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“Krynn and I have been wondering where you’ve been all this time,” Seldarin said, arching an eyebrow at me.
“Oh—in Asheville mostly,” I told him.
He frowned.
“But I searched there—so many times. In fact, Krynn and I have been searching for you ever since you disappeared, just a few weeks after the old Queen died giving birth to you. Why did we never find you?”
I didn’t know what to say to that. It seemed weird to think of the two of them searching for me—or for the Lost Princess, whoever she was—for almost fifty years. Neither of them looked a day over thirty, if that.
They had a perpetually young quality to them—no wrinkles or gray hair anywhere. Just gorgeous features, muscular bodies, glowing eyes, and pointed ears. Aside from those last two things and their platinum skin, they could have been Instagram influencers.
“I, uh, don’t know why you never found me,” I said awkwardly. “It’s not like I was hiding or anything. I mean, I was a mostly a housewife but I didn’t stay in the house all the time. I went out to Target and ran the kids around to their different sports and activities and went to PTA meetings…”
“There may have been some kind of spell cast on her.” Krynn looked thoughtful. “But it would take powerful magic to conceal one of Royal blood.”
“Especially since we took the Markings to help us locate her and still couldn’t find her,” Seldarin remarked, still frowning.
“We also took them to show our devotion and willingness to serve,” Krynn reminded him. “You and I both know the possible consequences of the Markings we bear.”
I thought about asking what he was talking about, but honestly—was it really any of my business? They thought I was the Lost Princess—I was sure I wasn’t. After I left, they could go back to searching for her, whoever she was. So I just kept eating and didn’t ask what they meant—a decision I would regret later, though of course I didn’t know it at the time.
I was beginning to get full but I popped another glowing berry in my mouth and moaned happily.
“Oh, this food is so good. And I’m not just saying that because I was so hungry—it’s really the best thing I’ve ever put in my mouth,” I told them.
“That’s because it’s true Fae fare,” Krynn said. He lifted the silver carafe and poured some wine into the goblet. At least, I thought it was wine. It was a deep, rich red that was almost black. When I sipped it experimentally, it tasted as rich as melted berry jelly—though what kind of berry or grape it was made from, I couldn’t tell—only that it tasted even better than anything else I had yet put in my mouth.
“This is delicious!” I exclaimed, taking another sip. It was so good I was tempted to gulp it down, but at the same time I wanted to savor it.
“It is the Nectar of Lolth—distilled from the berries of the Heart’s Blood vine,” Krynn explained, pouring me a bit more. “Its blossoms open only on nights when the moon is full and the vine produces berries only once a century, so the vintage is exceedingly rare.”
“Well, I feel bad drinking alone—you two should have some too,” I said, taking another sip. Was I beginning to feel a bit tipsy? Maybe I should slow down. But the dark red wine was so good. Maybe just a little more…
Krynn and Seldarin exchanged looks and shook their heads.
“Only those with Royal Purple blood in their veins may drink the Nectar of Lolth,” Krynn told me.
“He’s right—even High Fae of the Court can’t touch it,” Seldarin added. “Let alone half-breeds like us.”
“Half-breeds?” I asked, frowning. “What do you mean by that?”
“Surely you’ve noticed the differences between ourselves and the other Fae of the Midnight Court,” Krynn said dryly.
“To be honest, I didn’t have time to notice much of anything except that you’re all unnaturally gorgeous,” I said candidly. “Oh—and the fact that everyone I’ve seen has pointed ears and glowing eyes.”
“Those are the marks of our people—the Dark Elves or Dark Fae,” Krynn said. “But there are ways to tell when someone is a half-breed. Hair color…skin color…”
“A pure-blooded Dark Fae should have platinum skin and hair the color of moonlight.” Seldarin sounded like he was reciting something that he’d heard many times. He pointed to his own skin—the platinum tinged with olive green and then his hair, which was thick and black.
“Oh, okay,” I said. “So you’re…”
“Part Orc,” he said flatly. “My grandsire lusted for a Fae maiden he saw bathing in a stream in the moonlight. So he stole her away and raped her.”
Krynn winced.
“That’s an ugly word, my friend.”
“An ugly word for an ugly deed,” Seldarin growled. “My grandmother killed herself—but not before she bore my sire. The Orc blood wasn’t so obvious in him,” he added. “So he was able to blend with the other Dark Fae and find a wife—my mother. He never told her about his own parents. So imagine her surprise when I came out looking like this.” He gestured at himself again.
