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I don’t dare touch those walls though, for fear that disturbing it would somehow wash away the magic. That I’d corrupt it somehow. Instead, I move farther into the room, exploring theplace I’m to rest my head tonight, and possibly every night after. That is, assuming Asmo puts up with me and honors his deal.
I’m still not sure why he made it with me. I’m not sure what it gives him.
It doesn’t take someone born of magic to know he has enough that people would volunteer to look after his keep if he vanished from the realm. In these lands, I wouldn’t be surprised if others made sacrifices in his honor or started a waiting list to bow at his feet.
So,why me? Why forgive what I’d done and offer me sanctuary?My hand closes around the crystal pendant around my neck, feeling it vibrate against my skin.Why give back my crystal? Why not get revenge for me stabbing him, and let me die in the woods?
The enormous bed sits regally in the center of the room. Blanketed in dark velvet covers, it appears soft and inviting, promising dreams and warmth. Above, there’s a glass dome ceiling that opens up to the daytime sky. The hell flame light filters through those paned windows, bathing the room in a golden glow, making the air shimmer with dust. It’s a stark contrast to the dark theme that dominates my chambers, though I’m sure it fits right in at night.
On the far side of the room, two solid doors are inset into the wall, and behind the bed sits two large glass panes, lacking door handles, open to the terrace just beyond it. I approach the first solid door, curiosity nipping at my heels as I peer inside to find a closet. For the most part, it’s empty, but there is a set of folded pajamas, made from satin, and a note on top of them.
To the woman who’s agreed to live with Asmo,
Long ago, I moved in with a man I didn’t know. A man who wanted me to feel welcome and loved, but knew nothing about me. He filled my closet to the brim with frilly dresses, and things princesses could onlydream of, but all I desired in that moment were boots and fighting leathers. So, this closet is enchanted. Speak what it is you desire to wear out loud and it will create it just for you. Consider it my present and my sincerest apologies that you’ve chosen to live with my grumpy, cynical, obnoxiously stubborn best friend.
Alice
Alice… As inthe Queen of the Seven Realms, Alice Morningstar?
I let the door drift closed, turning my attention back to the room.How did the queen know I’d be moving in?
Her note in hand, I exit into the landing, rapping my knuckles on the door I saw Asmo disappear into. It takes me knocking four times before the wooden slab opens just enough for an amber eye to peer through the crack, flicking over me. Then he lets out a rattled huff and opens the door fully.
“May I help you?” His teeth clench tight.
“I… um…” All the words I had planned die on my tongue as my gaze takes in the dripping-wet dark hair, the water droplets sliding over rippled muscles, the silver scars… My eyes track all the way to where his hand clenches a towel around his waist. My mouth is suddenly dry as I force my attention back to his face, finding it harder than it should be to keep it there. “I found a note and I’m sorry tointerrupt,but how did the queen know I’d accept your deal? That I’d agree to living here?”
Asmo snatches the note out of my upheld hand, his eyes ticking back and forth as he reads it. Then, as if it’s nothing important, he hands it back. “She’s the queen, and a witch who can scry the future. What I’m more concerned with is the fact that she gifted you a fucking enchanted closet and all I got was a rubber duck near the bathtub and a note reminding me to be on my best behavior. Now, if you’ll excuse me, my duck friend is rather lonely, and I’d like to finish my bath.”
The door snicks shut, leaving me fighting back a grin on the landing.
9
Asmodeus
The last thing Iwanted to do when I woke up this morning was save Griffin. Yet here I am, heading to the gods forsaken Enchanted Forest.
Hands in my pockets, the shadowed wisps evaporate into nothing, revealing the gnarled, crooked trunks of poison apple trees. The air is thick with the scent of syrupy magic that puts my senses on edge, but I do my best to swallow down the bile rising in my throat.
Unfortunately, a rubber ducky wasn’t the only gift Alice left me. Along with it was a note. In her curly scrawl, I was reminded to behave and have manners—as if I frequently forget. I was all but ordered to shower. It’s like she knew I’d returned to the woods to continue ridding the beasts that got past the wall. And last, came a favor. And when the queen asks a favor, especially after resurrecting your keep, you comply. No questions asked.
“I need you to do something for me. Preferably, without making an enemy of the mage clan in Solaria. Griffin has been ‘ensnared’ by one of his ‘conquests’…I’m sure your imagination can figure outthe rest. I’ll need time to break it without harming him. I thought I’d broken it once, but the spell work is more complex than what I saw at first glance. The knots and threads must be internal. The best option might be to let it wear off in a place warded against such magic. Regardless, I need time and he needs a safe place to stay. I trust you’ll look after him. On the back of this letter, you’ll find a map with where to find him.”
And just like that, I’ve now gained not one, but two roommates in a twenty-four-hour period. The first being a woman who tried to kill me out of spite, and the second being my notorious nephew.
I’ve always despised this forest. Traveling through it has brought nothing good, and not once in my years of serving the mad king did I come here and not have the sudden urge to lose my breakfast. The power magic users have differs from mine. All magic smells sweet, but being around a horde of mages and druids can quickly make the air unbearable to breathe.
As expected, the air wreaks of them, of their magic, and only a man with a death wish would come here without being invited. And by the strength of it pilfering the breeze sweeping through the fruit trees, I’d say there have to be dozens in that mansion.
I have nothing against druids, mages, or witches for that matter, so long as they keep their hands off the blood grimoires. However, this clan used to make up the mad king’s personal guard. When the boundary fell and Solaria was united under the crown that reigns over all the Seven Realms, most of them died in uprisings. Those that remain… Let’s just say they never truly got over it, but have since learned to keep to themselves and not cause trouble. For that mercy, they’ve been allowed to live here.
Though, holding Griffin hostage might change things.
I push open the gate that’s been made of decaying vines. The hinges holding it upright whine, the sharp pitch of it slicing through the eerie silence. In the shadowed heart of the clearing, surrounded by those poisoned fruit trees, the dark mansion looms before me. Pillars made of thick, twisted vines, support the carved wooden roof. Even from a distance I can make out the ruin wards that decorate every inch of exposed siding, preventing anyone from entering any other way than the front door.
Who knows what else those ruins protect from. It’s possible that the moment I enter, my magic will be out of reach. Though, being magicless isn’t something I’m unfamiliar with.
Only my nephew would put himself in such adelicatesituation. I’m not sure I'll ever understand what possessed Griffin to wander into their hornet’s nest with a hard on, but I think it’s safe to assume the mages and druids living here didn’t take too lightly to the Duke of Solaria standing on their doorstep. And he risked this for what? To get laid? There are plenty of other prospects. His looks alone rival that of his grandmother, who quite literally was the embodiment of lust and beauty, and to say men and women fall at his feet for simply existing is an understatement.
