Chapter 23

Goodness.

My.

Bother.

Drat.

T hree princes awaited me.

My wooden horse scraped into the courtyard, and I kept a hand clutched in King See's velvet jacket to keep the ends together as I slid off the mount. Goodness, these princes would see more of my skins and stitches than most monsters ever had, but naught could be done about that, so I'd face the moment with bravery. How wonderful to simply deny fear and doubt with my mind.

Mother yawned the steed away. Did she know where I'd been and how I was dressed? I grimaced at the thought.

"Good evening, Prince Sign," I said after, then nodded at two other princes.

One swept a bow. "You are the burst of full moon between sunshowers, lady. I'm Prince Seal."

I dipped my head. "A pleasure, Prince Seal."

The last prince met my eye, and I knew him immediately.

"Prince Deliver," he said, sweeping a bow. "I have been peeking at you for a while, lady."

He was the eye through the glass panel in my conservatory.

"You did give me a fright the first time I noticed you," I replied. "Thank you. And I apologize for the hostile nature of our second exchange. I was in a terrible mood."

"Think nothing of it," the prince answered.

I approached Sign and took one of his hands in mine. "Prince Sign, I must apologize for how I spoke to you yesterday. You did not deserve my judgment over how you would or wouldn't defy your liege. Did you get in a lot of trouble then?"

A shadow flittered across his eyes. "A little, lady. Nothing undeserved. Though I cannot regret helping you somewhat."

"I didn't understand your actions, Sign, but now I start to," said Seal.

Each of their gazes had dropped to my velvet coat. They would know who it belonged to, and now their liege would know also. "What does King Raise seek from me tonight?"

"He wishes to remind you of your contractual obligations, lady," Seal answered. He drew a contract from his pocket.

I frowned. "I formed no contract with him."

"You didn't, no. But our liege learned that you're made of parts from fifty female ancestors. This sparked a memory, and our king recalled an odd deal made with a strange human twelve hundred years ago. In short, Lady Patch, you're part of an ongoing contract made by your ancestor. You're already in servitude to my liege."

I tilted my head. "And that is how the fifty mothers in my line managed to make me. They made a deal with King Raise long ago." I shifted my focus to Seal. "The price was a withering disease."

He untied the document in his waxy hand and scanned the contents. "Yes, lady. It would appear so. Painful and premature death is the description here."

King Raise was playing games with me. "My ancestors paid the price for me. If I were in servitude to your king, then I would not still have the power of choice."

The faces of the three hairless princes smoothed.

"I could see how you might interpret that," Prince Seal said. "But there is some question surrounding the wording in the contract as to whether you're correct or whether you're legally in servitude to our king."

"I'm free. There is no question."

"We would appreciate your help in tidying this matter so it can be filed away," Seal said again. "King Raise believes that you are in breach of this contract. If this matter cannot be resolved between you, then it would be decided by the other kings."

I might rely on Bring and See in this, but not the others. And not Raise. That was three against two. "I might entertain a meeting with King Raise in an above-ground location of my choosing. This doesn't mean I believe there any basis to his far-reaching attempt to control my freedom. If I am to entertain a meeting, then I would need something to show me that your liege realizes this is a boon and a boredom to me."

Seal cocked a brow. "An unusual request. What would you require?"

"When King See snuffed this space, each king took a snuffing share of the hotel. I would like your king's one-fifth snuffing share returned permanently and in full. No more and no less."

The princes exchanged a look.

"That doesn't seem a lot at all," Sign said.

"You could ask more," Deliver added.

Seal swept a bow. "I shall take this to our liege, and you shall know our answer in short duration."

With that, Princes Sign, Seal, and Deliver walked out of the wall of bars and disappeared below the surface.

I released a breath. "An unexpected twist."

The last snuffing share was so close, I could almost taste it. I jogged up the stairs, excitement a tight coil in me. I continued past the first and second floors, then followed the curved staircase to my conservatory.

I took care not to step on the glass panel at the center but strode directly to the burgundy drape that I'd almost pulled free a week ago. I might have gotten on well enough if I'd looked upon myself then, but I'd had several hours in Raise's kingdom where I'd forged an impossible escape born of my capability and help from the right friends, and then an evening with See where I'd respected my needs and possible future alongside his, and him a king. These small practices convinced me even more of the ideas I'd painted for myself one week ago.

