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“Good. Sit next to me so we can get to know each other better.”
We took our seats, the king at the head of the large table, me kitty-corner to him, and Prys next to me. Opposite us, a man with eyes as sharp as daggers took the fourth seat.
A young woman brought out several bowls of fruit, bread, and cheeses. The man across from me tasted each dish before mumbling a spell over the plate. When nothing happened, he nodded.
“Thank you, my good servant.” The king beamed at him.
The sharp-eyed man rose and placed a sample of each food on our plates. Then he sat again, waiting for permission to eat. The king picked up a slice of what might have been an orange and said, “Please, eat. We must nourish ourselves before we discuss more serious topics.”
I would have preferred some porridge or meat, but one didn’t disobey a king, right? So I followed his example and picked up the fruit. I bit into it, expecting the sweet, acidic flavor of citrus.
My eyes opened wide, and I nearly choked in surprise. It was a fruit unlike any other I’d tasted before. There was a slight citrus undertone, but other flavors like vanilla and cinnamon dominated. Nothing like this existed in my world.
The king laughed out loud at my astonishment. “Fae fare has always been superior to that of humans. Over the millennia, stories have warned them to never partake of our food. This is why humans would rather stay here and never return than give up the pleasures of this world.”
I’d liked Mistress Olwen’s cooking, but this was at another level. It was like comparing mashed potatoes with expensive marzipan. Similar appearance, totally different taste.
The king reached out and lifted my chin, forcing me to look directly at him.
“My, my. When my son told me his sister’s child was alive and here in Faerie, I did not believe him. Not until Bleddyn sent a message several days ago that he had found my granddaughter and was bringing her into the city.”
If I’d had any doubts about who Bleddyn was working for, the king’s words smashed it. Bleddyn had never stopped working for the king.
But maybe I shouldn’t be upset about his split loyalties. While helping Amber, I’d learned the hard way how seriously the Fae took their oaths.
Bleddyn had sworn a fealty oath to the royal household. Compared to that, what were a couple of nights with a human girl? If all I’d be left with were some hot memories, at least I’d found my mom’s family.
“I have no doubt that you are my granddaughter, Beth. Your mother had the same irritating way of daydreaming when people spoke to her. And your eyes are just like hers. You are the spitting image of my daughter, child.”
The king took my hand. “I want you to move into the palace by the end of the week.”
Prys inhaled sharply, but I ignored him as I stared at his father. Could it be that simple? Would I have landed on my feet as part of the most important family in the kingdom of Faerie?
For the rest of the meal, King Rhys wanted to know everything about my upbringing in the human world, how I’d ended up at the academy, and what had brought me to the Fae realm.
I hadn’t planned on mentioning Luke and Kenzy so soon. But as I chewed another delicious morsel, I couldn’t help myself. My grandfather had been nothing but kind to me. What harm would it do to tell the truth?
“My friends were taken to this world. I followed them here.”
For a split-second, the old man’s gaze shifted to his son’s before focusing on me again. “Why do you believe your friends are here, in Faerie?”
Maybe it was my imagination, but he seemed more tense.
“Well,” I began and stopped. Was I supposed to know all this stuff about Faerie, about its people surviving on stolen human energy? Bleddyn had told me as if it wasn’t anything special, as if everybody already knew this.
“I learned that some areas in this world are not able to utilize sunlight.”
Rhys and his son exchanged another quick glance, but the king’s expression hadn’t changed from its interested, benevolent gaze.
I swallowed, trying to phrase it diplomatically. “I understand that after the separation between the human and the Fae world, there are problems guaranteeing the same food quality in all areas.”
The smile slipped off the king’s face. After a pause, he said, “Yes. It is a growing problem, but we have taken steps to make sure our population does not suffer.”
“And that’s why I came to Faerie,” I continued. “Some of my dearest friends were taken from my world to… ehm… to help with the energy shortfall.”
I’d tried my best to use a euphemism and not tell him to his face what I really thought about their practice of killing children. I knew I’d hit a nerve when the king’s eyelid twitched.
I took a deep breath and plowed on. “Is there no other way but kidnapping human children to help the Faerie world?”
