The Wood Queen

by Karen Mahoney

  “It is the decision of this hearing that the pre-initiate, Donna Underwood, will be apprenticed to the Order of the Crow as soon as she has graduated from high school.”

  Donna couldn’t stop herself; her legs propelled her to her feet even before her brain had fully engaged with what she was doing. “What? You’re sending me to London?”

  Her knees felt weak and her head had that horrible pins-and-needles feeling that meant she might be about to faint. Black dots swam before her eyes and she made a grab for the back of her chair to steady herself.

  “Sit down, Donna,” Aunt Paige said, her voice firm but not unkind.

  Donna had the urge to give her aunt the finger, to scream at her and tell her that she didn’t have to listen to her anymore. Not after the fight they’d had … the one that neither of them had mentioned. Yet.

  She took a deep breath and looked desperately at Quentin. “But—”

  Simon glared at her. “Show respect for the Archmaster and sit, young lady!”

  Feeling sick, Donna wordlessly slid back into her seat. She hated doing anything that Simon told her to do, but she honestly thought she might fall over if she didn’t sit down again. There’d be time to ask questions later—time to find out what the hell her aunt had agreed to on her behalf. But, oh my God, she thought, her mind racing with too many things at once. London? What were they doing? What about Xan?

  And what about Nav? She looked up and found herself gazing into her best friend’s brown eyes—eyes filled with growing shock and anger that mirrored her own. With an effort, she dragged her gaze away and tried to focus on the rest of Quentin’s words.

  “Specifically, Donna will be apprenticed as an initiate, under the supervision of Miranda Backhouse, for a period of one year—to begin with. Miranda is in need of a new apprentice since the graduation to full adept of her previous charge, Robert Lee.”

  At this, Donna looked across the room to where the lanky young alchemist sat slouched next to Miranda.

  “Donna will aid in the creation of a new Philosopher’s Stone, so that the Order of the Crow can work on creating a fresh sample of the elixir.” Quentin paused and met her shocked gaze. “This has been decreed and voted upon unanimously, and is deemed fair in light of the loss of our most precious commodity.”

  Her throat tightened and, although she was horrified at the thought of being effectively exiled, Donna also couldn’t help wondering if this was … right. Maybe she should be the one to help create a new elixir. She had, after all, thrown away the last precious drops held by the Order of the Dragon. Okay, so she hadn’t exactly known at the time that it had been the last remnants of the priceless elixir, but that wasn’t the point. She’d been willing to risk everything that the alchemists had worked for centuries to protect, both from the population at large (in order to stop wars being fought between humans over the potential for immortality) and from the fey (who were becoming more interested in what little power the alchemists still held).

  Quentin leaned heavily on the dragon-carved lectern. “Miranda Backhouse would like to say a few words.”

  The petite woman rose from her seat and began speaking, formal words filled with that quiet strength and power that Donna had noticed the first day of the hearing. She listened as Miranda outlined the program of study that would be devised for the newest initiate admitted to the ranks of the Order of the Crow.

  Donna let herself imagine really going through with her sentence … which would mean traveling to London and working with this woman. Learning from her. Embracing the destiny that belonged to an Underwood born into the alchemists, and finally learning their true secrets. Because, in truth, she really didn’t know more than a tiny percentage of all there was to discover about the possibilities for alchemy. She now understood the potential for corruption and lies—that much had become clear from her mom’s journal—but surely it wasn’t like that everywhere. Maybe the Order of the Crow was different, even honorable. Perhaps she could fulfil her parents’ ideals in London, far away from Simon and the crumbling remains of the Order of the Dragon.

  “And finally, I would like to extend an official and cordial welcome to Donna Underwood.” Miranda turned to face her. “Although you will be joining us under difficult circumstances initially, we hope you’ll learn to enjoy your time in London. I have much to teach you, and, if I’m honest, I am particularly excited to have the unexpected opportunity to work with such an intelligent young woman.”

