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Calandra dropped her fork. “That’s where I know you from! You’re Deirdre’s daughter?”
The downfall of being the infamous bastard daughter: most people recognized you. I couldn’t place her, however. She must’ve been a few grades ahead of me in school.
Poking the food around my tray, I wondered if I should lie. Even the other side of the river was unsafe from scandal and rumor.
“My mother used to work in Wellington Castle as the prince’s handmaiden,” Calandra went on, “she told me?—”
“That she got pregnant by some lowly servant and had to abdicate her title?”
Lewis’s voice cracked. “Is—is it true?”
“Your guess is as good as mine.” I slid the mush into my mouth. It tasted vaguely like mushrooms, but it wasn’t horrible. Better than having to elaborate and explain myself. Something that proved worthless back home.
Aeron’s laugh sounded before he appeared behind Lewis, carrying his tray in one hand. “So, you’re the bastard child? I always wondered what you looked like.” He leaned down, his hot breath stinging my ear, and I cringed. “I knew you were nothing special.”
“Go back into the hole you crawled out of.” Calandra threw the rest of her bread at him.
“Missed you too, babe.” He laughed once more before taking his place at another table. A few of the other male competitors received him with boisterous laughter.
She flipped him the middle finger, turning her attention back to me. “Don’t let him get to you. His bark is worse than his bite.”
“How can you be so sure?” I asked.
“He’s my ex-boyfriend. I dumped his ass right before we ended up here. Mister, ‘I hate being told no,’ got mad and pushed me into the water. He jumped in when the tide swept me under. Next thing I know, we’re both lying on the bank, surrounded by four fae guards.”
“Are you serious? That’s horrible.”
She ripped into a piece of chicken. “I’ll get my revenge during the trials. How’d you end up here?”
“My mother’s sick, and I remembered the story of the nightingale, so I crossed the river to find it. I didn’t make it far before the guards discovered me. That one, to be specific.” I flicked my chin to where he stood on the back wall.
Calandra turned to look at the guard who hadn’t stopped staring at me since I sat down. “Oh, Talon? He found us too.”
“Same here.” Lewis wiped his face. “He’s the nicest of all the guards, though. He always gave me extra bread.”
Under Talon’s stare, my face warmed, and I glanced away. If he was the nicest that they had to offer, I didn’t want to know who else lurked in the king’s ranks. My chest tightened as I thought of my captor.
“How’d you end up here?” I asked Lewis, needing to divert my thoughts.
A frown replaced his bright features as he remembered the events.
Quickly, I reassured him, “It’s okay if you don’t want to talk about it.”
“No.” He shook his head. “No. It’s fine.” A moment passed before he finally started speaking. “I snuck out to skip rocks at the river while my babysitter was busy feeding the chickens. Everything was going fine. I got one to skip eight times when the tide rolled.” Lewis frowned and seemed to fight for his next words. “But then I slipped on a slick patch of algae and fell in. I was almost out when some creature pulled me under.”
I suppressed my horror but was unable to conceal the narrowing of my throat as I asked breathlessly, “Was it human-like?”
“Yeah! It had gills in its neck and these sharp fingers.” He held out his hands. “I don’t remember what happened after that, but here I am. My mother is probably so mad.” His hand retreated to below the table.
The burden of his guilt pressed heavily upon me. I wiped my hands on the worn and tattered fabric of my dress as if trying to rid myself of the invisible residue left by his conscience.
This was cruel.
Lewis was so young—he had his entire life ahead of him.
How could my life be more important than his? How were any of our lives more important? To decide who was and wasn’t worthy of life was for the stars and fate to decide—not measly humans. And certainly not the fae. Whatever happened, I’d make sure, somehow, someway, I’d get him back home.
I placed my hand on his. “Don’t beat yourself up, okay? Your mother loves you, and I promise she’s not mad.”
