CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
King Filvendor continued his slow sweep down the dais, smiling at me the whole way.
Out of the corner of my eye, I detected a large form slinking away from the shadows to follow him.
As the creature walked into the light, my blood ran cold.
Golden coat, shaggy mane, large wings—manticore.
Its presence in the throne room defied all logic.
There was no way it stalked me all the way here from the cavern.
Or was there? My mouth went dry as the manticore slunk even closer to the king.
Surely, his guards would interfere. At any moment…
any moment now… Why was nobody doing anything?
I reached frantically for the small dagger at my side.
And the manticore lay peacefully down, curling its tail around its body.
A lion’s tail. Not a barbed scorpion tail.
Skinny like a rope, with a large black tuft at the end.
I released the hilt of my dagger. At closer inspection, the creature shared the manticore’s resemblance to a lion, but its wings were much more golden, and it had two twisted horns growing out of the front of its head.
No, not a manticore—something else, something new to me.
Behind me, King Filvendor clapped in delight, evidently aware that I reached for my weapon.
“I’m touched, Elvira. But Lennox would never hurt me.
Like most of the Dentaria, his life force and loyalty are tied to the crown he serves.
In fact, nobody will hurt you. For as long as you’re here, you’ll remain under my strict protection.
You have my word.” His declaration carried the faint, permeating tang of magic.
He crooked a finger, summoning a member of his guard.
“Please, let Selphie here keep your dagger for you; you won’t be needing it during your stay.
” Mutely, I surrendered my blade to the female guard, my cheeks flushing in deep embarrassment.
From his spot on the floor, the lion spoke to me, his voice a low rumble, further adding to my surprise.
“Don’t worry, little one. I will not bite you.
” His lip curled in what might have been an attempt at a reassuring smile, decidedly less effective for the sharp row of teeth it revealed, suggesting that if he did choose to bite me, the outcome would likely be severe mutilation or death.
Not thinking at all, I mentally chided myself.
Of course, if there had been an actual threat, any one of the many guards lining the throne room would have sprung into action.
I twisted back around to face Filvendor, hoping it wasn’t a mistake to leave my back exposed to the winged lion. “Please forgive my ignorance.”
Filvendor raised his palms in protest. “No offense taken. Let’s waste no more time with apologies—I hear the staff have prepared quite the feast in your honor.
I’ve even invited a special guest. Someone I think you’ll be very excited to visit with.
But first, if you’ll humor me, I have something I’d like to confirm.
A quick test, if you will. Very simple. You see, I know your grandmother, Elvira, and personally, I would be very interested in knowing whether or not you’ve inherited any of her powers. ”
“I have a grandmother?” I asked, choking out the words. “What about, what about my parents?”
“No longer living, I’m afraid,” he responded, his gaze sympathetic.
I swallowed past the disappointment that swelled within me.
Was he telling the truth? I was aware Fae found it more difficult to tell an outright lie as they aged—that the land began to cling to their words, as well as their promises.
And King Filvendor was very old. What reason would he have to lie to me anyway?
Did I really have living family in Solaris?
A grandmother. Did she know I existed? Had she ever tried to find me?
I gave him my full focus, hope shining in my eyes.
“Do you know where I might find my grandmother?”
He nodded. “Yes, I do. She lives deep within the kingdom. However, all of my subjects are required to appear when summoned by their king. She hasn’t been seen in quite some time, your grandmother, but I could bring her to the palace for you if you’d like.
” Without waiting on my reply, he gestured toward a servant woman, who quickly approached, presenting a small cushion, atop which sat two different items—a shimmering emerald necklace and an embroidered leather sheath.
King Filvendor jerked his chin toward the cushion.
“This necklace belongs to a member of my household, somebody within this room. I’m curious—can you tell which one?
” he asked, offering me no further hint as to the owner’s identity.
I stepped closer, scrutinizing the expensive-looking necklace.
