Chapter 24
The wind barreled into me, the guard holding my arm tight as I shook in his grasp, distinctly aware of the thin glass walkway that separated me from those iron spikes below. All it would take was one misstep, and I’d fall right onto those sharp points.
I shot a look back at Emory, wondering if I’d ever see her again. She clutched the iron bars, staring at me. I realized I’d never even asked her what kind of elemental she was, where she was from, what her last name was. And now I might never get the chance.
“Please, what’s going on?” I asked the guard, who stayed silent, staring ahead as he marched us forward.
The rasp of the chain against the bar grated against my ears, and I wanted to cover them. To sink down and curl into a ball, squeeze my eyes shut, and forget about this entire nightmare.
No. No, I hadn’t come this far just for my life to end like this. I would simply explain to the king and queen that this was a misunderstanding. That I had nothing to do with whatever Gran had done to them. I’d tell them that I was looking for her, too, but had no idea where she was. Surely they wouldn’t punish me if I had no answers, nothing to tell them.
Doubt filled me as the guard pulled me off the glass walkway and into the tower. He led me through the door, and even though terror shook me, relief also took hold. The howling wind stopped, and the tower provided a barrier from the cold. The sleek silver tower spiraled downward, and the guard pushed me toward the stairs. My necklace gently thumped against my chest, and I didn’t know why, but I had the instinct to take it off and shove it into one of my pockets. It belonged to Gran, and even though she’d gotten me into this mess, I wanted to be able to safely return it to her.
I turned. “Where are you taking me? Will I have a chance to explain myself before I’m to be sentenced?”
The guard’s eyes crinkled, and I recognized his brown-spotted wings, that slicked-back black hair and deep bronze skin. He was the same guard who’d accosted me in the courtyard.
“You could’ve just taken me, you know. You didn’t have to hit me over the head and knock me unconscious.” I curled my wings to my body so they wouldn’t brush against his.
“You ran,” he said. “You didn’t give me much choice. I couldn’t risk you using your magic on me midair.” He tipped his head. “Though I do apologize.”
We walked down the tight spiral stairs that filled the tower, the walls a gleaming silver that seemed to shimmer even in the dark.
I wanted to fight back, to do something, but what was the point? This castle hung in the sky. Even if I somehow managed to escape the guard, I couldn’t fly. I’d fall to my death.
At this point, it seemed death was coming for me either way.
My gaze shifted to the guard as we continued our descent down the stairs. “Do you regularly arrest citizens with no explanation of their rights or what they’ve done wrong?”
I didn’t know much of the sky court laws, but I had read many books that showed bits and pieces of the justice system in different courts. Gran regularly quizzed me on the laws of the courts, and we’d have discussions about the fairness of them, what I might do differently should I be the one creating the laws. Gran even gave me a project once: I was to create my own city with my own laws. After I’d finished, Gran had poked holes in many of my rules, making me realize how complicated it all was.
Some courts, like the earth court, didn’t have a council to decide on matters. Though now that they had this new queen, Liliath, maybe things would change. The sky court had a council, though the queen and king got final say. I didn’t know much about either of them, other than that Queen Bronwen had been a peasant. Everyone knew that. She was the folk hero, the one everyone across Arathia looked at as inspiration, someone of the people. Knowing that one fact wasn’t enough to help me.
I wished I’d learned more so I knew what I was walking into.
We got to the bottom of the tower, and the guard opened a door, wind whooshing past us, making it difficult to move. He gestured for me to go in front of him, across another long glass walkway, though this one, thankfully, had sides that rose up past my waist and stretched out toward the silver castle. Its walls and peaks jutted up around us, so many different towers and buildings, all connected by these glass walkways. Up close the size was dizzying, and I imagined it would be easy to get lost in this maze. The castle sat on a jagged piece of land, green grass spreading around the entrance below. It was unbelievable a piece of magic like this existed.
A guard stood outside the door that led into the castle, nodding at the one who led me forward as he opened it for us. We continued through the castle, and I marveled at the glass walls that afforded beautiful views of the court and the sky. We walked silently through carpeted hallways, some lined with statues, others with paintings, and others with ancient relics in glass cases.
