To Catch a Queen by Shanna Swendson Page A

Reaching out to take her arm, he said, “Let’s talk. There’s got to be someplace quieter around here.”
    She allowed herself to close her eyes and enjoy the sensation of him holding her arm as he led her away from the center of the market. Then she gave herself a mental kick and opened her eyes to see that he was leading her around the fountain to the edge of the lake, where there was a low wall. There were still people here, and naiads in the lake itself, chatting with people leaning over the wall, but there was far less hustle and bustle. She settled herself on the seat built into the wall, arranging her skirt just for an excuse to distract herself. The setting was a little too magical and romantic to share with an unobtainable man she found irresistible. Beau flopped down, leaning heavily against both their legs.
    She was surprised to see that Michael, too, seemed to need to gather his thoughts. He glanced around and took a couple of deep breaths, as though he was trying to decide where to start. Finally, he just plunged ahead. “Okay, so like I told you in the many messages I’ve left for you, people are being cast out of the Realm, supposedly under orders of the queen, which I figure you’re not doing.”
    “Of course not. I do plan to try to return any captives who want to get home, once I figure out a way to do that. But just kicking them out is awful.”
    “Well, I’ve been out looking, in case Jen is one of those who gets kicked out. She’d need all the help she can get, I figure.”
    Sophie shuddered at the thought. She hadn’t even considered that possibility. “That’s a good idea,” she admitted. “I take it you didn’t find her.”
    He shook his head. “No, not yet, and I’ve had help looking.” He swallowed, like he was preparing himself to admit something that he was still struggling with. “It seems my experiences have changed me a bit. It’s not just the clover that lets me see things. They keep saying I’ve been touched.”
    “Oh,” she breathed, catching herself before asking why he hadn’t said anything. For all she knew, he’d been trying to tell her for the last couple of months. “That must be … interesting for you.” His clover would have let him see the major things when they were right around him, but once he’d been elf shot and had spent time in the Realm, a whole new world would have become visible to him.
    “That means I’ve met people,” he continued. “There’s a woman out in the park I would have said was a bag lady if I’d seen her a couple of months ago. Now, though …” He shrugged and shook his head. “She claims to be a wise woman, someone with fairy knowledge. She was helping the outcasts.”
    She couldn’t hold back her gasp of surprise, and without realizing what she was doing, she reached over and clutched his hand. “That’s what I’m here looking for. I think I’ve been looking in the wrong places for help. The fairies don’t know how to undo a connection to the Realm because it’s not something that affects them. We need to talk to the people on the outside who work with fairies. I didn’t know wise women still existed.”
    “Apparently, they do.” He seemed to be a little uncomfortable with this admission, not quite meeting her eyes, so she suspected there was more to it than he was telling her at the moment. Then she realized she was holding his hand and released her grip, but it turned out that he was holding on to her, so she couldn’t pull away without jerking her hand out of his. She resolved not to enjoy it. He squeezed even tighter and leaned toward her. “She told me how to free Jen. I know how to save her. That’s why I’m here. Sophie, it has to be me. I’ll need your help, but you can’t do it without me.”
    She wanted to smack herself on the forehead. “Of course! Redeeming someone always takes love. Why didn’t I think of that? I’m sorry. I should have realized sooner.” He’d relaxed enough that she