  She stopped for a moment and smiled, a genuine expression that lit up her face. “It has been a long time since a moon sister was admitted to the Order of the Crow, and we in England have a long affinity with the more powerful of the female alchemists from previous centuries.”

  Donna found herself responding to this woman, trying to picture herself in a country so rich in the history of alchemy. If she could just find a way to open the door to Faerie and free her mother from the Wood Queen’s power, maybe she really could get a fresh start.

  But there was no way she could think about London now, not with so much at stake. Perhaps later …

  Swallowing a wave of sadness, Donna noticed that Miranda was still looking directly at her.

  “Donna, do you have anything to say?”

  “Um …” She licked her lips as she felt all eyes in the room come to rest on her. Sweat broke out on her forehead; she hated being the center of attention. “I don’t think so.”

  Quentin raised his eyebrows. “Come now, Donna. I know this is a potentially uncomfortable situation, but it’s also an opportunity. Surely you have something to say about the future we would like to see you embrace.”

  He made it sound like she had a choice, but Donna knew it was just Quentin being courteous—despite what he’d hinted at in the Blue Room yesterday. Sure, he’d said that ultimately Donna could choose her own destiny, but that didn’t mean the Order would make it easy for her; in fact, they were making it as hard as possible, and would probably continue to do so for the rest of her life. And if she did manage to save Mom, could she then run off to England and leave her mother here with the Order of the Dragon? What would Mom really want for her?

  Donna had never felt so alone.

  Miranda had moved to stand directly in front of her, but oddly, Donna hadn’t even noticed her move. She shook herself and looked up into the pleasant, softly lined face of this woman who could become someone important to her in the future—if she went along with the hearing’s verdict and allowed the alchemists to send her away.

  Exile. The word echoed loud and ugly in her mind.

  Miranda Backhouse extended a hand and raised thin blond brows at her, a half-smile curving her mouth into something inviting. “Will you join us in London, Donna?”

  There it was again: the illusion of choice. It made Donna want to say something nasty and childish, but she found it difficult to be so ungracious in the face of Miranda’s apparent friendliness and open acceptance of an apprentice who could turn out to be a troublemaker.

  She took Miranda’s hand and stood. The older woman kept her gloved hand in her own and had to look up, now, to meet Donna’s eyes.

  “Are you really giving me a choice?” Donna asked, pitching her voice so that everyone in the room would hear her. She was relieved that it didn’t shake too much, despite the nervous jolt of adrenaline that shot through her.

  Miranda’s calm gaze didn’t leave hers, though she did release her hand. “The choice is in whether you will embrace the opportunity for redemption that we offer.”

  Donna frowned, her heart beating faster as anger blossomed in her gut. “So there is no choice. Not really.” She made it a statement.

  Simon rose from his seat beside Quentin’s. “The representative from the Order of the Crow asked you a question, Underwood. Do her the courtesy of a reply. You can whine about it later.”

  Quentin’s eyes flashed a warning at his partner and Donna was surprised to see Simon sit back down, fuming quietly to himself. She filed that morse
l away for future consideration; she really couldn’t figure out Quentin and Simon’s dynamic.

  Swallowing, she did her best to ignore Simon’s unfriendly gaze burning into her and instead turned to her aunt. “Did you agree to this?”

  Aunt Paige tucked her dark hair behind her ears and pursed her lips. Her eyes flickered briefly to Quentin, but then met Donna’s. “I abstained from the vote.”

  So Aunt Paige hadn’t sold her out after all. Donna knew she should care more about that, but right now she found it hard to care about anything where her aunt was concerned. Not after last night.

  She licked her lips and met Miranda’s eyes. “All I can say, if you want me to be truthful, is that I’ll think about it. I understand that I don’t really have a choice, but at the same time …” Here she glanced at Quentin. “At the same time, I could choose to leave the Order entirely.”

  A murmur of unrest flowed among the gathered alchemists.

