Chapter 11 #2
She did as he said, making no sudden movements and pulling all her energy into her body. It was what always worked best in the human magical world. If people didn’t notice her, they didn’t pick on her.
“I have no choice but to return.” His voice was light, and she wondered if he was smiling. If so, that smile would be a death threat. “This is my home, after all. Princess Elamorna has a peculiar humor, that’s all. I came to no harm.”
The female’s laugh was pitched high and dripping with disdain. “If court jesters can have homes, hmm? Because that is the humor we all have, or didn’t you know?”
He offered another bow, and Daisy marveled at the loose and easy confidence with which he did it.
“Hmm.” Something snapped. It sounded like a paper or silk fan hitting a palm, and then mauve skirts and the wrong slippers moved and swished as the female started walking again.
Take two steps forward in a straight line, he told Daisy, and she glided, careful to only move her feet. A glimpse out the side of her eye said he was putting his body between the lady and her. One more.
He turned with a release of breath. The leash disappeared, and he took long strides.
She kept up, veering closer to the wall and making herself as small as she dared, much like a servant that scurried to and fro in these halls.
Miraculous, he murmured as they rounded a corner and he picked up more speed. She was nearly jogging beside him. You stood right there…and she didn’t notice you. You walked up with me, stood right beside me, and she didn’t notice your presence.
I’ve had a lot of practice blending into the background. She probably tracked me as a servant. Those types don’t lower themselves to look at the staff.
Too true. He glanced at her, looking amazed and grateful. The fates chose well. But what about the chalice magic? The Celestials swarmed. The darkrend focused on you. How did she not see it?
Daisy had no idea. Maybe these people were prone to blindness, secure in their court and not noticing the magic of others.
That is not usually the case, Tarian said thoughtfully. I’ll need to ask Eldric about that. There has to be a reason.
She thought again about what that fae had said: We merely guide. We only reveal as much as the gods will.
She needed a lot more guidance.
But first, she needed to know the state of things. You didn’t answer me—did that shield not work?
It must’ve, thank the gods. Lady Nyvarie is one of the most powerful mindgazers in this court. Not noticing your presence is one thing, but she is always, always listening into thoughts where she can.
Yours?
She’s not strong enough. The obsidian discs temper my power and my magic, but they don’t touch my mind. My thoughts are secure as long as I have the strength to fortify them.
Yet you can still read my thoughts.
His head cocked to the side as he angled right, his hand coming out and touching eggshell-white double doors with round bronze handles.
Metal clicked, and he opened one of the doors, stepping aside so she could enter.
He followed right behind her, the delicious buzz of his proximity setting her aflame. It wasn’t great timing.
She hurried to give herself space before turning to survey him. Light glowed from various places within the chambers, softly washing across his face and revealing the dark circles under his eyes. The beautiful green of his irises had dulled, and a crease seemed permanently etched into his brow.
His body sagged as he closed the door and locked it. A black sheen fitted over the door. A ward, probably.
“Yes,” he said, and his voice sounded drawn, like he hadn’t slept for a year.
“The twisted magic is pulling at me. It’s always this way.
” He pushed off the door and passed her into a large room with all the furniture and placement of an apartment, minus a kitchen.
“As I said, yes, I can still read your thoughts. That should only happen if you are actively thinking them at me. Like talking to me. I expected I’d have to teach you how to do so.
This saves time. Unfortunately for you, it also prevents you from hiding anything from me. ”
“Fortunately for you,” she said, “you don’t have to trust that I am telling the truth. Since I can’t lie in my thoughts, I mean.”
“Unfortunately for me, I have to hear all your commentary about the fae you meet. It is…distracting.”
She shrugged, perusing the large table in the dining room and exiting into a solarium with glass walls and windows that had to be magic because it was in the center of the chambers.
“It is,” he said, and fabric rustled.
She paused within it, looking at the night sky dotted with millions of stars twinkling brightly. The moon rose over lush green grasses and beautiful trees, with flowers and nightlife nestled within. The colors were something he might see, much more vibrant and radiant than her dulled vision.
His bathroom was essentially that—a place for a bath.
There didn’t seem to be any running water, but a bucket system at the side ran up into the ceiling on a chain with another coming through the floor.
Odd. She wanted to see how that worked. There had to be an easier way, not that she knew much about plumbing solutions.
There was another room for the toilet, a throne-like seat over a chamber pot. Before yesterday, she might’ve thought someone cleaning that after she’d used it was embarrassing. After…well, it would be nice not to wear her bodily fluids.
