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“I’m going with her—she said she’d give me a tour of the palace,” Edris said, as though asking for my permission.
Before I could formulate a response, he turned to follow her, “Great! I’ll see you at the feast later this evening.”
Tiernan stepped up beside me, “I think he’s smitten with her.”
I cocked my head at my father, seeing the slight bounce in his step, “I think you might be right—though I’m not surprised. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a rival to her beauty.”
“I have,” Tiernan said, and I turned to find him gazing at my face, a cheeky smirk turning his lips up at one corner.
I shoved him, “Come on, let’s go get cleaned up.”
“If you’ll follow me,” Arin said with dimples in her cheeks and a glimmer in her brown eyes, not bothering to check if we were following her when she took off at a near jog around the great tree and into the heart of the palace of Day.
I suckedin a breath at the sheer size of the guest quarters when Arin shouldered open the tall, ornately carved door. Finn looked like he approved, with a dumbfounded expression on his usually thoughtful face. Alaric scanned each crevice with calculated precision. And Tiernan strolled into the room as though it belonged to him, pouring a drink of water from a large pitcher set against one wall.
The chamber opened up into a gilded parlour set with plush crème colored sofas stitched with gold embroidery. Transparent red curtains billowed in the gentle breeze pouring in through a wide south-facing window. Beyond, I could see lush forests interspersed with plantations and small farms—and way out into the distance, the ocean gleamed like a polished jewel against the horizon.
“The bedchamber is through there,” Arin said, gesturing with a dainty hand to a corridor off to her right, “And there is a dining area through there,” she continued, pointing the opposite way with a smile. “The bathing chamber is below the bedchamber—you’ll see the staircase in the room.”
Only one bedchamber?I opened my mouth to ask her about it, but she was already on her way out, “I’ll return to fetch you for the feast this evening. If you should need anything else, there is a bell,” she pointed to a brass bell fixed to an iron hanger beside the front entrance, “Just ring and I’ll be right up!”
And then she left.
“Fan out,” Alaric said the moment the servant had departed. “Search the entire chamber.”
Coming back to their senses, my males squared their jaws and did as he commanded them without protest. Tiernan took to the dining area, and Alaric searched the main foyer and parlor, careful to look outside the window as well. Finn made for the bedchamber and I followed him there, admiring the sandstone walls and the generallywarmfeeling of the chamber.
“Is that a…” I trailed off, entering the bedchamber with Finn. The room was enormous—the walls rounded, and the floor covered in plush carpet. But it wasn’t the size of the room that caught my attention.
It was the size of the bed. Double the size of mine back at the Night Court—at least. Maybe more. Covered in soft-looking golden sheets, thick pillows of many sizes and several blankets. Gauzy fabric hung from a ring in the ceiling, draping over the entire thing. I wanted to crawl into it and stay there—hide from all the horror of the world.
A childlike joy rushed through me. It reminded me of the forts the seven sisters and I would build when I was a child—though they were smaller, and the netting was more to keep out insects than it was aesthetically pleasing. And Thana would…
I clamped my mouth shut—gritted my teeth to block out the pain in my chest at the mere thought of her.
Alaric and Tiernan entered behind us, and I heard my captain curse at what he saw and turned to find him throwing a fist through his hair. Tiernan didn’t look surprised and only sighed.
Finn was the one to break the silence, cocking his head at the enormous bed, “Well, good thing it’s big—since there’s only one.”
Chapter Seventeen
Tiernan
Entering the feast hall was like walking into a den of wolves. They all stopped in their chatting and drinking to ogle us. Well, to ogle Liana. The queen had sent up a gown for her to wear—crusted in a thousand sparkling blue gems, cut low in the front and tight around her waist. It had been near impossible not to want to tear it from her body the moment I’d seen her in it. The queen had even had servants come to our chamber and do Liana’s hair, piling it atop her head in a beautiful crown of silver locks.
I knew Suriel, and she was a wise and fair ruler. But it seemed odd how she was acting. Was she trying to impress Liana? Or trying to befriend her? Or was something more sinister in fact going on as Alaric thought.
Even though she never voiced it in front of me, I always thought she would be open to having a relation with the Night Court. It wasn’t like her to uphold the antiquated views of others. No, there was nothing sinister about it. Suriel was hoping to win Liana’s trust—to build a lasting impression of her people. The prospect of open trade between nations could have an incredible impact for her people, who were rich in wine and rice, but poor in grain and cattle.
The large oval table was occupied by Queen Suriel, wearing a russet orange gown—her crown perched atop her hair like a yellow canary, and Edris, who sat to her right, and several esteemed nobles.
I stiffened when my gaze fell upon him—a sneering expression twisting his face and darkening his pale features. My uncle sat on the other side of Edris, languidly chewing a piece of roast pork while he stared at me.
“What is it,” Liana whispered, leaning in to my side and brushing her fingers lightly across the back of my hand.
I shivered. “It’s nothing,” I said, pulling her arm through mine.
“Come!” said the queen, rising from her seat, her cheeks stained red from too much drink, “Please, sit down—sit down!”
