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“Dance for us. Dance for us.”
The young man stumbled again and fell. He struggled to his feet, his eyes wide and terrified like a hunted animal’s. Clutching his chest, his mouth moved, but no words came out.
In slow motion, he fell backward, his head bouncing off the hard surface. His chest stopped moving while his feet twitched pathetically. And then all motion stopped, and the Fae broke into applause.
I danced over to the man whose name I never learned. He was dead, his fixed eyes staring at me accusingly.
This time, I didn’t try to hold back my tears of frustration and terror. I was the daughter of the Lost Princess. Shouldn’t I have been able to help him? But who was I kidding? I couldn’t even save myself.
My feet took up the rhythm, moving faster than ever. The Fae noticed and pointed. They clapped along with the fast rhythm, chanting, “Dance, dance, dance!”
Bouncing and spinning, my heart rate went through the roof, and I screamed out my protest. This was so very wrong. I dug my heels in and locked my knees, but all I did was hurt myself.
I pirouetted until my stomach heaved and my head spun. The spectators laughed hysterically at my desperation. My heart beat so fast, I could feel it in my throat and brain. If I didn’t stop, I’d have a stroke and die here like the poor bastard in the circle with me.
My screams died down to desperate, breathless moans. “No. Please, somebody help me.”
My mind was disassociating. The music faded, even though it didn’t release my limbs. The Fae were colorful splotches at the edge of my awareness, and slowly, my vision faded.
Somebody grabbed me by the waist and pulled me into a firm chest. I panted, inhaling a familiar scent of juniper berries and damp forest moss. Bleddyn held on as tightly as he could while my legs were still twitching. “I have you, my love. You can stop now.”
Chapter thirty-four
Thecheeringandlaughingstopped. The only sound was the whispering among the Fae spectators.
Bleddyn let go of me, holding his hands out just in case, ready to catch me. The dizziness receded as I caught my breath. My eyes still wide with terror, I looked to the side, expecting to see the fallen body of the young man. But he was gone as if he’d never existed.
My heart ached with the tragedy and the understanding of how close I’d come to suffer the same fate. When I turned back, Bleddyn was gone, and I was alone. I searched around frantically, scared that without my protector, I’d become prey again. But nobody was paying me any attention, having already moved on to the next entertainment.
A loud knock rang through the hall. Once, twice, three times.
The conversational murmur died down immediately, and everybody fell silent in an expectant hush. The Fae were all around me, blocking my view of what was going on. But like sensing a storm coming, I could feel something was happening without having to see roofs being torn from houses.
The crowd parted, and two courtiers marched toward me. I looked over my shoulder for an exit, and if there’d been a way out, I would have run. Behind me, the Fae stood side by side like a solid barrier, their eyes shining with excitement.
The men reached me, and I braced myself for the next assault. Instead, they bowed as low as they could and addressed me.
“Lady Beth, we would be honored if you followed us.”
Those words stirred more whisperings. This time it didn’t sound gleeful, but concerned. These bastard Fae had seen me and thought I was easy prey. And now they were worried.
Good. If I ever got any power in this place, I’d shut them down and throw them in the dungeon for what they did to that man.
Following the two courtiers, my knees shook under the wide skirt, partly from the recent exertion, but partly with fury. I was still breathing fast, but every step away from my tormentors made my lungs work easier.
I found myself in front of a dais with three steps leading up to a platform, accommodating three chairs. The middle one was made of dark wood, decorated with intricately carved flowers and trees. The bark and leaves were set off with gold leaf, creating an exquisite and imposing throne. On either side of the main chair stood two smaller ones, decked out with similar carvings, but covered in silver.
King Rhys sat on the golden throne with his son to his left. Prince Prys’s lips were pressed together, and his expression grim. The king took no notice of his son’s bad temper. Instead, he declined his head and smiled.
“Welcome to the Faerie Court, my granddaughter.”
The room fell deadly silent. I was so fixated on the king and his son that I hadn’t noticed Bleddyn standing behind the dais with another Fae. Both were dressed in extremely flattering leather uniforms, holding large silver swords. Looked like Bleddyn had pulled guard duty, but still taken out time to save me.
King Rhys interrupting my thoughts and held out both his hands. “Come, dearest Beth, and join me. Sit on my right.”
The murmuring grew louder. I lifted my skirt and ascended the three steps. Taking his hands, I allowed myself to be guided to the chair. As I sat down, I glanced at Bleddyn, who’d moved himself into my field of vision.
He gave me a tiny smile, winking as he did so. Then his face became impassive again as he stared into the crowd, scouting for any sign of trouble. My heart felt much lighter, knowing he was on my side.
