In the instant he caught me, I had been certain he was going to kiss me. I was inclined to let him. Worse still, if I were to be honest with myself, Iwantedto kiss him.
The thought was preposterous. Reckless. It made no sense when weighed against reason. Yet, it held an allure capable of scattering every logical thought. A single, searing kiss would have been so simple compared to the complexity of everything else between us.
My pulse quickened at the possibility, my lips tingling as though they already knew the shape of his.
I was a fool for wanting him.
A greater fool for wishing, even now, for him to try again.
The staircase groaned beneath our feet, narrow and winding as it spiraled up through the core of the great tree. My hand trailed the coarse, knotted rope looped between branches serving as a banister. By the time we reached the first landing, my thighs burned. A series of triangular windows revealed the rain-drenched canopy. We were already high above the forest floor and still climbing.
“This place has far too many stairs,” Vesper muttered behind me, his little paws dripping with every step. “And I’ve yet to see a drying cloth.”
Ignoring Vesper’s complaints, Shubre glanced back. “Where are you all headed then?”
“Aurillion,” Branrir replied.
Her smile faltered. “Aurillion?” she echoed. “Oh—going for the Spring Jubilee, are you?”
We exchanged puzzled glances.
“The what?” Mav asked.
“You weren’t invited?” Shubre’s heavy brow rose.
Thistle’s frown deepened. “We weren’t planning on going to a party. We have other business to attend to.”
Shubre turned fully toward us. “Party or not, no one gets into Aurillion without an invitation. Even the citizens there need papers to get in and out these days.”
Her colleague, Kelraz, shifted our luggage in his arms and added, “The city is surrounded by an enormous wall, and there’s only one gate.” He shrugged. “The walls have been there for more than seventy-five years…I’m surprised you didn’t know about them.”
I bit the inside of my cheek. “It did not used to be as such.”
“A lot of things aren’t how they used to be.” Shubre let out a humorless chortle. “If you’re set on going to the capital, you’re going to need to get yourself invited to the Spring Jubilee, or find someone to forge paperwork. I’m not sure which is the tougher task.”
She started down the hall ahead of us, and we resumed our pace.
Mav elbowed Branrir. “How did you not know about the wall?”
“Of course, I know about the wall.” Branrir shot him a glare. “The requirement of an invitation is news to me.” He puffed up, shoulders hunching like an indignant owl. “Didn’t you get knighted at the castle? You would’ve seen the walls.”
“No, the ceremony was held at Verdelune,” Mav clarified, shaking his head. “I’ve never been to Aurillion.”
Thistle patted me on the arm, potentially sensing my rising apprehension. “I’m sure we’ll figure something out.”
Eventually, the stairs leveled into a long corridor. The walls were polished but not perfect—gnarled in places, bulging in others. Small windows were tucked between the bends.
But what caught my attention were the lanterns.
Glass globes hung from the ceiling, each holding a pixie. Tiny creatures with shocks of golden hair, pointed ears, and glowing skin. Some slept curled in the bottoms of their bulbs. Others pressed their faces against the glass, peering out at us. Several flitted about their spaces with their iridescent wings.
“They’re employees,” Shubre grunted from up ahead, catching my staring. “Lazy ones. Paid in sugar and gossip. Mostly the latter.”
“Finally, a recompense worthy of my talents,” Vesper declared.
As if on cue, one of the pixies stuck out her tongue at the feline and made a gesture with her hands I assumed must be vulgar.
Vesper hissed in outrage. “I amnotin the mood, pest!” He shook out his fur again—only to remain no drier than before.
