A long velvet gown the color of blood draped her thin figure, and two silent guards stood on either side of her, so motionless that they could've been carved from stone.
“So what have you brought me, my dear Catt?” the old Queen asked in a thin voice, her eyes not wavering from Kayla.
Catt stepped forward and knelt gracefully. “A human child of magic, a gift to your Majesty,”
“Indeed,” the Unseelie Queen said thoughtfully. “And do you have nothing to say for yourself, human child?” she asked, gazing at Kayla with her colorless eyes. “Or are you so awed by the glory of the Unseelie Court that you have been struck dumb?”
The courtiers tittered at the remark, and Kayla agreed with them. This place was shabby, not anything like what she'd imagined a queen's court would be.
“I'm not dumb,” Kayla said, “And besides, this is only a dream. I don't believe in you!”
The elves laughed.
“I'll wake up in another few minutes, I'll be back in bed, and I probably won't even remember that I dreamed about you!” Kayla said hotly.
“I want this one's blood,” a chill voice said from behind her. She turned quickly, to see the broad‑shouldered elven man dressed in leather, with the red cap perched on his head. “I want this one's blood to dye my cap!” he repeated, staring at Kayla with hungry eyes.
She felt a chill run down her back. “Okay, I ­admit it,” she said. “This isn't a dream, this is a nightmare. It's an awful nightmare, a real, genuine, honest‑to‑God nightmare, but I'm going to wake up from it, any minute now.”
There was another titter of laughter from the crowd, and the Unseelie Queen smiled. “What you believe and what will happen are two different things, child,” she said. “But, for the moment, you amuse me. So I will let you live, I think, at least for now.”
“Look, lady,” Kayla said, starting forward. The sound of a dozen swords being drawn stopped her in her tracks. She glanced around nervously and then stepped back from the Queen's throne.
“You amuse me, child, but don't push your luck,” the Queen said dryly.
Kayla nodded, her mouth dry.
“Now, tell me, how did you come here?” the Queen asked. “Did you conjure a doorway with your own magics between the human lands and our own? You