Page 40 of Facade

My face scrunched. I’d heard that’s what happened, but it was different seeing it. To think the breeze could be scattering skur ash all over us right now. Gross.

A loud thud sounded behind me. Thaddeus had hauled out the trunk and dropped it on the top steps.

“I wish you safe travels, your Majesty,” he announced with a low bow.

“Thank you for your hospitality, Thaddeus.” I copied his earlier motion and placed my fist over my heart with a smile.

My smile faltered when I turned to see Aiden, staring at me again—this time, seeming impressed, not angry. Small improvement.

“Where have you seen that?” he asked quietly as I finally got into the carriage. The other guards’ horses shifted impatiently behind him.

I didn’t want to risk Thaddeus getting into trouble if it was something forbidden, and I, of course, wasn’t aware it was forbidden. So, I went with— “I don’t know.” Seemed safest to me. I closed the door before he could say or ask anything else.

“That’s not fair! Where did you get new clothes? Why am I stuck in rags?” Lyra whined, scrunching the skirts of her scratchy brown dress in her fists.

“Thaddeus believed I was a Queen and gifted them. They’ll all go back to the Fae Queen eventually.”

Lyra crossed her arms, pouting.

“This journey was supposed to be an exciting adventure. So far, it’s been so boring and uneventful.” She sighed dramatically. I decided not to share the events of the previous night as I didn’t want to give her an excuse to talk the entire ride. “And I don’t know what I’m doing wrong, but none of those guards will have anything to do with me!”

“I don’t know,” I mused, putting my empty satchel beside me along with the coat. “Brax seems to pay attention to you.”

She cut her eyes at me. “Brax is a boy. And some other kind of beast. Just can’t figure out what.”

“Brax is most likely a hundred years older than you. I doubt they'd let teenagers in the King’s guard.”

She crossed her arms and looked out the window at the dreary weather coming in.

“Lyra, we’re away from the Queens’ lands. We’re still only human slaves, yet we’re sleeping in cushioned beds and eating the best food we’ll ever get to eat. Try to enjoy the journey. Things might be different for us at Castle Lawryn."

Probably in a bad way for me, with the stacked warnings I’m getting. But I didn’t plan to stick around and find out. Guilt settled in over not including Lyra in the escape plans I was attempting to piece together, but I couldn’t trust her either. Every whispered warning, every mile closer to the Fae King, every time I shut my eyes and saw the flash of silver through the electrifying blue, I felt the building anticipation to run before something terrible happened.

“Doubtful,” she grumbled.

“Look, I don’t know what’ll happen for me at Castle Lawryn, but for you, I really think it’ll be okay. And as far as the males—they’re here to convince anyone watching that I’m a Queen and you’re my lady’s maid. No one will believe the Queen would allow her Lady’s maid to have a… a Dalliance with one of the King’s knights.” I genuinely wanted to help her see that there’s more. More than just finding a male. More than the next big adventure. Because once I’m gone—

“Ha! You are a virgin! Only a virgin would be too scared to go after one of these guys and use all of that Queen bullshit as an excuse. Dalliance,” she snorted, propping her leg up on the seat. “No one says that. Can’t believe you’re older than me and a virgin!”

My face fell flat as she guffawed across from me.

I scowled at her, folding my arms over my chest, and watched the trees blur together as the carriage lurched.

As I looked out the window, it was Thaddeus’s golden gaze I met, as he leaned against a pillar, his golden robe billowing as the wind dragged in the cooler weather.

My hands grew clammy as I took in the worried expression on his face.

11

Aniah

We waited a day before we approached the house. Too much was on the line. We couldn’t risk anyone knowing we were in this realm or who we followed.

The iron gate was open. The crunch of gravel beneath my feet the only sound as I walked down the tree-lined drive.

Flowers fell as a breeze blew. I pulled my cloak tighter around me and held out a hand, catching a pink flower with brown spots plaguing the delicate petals. It took more effort than it should have, but I managed to make the brown spots recede and the color shine brighter, creating a perfect little specimen in my hand. A small smile tugged at my lips.

Elemental magic, the simplest and most natural, was my personal favorite—a light magic, unlike the dark magic with curses that the Coven Council pushed for. I loved to help things grow and create beauty. Even if I hadn’t been creating new curses before my magic was taken, I felt that each spell I cast was tainted with a darker presence. That darker presence felt as if it had tainted me, too.