That was what the silver-haired fae had called it. It certainly was that.
The entrance to the River Palace was a glass bridge over a small moat that fed into the stream the waterfalls flowed into. Torches lit the area, and the glass sparkled like diamonds with the light of the flames. All along the perimeter of the palace, silent guards stood with long sabers—even though they didn’t look like they needed to use them given how big they were.
The guards themselves were almost as tall as the fae male I’d met in the forest, though they donned a shirt. They had silver-armored breastplates stamped with a crystal emblem and helmets that shielded their eyes from view.
I stopped short when I realized some of them even had tails.
As I stood in front of the palace, it occurred to me I didn’t have a plan. I thought that when I arrived in Peristan, I could use my magic to locate the crown, or at least any clues that might lead me to it. But now I wasn’t so sure I could use my magic out in the open. After seeing what the silver-haired fae could do, it didn’t seem safe to exhibit a type of magic that might be different from theirs. I certainly couldn’t conjure vines from the earth or make water flow from golden palaces. I chewed the inside of my lip, debating if I should attempt to speak to the guards.
Would they allow a human inside their walls? My fingers itched to use my magic, to give me the nudge I needed, the direction I had to go.
But I couldn’t risk them seeing me use it, not when I didn’t know what it would mean here. I needed access to archives or a library so that I could research Queen Azari’s crown and find out where it was.
According to my mother’s journal, whoever possessed her crown, could bring down the wall.
And if I could do that, I could bring life magic back to Astola and complete what my mother had tried to do ten years ago.
I could save my nani and cousin from execution by the Citadel.
I could give Astola the hope it needed.
My eyes fluttered closed, my resolve sharpened. I exhaled heavily and shored up my shoulders, walking toward the palace.
The one thing I knew was research, and my only chance at finding the crown was using the skills and clues at my disposal.
If I had access to where the fae kept their knowledge, I could find anything.
My magic could help me source anything as long as I had the right clues. And I could feel it clamoring to get out of me, even now.
And what other choice did I have? I couldn’t really live in the woods, not with monsters like the halmasti lurking about. And certainly not when there were fae like the silver-haired one who seemed just as vicious.
The glass bridge was busy with fae moving in and out of the palace, some with carts and large cloth shopping bags, others with nothing on them at all—not even clothing. In hindsight, the shirtless male fae in the forest wasn’t that bad. Most of the fae looked like humans—just taller and bigger, with pointy ears.
As I approached the entrance of the River Palace, a hooded figure bumped into me and sent me sprawling in front of the guards. A murmured “sorry” was all I heard before the figure melted into the crowds in front of the palace.
I stared after them, then checked that my mother’s bangles were still on my wrist. I breathed a sigh of relief when I felt their firm weight.
Rolling to my feet, I continued walking to the front gate. As I did so, two guards crossed their enormous spears, barring me from entry.
“State your business,” one of them growled.
I was close, but I still couldn’t see their faces for their silver helmets.
Their tails I could see in great detail, however, and they were slightly bushy, like a mongoose’s. I looked away from the tail flicking back and forth in my general direction so I didn’t stare too long and look suspicious. The guards waited expectantly.
But before I could speak, a female fae in front of me tripped and fell into the dirt, the bundle of whatever she was carrying spilling to the ground.
“Are you all right?” I crouched down and helped her gather her brown paper parcels. They weren’t heavy, and I glanced inside them to discover they were filled with herbs. Coriander, mustard leaves, mint, and fenugreek all poked out of one large packet.
“Are you headed to the kitchens?” I asked quietly, an idea forming. I tamped down my excitement and tried to keep a neutral face.
“Yes—thank you for your help.” She scooped up a bundle of mint leaves that had rolled into the dirt and dusted them off. “I was supposed to put these in the larder earlier when I got back from the bazaar, but I forgot them in the cart.”
I stood with her and offered her a friendly smile.
“I haven’t seen you at the palace before.” Her eyes seemed to take in my bedraggled appearance, lingering on my spectacles and then the tops of my ears. “You’re human.”
She said it as if I might not know that fact, and angled her head, staring at me.