  “I’m not saying that’s what I’ll do,” she said, speaking fast. “I’m just saying that this is a lot to take in, and if you really expect me to ‘embrace my destiny’ and move to another country—even if it’s only for a year—I need time to come to terms with it.”

  There, she thought. That sounded reasonable, and she wasn’t committing herself either way.

  Simon gave her a nasty smile. “Well, you might want to come to terms with it quickly—you’ll be fast-tracked through graduation and begin your studies in England next month.”

  January! And what did he mean, “fast-tracked” through graduation? Could they even do that? Her shoulders slumped. Of course they could; they were alchemists, and they had money and power. Influence. She only had to take finals at her old high school anyway, and she had no doubt that those could be taken any time the Order chose.

  And yet, as she watched understanding grow in Navin’s dark eyes, mirroring her own uncertainty, she realized that she had barely a month left to make some of the most important decisions of her life. Decisions that could hardly be made without her mother’s advice and guidance—if Donna could get her back.

  Time was running out. Just a few hours left to save her mom’s soul, and despite the threat of exile hanging over her, she couldn’t think about anything else right now. The only way to change things, as Donna had learned over the last few weeks, was to take matters into her own hands and make something happen.

  Starting now.

  Sixteen

  Donna wasn’t exactly proud of what she was doing, not to mention how undignified it was. Hanging around suspiciously in an ancient-looking bathroom at the Frost Estate, preparing to tear the metal grille from the tiny window, was far from where she imagined she’d end up today. But she’d picked this bathroom for her escape from the mansion specifically because it was in one of the oldest wings—it wasn’t likely that anyone would be using it.

  There was no way she could stay here a moment longer, despite the fact that she was supposed to be waiting for Aunt Paige to finish up some business with Quentin. Simon had insisted Donna wait in one of the guest bedrooms, well out of the way.

  Anyone would think they don’t trust me, she thought with a grim smile. If her aunt really believed that she was just going to wait around like a dutiful alchemist-in-training, she was in for a surprise.

  Hadn’t Aunt Paige figured it out? Last night really had changed everything between them. Their fight wasn’t just a typical family argument, the ones that blow over the next day so that things can go back to normal. Nothing could ever go back to normal now, not as far as Donna was concerned.

  “Crap,” she muttered, almost slipping on the cracked plastic toilet seat. Nervously, she shot a quick glance over the top of the stall and was relieved to see that the bathroom was still empty.

  She crouched on her precarious perch and grabbed the window ledge with both hands. Pushing her fingers through the wire bars of the grille, she pulled with as much strength as she dared. The teeth-rattling scraping made her cringe, but she kept pulling and easily removed the now-twisted metal from the frame. Screws popped and fell to the tile floor with a loud tinkling sound, and she wondered if it was realistic to think that nobody could hear the racket she was making. Stealth wasn’t exactly her strong suit; but it would have been nice if she could have exercised a little of it, just this once.

  She laid the mangled steel grate on top of the dusty toilet tank, careful to avoid the flush mechanism, and unconsciously brushed her gloved hands against her jeans.

  The window opened inward, which she’d been careful to check before even attempting this, but the sun was high in the clear blue sky and it wouldn’t be difficult for a casual passerby to notice a seventeen year old girl climbing out of a second-floor window round the west side of the estate.

  Donna looked down. The drop didn’t look too big, and it wasn’t like she hadn’t climbed out of windows before. Yeah, because I’m such a daredevil, she thought, pressing her lips together as a blast of icy wind hit her face. She scrambled to a crouch on the outside window ledge. Her back was bent so low she could feel the belt on her jeans digging into her stomach and, despite the cold, she wished she wasn’t wearing her long gray winter coat.

  Nevertheless, she had to get out of here, and all the regular exits were being watched—either by actual people or by remote viewing (the magical kind). If she could just get back to Xan’s house, she could finally tell him about the Wood Queen’s demands and see if he could help her figure out how to use her new abilities to do what Aliette wanted. Donna wasn’t going to let Xan come with her to the Ironwood, not this time. She wasn’t about to put a friend in danger again—not after what happened a few weeks ago with the elixir.

