After what seemed like a few hours of walking, Red held out a hand to stop me. "Look," he said, and pointed ahead at a glimmer of light along the horizon.

"Sunrise?" I asked.

He shook his head. "No such thing, here. That's Caer Maev, the heart of the Queen's domain. She'll know we're there the moment we enter, and do everything in her power to slow or stop us. Which is a lot."

I nodded grimly. "Any tips?"

He shrugged. "Try not to die or go mad, that'd make it hard to hold up my end of the deal."

"Thanks," I said. "Real helpful."

We walked on. Pretty soon the forest around us grew brighter. Black, twisted trees gave way to tall, straight trunks, golden sunlight filtering down through green leaves, like walking out of a late-autumn night and into a spring morning. The ground sloped gently upward as we continued, and then suddenly we emerged into a large clearing.

At the center of the clearing was a hill, and on top of that hill was an enormous tree with silver bark and bright green leaves. As I looked up its massive trunk, I realized it was as much palace as tree, rooms and towers and stairs worked into its branches, or perhaps grown out of them. I gulped as I contemplated the power and sophistication of magic necessary to make that happen.

"Caer Maev," Red said unnecessarily.

As we walked closer, I could see a staircase winding up from the roots of the tree, but as we got closer still I saw the guards, tall and thin in silver armor the same color as the bark, carrying rather nasty-looking spears.

"Halt!" shouted one. "Who goes there?"

Red stepped forward. "Faerdarrig," he said, "and if either of you recognize the name, you'll step aside."

"You we know," said one of the guards. "But this one's a mortal." He pointed his spear at me.

"Aye," said Red, "and there's no rule barring mortals from the Queen's court, is there?"

The two guards eyed each other, but it was obvious they were nervous about fighting Red. Finally, they waved us up the stairs.

"Thanks," I murmured to Red as we climbed the stairs.

"Doing my job," he muttered. "Nothing else. If I weren't bound to aid you, I'd've let them poke your scrawny little mortal body with their spears and anything else they cared to use, and snacked on whatever they left."

"This trip really wouldn't be the same without our friendly little chats, Red."

It was a long climb, and normally I'd be letting the world in general know how I felt about long climbs in very clear terms, but just as I was about to start I heard faint music from above—violins, harps, flutes, bells, other things I couldn't place, gentle and playful, made to be danced to. At the same time, I smelled something delicate and lovely, flowers and sweet pastries and fresh citrus.

"A party," said Red with disgust. "Don't these sprites ever do anything else? All singing and dancing, no blood, no sport..." He spat. "I can't believe you've dragged me here."

"Behave," I warned. "We have a job to do, and then we never have to see each other again."

As we climbed, the music got louder and clearer, the smells stronger and more appealing. My stomach growled and my feet itched. How long since I had last eaten? How long since I last danced?

We reached the top of the stairs, and emerged onto an open platform nestled in the branches of the tree, its only roof the cloudless blue sky above. A vast ball surrounded us—the dancing kind, I mean. There must have been thousands of creatures dancing, all strange, but all beautiful, from butterfly-winged pixies no bigger than my thumb to bark-skinned dryads eight feet tall. I stared around myself in shock, and then my eyes fell on the buffet.

My stomach growled. Everything on that table looked so good! Huge slabs of rare meat, complex pastries, exotic fruits, rare and exquisite dishes I'd only ever heard of—and the aromas! My mouth watered, and I nearly cried at how good it looked.

But I'm not a moron. I know better than to eat fairy food in the fairy realm, nothing good ever happens to visitors who do that! Fortunately, the buffet moved out of view as I spun, and I could put it out of my head.

Wait. Spun?

I looked down at my treacherous feet. I was dancing! In public! That's not a thing I do! But apparently the music had other ideas, and while I was distracted by the food, it whisked my feet away.

