Read Online Copper Veins by Jennifer Allis Provost - Free Book Online

armor—exited the manor and stood beside Sadie. “Oriana’s voice came through one of them. She said something about Greymalkin’s death and me not pledging to her.”
    â€œI thought we worked all that out,” I mumbled.
    â€œYeah, well, she’s nuts,” Sadie said. I nodded, my eyes sliding to Mom, silently asking her why she let the gold warriors take Micah.
    â€œI extracted an oath from Oriana,” Mom replied. “He’ll be treated as an honored guest until you and Sadie arrive at her court.”
    â€œAnd you believed that?” I asked.
    â€œBeyond a shadow of a doubt,” Mom replied. “A queen’s oath is sound.” Of course Mom would say that, being that she was a queen herself. While my mother was nuts in her own way, she certainly held it together a lot better than Oriana.
    â€œAll right,” I said, steeling myself. “It seems that we’re all going to the Golden Court.”
    â€œIs that wise?” Dad asked. “You may be playingright into her hands.”
    â€œIt doesn’t matter,” I said. “She has Micah—we have to go.”
    I called the silverkin, and after I gave Shep a few quick instructions, I turned to leave. Much to my surprise, my father had no intention of coming with me to rescue my husband.
    â€œIt’s foolish for us to all go at once,” Dad explained. “Leaving a flank in reserve is a better option.”
    â€œA flank of one?” Sadie muttered. Dad glared at her, but let the comment slide.
    â€œFine!” I said, throwing my hands up in the air. “Wait here while we rescue Micah without you.”
    â€œIf you don’t return by sundown, I will follow,” he assured. I nodded, calmed by the fact that at least we had a backup plan if something went wrong at the Golden Court. When Dad said something about Max staying behind with him, my brother just shook his head.
    â€œCan’t do that,” Max said. “If it wasn’t for Micah, I might still be the Institute’s favorite lab rat.” I noticed that Max wouldn’t look at Dad while he said it, but Dad was nonplussed.
    â€œPay your debts, son,” Dad said. “As I’ve always said, Baudoin Corbeau pays his debts.”
    I didn’t remember Dad ever saying that, but whatever. Maybe he’d taken up gambling over the last decade and a half, probably around the same time he took up tea drinking. Then, the four of us wereout the door. Thanks to the metal pathways, a few heartbeats later we were standing before the shining entrance of the Gold Court.
    â€œA bit gaudy,” Mom murmured as we strode inside, none of us bothering to give our names. It’s not like we weren’t expected. I couldn’t speak, couldn’t even think—all I knew was that Micah was at the end of this endless hallway and that he needed me.
    We burst into Oriana’s throne room and found Micah seated at a small round table, having tea and cake with the lunatic queen. Okay, perhaps his predicament wasn’t quite as dire as I’d expected.
    â€œMicah!” I cried. He stood as I rushed forward. A gold warrior stepped in front of me, and I darted around him, muttering something rude about melting him down for jewelry. Then I was in Micah’s arms, thanking all the gods that ever were that he was safe.
    â€œWhat happened?” I demanded. “I got back and you were gone! Sadie said—”
    â€œYes, I was apprehended,” Micah murmured, kissing the top of my head. “Luckily, your mother brokered the excellent terms of my imprisonment.”
    â€œI said that if she did more to Micah than have tea and scones with him, I’d see her head placed atop a pike,” Mom said, coming to stand next to us. “I told you a queen’s oath was sound,” she added, nodding to the tea service.
    â€œI have never gone back on my word, though my cook has no notion of what a