I had followed him through the woods.
I had?—
What the fuck had I done?
My blood thundered so loud it blotted out thought. There was only one command left.Run.
When Varyth noticed my hesitation, he took another few steps before finally pausing.
“What exactly is your plan, then?”He turned to face me as he exhaled ashort, impatient breath. “Return to the woods? Wander until something else finds you?”
Itook a step back. I had no plan. Just instinct, survival. And even that was fraying.
Varyth ran a hand through his ash-coloured hair as he turned his face skyward, perhaps a silent plea for patience. “I am not going to hurt you.”
“And I should just believe that?”
“You don’t have much of a choice.”
I knew that. Ihatedthat I knew that. I gritted my teeth.
I could turn back, take my chances in the woods. I had survived worse. Butthe sight of Mireth finally smiling, the exhaustion in Eryx’s tiny body as he dozed in my arms, made the choice for me.
I took a single step forward.
Varyth didn’t react. He merely watched, waited.
Mireth’s laughter echoed through me. A sound I hadn’t heard in months.
Another step.
Varyth turned and began walking once more. The doors to the castle were already open. The lord didn’t slow his stride as he crossed the threshold, his golden wings tucking in as he stepped into the dimly lit entrance hall. He didn’t check to see if I was following.
The moment I stepped inside, the doors sealed shut behind me with a quietclick. But the sound wasn’t soft in my bones. It was deafening.
Beneath my boots, the stone gleamed dark and veined with gold. Lanterns hung above like captive stars, casting halos of light across high archways and etched columns.
Fae passed along the edges of my vision, gliding silently, bearing books, trays, and folded linens.
Varyth glanced over his shoulder. His gaze raked over my grip on the blade.
“Still clutching that blade like it’ll save you?” His voice was threaded mockery.
I blinked and looked down—my grip was white-knuckled around the hilt.
“I find it’s better to be prepared.”
Varyth hummed, considering, “Prepared for what, exactly?”
My jaw tightened. “You tell me.”
His lips parted in the barest suggestion of a grin, the expression more threat than joy.
Varyth led me through the corridors without another word, his strides unhurried, his wings shifting with each movement. He pushed open a door, revealing a room that, at first glance, was unexpectedly… inviting.
A library. The scent ofaged parchment and inkwafted through the air, mixed with the faint traces ofcedar.A fire burned low in the hearth, casting itsglow across the room. The golden light caught againstrows upon rows of towering bookshelves, their contents meticulously arranged.
Severalplush lounges and armchairswere scattered around the space, worn just enough to suggest use.