  Research assistance and moral support, however, were things she was willing to ask him for.

  Looking down again, she was relieved to see that the narrow path circling the house was empty. She took a deep breath as she sat on the window ledge, then grabbed the frame and slid down until the only things holding her entire weight were her magically enhanced hands. Her legs dangled out into space.

  Donna gritted her teeth to keep from crying out in pain. She might be super strong, but that strength was only in her forearms and hands. Her shoulders? Not so much. Swinging from a scarily rotten window frame was all well and good in theory, but it felt as if her arms were about to be pulled out of their sockets.

  She could probably jump down easily enough—it wasn’t that far, really—but thinking about doing something and actually doing it were entirely different.

  Why did it always seem so much more straightforward in movies?

  Her shoulders were burning and her feet scrabbled for purchase against the wall. If anyone walked by now, it was all over. Finished. The alchemists would throw away the key. She didn’t give herself any more time to think—she had to get to Xan, and to do that she had to let go.

  She forced her fingers to open just as the window frame started to splinter under her weight, and fell to the winter-hard ground like a stone.

  The afternoon was bright and clear, the air cold enough to freeze her breath. Donna blew out and watched the white mist slowly drift away. Just as she reached the end of Xan’s street, filled with its impressive-looking townhouses, she felt that horribly familiar prickle at the back of her neck. Her intuition seemed to be getting sharper every day, and she wondered if it had something to do with her strange new ability to … teleport, or whatever the hell it was she was doing.

  She glanced over her shoulder, and her heart lifted when she saw a young, dark-haired figure. Had Navin followed her from the Frost Estate?

  But the tall figure striding after her wasn’t Nav at all.

  It was Robert Lee.

  “Wait a sec, Donna, would you?”

  He half ran to catch up to her, and she reluctantly slowed her pace. They stopped at the crosswalk in silence for an uncomfortable moment.

  Donna didn’t want the young alchemist to follow her to Xan’s house, which meant she needed
to lead him somewhere else. Which would waste precious time. Irritated, she shoved her hands into her pockets and glared up at him. “What?”

  A grin spread across Robert’s angular face, his lip ring glinting against his pale mouth. “That’s all you have to say to me, after I oh-so-kindly didn’t give you away to your aunt?”

  “What do you mean?”

  “I saw you making your daring escape from the mansion, all impressive and superhero-style.”

  Donna’s stomach clenched and she half-expected to see more of the alchemists following Robert.

  “Oh relax, I didn’t tell them,” he said airily. “You owe me.”

  She didn’t know what to say to that. What could he possibly have to gain from letting her off the hook? “What do you want?” she asked, her voice filled with suspicion.

  “You don’t give your trust easily, do you?”

  Way to state the obvious. Donna simply raised her eyebrows.

  Robert shrugged. “So, are we just going to stand and admire the traffic all day—fascinating as that is, of course—or are we going somewhere? I could come with you.”

  Could he be any more annoying? “I have to meet … someone. Whatever you have to do with your oh-so-exciting life, have fun. I’ll see you later. And don’t worry, I’ll tell my aunt that you successfully shadowed me.”

  She headed across the street, thankful that the crosswalk light had conveniently started counting down right at that moment. Perhaps Robert would get the message and leave her alone.

  “You have some big cars over here, you know that?” he said conversationally, keeping pace with her easily as they hit the sidewalk on the other side.

  Donna kept walking. There was no way she was going to tell him who she was meeting, but at the same time it was pretty obvious that Robert wasn’t going anywhere. She sighed, making a wide circle back toward the Common.

  Robert glanced at her. “Are you going to visit the hot boyfriend I’ve been hearing about?”

  Donna’s jaw clenched. “You think I need a guy to protect me?”