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The mention of my brother’s name snapped my full attention to her as the strange sensation faded. She was pointing back at the doors, and I could see a young fae standing in the front hall, holding the merrily panting dog in his arms.
It had felt cruel to keep the hound locked up in that bedroom with my brother, so I had asked the guards to retrieve it. Now though, as I stared at the little dog, I realised I had no idea what to do with it.
“Can I take him?” Idony asked eagerly, stepping closer to stroke a hand over the dog’s white fur.
I blinked at her. “You want him?”
“Yes.” She cooed at the dog, scratching under his chin. “He can come with me when I forage. And Sloga would love to have a little pup snuffling around his sidhe.”
My mouth twitched into a tiny smile. “If you want him, Idony, you can have him. Treat him well. He couldn’t help who his owner was.”
She shot me a glare as she carefully extracted the dog from the other fae’s arms. “Of course I’ll treat him well.”
“Well, that solves that,” Golra said flatly, then turned back to face me. “Prince Cethlen is still shouting that he wants to speak with you.”
“Ignore him.”
“And Bres has yet to come out of his room. But he did request several more bottles of whisky.” She paused. “By request, I mean that he screamed it through the door when he heard one of the staff sweeping in the hallway.”
I waved a hand. “That’s fine. Let him drink himself into a stupor.”
“Balor’s room remains empty.”
I tensed. “Yes. He hasn’t returned from the forest yet.”
“Let’s hope he never does,” she muttered under her breath, then lifted her chin. “Is there anything else I can help with, King?”
Before I could answer, that strange feeling from before suddenly returned in a rush. Like a splinter under my skin—a gnawing sensation that something that didn’t quite belong was nearby.
“No, Golra,” I said distractedly. “I appreciate your help.”
She gave a curt nod and turned to leave. As she was walking out of the throne room, I saw the doors at the other end of the front hall open. A guard ran inside, and kept running until he was standing in front of me.
“King Lonan.” He was a little out of breath as he dipped into a brief bow. When he straightened, I saw his silver eyes flashing with unease beneath his helmet.
“Yes?” I tried to focus on him, but that sensation was getting stronger. My pulse was quickening and I didn’t know why.
Then the guard spoke. “The seelie king is here.”
My breath caught as I went completely still. Then I was shooting up out of my throne.
“Where?” I asked, voice barely above a whisper.
The guard shifted on his feet, glancing back over his shoulder. “At the doors. He’s just outside.”
I exhaled in a rush. Idony was smirking at me from the throne room door, but it was affectionate.
“Everyone out,” she called, kissing the top of the hellhound’s head as she carried him towards the dining room. “Let us leave the two kings to… liaise in private.”
“What would you like us to do, King Lonan?” the guard in front of me asked warily.
I resisted the urge to smooth down my shirt, my hands already clammy and trembling with nervous anticipation. “Let him in.”
Chapter Forty
Ash
With every step I took through the forest and across unseelie land, the weighty cloth sack banging against my leg had made me feel faintly ill.