She found him in a new jacket that was just as stylish as the other except for the buttons, which were much too large and did not go at all.
He looked down at himself.
“Oops, sorry. I didn’t think I was in range,” she said. Still…
He shook his head, paused, and then shrugged out of the jacket and returned to the room on the other side.
“No, it’s fine. They aren’t that bad. Compared to Circus Tent Martha, they are downright amazing.
Seriously—” She cut off at the next selection, not really understanding the gold chain draping down the side like he were some eighties pop singer, but the diamond-crusted bling would go a long way toward helping people forget the hitch in fashion.
“Are you kidding?” He fingered the chain and huffed, leaning heavily in irritation. “Which, then? This or the other. I don’t want to have to change my trews.”
She didn’t know what trews were but laughed at his antics. The clothes were so different, but the dedication to fashion spoke to her. Made her feel like there was a piece of her life, her home, with them right then.
“That one,” she said. “We can figure out the buttons on the other one another time.”
He nodded and headed into a room to the side. On closer inspection, it was an enormous closet.
“Dressing chambers,” he supplied, as if there was some great difference.
“So…” Two things were on the tip of her tongue, and one she wanted to think about in much more detail, so she voiced the second. “What did the princess do to you last time you were here?”
He jerked as though struck, facing an ornate mirror. His arms stopped moving where he was fiddling with something on his jacket. His back expanded with a deep breath before releasing.
“Something that happens more often than anyone at this court knows. I’d rather not speak about it.
It’s enough that I have to endure it. Given the sort of…
actions I will need you to do in order to goad her, though, I suppose I have to.
” He turned, his eyes haunted. “But not right now. When I got word you were being taken from the dungeons, I was in the middle of some important business. I need to return to it.”
Her heart quickened. She hadn’t had time to think about it right then, but part of her had wondered if his meeting them had been a coincidence or a safety precaution. She was happy to know it was the latter. It made her feel much less alone in this strange place.
He came to stand in front of her, his eyes deep, delving into hers.
“No, you are not alone, my treasure. But remember, Daisy, I cannot always come for you. If you had been admitted into the king’s chambers, I wouldn’t have been able to save you.
Nor if the other royals took you. You need to watch out for yourself.
It is the nature of this court. Neither of us have any alternative. ”
Something the guards had said flashed through her memory: Tarianthiel couldn’t hurt them. Magic stopped him.
Of course he wouldn’t be able to kill the royalty and blast his way out of this place. If he were trapped, the first thing they’d do was prevent him from taking down his jailors and freeing himself. That was just logic.
You grant your own salvation, Zorn always said. Do not wait to be saved. Save yourself.
Suddenly she didn’t know if she’d thought of that because of her own predicament…or because of Tarian’s.
“Someday, I’d like to meet this Zorn,” Tarian said, interrupting her whirling thoughts. His gaze drifted down to her lips. “I must go.”
He spared a moment to kiss her softly. As he pulled away, she had an insane desire to clutch on to him and keep him put. To coax those lips open and feel what was beneath the fine clothing.
His lips pulled into a teasing smile. “Clearly, I should’ve fucked you in the dungeon.
” Fire raced through her core, and he winked.
“I’ll return as quickly as I can. You’ll be staying here now.
Given my…status and role within this court, I have a lesser noble’s quarters.
I don’t have a lot of space, and certainly not a spare room for you. ”
This was paradise compared to the house she and Mordecai had originally shared with Lexi. He’d lose his shit if he ever saw that. Except for the plumbing situation, of course. She’d trade it all for good plumbing.
“You are welcome to my bed,” he finished.
“Where will you sleep?”
“On the side you don’t choose. You are also welcome to have the floor.” A smirk twisted his lips. “I might even try to find you a blanket.”
She huffed. “So chivalrous.”
“As always. I do not have traditional servants. I have only my Fallen. One or two of them will be here to attend to you shortly. They will let themselves in. They are the only ones who can. Do not open the door. Not for any reason. Not for anyone. You are in Faerie, now, little pet. Fae are tricky. Some can take on the voices of trusted allies. Others might take on their shape. Always look at the eyes. The eyes do not lie. If you can’t see the eyes, do not trust the voice.
Okay? Rest. Test the mind shield on the Fallen and see if it works.
I’m interested to see if they can hear your thoughts as easily as I can.
” He kissed her forehead. “Protect your mind so that I may protect you.”
And he was gone.
She stared after him for a long moment, then refocused to look solely at the door. Specifically, the handle. She shouldn’t open the door…but she could. If she wanted, she could go to Eldric. She could do it and be back before Tarian ever knew she’d gone…