Just when Noble was beginning to think she liked the Queen, Emira had to say something new to frustrate her.
"I should have been more discrete with what I asked the librarian," Noble muttered.
"Do not blame Drune for my knowledge. It was obvious by your collection of books what you were searching for. You cannot continue down this path."
"What path is that exactly?" The professor wondered if the Queen was bluffing. Was she trying to get Noble to admit to something or did she actually know?
The Queen's voice became frighteningly quiet. "It is the same path that your parents took. It led to their deaths. You will not follow in their footsteps no matter how much Counsel desires to push you toward their same end."
It hadn't been Counsel's idea to go to the library. Noble had made that clear earlier. But that didn't stop Emira from making the accusation a second time.
The Queen only believed her own narrative! Noble furrowed her brow.
"You think I am blindly following my parents? Is that why you burned one book and took another? So you can keep me from what I desire and force me to do as you please?" Noble knew she was treading a fine line, but for the moment, she did not care. "I think you would rather have a puppet than a niece."
The ever-changing temperature in the room became nearly unbearable.
Emira's eyes looked like hot coals. The golden chain around the queen's neck began to glow like it was made of molten lava. Yet somehow it remained intact.
"Leave us!" Emira commanded the servants.
The room emptied instantly.
The Queen leveled her gaze at her niece.
"How dare you! You will never speak to me that way again."
"Forgive me, Aunt. But are you upset that I challenged you? Or upset that I am right?" Noble continued to push despite the warning signs to cease fire.
Emira clenched the table. The room began to smell like smoke. "You are just like your father! Absolutely infuriating!"
Noble did not know how Brenna's father had been when he was alive, but her own was amazing. The insult to Lord Byzas felt like the Queen was digging at her niece's very soul.
"I am my own person. You may answer my question or ignore me, Your Majesty, but please do not insult the dead." Noble wanted to say more but the air around her became thick with heat as unnatural pressure built up in her ears.
It was only then that Noble realized that she had been playing with fire…literally. Emira was wearing the same expression she had when she shot the Tyrant. Noble paled.
"Please, don't…" Her eyes swirled as she sent calm to the Queen.
A silent battle of wills raged unseen as the temperature fluctuated wildly. Emira pushed away the feeling, scowling at the intrusion on her senses. But then she looked at the scared woman before her.
A pulse of energy passed through the room like a flame ready to ignite only to be stuffed out at the final moment. The pressure against Noble's body lessened as well. The glowing necklace returned to its normal color. The room went still.
"Don't what? Murder my niece over dinner? Honestly, I have better manners than that. It would spoil the meal."
Releasing the table, Emira sighed.
"You may be childish, but I am not. I will answer your questions. Yes, I do think you are blindly falling into the same trap as your parents, and although I don't want a puppet, a dutiful niece would be a vast improvement over the wild one I have now. As for the books you mentioned– One of those books deserved to be burned. It had nothing to do with you or your research. The other should never have been offered to you in the first place."
The Queen brushed her hand through her auburn hair. There was no crown on her head just now, but a small circlet with golden hearts danced across the front of her forehead.
Glossing over the rest of the information, Noble latched onto the final sentence. "Why should the book not have been offered to me? What was wrong with it?"
Looking down at the table, Noble noted the scorch marks burned into the wood where Her Majesty's hands had been.
Was she really foolish enough to continue to push Emira? It seemed so.
Thankfully the Queen maintained her icy composure. "The journal was only meant for the sovereign's eyes. It should never have been left with the other books."
Hearing the word 'sovereign' made Noble flinch. It was not a word used openly in the waking world.
'It means something different here,' she reminded herself.
Taking a sip of drink, Noble cooled her throat and composed her thoughts. "What if you looked in the book and told me what I need to know?"
"All you need to know is that chasing after the Tyrant is a fool's errand. I forbid you to do it." The Queen would not be challenged on this point.
Noble's tilted her head. "What if I don't go after it? What if I find a way to kill the Tyrant without going into the mountains?"
"It cannot be done. At least..." Emira's lips formed into a thin line as she rethought her words, "No, the risk is too great. All who have tried, have died."
"What if you help me? Surely the two of us can find a plan that will lower the risk of dying to an acceptable level."
"What risk do you consider an acceptable level?" The Queen quipped.
"Less than those you lost in the last hunt outside the city," Noble responded evenly. "One death is too many for me. I will find a way that will maximize our chances of success while keeping risk at a minimum. I will not use the kingdom's resources without your express permission. Will you help me?"
"No," Emira tapped the table gently.
Noble blew out her cheeks. "But taking down the Tyrant will save the kingdom! Don't you want to be free? If only..."
Holding up her hand, the Queen silenced her niece. "I wasn't finished. I will not help you on this fool's errand. I am far too busy. However, I will not stop you. The morning of my centennial, you can propose your plan, and I will listen."
'I suppose that is something,' Noble tried to find the positive. If Her Majesty wasn't actively blocking her, that was one less obstacle she would have to overcome.
"Thank you, Your Majesty."
"This will only happen on three conditions," the Queen lifted two fingers with a stern look. "You will not argue with me or leave my palace until my celebration six weeks hence."
'Didn't she already confine me to the castle?' While the first request made sense, the second seemed silly on the surface.
But then Noble understood.
What Emira was asking was for willing compliance. The mother of three could relate. It was much easier to live alongside a child who had promised to obey than one who was forced to follow every step of the way.
"That was only two conditions," Noble pointed out.
"Ah yes, the third is that you give an affirmation speech for the ceremony. If you don't want to do it, I am sure Lord Alyx will oblige in composing the words for you to rehearse."
'Seems simple enough. Especially if I am just reading from a script.'
"I will remain here for the time until your party, Aunt. And I will read whatever Alyx writes for me to say. You have my word." Noble figured she would need at least that long to gather information and form a plan. Perhaps all of her diligence would convince the Queen to join her.
'I'll need all the help I can get.'
"We have an agreement then." The Queen nodded.
"Just so we are clear, I still cannot see that yellow journal, right?" Noble allowed a hint of playfulness to cross her face.
"Absolutely not," Emira said, but there was no anger in her words. She had regained her tolerance for the younger woman. "You may use what is in the main library, but not my private collection."
Emira snapped her fingers, and like magic, the servants appeared to line the walls.
"And before you ask about other types of help, the answer is no. I am very firm on that front." Emira let the dessert be served.
The fluffy pillows of white looked soft enough to sleep on.
"But you will not interfere either, correct?" Noble asked a little too innocently as she took her first bite.
"That is what I said." Emira eyed her curiously.
"So if I find a place to train and spar, you will let me use that space?" The professor smiled. "Of course, I would not dare ask you to train me or use anything that is yours."
"Spar? Is your plan to fight the Lord of the Mountain head-on?" Emira lifted one eyebrow.
"I do not, but it never hurts to be prepared." Even if Noble somehow managed to avoid a direct confrontation inside the Nightmare, any skills she could gain would be invaluable when she returned to the waking world.
"I will not stop you from training." Emira tilted up her chin.
Just when Noble thought the Queen was finished, Emira allowed a ghost of a smile.
"But if you plan to battle Counsel, you better make him sting."
Noble's eyes swirled. "That's my specialty."