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“Okay,” I drawl, trying to comprehend the previous queen’s reasoning. Without knowing her, I can only speculate, but if she had limited knowledge of beasts, then I can understand wanting to avoid mass hysteria. “Why haven’t you stopped it?”
She frowns, her expression belaying an unpleasant memory. “I’ve tried. There’s only so much I can say or do when fears are that deeply entrenched in the peoples’ minds. It doesn’t help that we tell them not to go into the forest after dark.”
“Jesus,” I mutter.
“What?”
“Who,” I correct.
“Old boyfriend,” she teases.
I chuckle. “Not even slightly. Can I ask you something else?”
“Of course.”
“I don’t know what to do with Madigan.”
Isolde clicks her tongue. “That’s not a question.”
“It’s not,” I agree. “But questions don’t always get anywhere with you. I thought I would state my problem first.”
“It’s not a problem, Ada,” she informs me. “You simply need to speak with her.”
“I watched her train, and she was struggling. I’ve never seen her struggle at anything,” I confess. “She’s the type of person who refuses to fail, no matter how difficult the task is.”
“Who said she was failing?” Isolde counters.
It’s a valid question, one I should have given more thought.
“No one,” I reply.
“Then what advice do you want from me?” she asks.
I shake my head. “She used to be my best friend, but something happened to me, and she didn’t understand why I withdrew from the people around me. I was indifferent, distant, and Madi was lonely. I was closer to her than her own family, so she pulled harder, trying to keep me from hiding within myself, but it only pushed me away.”
“And you felt guilt over this?” Isolde guesses.
Did I feel guilt? Not at the time. All I had room for was keeping myself protected and getting a drugged-up rapist out of my house. Safety and revenge. Mourning my innocence. My best friend wasn’t even a thought that registered in my mind.
“I should have told her that I needed time, but I didn’t,” I finally admit. “I just started avoiding her until she was angry enough to stop bothering me.”
“So tell her that.”
“I want to help her, though I don’t see how I can.” I lean against the wall as I contemplate my next question. “How would you guide someone who has never had guidance in this world?”
Isolde studies me for a moment too long before she advises, “Ask what you really want to know.”
“How do I guide Madi without just giving her the answers she’s looking for?” I inquire. “How do I assist her like you assisted me?”
“You don’t need to guide her, Ada,” the queen gingerly tells me. “That isn’t your role.”
“You guided me.”
“Did I?” Isolde challenges me, a coy smile playing on her lips. “I’m most certain I showed you a few things to pique your interest, and those people showed you other things that lead you to find the answers on your own. The only thing I’ve handed you is food and clothing, Ada.”
She gives me a full minute to digest her words, though I find myself struggling. And she sees it.
“I didn’t give you answers until you made me aware you were ready,” she clarifies. “Even then, I only gave you a few at a time because I thought you were overwhelmed and didn’t want to admit it to yourself. You did the rest on your own. You took from it what you could and filled in the blank spaces once you knew what questions needed to be asked. Madi wants the answers because she doesn’t know the questions.”