It wasn’t just shimmering from the light hitting its emerald gemstones; it was shimmering with the faint tendrils of magic, a lavender glow, wrapping itself continuously around the chain.
My eyes drifted around, surveying the people who were present in the room.
An elegantly dressed woman with emerald earrings was fanning herself in a corner.
An intentional red herring? Frustration overtook me.
I had no idea who owned the necklace. Why make me guess?
Was this whole test a trick? What was I missing?
And more importantly—what would happen if I failed?
I cast an eye over the throne room once more, figuring there must be some clue thus far eluding me.
There. A man, leaning against the wall, dressed in plain clothes.
And a flicker of magic, the same lavender glow as the necklace, flaring to life in his hand.
I pointed toward the man. “Him. His magic matches the magic on the necklace.”
King Filvendor’s eyes flashed. “Excellent. One more test. The insignia on the sheath. What does it look like to you?”
I peered back down. “It’s actually a serpent—not a lion, like the glamour would have you believe.”
“Very good, Elvira.” He smiled widely, showcasing every pearly-white tooth in his mouth.
But his praise made no sense to me. “What do you mean? Surely anyone with Fae Sight would have told you the same.”
He shrugged. “The individual who cast this particular glamour is quite skilled. Many Fae would be fooled by it.” He clicked his tongue.
“But not you, it seems. I’m certain you must have inherited some of your grandmother’s astonishing eyesight.
Eyes powerful enough to sense magic, to peer through glamours and illusions, even to gain glimpses of the past and future, or so I’ve been told.
They don’t call her the “all-seeing” for nothing.
And it appears you share some of that same power—at least, I couldn’t fool your eyes just now.
” He clapped in another show of approval.
“Absolutely delightful. What an extraordinarily useful skill to possess.”
“I always thought it was something all Fae could do,” I confessed.
King Filvendor met my gaze. “Then let me be the first to tell you how special you are.”
I fidgeted at his words. “I don’t know about that, but I appreciate your kindness.
To be honest, there’s a lot I don’t know.
About my Fae heritage. About what it means to be the Midnight Sovereign—” I opened my mouth to ask him what he knew about my position, but fell silent when a bell rang out, interrupting me.
“Look at that!” King Filvendor said cheerfully.
“The feast must be ready! Please follow Nithroel into the dining room. She’ll be taking care of you during your visit.
” He pivoted on his heel, heading toward the door.
A Fae servant woman came to stand by my side with a welcoming smile.
She had a beige complexion and startling blue eyes.
Her expression was bright and cheerful, like the sunflower tucked into the low bun of her chestnut-brown hair.
My mind was fuzzy, my thoughts jumbled, from all the new information the king just imparted.
It was overwhelming, learning so much in such a short span of time.
Still, the cautious part of me managed to cut through the haze.
King Filvendor had promised I would come to no harm, but he hadn’t promised to let me leave the palace.
And he’d just made it clear he thought my powers were useful.
If I were going to stay here even longer, then I wanted to ensure my well-being and my freedom.
“Wait,” I said, causing him to halt his stride, spinning back around to face me.
“A Fae court has been targeting me. I don’t know which one or toward what end.
But, if I’m going to dine with you, I’d like your word that I can depart from your palace when I choose to leave.
That you don’t intend to keep me here.” It was perhaps ungrateful to ask for such a promise after the kindness he’d already shown me, but I’d have to hope he’d think me overly cautious, and not unpardonably rude.
His response was calm and measured. “Of course, Elvira. I promise you that nobody under my rule has been targeting you. That’s absolutely terrible to hear.
I think you’ll come to find I am quite different than those who hunt you.
In fact, I’d like for us to be friends. To offer you all the comforts and privileges of my household even.
But we can talk about that in further detail tomorrow.
For now, I promise you this—you are allowed to leave my domain of your own free will. ”
The magic permeating the air told me it was a promise he intended to keep.