Of course, he wasn’t entirelywrongto suspect her. She was hiding things, after all.
But he didn’t know that.
And when she breathed in deep and thoughtrationallyabout the matter, she was certain that she hadn’t given anyone in this palace any real, outward reasons for them to be suspicious.
So by the time the doctor had finished, Sephia’s entire body was burning with indignation— and with the feeling that her beliefs had been confirmed even further: There was no spare kindness here. Only cold, ever-suspicious monsters who wanted to treat humans like dirt.
The only creature who had showed her anything resembling warmth was Ketzal—and that was only because she’d offered him sweets, wasn’t it?
That tiny creature finally woke from his nap amongst the pillows as the doctor left. He rolled off the sofa and nearly collided with the ground, but flared his wings at the last moment and managed to slow himself enough to land on his feet.
Sephia picked up one of the remaining desserts and held it out to him. “Can you track down Prince Tarron for me?” she asked.
Ketzal hesitated—perhaps it was the lingering touch of indignant fire that had slipped into Sephia’s voice—but in the end, the sugary goodness won the griffin over. He finished the offered treat in one gulp. Burped. Lifted into the air, flew several circles around Sephia’s head, and then he shot towards the door.
They spentat least ten minutes attempting to find Tarron, but they were unsuccessful. By then, Sephia had cooled down enough to think clearly—which was probably for the best. If theyhadfound him before this point, it likely would have resulted in disastrous consequences for her grander mission.
Sephia sighed. “Doesn’t seem like he’s anywhere around here.”
Ketzal soared back to her and perched on her shoulder, his tufted tail twitching and his head tilting from side to side as he sniffed at the air. He seemed confused.
“You’re messy and a bit useless,” she mused, scratching the downy patch of fur on his chest. “But at least you’re cute.”
The griffin purred his agreement before settling more completely against her, draping himself like a dishrag over her shoulder.
He had led her outside. A labyrinth of hedges, trees, and vine-wrapped walls stretched before them, interspersed with occasional open spaces that featured elaborate statues and fountains.
The number of fae milling about seemed to have decreased since Sephia had peered down on this space from her room. Daylight was fading, and it was easy enough to find paths that were completely empty…and she found strolling along these courtyard paths infinitely preferable to staying in her room, or to strolling through the halls inside.
“Let’s go exploring, shall we?” she asked Ketzal.
The griffin made an uncertain noise deep in his throat. But he clung tighter to her shoulder, and Sephia took this as a reluctantyes.
It was much warmer here than it had been in Middlemage, even with the wind that occasionally stirred into violent gusts. The air was thick with the scent of flowers, and every corner she turned seemed to lead to a new kind of these flowers. Rows of trees, heavy with foreign fruits, shaded parts of her walk, and she was grateful for the shadows that further concealed her. She felt as if she was slipping into a trance as she walked through it all.
Maybe I am.
At the very least, the growth of all of these flowers and fruits was likely aided by Sun magic. There was no telling how much of that magic lingered in the spaces around the plants, or how it might affect a human such as herself. Dread seized her at the thought.
She gave her head a little shake. The hazy, dreamlike feeling lingered. Ketzal purred softly, the sound vibrating against her skin. It was getting even warmer, and suddenly she didn’twantto wake up.
But she didn’t have a choice. Minutes later—or was it seconds? hours?—something shook her violently from her trance. A sound. One in her imagination, she thought, until there it was again: A grunt, and then a low, beastly cry that was cut short by a cough.
Ketzal lifted from her shoulder and darted for the garden’s exit.
Sephia hesitated.
She should have followed the griffin.
But her curiosity quickly squashed her cautionary side—as it often did—and she crept in the direction of the noise.
She soon found herself at what appeared to be a dead-end. A stone wall at least several feet higher than herself stood before her. The sound had come from the other side of this wall. She was certain of this, somehow, even though she could not see what had caused that sound. She found a protruding brick in the wall, one sticking out just far enough for her to manage a foothold. She hoisted herself onto it, struggled to find balance, stood on her tiptoes, and peered over to see…
The king.
She quickly dropped back out of sight.
What was he doing out here alone?