Someone with what would have been the body of a very pretty man and the head of a very pretty gray cat if the one hadn't been on top of the other took my hand and whirled me into a complicated two-person dance. My feet, my body, they knew exactly what to do without needing my mind to tell them, and it was amazing, nothing like the clumsy, awkward, fumbling attempts I'd made on the rare occasions I'd let myself be dragged to a school dance.

The cat-person purred in satisfaction, and then whirled me on to the next dancer, a woman twice my height and three times my width who was even more graceful than he was. I laughed as we danced, overwhelmed by the sheer joy of motion.

They passed me from dancer to dancer as the music played on, ever-changing, never stopping. I danced and danced, danced until my feet throbbed and my head ached and I didn't care. I never wanted to stop! I was never going to stop. The fairy-music had me and I was going to dance until I fell dead on my feet.

And in that moment, I couldn't think of a better way to go. I was caught, unable to stop, unwilling to stop, and I didn't care that it was going to kill me because dancing just felt too good.

Then I saw Iason, and stopped dead.

He was leaning against a wall, and he looked awful. His armor and sword were nowhere to be seen, and he was wearing nothing but a white tunic. His hair was a mess, his face drawn and pale, his eyes sunken. "Iason!" I shouted, and rushed up to him. "It's been a day, how did this happen!?"

He looked past me, an expression of naked terror on his face. I turned, and drew in a sharp breath.

Half-walking, half-dancing toward us was an absolutely stunning woman—literally. At the sight of her, I couldn't talk, couldn't move, could barely speak. The sight of her overwhelmed my senses and nearly fried my brain.

She was hot, is what I'm saying.

About a head shorter than me, and with just an absolutely perfect body. Long, slender legs, pert ass, broad hips, narrow waist, flat tummy, full breasts practically the size of her head. Clear, pale skin that looked like it had never been touched by the sun despite the fact that she was walking around in the open on a summer afternoon. Golden wavy hair past her knees, flowing over her shoulders and back like a cape. Huge blue doe-eyes, upturned nose, perfect ruby-red cupid's-bow lips. She was walking perfection, and all she wore as she approached were flowers, strung along thread-slim green vines, cunningly positioned to hide nothing and draw attention to everything. They cupped and raised her perfect breasts, traced down her belly and up her thighs to point in to the neatly trimmed golden triangle that pointed down to her slit, delicately highlighted her slender arms and neck.

To reiterate: Mega. Fucking. Hottie.

"Pet!" she cried in a voice like sacred music. "You must introduce me to your friend!"

What little life there was in Iason's eyes seemed to die. "Your Majesty, this is Lemma," he said dully. "She was my companion before I became your pet."

Queen Maev smirked as she eyed me up and down, and somehow made even smirking seem incredibly sexy. She sashayed past me and took Iason's arm. "Aren't you a skinny thing," she said to me. "Kneel to your Queen."

She gestured, and my exhausted legs just gave out, forcing me to fall to my knees. I grimaced up at her. "I am Lemma of Lemuria," I said. "My people have a treaty with you!"

"I know," she said archly, running her fingers up Iason's bare arm. She waved a hand at me dismissively. "That's why you were greeted by entertainment, rather than slaughtered at the gate."

"Iason is stolen property," I said. "He was taken unjustly by the Faerdarrig, who gave him to you. Return him and all his goods to me, and allow us to leave."

Maev covered her mouth with the back of her hand and laughed richly. "Oh ho ho ho! You give me orders, in my court? Accuse me of accepting stolen goods? You are a very brave little mortal, aren't you? I'm surprised there's room for such courage in that tiny breast."

I gritted my teeth, red exploding behind my eyes. Don't take the bait, I told myself. Your magic couldn't even scratch the Faerdarrig, let alone a being THIS powerful. I tried to put out of my head thoughts of one spell I'd acquired not long ago, which could take out even a being as powerful as the Queen of Faerie, if I could pull it off. But that was a big "if," and I wasn't about to try it for something like this.

