TWENTY-EIGHT
Constant worry about what the Queen would do to her nagged at Ava's mind until she could scarcely sleep. In the garden the next day, she drowsed while her maids gossiped, until she heard a voice urgently calling her name.
"Princess Ava, you are summoned to the throne room."
Ava opened her eyes to find two guards before her. She bit her lip, forcing away the memories of the guards who'd escorted her back to the harem in her father's palace, and rose. She had to almost run to keep up with the two soldiers whose strides were much longer than hers, and her racing heart wasn't helped by the panic that engulfed her.
Had the Queen discovered Lagle's injury and Ava's marriage already? Ava couldn't think of any other reason why she would be summoned to the throne room, unless the
