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I’d heard a voice I hadn’t recognized and whipped my head in Kai’s direction. Sure enough, he was face to face with a shorterand rather conniving looking man dressed in designer clothes, which probably cost more than my entire year’s salary.
“I apologize,” Kai said tersely, and I could feel his embarrassment and irritation through our bond. “You must be mistaken. I am—”
“I know who you are, young prince,” the man said with a laugh. “Queen Brielle would be quite displeased with me if I forgot what her one and only son looked like.” He glanced past Kai, and it was like he was seeing the rest of them for the first time. But I knew our party was acutely aware of every syllable the man had said since he’d popped out of nowhere. It looked like Kai’s secret was out, and so early, too.
“You, attendant, take the rest of the prince’s auxiliary staff to his royal quarters and have them brief his private attendants on anything they need. Remember, they are guests of King Nathaniel DeLune himself.”
Kai grimaced and turned back to me. “I’ll meet up with you later. Just stick together.”
Like there was any other choice. I wasn’t going to go out alone in the palace until I had more of a grip on things, and right now, I felt far too overwhelmed by everything..
“Yes, sir.” Oren said, his face drawn, no doubt at the idea of being separated from his captain, yet again. I’d never seen a second in command who was as incredibly and unflinchingly loyal as Oren himself.
With another nod to his friend, Kai walked off with the man, leaving the rest of us baffled.
It seemed Archus was equally surprised by everything that’d just happened, because he stood there, just blinking. The long lasting silence settled over the group, and I wondered if this would be funny in any other situation.
“What the fuck?” Mad Dog looked like Kai just burst into a hydra right in front of his eyes instead of being declaredthe prince. “Did that guy just mistake Captain Reed for our delinquent royal? He’s dead.”
It wasn’t funny, it really wasn’t, but sometimes Mad Dog was hilarious. Between his tone and truly bewildered expression, Darla burst into laughter, and I couldn’t help a soft chuckle myself.
With both of us now useless, Mad Dog turned to Oren. “Wait, did you hear it, too?”
“Of course, I heard it,” Oren said tersely. “Because our captain is the crown prince.”
“Pft, yeah sure, and I was born yesterday with moon-blood in my veins.”
“If you don’t want to believe me, then don’t.” Oren looked to Archus, who seemed to just be coming back to himself. “Would you mind leading us to our quarters? If not, I will, I’m more than familiar with the way.”
I didn’t think Oren was actually upset with Mad Dog, so the only thing I could assume was that just being in the capital set the normally cool lieutenant on edge. I didn’t know his history with the place, but if Kai wasn’t fond of it, I had to guess Oren hated it. At least Kai had pleasant nostalgia to soften the edges of his discomfort.
Darla and I exchanged looks, but neither of us said anything. As for Archus, he tried to recover and give us a good tour, but it was still obvious he was rattled. Once he reached an ornate entrance, he bowed to us, his face still a bit pale.
“This is His Highness’s royal wing. His room is at the end, so please assign yourself however you see fit. I will go and notify Jezeira and Morgana of your change in location so the rest of your party finds themselves in the correct place.”
“Very good,” Oren said with a flat voice. “You are dismissed.”
Archus’s gratitude was obvious as he hurried off, quickly disappearing down a grand staircase. Oren wasted no time and pushed against the ornate entryway.
There was no reason for it to be so big. Its two shining, resplendent doors were tall enough to let two people walk side by side with plenty of room. Honestly, a carriage could fit through it.
I wasn’t about to complain, though. I was simply stunned by just how gorgeous the revealed space was. I’d never known something as simple as ahallwaycould be breathtaking.
There were pillars every dozen or so feet on either side of the hall, tall marble blending perfectly into the ornate crown molding that was alabaster with gilded gold and cerulean accents, sapphires and quartz winking down at us.
The walls all had something to look at as well, whether it was portraiture, or the lush, embroidered curtains half-covering windows I was sure led out to equally beautiful balconies. Down the corridor, I saw pedestals with vases, statues, and even abstract works of metallic art.
It was amazing, and I was so shocked, I didn’t have the headspace to remember our fort could nearly double its supplies and defenses with the money it took to install just a single one of those pillars. Then when Oren showed me my private room, one set away from everyone else, the thought drifted even further from my mind.
My quarters were stunning. No, that was an understatement. This was on another level beyond anything I’d seen before, lush with so many plants and riches. I wasn’t sure if I was in a botanical garden or a bank. Or maybe a museum? There was a ton of art.
Then my eyes went to the bed in the middle. In the Sanguis coven, I’d had a cot and a goose-down mattress from our own flock. It was just large enough for a child but was all I needed. AtCanid, I had a twin bed with a standard foam mattress, too thin to be really comfortable but more than enough at the end of a long day.
But there was no cot or thin mattress in my new room, just a queen bed so thick on top of an ornate frame, I was going to have to launch myself up onto the mattress to go to sleep. Closing the doors behind me, I did just that, flopping down on the wonderfully soft bed.
It wasn’t so squishy that my hips and spine got no support, but it was like a cloud, nonetheless. Then the comforter… I didn’t know the material, but I wanted to be buried in it. Forget a coffin, just roll me up into a witch-burrito and set me atop a funeral pyre.
Maybe complete and total self-isolation wouldn’t be so bad if I could just live in my new bed forever.