She smiled into my eyes, and I saw in her face every single hotter, older, richer girl to ever pick on me when I was a kid just starting at the Academy. "Do you wish to challenge me?" she asked.

"Yes," I said. Then I hastily added, "I want to. But I'm only going to if I agree to the terms of the challenge."

She tilted her head, still smiling, like she was recognizing a good play by an inferior opponent. I really, really wanted to punch her. "If you win, you may depart immediately with my pet and whatever he brought with him. I will not hinder you or attempt to return you hence, and any debts you owe to me and mine shall be considered paid. If I win, you join him as my pet. I'm sure I can find a use for you."

"So far, so good," I said. "What's the challenge?"

"You're no match for me in any kind of combat," Maev said matter-of-factly. "So that'd be boring. I suppose the usual challenge for flimsy mortals: the riddle game. I will pose five riddles. If you can solve three of them correctly, you win. Fail three, and you lose."

I considered this. Elves were obliged to be fair. The riddles might be nasty, but they'd be solvable, and I've always been good at puzzles. I could do this! "I get one day per riddle," I said. "One day of time as I experience it, and no more than five days of time will elapse in the mortal world while we compete. And no distractions—I want your personal guarantee that nothing will disrupt my ability to think as clearly as I normally do during this contest."

She nodded. "Acceptable. However, you are to receive no help in coming up with your answers, whether from the Faerdarrig, my pet, any member of my court, or any other being outside of you yourself. Are you ready for your first riddle?"

"Ready."

"Very well." She spread her hands wide as she intoned, "I invite you to an audience upon the morn. However, you must come neither naked nor clothed, neither riding nor walking, neither empty-handed nor bearing a gift."

I grinned. This was going to be easy!

I spent the night in a room farther along the same branch as the open hall where the dance had taken place. It was plush, opulent, and beautiful, and gave me a place to rest while I sent Faerdarrig to fetch the things I needed. No idea where he found them, but the important thing was, come morning, they were resting at the foot of my bed.

I floated into the courtyard on a column of wind. It was a bit of a strain, but I didn't have to go far, just a little ways down the branch and up to where the queen sat on her throne, Iason at her feet looking even more exhausted than yesterday, if that's possible. Also it made it slightly easier that I wasn't wearing my clothes. Not that I was naked—I'd draped a fishing net over myself.

The Queen looked me over, lips pursed, and then nodded at the sack in my hand. "And that?" she asked.

I held it up and opened it, showing her what was inside: nothing. "Neither walking nor riding, clothed nor naked, empty-handed nor bearing a gift," I said, grinning.

"How did you get the net and the sack?" she asked. "I am quite certain there are no such things in my palace."

Yeah, I'm sure you are. Bet you made damn certain of that before you posed the riddle, right? "I'm not allowed help figuring out the answer," I said. "Doesn't mean I can' t send someone to fetch props after I solve it."

She scowled. "Very well," she said. "The first point is to you. But now it is time for my second riddle: It is more beautiful than me, more terrifying to mortals than death. The poor have it, the rich lack it, and the most contented of all beings wants it. Misers spend it and spendthrifts hoard it, and you shall take it to your grave."

Uh-oh. That's, um... that's a lot harder than the first one. I returned to my room and got dressed, puzzling over it. More beautiful than Maev? What would she admit was more beautiful than her? The sun maybe? But... rich people didn't lack the sun, did they?

I was still puzzling over it when there was a knock at the door. I opened it to see Iason, even more worn than before, but more alert, too. "Lemma," he said, and hugged me, if by "hug" you mean collapsing on me.

I lugged him over to the bed and sat him on it. He blinked blearily at me.

"This is the first time I've been sure you recognize me," I said.

He sighed. "I... I can barely think when she's around," he said. "But sometimes she leaves me alone, for a little while. Then I'm myself again, sort of. Until the next time she calls me at least."

"You can't... hide from her or something?"

