Chapter27:

Something about his answer told her he wasn’t just talking about the present situation where he was simply delivering her. He gave her a small, reassuring smile, and she squared her shoulders, inhaling one more time as she motioned for the doors to open. The queen was seated on her throne, impeccably dressed as always, not a hair out of place, and her crown was perfectly situated on her head. The rest of the council also appeared as if they’d been up for hours. Kit approached the throne slowly, with her head held high, as Eli had suggested, and she tried not to be in a rush or seem upset at all by the information she’d discerned earlier. The fact that Armant, the royal physician, stood across the room, in front of the council members’ thrones alerted her that whatever was wrong, it was serious, and Kit did her best to keep her breathing even. She bowed and went through the process of greeting her mother, trying not to hurry through it to get on with the matter at hand. When she stood,