Well, this is more than enough. Wiping the foam off my eyes, I urge her to rinse my hair off and dismiss her.
“I will be back at Nightfall to help you with your gown and hair, m’lady Talysse; rest now!” She curtsies and hurries to the door.
“Help me with what?” I ask incredulously.
“Help you look even better for the ball tonight, m’lady Talysse.” She glows and closes the door behind her back.
Atos’s hairy ass.
A ball in this viper’s nest, where everyone will stare at me—the prince’s latest conquest.
I step out of the crystal tub, wetting the polished floor, and change into an airy nightgown Ayrene has prepared for me. Then I slip between the crisp sheets, smelling of lavender soap. Exhaustion pulls me under as soon as my head touches the feather-filled pillows.
Still, even as sleep claims me, the distant echoes of music and laughter haunt my dreams.
Another trial, a far more traitorous one, is just around the corner.
Talysse
The Unseelie Court
The nightmares are back.
Instead of my parents’ lifeless bodies, there is a horde of monsters hunting me. I am clutching Tayna in my hands and we’re riding a horse, and it is so terrifyingly big and fast. The animal is scared, galloping without a care of the two tiny humans on its back, and I slip down. Still tangled in the reins, the horse doesn’t stop, and I scream until my throat is dry, aware that I’ve lost Tayna somewhere along the way. Then Aeidas comes out of nowhere, waving his Shadowblade, but instead of helping he swings it at me—
“M’lady Talysse?” Ayrene is at my bedside, lighting the candles in the silver candelabra. “It’s almost Nightfall; time to get ready for the ball. It’ll be a short night, a time to celebrate. Here, I’ve brought you snacks.”
“Snacks” is a magic word for me, and it is incredibly smart of Ayrene to keep me distracted with the honey-walnut cookies and quince compote spread over thin slices of fresh bread while she combs and braids my hair and squeals over the dresses we found in the mahogany wardrobe.
When she walks me to the mirror opposite the bed, I subconsciously scan the room for magic. This vision in a white silk dress threaded with silver cannot be me. The dress has a generous cleavage plunging deep and displaying more than I’d feel comfortable with, but this is the extravagant Unseelie court, so I’d better blend in. Long transparent sleeves, split from the elbow down, sweep the floor with each move. The hem of the flowing white skirts is encrusted with sparkling crystals, its pattern reminding me of the paintings the frost draws on the windows in the winter mornings. The delicate fabric shows the lithe line of my legs and pools around my sequined slippers like fog.
Ayrene has added some color to my lips and cheeks and painted my eyelashes black, which makes my eyes pop out. Maybe it was the whole day of rest, but there’s a sparkle in my gaze that wasn’t there before.
“Do you like it, m’lady Talysse?” Insecure, the girl is touching up my curls which cascade down my shoulders, rows of pearls and diamonds snaking between them.
“If I like it?” My brows shoot up in dismay, then pack the girl and swing her around. “I love it, Ayrene! Are you sure you don’t have magic? I came in here looking like a Tainted One, and see what you’ve done!” She palms her forehead. “Oh, I nearly forgot! A last but very important detail! The prince asked me to give you this,” I glare at her, “tell her to put the Flint in there, he said, and never to part from it!” She hands me a tiny brocade pouch with a long cord intended to be worn around one’s neck. “And I agree with him, m’lady Talysse; put the relic in there and never take it off! Contestants are not allowed to attack each other before the beginning of the next trial, but I am sure there are enough wicked minds here plotting to steal it. Keep it safe, and don’t wander the castle alone,” she finishes, hanging the shimmering thread around my neck, and I wince at the touch of her cool, small fingers, so much like Tayna’s.
“Promised,” I declare solemnly, wondering what game Aeidas is playing. There must be some tricky, sinister plot behind all this. “Now show me to this ballroom.” I brush my skirts, straighten my back, and brace to leave the safety of my chambers.
Two silent Fae guards in unmarked black armor escort me to the ballroom.
“Shadowblades,” Ayrene whispers in my ear, “the prince’s most loyal men.” Everyone has heard of these fearsome warriors, Aeidas’s private army of knights, assassins, and spies.
Ancient magic and secrets much older than the royal family lingers linger in the corners of the Unseelie palace. Some corridors and halls seem to be used daily, while others are covered with layers of undisturbed dust and cobwebs. It is a maze, or my guards have chosen a route to confuse my senses, but we’re skirting around some sections of the palace, descending and then climbing back up just to avoid certain halls or areas.
“I cannot go any further, m’lady.” The girl pulls my hand and turns back to leave. “Don’t walk the hallways alone; don’t follow the whispers, Talysse! I will see you later!” And she’s gone.
The Shadowblades urge me to keep up with their wide strides, and we reach an area more lavishly decorated than the rest. A group of extravagantly dressed Unseelie courtiers stands around and glares at us. The way they look at me is giving me the chills. It’s not the ridicule in their beautiful, cruel eyes; it’s the way they stare and lick their lips as if I am on the menu tonight.
Well, nothing new to me. I close my fingers around the pouch at my neck, turn around, and grin, adding an exaggerated curtsy. This stuns them; some look away, and others respond with fake smiles, baring blood-chilling sharp fangs. But at least the whispers behind my back die out.
The scent of hot food alerts me that we’re close. My guards stand before a tall mahogany door with golden ornaments. They look at me as if awaiting confirmation, and I nod, surprised by their thoughtfulness. They push the heavy door open.
Chin held high, I enter the ballroom.
Every inch of the banquet hall is covered with black marble, capturing and reflecting the light of the crystal chandeliers like the night sky. The walls are adorned with intricate gold filigree.
At the center of the hall stands a long, grand table, its surface a gleaming expanse of onyx inlaid with veins of gold. It’s loaded with an extravagant array of delicacies: roasted game birds, their crispy skins glistening with honey and spices, platters of exotic fruits, and decadent pastries in various shapes and colors. Goblets of Fae wine, shimmering with an otherworldly glow, stand before each guest.