He shook his head. "When she calls, I have to go." He tapped the side of his head, or tried to. He mostly missed. "She owns me. In here. I can't get her out, Lemma! I... when she's around, I don't want her out."

"I know the feeling, believe me," I said.

"Let's run," Iason said. "I think I know where they're keeping my sword and armor. Maybe if I had my sword I could, I dunno, keep her out. We could get away."

I glanced at Faerdarrig, and he smiled, showing all his teeth. "I like this plan," he said. "She'll sic her cats on you. You'll be dead before you get within a hundred miles of the borderlands of Faerie, and I'll be free of my debt to you. Maybe they'll even leave enough for me to get a taste!"

Iason stared at him.

"Iason, meet Red," I said. "He's bound to help us get you out of here. But he's a murder-goblin or something, so trust him about half as far as you can kick him, and don't turn your back on him."

Red's smile broadened. "I'm going to eat your heart someday," he said. "You just wait for it, bitch."

I waved him away. "Yeah, yeah, get in line. I've pissed off creatures way more powerful than little old you."

Iason laughed weakly. "You could try not making enemies everywhere you go, you know."

I smiled back at him. "Now you're sounding like yourself! We're going to get you out of here and back to normal in no time. And come on, how long have we been traveling together? You still think I'm capable of trying that?"

"Probably n—" he replied, his voice cutting off as his eyes unfocused all of a sudden. "She's calling me," he said distantly, standing up. A weak smile crossed his face, his cheeks twitching with the effort. "I come, my Queen."

I watched him walk out, knowing that there was nothing I could do except solve the riddle. Speaking of, I needed an answer!

The next morning, I walked proudly up to the throne, grinning.

"Have you an answer to my riddle?" she asked.

"Yeah I do," I replied. "You're going down, Queenie."

"Pray tell," she said, pointedly ignoring my nickname for her, "what is your answer?"

"Sleep!" I announced proudly. "A good night's sleep is the most beautiful thing in the world, and even the poor can sleep, but a rich man'll be up all night from the stress, right?" I crossed my arms and looked her in the eye. "Last riddle, and then I'm out of here." Fuck yeah, I am destroying her! I kick ass at this! I am the champion of—

"Wrong," Maev said.

Wait, what? "Wait, what?" I asked.

"Wrong," she repeated. "Sleep is not more beautiful than me. Nothing is more beautiful than me. Nothing frightens you mortals more than your own inevitable demise. The poor have nothing, the rich lack nothing, the contended want nothing. Misers spend nothing, spendthrifts keep nothing, and you," she smirked evilly at me, "you, little mortal, will go to your grave with nothing. The answer was nothing!" She laughed, a rich, throaty, impossibly beautiful sound. "Which is exactly what you'll be taking from me, if your skill at riddles is this pathetic. How can anyone spend or hoard sleep?"

Fuck. Fuck fuck fuckety fuck! "Fine," I said, trying to stare her down, but those gorgeous blue eyes seemed to swallow me up, like the world had flipped over and I was falling up into the sky. I had to look down; she was simply too powerful, too beautiful. I can't believe I was so stupid! Sleep, what was I thinking? But then, I was stupid enough to challenge her... "Next riddle, then, Quee—" Her eyes flashed and I took a step back, intensely aware of just how powerful she was, how easily she could destroy me. "Uh, Your Majesty."

"Hunger without end," she replied. "Feed it, and it grows. Give it drink, and it dies." She looked down at me from her throne, and I have never felt that tiny in my life.

I was pretty sure I knew the answer, but after losing the last round I definitely wanted to give it some time, so I left. The moment I stepped into the hallway, I realized what had happened. That bitch glamoured me! It was the only explanation—a glamour woven of threads so fine, so subtle, that even I couldn't detect them. That must have been what she did to Iason, too—that was why he was a little freer when she wasn't around to cast them on him.