I strode forward and gripped the drape.

"If you detest what you see, then you know how to teach yourself otherwise, Perantiqua. You are very ancient in many matters, and you'll be ancient in this matter soon enough." I banished my misgivings and yanked hard.

The copper-framed mirror beneath was revealed, and not a speck of dust obscured the surface.

Wrapped as I was in See's velvet jacket, I could only see my face, lower legs, and hands. My face had worried me most, and I ignored the rest to study it.

A thick, horizontal stitch marred the skin at the base of my neck, and another stitched row—neat and tidy by comparison to the one at the base of my neck—attached my neck and jaw. My lips were stitched on as I'd known, and then I had a masklike panel that attached through stitches under my cheekbones and across the bridge of my nose, then across my eyebrows and across my temples.

Another stitched row was visible just inside my blonde hairline and more still around my ears. I was a quilt, and all manner of colors. Every stitch was different and every patch. Fifty parts of me belonged to fifty different people. Twelve hundred years ago, my human ancestor entered the kingdom of stairs to carve a deal with King Raise. What bravery. And how had she been so sure of her purpose to wither for me to exist?

Fifty women had gone through pain and suffering for me .

I'd unintentionally made light of their sacrifices—and them with only the smallest knowledge of this world of immortals and ancients and monsters. Each of them was visible in the patches of me now, and so they should be for all they'd given me and achieved.

The stitches holding each patch connected two of my ancestors. Did they connect the sacrifice of mother and daughter? I'd never know, but the thought warmed me.

Of all the stories I'd seen on monsters since Mother died, mine felt the most incredible because I'd lived it.

I studied my hands and legs, then dropped See's jacket to view the rest of my body. There was a mismatch to each half of my body that my mind enjoyed. I might have a stitch beneath my elbow on one side, and then a stitch midway through my upper arm on the other side.

How utterly fascinating.

I spun to view the back and recalled how See had groaned at the sight.

"How am I possible?" I traced the great chain of X stitches between my hips. The same stitch circled the joint of each hip and continued across my back and around my sides. "Mother, thank you." She'd done a beautiful job.

This body was my own, and I was the monster that filled it, but I must always, always remain grateful for the sacrifices that had made me magnificent.

My practice started today.

"Perantiqua, you are a magnificent, capable monster who gives frights as well as receives them. You will only surround yourself with people who believe in the best of you, but never forget that how you perceive yourself is most important of all."

I even felt the truth of these words today. Maybe not every day would feel so easy, and yet I felt elation, plain and simple, that hate hadn't filled me at the sight of my reflection. I felt hope.

"I might already feel some love for you," I told her, and she smiled back.

My monster.

Me.

How curious.

"This mirror shall remain uncovered." I would look at myself each day, and soon the sight would be as normal as breathing.

My words rang in me and the whole situation felt very fateful. I'd been right to prepare for meeting myself.

A murmur of conversation floated to the conservatory, and I shrugged into See's jacket with haste. Avoiding the glass panel in the floor, I walked to the balustrade and found my courtyard crowded with monsters.

"Twelve princes," I blurted. "Whyever are you all here?"

"We were hoping you'd tell us, Lady Patch," said Prince Hex. "We were dragged here a few minutes ago."

I frowned. "I didn't call you. Not on purpose at least. You were dragged, you say?"

Sanguine had blood dripping down his chin. "Yes, dragged ."

I'd torn him from a draining by the looks. I couldn't be sorry for that. "There has been a mistake. I have no need of…"

The wall of bars admitted three more princes.

Sign, Seal, and Deliver scanned the busy courtyard.

"Is there a soiree?" Sign asked. "I wouldn't mind a soiree. This is the second time I've been to the surface in many centuries."

I almost felt sorry to let him down. "Not a soiree, prince. Have you news from your liege then?"

Perhaps I should send the other princes away. They would inform their lieges of the meeting between me and Raise.

But I didn't.

Deliver bowed. "Our king happily returns his one-fifth of the snuffing share to Hotel Vitale and greatly anticipates your meeting in the near future."

The near future. I didn't miss that part.

I didn't miss the return of Raise's snuffing share, either, though I didn't see cleaning carts or furniture with my eyes.

I felt them return.

A dusk wind spiraled through the courtyard, and the princes reared back. To no avail, for my mother yawned and all fifteen of the princes disappeared beneath ground.

