The Element of Fire, page 261 by Martha Wells
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Elaine said, "No, I'm staying with you." She twined her arms around Ravenna with unsuspected ferocity. "I won't leave you."
Ravenna tried to pry her loose. "Damn you, you silly child, I--"
Roland protested, "Mother, you can't stay here, they'll kill you, at least try to--"
The door cracked as something heavy struck it. "Roland, go on!" Ravenna whispered furiously.
He stepped onto the little ledge, then cautiously felt for the handholds. He looked back and said, "I--"
"Climb," she ordered and swung the panel closed. Elaine helped her with the cover, and they wrestled it back in place, moving away from it just as the door gave way.
Ravenna put her arm around Elaine's shoulders and the girl clung to her as the fay poured into the room.
There were a dozen at least of varied shapes, bogles with distorted grinning faces, some hulking things with no faces at all, a delicate winged creature that looked something like both a demon and an angel. One of them had blood spattered on its mouth; Ravenna wondered if it was from one of her guards, and it was rage, not fear, that turned her to stone. They scampered or strode through the room, disarranging the boxes, searching, for the moment ignoring the two women. Ravenna wondered if they would casually toss a barrel onto the lamp; they did not seem to have any fear of the powder.
Another fay entered. This, Ravenna knew, was the leader. He was tall and slight, human in shape but blue skinned, with a face of childlike attractiveness and a horrible leering smile. He bowed mockingly to her. "Greetings, Queen of Nothing. I am Evadne, a prince of the Unseelie Court."
"What do you want?" she asked. She felt cold down to her bones, and it had nothing to do with the temperature of the room, but her voice was still hard.
"Your boy-king; why else would we go to this trouble?" He looked around the room. "You've hidden him, of course."
Ravenna felt Elaine quiver slightly beside her. She said, "He isn't here.