His smirk is felt through the thread, even with my back to him. “As you wish, Your Majesty. And what of your sister? I doubt she’ll leave Malachi. She’s grown more attached in your absence.”
“I’m not leaving her.”
“She slaughtered her own people. If you saw that shore?—”
“I’m not leaving her.”I cut him off.“We both know Malachi’s influence is strong, but there’s something else happening here. Something beyond these realms he’s tapping into. I can’t put my finger on it, but I’m not leaving her to him.”
“Understood.”
“Anything else?”
“The palace is quiet. Too quiet for my liking. Something is brewing, and I have a feeling it involves the Rite.”
“We head to Tempest soon. I’ll see if the priestesses can tell me anything. Keep me updated.”
He hums, drifting back into the crowd, while I scan the room again. It’s rare I interact with anyone when most here would rather see me strung up in the gallows than drinking at their side. The only ones who approach are trying to get me to take them to bed.
It’s quieter tonight. Unsurprising, since haelmarrow lulls the mind. But something is off, and I can’t quite place it. Callum stands at the edge of the room. His jaw is set in irritation. He’s seeking someone in the crowd. Likely the same flash of blue hair I’m looking for. Except, she’s not here.
Hasn’t been since the party started. At first, I thought she was running late, but Malachi doesn’t look the least bit worried about her absence when he often spends most of the night parading her around like his personal trophy.
Which means he knows why she isn’t here.
Rubbing my index finger against my thumb, I let my magic sweep outward. It weaves through the room and scours the halls as it searches for that spark of Elorie’s magic. While she spendshalf her time thinking it barely exists, it brims wildly inside her. Every time I push against it, it bites back.
I reach the edge of the palace, and my magic collapses back in on itself when I graze the faintest drift of her memory at the edge of the courtyard. A cool breeze of snow and frozen pine. Barely there a moment ago and quickly fading through the trees. The scent of a Gateway quietly closing.
Where are you going, Starfire?
Chapter 26
Elorie
While Arches allowtravel between different realms, Gateways are doorways within a realm, allowing Fae to move from one place to another in an instant.
I didn’t fully understand what it would be like to shift between places so quickly until I enter the Gate between the Ley Court and Ruse Village, and my insides spin.
Greer opens a swirling gate, and I reach with my fingers first. My body following as my stomach turns. Like I’ve stepped through a mirror and into myself. For a flicker, I swear I taste home. Snowy forests and the saltwater breeze. My nose is flooded with the distant stench of death. And then I’m falling, so hard and fast I’m on the verge of vomiting again.
One foot finds the ground on the other side of the Gate, and I’m split in half as I fight to break free of it. It tries to tug me back, so I pull. My heart thunders as I stumble through, falling to my knees and vomiting in the dirt.
“Traveling through the Gates is intense the first few times,” Greer says, walking past me. “You get used to it after that.”
I push to my feet and nearly trip on my dress as I try to catchup with Greer. She doesn’t slow down or wait for me. While the king’s court treats me like an incapable human, Greer doesn’t. She never takes it easy. It’s appreciated, even as I stumble after her.
“Greer!” a honey-sweet voice calls, and I look up, squinting.
Everything is cloudy, like the Gateway left a haze over my eyes. Blinking through the fog, I see a large white structure cloaked in shadows ahead. Pinpricks of light shine brighter where the curtains are cracked.
With another blink, I make out the outline of a female walking toward us. Beside her is a child holding a stuffed rabbit in her arms.
The little girl pauses in front of Greer, but she’s watching me.
“You didn’t warn me you were coming tonight. Much less bringing a guest.” The female wraps her arms around Greer, and to my surprise, Greer allows it.
“The Guard is preparing to change shifts, and they’ve decided to send a batch of new recruits to Alyssium. The king asked me to confirm they were ready.” Greer’s eyes meet mine over the woman’s shoulder, and my back stiffens at her mention of my home.
My vision is instantly sharp. Greer didn’t say anything about Alyssium when she said we were coming here, and I was too caught up in grief after what happened to Isolde to consider why Greer might be heading to Ruse Village. I just wanted out of the palace. But now, it makes sense.