After what felt like forever, we arrived at a sweeping set of stairs that gave view to a foyer, silver walls stretching from floor to ceiling with a long glass bridge stretching out over a moat toward the grassy land that surrounded the castle. My gut churned with every possibility of what might happen when I appeared before the king and queen.
We got to the bottom of the stairs and were greeted by massive doors with wings carved into them. The doors swung open.
“Go on,” the guard said into my ear, his voice more gentle now.
I straightened, determined to face whatever fate I came upon head-on.
I gasped as I entered the massive circular room. The ceiling was domed with stained-glass panes that depicted sky elementals soaring high above. My gaze trailed to a second floor, with arches sweeping around the room, and through the arches I could just make out benches. They must allow audiences in here for viewing... what, I wasn’t sure. Now I found myself thankful it was the middle of the night and I wouldn’t have a room full of gawking elementals watching me plead my case before the king and queen.
The guard pushed me forward. “Keep moving,” he whispered in my ear.
I jumped, so lost in the details of this room I’d forgotten he was behind me.
We walked forward, bootheels clacking on the white marble floor. We approached the king and queen, whose thrones rose on a dais toward the back of the room. The silver thrones were simple, thin backs that allowed the king’s and queen’s wings to settle behind them. The king’s wings were an impressive span, silvery like the castle around him, while the queen’s were black, smaller.
They both peered at me as I slowly approached, then sank down to my knees. “Your Majesties,” I said with a shaky voice.
I raised my head, and the king looked down his long, thin nose at me. “She certainly does look like her.”
“Many have,” the queen replied, her hair grayer compared to the king’s white hair.
Looked like who? Certainly not Gran. But, then, who could they be speaking of?
A silver crown sat atop the king’s thinning hair, and he stroked his beard. Lines wrinkled his face, and his shoulders slumped like heavy weights sat atop them.
He looked tired, which made sense given it was the middle of the night, but I didn’t think that was why—it was a weariness about his whole body, the expression on his face, the way he carried himself. The queen just glared at me, green eyes icy.
Whatever Gran had done to them, it must’ve been bad. My gut sank as I swallowed.
“Please,” I said.
“Quiet,” the queen snapped.
My mouth closed.
“She didn’t come to us,” the guard said, stepping up beside me as I still remained on my knees.
The floor was cold and hard underneath, and I itched to stand, but I didn’t know what was proper in this situation.
“What do you mean?” the queen asked, her voice tired like the king’s—but also sad.
“We heard multiple reports about her, from citizens who saw the striking resemblance. She tried to run when we caught her.”
Oh no. They’d count that against me. Running from the royal guard. That surely warranted a harsher punishment.
The queen fluttered her hand. “I told you no more, Erasmus.”
So that was his name. Erasmus bowed his head. “I know, Your Majesty. But I just thought, given the circumstances, this one might be different. You have no idea how many reports the guard has received over the last couple of days. The striking resemblance?—”
She held up her hand.
“That’s enough, Captain,” the king said cooly. He reached over and squeezed the queen’s hand with such tenderness.
I didn’t understand any of this. The reports. The resemblance. I wanted to know what in the bloody skies was going on.
“Just send her away,” the queen said, massaging her temples. “This poor girl. You’ve kidnapped her from the streets. Brought her here, even though you were under no such orders.”
Erasmus cleared his throat. “It’s the middle of the night.”
“Then give her a room in the servants’ quarters and escort her from the castle tomorrow.”
The servants’ quarters? “So I’m not being imprisoned?” I asked. “Or put to death?”
The queen raised a brow. “Is there a reason you should be?”
I snapped my mouth shut at that. Stupid, Poppy. So unbelievably stupid. “No, Your Majesty.”
She stood abruptly, the silk of her nightgown falling around her slippered feet, wings expanding behind her back. “Then you’re dismissed.” She gave a pointed look at Erasmus. “We will speak more of this tomorrow.”
He looked down at his boots. “Yes, Your Majesty.”
We both bowed as the king and queen swept from the room, neither of them giving me a backward glance. I could almost cry in relief. I was free. I wasn’t going to be arrested or put to death.
My chest loosened, the weight of this entire horrid situation lifting. They said I’d be escorted back to the mainland tomorrow. That meant I had a second chance. I would find Loch. I’d tell him I was sorry for running away, and I’d go with him to the shadow court. Tomorrow.