But that doesn't make any sense! Fairies always keep their bargains, and she promised not to mess with my head... Didn't she? But, I realized as I walked back to my room, she hadn't, had she? She'd promised my head would be clear, and it was: nothing about being awed by her power interfered with my ability to answer her riddles.

I should have known I wouldn't be able to come up with loophole-proof rules, not against her. She's too clever, practically a divine being, and I'm just— I cut that thought off. That was just her again, not my real feelings. I needed to hold on to that!

Iason visited me in my room again around midnight. He didn't look like something the cat dragged in anymore. He looked like something the cat would take one look at and drag right back out again. "You haven't eaten anything here, have you?"

He shook his head weakly, just as my stomach gave a loud growl. "I should be climbing the walls from hunger," I said. "Something about this place is... slowing that down?"

He nodded. "It's keeping me alive," he said. "But Lemma... you have no idea."

I sighed. "It must be torture."

He laughed bitterly. "No, that's the worst part. It feels amazing. It's so hard not to just let go, give up..."

"And let the monsters win?" I asked him sharply.

He closed his eyes. "Right," he said. Then he slowly, unsteadily stood. "Good luck tomorrow, Lemma."

I didn't sleep well at all that night. I kept tossing and turning, running over my riddle answer in my head. But it was right. It had to be right!

Come morning, I walked up to the Queen and gave my answer: "Fire," I said. "It has to be fire."

She laughed and stood, gesturing for Iason to rise from his position sprawled at her feet. "I'm afraid not," she said, smiling wickedly at me, and I felt my insides shrink in the face of her gorgeous terror. "The hunger of a fire ends when its fuel does." She ran her fingers lightly up Iason's arm, and I learned three things: the tunic really was the only thing he was wearing, one part of him was still full of energy, and part of me really, really wanted to be where he was right now.

Iason moaned as she stroked his cock. He stayed ramrod straight, looking blankly forward, as she grasped his shoulders and climbed him like a tree. She wrapped her legs around his torso, and then he held her perfect ass while she started to fuck him.

He grunted as he pounded her, and she sighed blissfully, arching backwards so that she could look at me. Her smirk said everything: she would take everything from me, because nothing was mine. Everything belonged to her, and it was only a matter of time before I did too.

"Lust," she said. "Lust can continue even after all fuel is gone. The more you—ah!—indulge it, the more it grows. And that... mmm... thing with the cold bath really works."

"Fuck," I said. It was only partially at losing. Part of it was at the realization of how hot I was getting, seeing the Queen's perfect body in the throes of passion, knowing that if she ordered me in that moment to get on my knees and pleasure her, I would, because being made to obey her until she let me cum was the hottest thing imaginable.

She grinned. "Close, but not close enough. That's another—oooooohhhh—point for me. Are you ready—yes! ohhh—ready for the next riddle?"

Inspiration struck me. What did I have to lose? It was worth a shot... "Yes," I answered. "Wow, that was an easy one."

She stopped bouncing on Iason's cock and just hung there, staring at me a moment. Then she nimbly dropped off him and turned to face me. Rage vibrated off her little body, and I could swear I saw little bolts of lightning crackling in her hair.

I felt like the world was dropping away beneath me, like a worthless worm about to be annihilated in a burning gale of sheer magnificent rage—and yet even in fury, she was the most beautiful thing I'd ever seen, glowing with incandescent rage and a sheen of sweet-smelling fuck-sweat.

Then the storm passed as quickly as it began, and she smiled. I could breathe again—as long as I could still see that smile... I shook my head. It was getting harder and harder to hold on against the desire to drop to my knees and pledge fealty, but no jumped-up pixie was going to beat Lemma at the healthy self-esteem game—or riddles, for that matter!

"Two and two," she said. "A close game. But now is the final round: Every knee bends for me, every body do I claim. Thought's end, will's breaking; never giving, always taking. Who am I?"

