“It is magnificent,” Cullen agreed.
“Surprised it’s good enough for the Prince of the Tower.” Noelle grinned. Eira didn’t miss the brief flash of pain in Cullen’s eyes. She knew he hated that moniker, yet he didn’t seem to stop anyone from using it…anyone but her. “How do we pick rooms?” Noelle walked over to one of the six doors lining the common area, yanking it open to reveal a four-poster bed.
“It seems they’ve already been chosen for us.” Mister Levit held up a note.
“What’s that?” Eira asked.
“A brief welcome from the queen via Mistress Harrot, the caretaker of the house. She has assigned each of us a room so that there would be no debate.” He chuckled.
“As if we would debate.” Noelle crossed her arms. Her offense made it clear there certainly would have been debate if given the chance. “Which one is mine?”
“The doors are marked with our colors. Black is mine, apparently,” Mister Levit answered.
“Then I’m going to get changed,” Noelle declared.
“Into what? You don’t have your clothes off the ship yet.” Cullen arched his eyebrows.
“I shall wait naked, then. These ‘ceremonial’ rags they designed for us just aren’t my style.” Noelle grimaced at her attire and sauntered off to the door marked with a diamond-shaped, red, glass inlay.
“I’m going to go and catch my breath,” Eira said, starting for her own door.
“Don’t you want to explore the house?” Alyss caught her hand. “See if we can meet the other competitors?”
“Desperately.” Eira squeezed her friend’s fingers. “But first, I want to see where I’ll be sleeping. I’ll be right back.”
“I’ll check out my own room, then. Knock when you’re ready.”
They parted.
Eira slipped inside her door, looking to the four-poster bed, the nightstands, the dresser, and then the desk that overlooked the back windows. The letter left for Mister Levit had given her the idea that maybe Deneya had left a note for Eira with some kind of instruction as to how to find the Court of Shadows. Now that she was here in Risen, she would meet the court, wouldn’t she? That was what they had agreed on, wasn’t it?
Eira pressed her eyes closed and tried to remember, but her thoughts were interrupted by Ferro’s voice, whispering in her ear.
“I’ve been waiting for you.”
2
Eira’s blood turned to ice; she went rigid, frozen in place. Her heart stopped beating and her breath hitched. She was back in that dark forest, cold, helpless, fighting a man who was far stronger and vastly more skilled.
Impossible. Not real. It couldn’t be. Eira blinked several times and grounded herself in the warm sunlight that coated her face through the sheer curtains.
Magic pooled in her fingertips, dark tides rolling within her, ready to attack if her theory was wrong. Eira turned, facing the suspected source of Ferro’s voice: a landscape oil painting hung by the door.
The words had sounded so real. As though he had been standing right there, whispering in her ear. She swallowed thickly. He wasn’t there. But the ghost of him was.
He haunted the city, the manor, the room she had tosleepin.
Eira gripped her head and took a shaky breath. If she was going to hunt him, she had to come to terms with hearing him. He was her prey.
Gathering her courage, she faced the painting. “Well? Anything else?” she whispered.
Nothing.
Who was Ferro waiting for here? Or, perhaps the painting had changed hands several times? Perhaps Ferro had said those words in a different place altogether, or the painting wasn’t the source of the echo. Eira rubbed her eyes and collected her thoughts. She needed to speak to Deneya and let her know that Ferro’s presence was in these halls.
Two knocks on her door had her quickly clawing together composure. Alyss was on the other side.
“Ready to explore yet?” Alyss chirped cheerfully.
