The Queen of Nothing

Jude, her siblings, and Heather discuss the terms of the truce in her old rooms. Heather has been researching lore in the palace library for possible ways to transform Cardan. According to Heather, there are stories about serpents cursing faerie princesses to become snakes and about serpent kings commanding all the snakes in the world. One long tale is about a snake who becomes the son of a childness gardener couple. When the snake grows up, he wants to marry the princess of their kingdom. The princess eventually agrees, and after she weds the snake, he unpeels his skin to reveal a “banging hot guy” (252). The overjoyed king snatches the discarded skin and burns it, but the move backfires. The son—who was and still is under a curse—transforms into a dove and flies away.

Later, the Bomb asks Jude to help her heal the Roach. The Bomb believes Jude may have magical powers because the land healed Jude’s wounds. Jude agrees and they head to the new headquarters of the Court of Shadows. The Ghost is there too, indicating the spies have reconciled. The Roach lies on a bed in an open-eyed, restless coma. The Bomb and the Ghost tie him up, and Jude shuts her eyes, trying to summon healing.