Fuck if I know. Trying not to show my concern on my face, I walked out of her court, mind whirling. Could it be... no. Maybe a... no, that doesn't fit. Is it ham? Ooh, I bet it's ham—no, never mind, that's just me being hungry. Dammit!

Iason didn't come that night. Actually, based on the way Maev was riding him, I think he probably did, a lot, but he didn't visit me, is the point.

I sat up, wracking my brain for an answer that wouldn't come, while Red sat in a corner and watched me silently. I was seriously starting to doubt whether I could do this. She was jaw-droppingly powerful, irresistibly beautiful, with a mind as old and vast as the sea, and who was I? Just some mortal with a handful of spells and a quick tongue and—Dammit maybe I am stupid for not figuring this out sooner! There's no glamour on me or Iason, we're bound by a promise! This is a geas!

Oh fuck, this is a geas. Every time I lose I'm a little closer to being hers—and the geas is so powerful it can do this to me at part strength. I shuddered to think what it might do if it closed around me completely.

"You sure we can't just nab Iason and make a run for it?" I asked.

"You challenged the Queen." Red examined his nails, then picked at his teeth with one. "You don't want to leave that hanging."

"Shit," I answered. Red said nothing, and I went back to thinking.

I was still thinking when a guard came to our room, demanding I come see Maev immediately. "It is time to answer the riddle or accept your fate," he said. "Her Majesty expects you shall attend her immediately."

Well, with an invitation that charming, how could I say no? I dragged my heels as much as I could, but it was still only a few minutes later that I found myself before Maev.

I'm dead! I have no idea what the answer is! I'm doomed, I'm dead, I— I felt a smile spreading slowly across my face. "Death!" I crowed. "The answer is death."

Maev stared down at me, impassively, and then she smiled slowly as well. My blood froze, and I shrank before her gaze. My knees felt weak; I wanted to drop to them, to beg her forgiveness for my defiance, my stubbornness, the insult of someone as ugly and weak and stupid as me daring to exist in the presence of someone as beautiful, perfect, wonderful, amazing...

I shook my head, trying to clear it, but those thoughts continue to tumble through me. It couldn't be. I had to be right! Death brought everyone down in the end, claimed everyone, ended thought and will—

"Death," said Maev, "can give release. In time you will understand that."

No. Nonononono! "What—what was the answer?" I stammered.

Maev's smile turned back into her trademark smirk. "To what does every knee bend? Who claims every body? Who will end your thoughts, your will? Who will take all that you have and give nothing in return? Me."

My knees buckled. This was it, the inevitable consequence of challenging the Queen's perfection. It wasn't like being controlled by Red, it was deeper than that. There was no wanting anything. My mind was emptying out, and my body would just do whatever she expected it to do. It was an extension of her will.

I smiled ruefully to myself. Why had I fought this? Everything was as it should be. I was mortal, she was eternal. It was only natural for me to worship her, obey her, submit to her will.

And her will was to be cruel. She let me keep my awareness of what I was doing as she shoved my face between her legs and made me eat her out. I had no choice, no will, just the knowledge of my helplessness, the humiliation of being controlled by someone who was better than me in every conceivable way, who had defeated me completely.

It was wonderful. From the first taste I was dripping wet, already on the verge of cumming, but I couldn't touch, because I did only exactly what she wanted. Riding that edge, on my knees, desperate and needy and helpless while she came again and again, I understood my place in the universe. I was a toy for my Queen, as all things were and should be. My pleasure, my wants, my needs didn't matter; there was only Her Majesty.

I'd never understood that phrase before, not really. Now I did. I wasn't worthy of addressing her or capable of comprehending how truly glorious she really was. When I looked at her, I was blinded by her majesty—and so that was all I could talk to.

But there was no talking now. Just hours of licking Her Majesty, endless hours that blended together, until my jaw and pussy both ached, screaming for very different kinds of release, but she didn't care—and if she didn't care, it didn't matter. Before I knew I was hers—because I had always been hers, I was just too stupid to realize it without her help, and she was so kind, so good to help me—I never could have lasted a fraction as long. But now that I understood, I could do anything, endure anything—and I would, if she so much as thought about desiring it.

