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Lyric chuckled. “Does it hurt when you hear a lie or when someone stretches the truth?”
Touched by the concern in her voice I quickly shook my head. “No, it’s more of a buzz or electric prickle under the skin. What the speaker actually believes matters, but so does intent. Jokes can be tough to decipher. They’re more of a grey area and don't usually affect me much. It’s been a while since I’ve been around Others who aren’t fae so I wasn’t prepared. Extreme sarcasm is usually a safe bet for all parties.”
“I’ll try to keep that in mind.”
“I appreciate the thought, but really it’s not a big deal.”
“Thank the gods!,” she cheered. “I’m not great at watching what I say.”
“I hardly noticed.”
“Ha! She made another joke!”
Lyric elbowed me gently and went back to playing tour guide. Soon we circled around to an elegantly detailed gate on the other side of Embour. Vines and leaves were carved into the black wood panels, which were reinforced with thick metal strips between each panel.
Not iron.
It was an exit I could put my hands on easily, unlike the first one I’d entered with Phalen and my family. Thus far, I’d found six doors and gates I should avoid. One touch wouldn’t do much, but the very thought of my skin coming in contact with the substance was enough to constrict my throat.
Enough.
I shook it off and found myself in a garden of sorts. Rows and rows of white trellises held bright green climbing plants covered in blooms of assorted colors. Blues and reds and pinks abounded.
In between the trellises were large clay pots holding small trees. I walked over to one, peering up at the small yellow fruit hanging between lush green leaves.
“Lemons?” I asked.
“You’re familiar with Earth Realm fruits?”
“Circe did actually teach me things in my early years. She’d lived a long time in Earth Realm and thought it best I was prepared in case we visited or wanted to live there at some point.” It didn’t hurt to admit she’d done something for my benefit. Much.
Many beings from the Otherland took time to experience Earth Realm. Growing up, I thought I might like to attend a human university, as my mother had. It was a right of passage in her clan. That dream died when she’d betrayed us.
“Pretty, aren’t they?” Lyric reached up and touched one. “No one eats them, but Kree loves the scent so they got planted. The gardener picks them sometimes for the cooks so the lemons don’t go to waste. I like to put them in tea.”
“It was thoughtful of the gardener to plant these for Kree.”
“Oh, the gardener didn’t plant these. Cas did. This is his garden. It’s where he goes when he needs to think or work something out. It’s a special place for him. Personally, I think hitting things super hard works better, but to each their own.”
My mind blanked momentarily, then narrowed in on a single train of thought. This was Casimir’s special place. He grew these flowers. Planted these lemon trees. For Kree.
My tongue pressed to the roof of my mouth as my torso flooded with heat. I needed to get away from this place. “Can you show me to my room, please?”
Lyric scanned my face. “You okay?”
“I’m fine. I think I’ve just had a lot to digest for one day.”And to choke on, I fumed, remembering how his eyes had softened in the Council Room while talking to Kree, how he rose when she stood to leave and then tracked her exit.
“Yes, I’m sure you have.” She slid her arm through mine, linking us, something only Kol had ever done to me. “Come on. Let’s go see your accommodations at Hotel Embour.”
‡ ‡ ‡
“This isn’t a room. It’s a small house.”
Lyric grinned. “Like it?”
“What’s not to like?” I approved, moving around and taking it all in. Our invisible escorts had left us once we were safely inside the protected fortress and I felt the tiniest bit more relaxed.
The living quarters were decorated smartly, and took organization to an extreme. A large built-in bookcase lined half of an entire wall, filled with books and journals of varying color and sizes. It was arranged in the order of the color spectrum, where the warmer shades, like red and orange were to the far left, and the cooler shades of indigo and violet on the far right.
