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“Come,” Dex said. “She’ll see you now.”
“The High Priestess?”
He didn’t answer.
When I stood, my body protested. My muscles were stiff and bruised. Moving was harder now that I’d cooled down and slept. I hobbled toward Dex, who turned and led me back down the hallway we’d come from. He took me to an unknown part of the palace.
I stared at everything around me in awe. I’d seen nothing like this—not even in some of the holo-ads I’d seen around town. I’d never read about anything like this in books.
The palace transcended earthly beauty. It was ethereal, and everything seemed to be kissed with gold. The marble floors had intricate flowers laid into them. I kneeled to study one of them. When I ran my fingers over it, it seemed like the flower was real, preserved against time by a sort of glue that gave it a shiny, magical appearance. The walls shimmered with a glittery substance that sparkled in the light that filtered through the windows. Depictions of battles adorned the high ceilings, with powerful warriors, beautiful damsels, and horses that bulged with power and pride.
“This place is incredible,” I said, looking around me.
Dex only grunted something inaudible, that I assumed to be an agreement, and kept walking. Was he used to this kind of splendor? Did he recognize the incredible beauty for what it was, or was it run-of-the-mill to him?
After I’d grown up in squalor and filth and worked in bars where the males were dirtier than the floors they trod on, this place took my breath away. I was used to the color brown—everything in my life had been dirty. Nothing held pride in its very existence the way this place did.
The palace seemed to go on forever. We followed one long hallway after the next until we finally reached doors so tall, they nearly scraped the ceiling. The doors met in a sharp ogival arch at the center, and when Dex pushed them open, I realized they were stone. They scraped heavily along grooves in the ancient stone floor created by opening these doors again and again.
We left the beautiful fairy tale palace behind, stepping into a Gothic world of stone and candles. Light barely fought away the darkness. Whispers danced around us, and a strange fog curled in the corners.
Magic.
All of it was magic. We’d walked into some other realm.
At the end of the long hallway, we went into a large room. The windows were all designed with the same ogival arch. The ceilings were so high that I couldn’t see them in the darkness, and a large fire roared in a fireplace at the far side of the room. Dark, neo-baroque couches huddled in a semi-circle, facing the fire.
“Dex,” a soft voice sounded from one corner, and I noticed a large desk filled with scrolls and stacks of ancient parchments.
A female walked toward us, stepping into the light. She had the characteristic Fae features—pointed ears and shimmering skin. Her white flowing robes gave her the appearance of a goddess.
She glanced at me, and her gaze caressed me like a breeze. I fought the urge to back away. This Fae was powerful. I felt her magic dancing on my skin like a hot breath.
“I’m Nylah, the High Priestess of Jasfin,” she said, introducing herself. She circled me, studying me, and it allowed me to study her, too.
She was beautiful. Ethereal. Chestnut hair hung below her waist. Her eyes were strangely golden and shimmering—like candlelight, but she wasn’t reflecting the candles or the fire. The light in her eyes came from within.Woah.
“You can leave her with me,” Nylah said when she’d circled around and stood in front of me again. “We’ll find out what Ren needs to know.”
Dex bowed again and turned.
“You’re leaving me here?” I asked, and the panic was clear in my voice. I hadn’t wanted to show fear, but her power made me nervous.
“Don’t worry, child,” she said softly, and her voice was soothing when she spoke. “I’m not here to harm you. My orders are from the King. If he sent you to me, you’re quite safe.”
I narrowed my eyes at her. “Who says he doesn’t want to kill me?”
“If he did, you’d already be dead.”
“He tried,” I shrugged. “Too bad I wanted to live more than he wanted me dead.”
Nylah shook her head and turned toward the couches that faced the crackling fire.
“Please, sit. Let’s talk,” she said.
Talk? This was far more civilized than the torture session I’d imagined. I followed her but stopped myself.
“I’m going to get blood all over your couches,” I said. I wasn’t bleeding anymore, but I was still filthy with blood and dirt, and the velvet couches looked like priceless antiques.