I gasped, "Mother, you can't renovate with princes!"

Racing downstairs, I didn't truly register that more of the hotel had transformed since I'd walked to the conservatory.

When I burst into the courtyard, shock slowed my feet.

Mother had spat out the fifteen princes, who looked as confused as I felt to see them dressed in matching livery. Copper livery embroidered with black hellebores.

My jaw was ajar. "Mother, what have you done?"

Yet I knew well enough that my mother didn't own this space. She liked to yawn things away and regurgitate renovations, but I owned this space.

I owned all five snuffing shares. "This was the purpose behind my obsession."

"Lady," Will Be said hoarsely. "Lady, how is it that I feel your will in me?"

I shook my head. "I can't say."

Toil said, "I feel it also. I feel… I feel that I should do your will. What brought this on?"

I didn't tell them of the snuffing shares. "Do all of you feel this?"

"Yes," Huckery snapped. "What trickery is this?"

"No trickery," I answered. "I don't understand either. Do you still feel the purpose of your kings?"

Fifteen nods.

They felt their kings' purposes.

They felt my will.

"Which is stronger in you?" I dared to ask in my shock.

No one wished to answer.

Gangrel did at last. "I feel urgency to do your bidding, but there's no option to relent in keeping my liege to his purpose."

Sign was aghast. "We've become pawns. That's what we are. We were princes, and now we're the lady's pawns. There has never been such a thing since the dawn of the new era."

"Pawns," scoffed Has Been. "We're no such thing. No disrespect, lady, but you're not even a princess."

Valetise strode across the courtyard holding a cushion.

I stared at the item atop the cushion, and my mouth dried when she stopped before me.

"She is no princess, you fools," Valetise said in a scathing voice. "And you are her pawns forevermore until the world ends or doesn't. You are her pawns, and she is your queen."

I picked up the black crown on the velvet cushion, and my ancient mind turned over pawns and snuffing shares and the warning of King See to never mention the changes of Hotel Vitale. I considered my growing power and slumbers and increasing ancientness. I thought of my reluctance to marry See's purpose and lose my own, and then of my annoyance when kings and princes hadn't showed proper respect of late. I'd felt irritated when See's chair was more throne-like than mine during our dinner too.

"She is right. I am queen."

That was the only logical explanation for a series of very impossible and magical happenings.

I put on the crown.

The earthquake that resulted after threw fifteen monsters to the ground and would have thrown Valetise had I not kept her upright.

As the princes staggered upright again, they gaped behind me. I turned to face the first level of the hotel.

The uniform studio doors were gone. A series of low archways had replaced them, studded with gems and precious metals and draped in hellebores. Above the fifteen archways were fifteen names; Has Been, Is, Will Be, Toil, Hex, Sigil, Huckery, Unguis, Loup, Gangrel, Sanguine, and Vassal.

I read the last three names—Sign, Seal, and Deliver. I faced Raise's princes. Or my pawns. Or were they both?

"What's going on here?" Seal demanded. "What are you?"

"I am Queen Perantiqua," I replied. "And you are all my pawns. Each of you apparently has a home here, if you should choose it."

"Our lieges shall know of this," said Loup, and his comment wasn't a threat, just a certainty.

I felt the truth of that and could only marvel at the choices that had driven me to this crown.

Was one choice more important than others, or had all of them added up somehow? The cause warranted further thought, but any link eluded me for now.

A more pressing matter existed.

Five immortal kings would soon learn that I'd become queen and stolen their princes for my pawns. They'd learn that along with five kingdoms, a queendom existed in Vitale.

I am queen.

I regarded my fifteen pawns and tried to hide how my insides quailed. Each of them could feel my will, but what on Earth was my will? Could they feel how I floundered within?

"So you're queen," said Will Be in the silence. "It's just… when my liege asks for my report, what shall I say that you're queen of?"

I had no answer.

So I walked toward the stairs and ignored him entirely. "I'll be in my conservatory if anyone should need me."

My heart thumped as I climbed through my hotel. I'd been right to ignore him.

What was I queen of?

I didn't have a clue, but kings would certainly wish to know this above all else. My answer was very, very important—the biggest tangle yet.

No, I'd been quite right to ignore Will Be's question. Answering too soon wouldn't do at all.

***