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I’d have thought it was a tree, but it moved when Hector shooed it away. It had limbs like arching willow branches, so many of them that it was impossible to count. There was a vague face on the trunk, and its root-like feet moved like a millipede’s.
“Willow wraith,” Hector snapped. “Pests.”
Everence tugged me along. Today I’d donned a dress like the ones Everence wore, belted at the waist and loose everywhere else. The blue fabric flowed around me, and I couldn’t help admiring the way the fabric shimmered, even in the overcast light.
Behind us, Sinsorias dawdled, pointedly avoiding chatting with any of the lesser fae around him. With the presence of so many unusual creatures all around, I barely noted the courtier shadowing us.
“Will Rafael come for the race?” I asked, carefully altering my question from earlier, when I’d asked if he would be accompanying us.
Everence turned to me with an apologetic expression. “He never misses one of Espera’s races, but,” she added at my sudden smile, “he will not be joining us. He prefers to watch from the shadows.”
My shoulders sank, and I glanced over my shoulder at the woods beyond the garden. At Starfell, I’d sensed something watching me from the shadows more than once. “Why?”
From a step ahead of us, Hector snorted in apparent frustration. “Why do you care so much about a man you don’t know?”
Opening my mouth to retort, I recalled Sinsorias standing a few paces behind us, certainly listening. “I do not care about him. I’m merely curious why my captor actually let me leave the estate today. I was under the impression I was imprisoned at Starfell.”
Hector lifted his brows at me, then inclined his head in a small gesture that hinted at respect. It was the most approval I’d seen from him. Everence pinched her lips over what might have been a smile. Maybe my act was believable this time. I forced out an aggravated huff and stared at the procession of jockeys and horses marching from between the tall hedges.
Except, not every animal was a horse.
A hand clapped over my gaping mouth as a massive lizard with saddle slipped between the hedges in front of a badger the size of a donkey.
“Now do you see why Rafael wouldn’t have entered this race on his own?” Hector asked as he folded his arms across his chest. “These races are ridiculous.”
Still bewildered by the strange animals lining up at the starting gates, I couldn’t keep a small smile from curling the edges of my lips. He’d done this for me.
The lineup included only two horses, the lizard, the badger, and a house cat with a pixie for a jockey. Espera stamped the earth, clearly annoyed that he’d been entered into a race against these other creatures.
When the race began, I jumped in surprise. The lizard darted out of the gate like an arrow loosed from a bow. The horses thundered forward, and the badger clawed the earth with ferocity, spraying the house cat with dirt from the track.
All around me, the crowd burst into riotous laughter. I shrank back against Everence’s shoulder.
“I’m sorry I asked him to enter this race,” I whispered, following Espera as he charged into the first turn, the only truly elegant animal out there. The other horse was already last, behind even the house cat, who ran with such long strides it appeared to fly over the ground.
The lizard, still streaking through the sandy track, had slowed, and Espera was closing in on him. Sparks flew from the horse’s hooves, and by the time the stallion had rounded the final turn, he was in the lead.
It was Espera’s race now, but for some reason, as he thundered past my place in the crowd, he put on still more speed, and the sand beneath him exploded with tiny fires. He crossed the finish line in a blaze of flame, and the entire crowd was silent.
Not a single fae cheered.
Finally, as the lizard, taking up the rear now, crossed the finish line, applause broke out. Laughter returned to the crowd, and soon, everyone was cackling again as the masses already began to disperse.
Everence and Hector exchanged a glance, and Hector stepped forward, edging through the crowd.
“Where is he going?”
“To claim Rafael’s winnings.”
I shoved into the crowd after him. “Let me,” I said, catching up to him.
He whirled on me. “Why? Some of these fae don’t particularly like humans.”
With a quick glance back at Sinsorias, his glowing suit easy to spot, I muttered, “Rafael asked me to convince his brother’s court that I hated him. I have an idea.”
Hector considered this, then lifted a hand toward the track. “Go ahead then.”
Heart hammering, I strode out into the center of the track, where Espera was walking, enormous flower wreath around his neck. I’d never walked alone through a crowd of fae, but I kept my shoulders high.
