Page 63 of A Fate In Moonstone

Servants walked around, ignoring me as I stared at the palace doors.

A tingling sensation in my thoughts demanded to be heard. A feeling, that I needed answers and to follow him grew within.

“You’re looking down, prin—” I jumped as a male voice came from the stairs beside me.

“What in the?” There was no one there. My mind instantly registered who was here, but invisible.

My hand covered my chest, and I took deep breaths to calm my racing heart. “You scared me.”

“Would it make you feel better if you knew I was naked?”

“You’re not naked, right?” I was afraid to know the answer.

“Nah, but it’s a fun sight, right?”

I groaned. I completely forgot I hired the Goat Fae to spy on my parents. I’d learned so much that it wiped the memory away until now.

“So. You ready for the goods?”

No, but that didn’t stop me from nodding.

“Well, your mom is... distant. Your handmaiden is hot and did a good job distracting them for you. And, your dad is conspiring to consume all of magic with his other daughter, but all around, I’d say your family isn’t the worst I’ve seen.”

I choked and my every muscle froze as ice coated my veins.

I waited for the chill in my hands to call him a liar, but my palms were warm.

“He’s trying to consume all magic?”

And he has another daughter?

“Have my daughter meet me at the cottage in an hour, Serim.”

Serim walked right past me. The king acknowledged me and left the palace. They weren’t talking about me. I should have seen… known… it just didn’t click in my head.

“Yeah. Pretty fucked up. I’ve gotta go, but if you need me, just call for a spider and I’ll show up.”

I felt the woosh of wind from his departures as he left me alone on the stairs. My knees wobbled, and my heart beat so loud I swore it could be heard bouncing off the walls.

Everything I knew was wrong.

My throat clogged, and my eyes burned.

This was too much. I wasn’t prepared, and where did I even go from here? Lachan was Verin, my uncle. Verin was planning to consume all magic.

How? Why? What did consuming magic even mean?

I had to stop him. Fuck, how did I stop him?

Tor saw me and rushed over. “Hey, Sapphira. Glad I caught you before your schedule whisked you away. Come join me in the kitchen while I cook.”

He didn’t see how close I was to losing it. He smiled as I gripped his arm and inched my body closer not because I wanted him but because I feared I’d crumble to the floor and cry.

Somehow, I smiled at all the right moments as Tor talked and chopped carrots and then deboned fish from the river. Every few minutes he’d focus on stirring and I’d look him over for signs of harm. But he appeared the same as I knew him. I don’t even think he’d cut his hair since arriving.

He saw me looking and leaned over to give me a kiss. “You’re gonna love living in Regno De Lupi.”

That future, even if I didn’t want it, felt like an illusion.