Page 196 of Blade of the Nightking

My stomach sank. “Shouldn’t we be heading to the Tidelands? To find the second Gate?”

For the first time since we'd reached the ridge, his attention shifted fully back to me. “This Court borders on the Tidelands. I know someone who may be able to help us through.”

I frowned. “A friend?”

Something tightened in his expression. “No.”

The answer only made me more curious. “How do they know you're coming?”

His gaze drifted back toward the view ahead. “They know.”

The words landed with a finality that made it clear I wouldn't be getting anything more from him. I opened my mouth to ask how long it would take to get there, but Rìan had already set off. With a muttered curse, I hurried after him, breaking into a jog to catch up with his longer stride.

The illusion of the landscape became even more disorienting up close. I stumbled more than I wanted to, unable to tell exactly where the ground lay beneath my feet until I took a step, each movement sending ripples skimming across the thin layer of water coating the ground. Clouds drifted beneath my boots. So did Rìan. Keeping my gaze fixed downward to avoid twisting an ankle, I found myself staring at his reflection instead. Even upside down and fractured by shivering water, the scowl on his face was unmistakable.

The sensation began perhaps half an hour into our journey. At first it was subtle. A faint tingling beneath my skin. I frowned and rubbed at my forearms as I walked, convinced it was merely the chill dampness of the mist that had settled around us.

Without so much as glancing in my direction, Rìan said, “The salt is draining your magic”

The sensation intensified. I flexed my fingers. “It feels strange.”

“It gets worse.”

Wonderful. “How much worse?”

“By the time we reach Illyra, you'll be empty.”

The words stopped me cold. Rìan continued walking. After a moment, he sighed and stopped as well.

“Not permanently,” he turned back impatiently. “The salt leeches magic from anything that carries it. It's the natural defense of the Court of Mirrors. No army can cross the flats and arrive in Illyra with its power intact, and skelding there is impossible with the wards in place. By the time invaders reach the city, they're little more than ordinary mortals.”

“So no one in Illyra can touch their magic?” I asked in disbelief.

“You should feel right at home.” His eyes glittered. “The High Lady is the only one with her magic intact. She alone drinks directly from the Vein to sustain it.”

I scowled. “Why would any Fae live there?”

He shot me a sidelong glance. “Because it's a Court of utter debauchery.” He stepped over a shallow pool of water without breaking stride. “The High Lady turns a blind eye to anything that doesn't threaten her rule.”

“Such as?”

“Smuggling. Gambling. Contraband.” A corner of his mouth lifted. “Drug dens. Pleasure houses. Black markets. Every vice imaginable.”

I stared at him.

"She takes her cut as payment for not interfering. Every smuggler, merchant, gambler, and criminal in Elantis eventually passes through Illyra. As a result, it's the richest Court in Elantis."

“Is it dangerous?” I asked anxiously.

“Everywhere in Elantis is dangerous.” He gave me a dark look. “Illyra simply doesn't pretend otherwise.”

The tingling was spreading now, creeping through my body in countless tiny currents like millions of ants moving beneath my skin. It wasn't painful—but it was deeply unsettling, the sort of sensation that made me fight the urge to rake my nails across my arms in search of relief.

Rìan didn't so much as twitch to betray a shred of discomfort, yet every so often his nose would wrinkle faintly, a small involuntary reaction that suggested the sensation was bothering him too. Otherwise, he stayed focused on the horizon through the misting rain, as though nothing existed beyond reaching it.

Of course he would be headed to a Court like that. A city built on thievery, vice, black markets, and criminals sounded exactly like the sort of place the Dark Prince would cultivate allies. Exactly the sort of place someone like him could vanish into without attracting a second glance. The thought did very little to reassure me about the mysterious contact waiting for us in Illyra.

My eyes drifted toward the distant city.