company tonight. I am having a feast in your honor.”

“Thank you.” The king’s attention snapped to Astrid as she spoke.

She waved her hands, and a small satin pillow appeared. A snap of her fingers produced a beautiful circlet, silver with a blazing sapphire nestled in the center. The courtiers gasped at the casual show of magick, and I rolled my eyes, wondering what Astrid was up to. We hadn’t agreed to bring gifts.

“For the queen of Aldur, as a token of our shared ancestry—”

“My queen shares nothing with you.” Erias stood from his throne, rage in his eyes.

I took a step forward and he halted, settling to glare down at Astrid from his raised dais. The guards around the room stiffened. Through it all Astrid stood serenely, her face calm. I eyed the queen’s blonde hair and blue eyes and made my own conclusions.

“My sisters from the sea regret they could not be here to—”

“Leave me. Now.”

The temperature in the air plummeted, and I had to fight to keep the small grin off my face. Astrid loved her drama, and it certainly worked on the humans. They cowered and stepped away as she walked forward, and even Erias looked worried for a moment. Astrid clapped her hands and the pillow disappeared. The queen shrieked as the circlet appeared in her lap. She stood quickly, tossing the fine piece of jewelry to the ground. The guards tried to take a step forward, but Astrid threw her hands out, freezing everyone in the room. It would be easy to laugh, but that wouldn’t gain us any more of the goodwill that we already lacked.

“And you thought I was the one to worry about.” I chuckled. It was difficult to hide the amusement from my voice as Astrid released her hold on the air, allowing the room to return to its normal temperature.

“Perhaps the queen prefers gold,” I suggested nonchalantly, but loudly enough to be heard.