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“You heard right. I stabbed him twice.”
Alastair guffawed, and Gaven’s lips quirked in amusement, even as he regarded me carefully. He was smaller than the others and less imposing at first glance, but there was a keenness in his attention that made me feel as if he could see my every thought. The silver hair that fell across his dark skin matched the glittering rings that circled each finger. He watched me watching him, and he did not blink a single silver eye.
“Careful where you point your blade next time,” he said with a flash of teeth. “Or I might have to rip off the pretty little hand that holds it.”
“Gaven,” Kalen warned.
“Relax.” He turned to Kalen, and as soon as his gaze left my face, the tension throttling my shoulders suddenly vanished. “She has nothing to worry about as long as she doesn’t try to kill my king again.”
Val caught my gaze and winced. “This is getting awkward. I could use a glass of wine.”
“Here.” Niamh plucked a bottle from the table and poured amber liquid into Val’s glass. “Try that. It’s not wine, but it’ll take the edge off.”
Val lifted the glass to her nose and sniffed. “Smells sweet. What is it?”
“Fion.” Niamh grinned. “Technically, it’s fae wine, but it’s not made from grapes. It tastes like silver and song.”
“And it’s safe for me to drink?” Val swirled the liquid in her glass.
“One glass will make you very merry. More than that, and you could lose yourself to the magic of it. So stick to just the one.”
Val lifted the glass to her lips and took a small sip. After a moment, her eyes widened. “You’re right. It does taste like silver and song, though I have no idea how I know what either of those things tastes like.”
Niamh turned to me and held up the bottle. “Tessa?”
“None for me, thank you. Maybe another time.”
I turned to Kalen, who was deep in conversation with Gaven and Fenella, discussing what he’d seen in Albyria. They were trading ideas on what to do next. Should they send out a hunting party for Oberon? Or should they wait for him to make a move first? Then there were the humans from Teine. How soon should they make for Sunport, where they’d take a ship to the human kingdoms? As Kalen had said, there was much to decide. The future seemed uncertain now.
But I knew one thing above all else. I would not board that ship. Not until all of this was done.
Twenty-Six
Tessa
After dining in the Great Hall, I returned to my chambers for a bath. Once clean, I opted for a dress hanging in the wardrobe. It was deep green, darker than the lushest blades of grass and softer than feathers, with long sleeves that hung like bells around my wrists. Golden thread wove along the neckline. Two columns of crescent moons were embroidered down the front of the bodice. I slipped my feet into my leather boots after braiding my wet hair. As I left my room, I ran straight into Fenella.
She lounged against the corridor wall, picking at her fingernails with her dagger. Without shifting her gaze my way, she asked, “Going somewhere?”
“Yes.” I folded my arms. “I’m going to take a look around.”
“Unaccompanied?”
“I’m not a prisoner, am I?”
She smiled, and only then did she lift her glittering eyes to my face. “If it were up to me, you would be. But it appears our king has grown soft.”
“Kalen and I have both—”
Fenella held up a hand. “Don’t. There are few who could stab a fae king and live to tell the tale. Lucky for you, I respect his command, and I will not go against his wishes where you’re concerned. But I do not trust you, Tessa Baran, and I will be watching everything you do inside my city.”
I swallowed. I’d only been awake for half a day, but I’d already made an enemy. One who was part of Kalen’s Mist Guard. One of his closest confidantes. But I could hardly blame her. I wouldn’t trust me, either.
“You know what? That’s fine. Where is everyone else?”
“My king is having a meeting with the others to discuss what to do about Oberon. Your friends and family have returned to their rooms. I believe they said they wanted to get some rest. The journey here was hard on them.”
I nodded. “Why aren’t you in the meeting?”