And then it was over. I was in a room full of padded cushions, wearing a white tunic, sprawled across the cushions next to Iason. My entire body ached, my jaw hurt, and my tongue felt coated in caterpillars.

"Ugh," I said, summarizing how I felt.

"Yeah," said Iason weakly.

"We're in trouble, huh?" I said.

"Yep," he answered.

I closed my eyes. There was no getting out of this. We were going to be used up by the Faerie Queen, and it was even money whether we'd die or go insane first. And even now, away from her, all I could do was desire escape. I couldn't act on it. I couldn't even hate her for it, because it still felt absolutely right that things should be this way.

I'm Lemma of Lemuria! I thought experimentally. Beautiful sorcery genius! No one beats me!

But I couldn't believe it anymore. I wasn't even sure I had ever believed it, the boasts of an arrogant girl trying to hide her own doubts about her skill, her looks, her place in the world. Well, there was no doubt anymore: my skills were inadequate, my looks were flawed, and my place was as a plaything to be used up by Her Majesty.

It was so freeing to finally know.

Then an armored guard came through the door. Not in the sense that she opened it and walked through; she flew in through the closed door, smashing it to pieces as she crashed into the piled cushions, sending them flying.

Red stood in what was left of the doorway. "Well?" he said. "Quit gawking and follow me out of here!"

Iason and I looked at each other. "There's no point," he said sadly.

"This is where we belong. Sorry, Red."

"No," he said. "I owe you a debt and a promise, mortal. It will be paid! By contracting with me to get the two of you out of here, you implied you want to leave, right?"

"Well, yes," I admitted. "But—" I cut off as it hit me. Shit, fell for it again! I'd agreed to an interpretation of a contract with a fairy, and that made it true. I was still the Queen's property, that hadn't changed—but I also wanted to leave with him. So did Iason, since I was still his proxy for dealing with Red.

And although Her Majesty could make me want to stay with a word, a thought, her mere presence... she wasn't here.

Iason and I helped each other up and staggered after Red. Mostly I did the staggering while Iason leaned on me; I could barely walk, but he was in much worse shape.

"You know where your kit is, don't ya?" he asked Iason.

"My armor?" Iason said blearily. "I think so."

"Then by all means, show us the way!" Red snapped.

He turned to leave, and I tried to follow, but my feet were rooted to the floor. Fuck, I thought. No. No, this isn't me trying to resist control! There's nothing trying to control me to stay right now, I'm not resisting anything, I'm just going for a walk. A run! Avoiding isn't resisting! The only thing controlling me right now is that I have to want to leave—it's staying that's resisting!

I gasped in relief when my feet started moving, and realized I'd been holding my breath. It was working. I was starting to figure out ways around those stupid, stupid rules in my head that Hragulf had left. Not like the wonderful, perfect ownership of Her Majesty... Of course compared to her he's just a worm, too stupid to realize she owns him, owns everything and everyone. At least I know that now. I'm still worthless compared to Her Majesty, but I'm better than the writhing mass of mortals that don't even know that!

I knew she was going to recapture us--how could things like us think to escape Her Majesty?--but I had no choice: I had to escape. While we hurried down a branch of the palace-complex-tree-thingy, I hissed to Red, "I thought we couldn't just smash our way out like this?"

"No," Red answered. "It was impossible as long as the challenge was going. Before and after it was just very, very stupid. But there's no choice—I have to help ya both get out."

"Halt!" Two guards stood in front of us, their golden armor gleaming. I looked at Iason. No way he was up to fighting them, and when I tried to gather magic, the back of my head fell off. At least, that's what it felt like.

Red snarled and leaped directly at them. They had armor and swords; he was wearing leaves and the only sharp objects he had handy were his teeth. The fight lasted about five seconds.

