Chapter 3
THREE
Shay
Aserver in a shimmery uniform, with hair that seemed to be made of actual gold, brought a tray of drinks and snacks from the kitchen, but there was still no sign of Dirge or Brand.
I could sense Dirge through our bond, though, and he sent me silent reassurance that he was fine, just talking one-on-one with Brand.
I blew out a breath, wishing I could, in fact, indulge in the juicy fruit wedges and creamy beverages on display.
“You know the food won’t hurt you, right?
You’re one of us, which means you can eat and drink anything you’d like in the fae realm without consequence.
In fact, I’d encourage you to.” Queen Lyrica smiled softly, gesturing toward the tray.
“Your advisors were wise to warn you away, but, for a fae, there is no harm.”
I bit my bottom lip, considering. “And for my mate?”
“Protected by your bond, as is my own. You may have noticed he’s a wolf, like your mate?” She watched me intently, as if she expected me to pick up something important from that statement, but I didn’t.
“Yes, of course. I’ve met Brand before. Twice, actually.
” It was an odd coincidence, but now wasn’t the time to ask.
I had no business questioning why the fae queen’s mate had involved himself in my life, and in fact—she might not even know he had.
It could be awkward, and I didn’t want to make things uncomfortable when I came here on official pack business with a big request. A request she wouldn’t be keen to grant, if the rest of the leaders we’d spoken to so far were any indication.
She nodded slowly, that intent look still on her face.
After a moment of confused silence, she pasted on a smile.
“Well, then, let’s talk about why you’ve come to visit.
We so rarely get visitors from outside the fae realm, after all.
” She folded her hands neatly in her lap, all the weirdness from before seemingly gone in a flash.
I cleared my throat, suddenly nervous to ask this stranger about the omega stone shard, even though my pack mates were doing the exact same thing everywhere else back home. I can do this.
“My pack received information that the fae queen holds a piece of the omega stone. I’ve been sent by my Alpha to request it back, as Pack Caelestis is the rightful holder of the stone.”
She nodded slowly, as if taking in my words one by one, and analyzing them along the way.
“I see. Well, that is a very large ask, and unfortunately, I won’t be able to just give it to you.
My people were chosen as guardians for a reason, and we’ll need you to complete three trials in order to prove your worthiness to receive the shard. ”
I couldn’t say I was surprised, but all the breath whooshed out of me nonetheless. “I understand. That’s why we’re here, and Dirge and I would be more than happy to complete whatever trials the fae people deem necessary to trust us with the stone.”
“What would we be happy to do?” Dirge asked, striding back into the room with a carefully constructed smile on his face. Brand was right on his heels, but he crossed the room to Lyrica’s side.
They shared a long look, then he shook his head, and a flicker of sadness crossed her features before she dutifully schooled them. “Very well, then. The trials it will be.”
“The trials?” Dirge asked again, and I belatedly realized I hadn’t answered him.
“Yes, Lyrica was just telling me we’d have to endure three trials in order to get the stone back.”
“Ahh. Are we allowed to know what they are in advance?” He directed the question to the queen.
“Unfortunately, no. But I must warn you that any who undertake the fae court’s trials and fail will be trapped here. Your ancestry won’t save you from that. Are you sure you must have this piece?”
I steeled my spine, knowing there was only one option. This was why Dirge and I were here, why we’d been sent on this mission where none of the rest of our pack could safely go. “I’m sure. We need the piece; we have to protect our family.”
Dirge’s hand gripped mine, but I didn’t break eye contact with the queen, although a fresh wave of anguish tainted her pretty features.
“We’d better get you to a room, then. You’ll need your rest.” Brand’s tone was flat, his grip on the queen’s hand just shy of white-knuckled.
It was all one degree off-center, but I couldn’t figure out why. Most likely, whatever weirdness I sensed was all in my head. I’d been warned the fae realm was strange and tricky, after all. Why should the fae inhabitants be easy to read?
Still, the nagging feeling I was missing something important wouldn’t go away, even as Dirge and I followed a fae servant through the halls of the glitteringly beautiful castle.