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Rehan gave a snort.
Maybe they’d figured it out themselves. How had they not known after Queen Sienna’s castle had been reduced to rubble? Could word of Farah’s death have spread so quickly? Had it not been kept secret as Sienna’s had?
Another achingly cold breeze cut through the small town, trying to find its way under Ace’s cloak. She pulled the material tighter. Hinges gave a soft whine as the gate up ahead swung open with an invisible push.
Not only was the gate to the castle opening for them, but it was unattended. Ace hurried a few steps forward, stopped by Shelby’s long arm as he reached out to hold her back.
“Just because we can’t see them doesn’t mean they aren’t there.”
“How sweet of you to worry.” She beamed. That act alone pulled his expression down.
But it did have the same feeling of oddity that had come with Queen Farah’s castle too. At this point, the sensation of being lured into some sort of trap was almost comfortable.
“It’s not a trap if you want to be caught.” Rehan nodded. Was he thinking of Farah’s castle too? Or perhaps he had muddled in Ace’s thoughts for a moment. Her strides grew long, quicker, till she was almost at a run. “I don’t think there are any guards here. I’m not picking up on any thoughts.”
She only slowed when she reached the castle gates. The door swayed open, the latch long forgotten.
“Ladies first?” Rehan said with the flair of his cape and a bow.
“How kind,” Ace returned, her voice a mocking accent of sophistication. She pulled her cape out as she curtsied.
“Can we just—” Shelby pinched his brows. “Let’s just go inside.”
“You’re no fun.” Ace stepped within the castle grounds. Prayers from the town still drifted this way though they became quieter the farther they went.
Rehan clasped Shelby’s shoulder, giving him a gentle shake. “What are you talking about? Fun is his middle name!”
Shelby shrugged out of the touch and sulked forward.
Even though the smallest chuckle came from Ace, she couldn’t help but worry about offending Shelby. Though she scolded herself and those thoughts because Shelby seemed apt to be offended by most anything and Rehan meant well. At least she hoped.
Garden beds filled with tall grasses and late blooming wild flowers trailed along the smooth stone drive that led up to the castle. They filled the air with their sweet scent and added splashes of color—oranges, purples, and pristine whites—to the otherwise monotone landscaping.
It wouldn’t be too long before the wet season would be over and the flowers wouldn’t have anything to sustain them. Winter would approach and with it the icy bite that only came during the nights the rest of the year.
Ace let her fingertips brush along the tops of tangerine tinted petals. A gentle silken caress. Her attention shifted from one corner of the castle to the next. Old boards had been refurbished to look nearly new. New stone was sandwiched between the wood and painted to match.
Prayers had settled somewhere in the back of her mind. They sent the sensation of her holy fire tingling with the need to answer. Her body begged her to obey their requests, to stand and announce that she would be their protection. She ignored the sensation.
She couldn’t be their protection. She was their enemy. She would be the queen to lead the Fae back into Pasia.
Her throat tightened.
The gods hovered nearby too. Present in her mind, the hum of their conversations lowered to hushed tones shared between them. Ace could listen in to the conversation should she have wanted to. All she’d need to do was focus on their voices. However, it wasn’t all that often that the gods allowed her such a break from their annoying chatter. So she welcomed their silence. No matter how eerie.
“Should I knock?” Shelby stood at the door. “It doesn’t seem right to walk right in.”
“It would only be polite.” The toes of Ace’s boots stopped vertical to the door. Even through her thick cape, Shelby’s heat was soaking into her. She prayed her cheeks didn’t tint with red or that Rehan was listening to her thoughts as she glanced up and admired Shelby’s handsome face.
He watched her with narrowed eyes and lifted one fist. Knuckles to wood, the sound echoed back to them. The castle sounded as empty as it felt.
They waited with breaths caught in their chests. Ace’s hands settled on her waist where she imagined the hilt of her sword would rest if she carried it like a soldier.
No bells tolled. No greeting came. There wasn’t the rush of guards coming to surround them. Nor was there the reluctant answer from an unlucky servant.
“I suppose that means we can go in?” Ace pushed the door open, letting it swing on its hinges.
A few lanterns still burned along the hall, the oils inside running low as if no one had bothered to fill them. Leaning on her toes, she peered inside.