"Ew," I said.

Red straightened up and turned toward us, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand. "Come on!"

We soon reached a small, heavily locked room, but that door didn't last much longer than the one to our room once Red started kicking it. Inside were some moldy old tapestries, rusty helmets and spears, the usual forgotten palace storeroom type stuff.

Plus a gleaming black iron sword, a complete set of dragonscale armor, and a book.

I picked it up slowly. Of course she has this. Everything belongs to her, including the Lost Library. But... "How did this get here?"

"Who cares!" answered Red. "Grab your stuff and let's go!"

I stuffed Iason's armor into his, uh, arms, grabbed the book and sword, and followed Red out of the room and up the branch. We fled down the stairs, at least a dozen guards after us, only to find two more waiting for us at the bottom of the stairs just like before. Red hit one like a catapult stone hitting a wall, if walls were made of fairy meat.

The other one, I stabbed clumsily at with the sword, which weighed a fucking ton by the way. He spun easily out of the way, so all I managed to do was nick his armor. As a result, I was a bit surprised when he screamed and vanished in a puff of blue flame, which the sword just... drank is the only word I've got for it. A small flurry of silvery ash scattered across the ground where he'd been.

Fuck, and I thought this thing messed up vampires! No wonder it's such a big deal for a monster hunter!

We went as fast as we could through the woods, but after what I did to that guard, the others were a lot slower in following us for some reason. Before long the light was starting to fade as we approached the border between the King's and Queen's forests, the twilight in between where we could reach across the worlds...

And then I heard a small, polite, somehow cute cough. I couldn't help it; I turned.

It was the Queen, beautiful and furious, the flowers on her not-clothes replaced by blood-red thorns, her hair flying and crackling like a stormhead. It was just like Iason described; as soon as she arrived, I didn't want to move anymore, didn't want to think, didn't want. I was just... hers. A thing. Property. A toy waiting on the shelf to be played wi—

Something hit me in the back of the head. Stars exploded in front of my eyes, and then it was dark.

I woke up in a familiar clearing, under a starry, moonless sky. I felt like shit, and my head was pounding, but I still wanted to cheer. We were back in the normal world!

"I believe this concludes our bargain," Red said. I searched the clearing and finally saw him near the roots of a gnarled oak, barely visible in the shadows.

"The Queen?" I asked. "Will she come after us?"

He shook his head. "You became property the moment you lost the riddle game. You didn't escape. In her eyes, I stole you. And me losing you doesn't make me less of a thief. She'll hunt me until she exacts her vengeance, or at least until she finds a more interesting game."

His eyes and teeth gleamed in the starlight. "This is your doing, Lemma," he hissed. "I am bound to leave you be, but mark my words. I will find a way to exact retribution, and when I do, you'll wish you'd stayed a toy of the Faerie royals. Both of you."

"'kay," I said. "You get on that. Better hurry though, I think I hear the Queen coming!" He glared at me, spat, and then he was gone.

I flopped on my back next to Iason. It seemed the geas was gone as well. I supposed it made sense, in twisted Faerie logic: Red stole us, so we were his. Then he released us, so we weren't anyone's. The Queen no longer thought of us as property in her possession, but as things which were no longer hers—that's why she was angry at Red. So we were free.

Except for one terrible burden I could still feel. "Go ahead and say it," I sighed. "I know you want to, and I'm too tired to care."

"We're both so tired we can barely move. I've barely slept and neither of us have eaten in days, and we're alone in the middle of the woods, and still lost. Do you really think I'd be that petty when things are this bad?"

I looked up at the stars. "Yes."

"You're right. Told you so."

I sighed and closed my eyes. Just a quick nap, and then I'd find us some kind of food, and then we'd make our way back to town somehow.

Just as I was dropping off, I think I heard Iason say quietly, "But thank you for rescuing me."

Might've just been a dream, though.