I toss and turn for what feels like hours, unable to relax, much less sleep. Finally, I give up. I grab a lightweight cloak from the wardrobe, wrap it around my shoulders, then slip out the bedroom door, leaving Amelie sleeping peacefully alone.
Chapter Twelve
Imake my way back through the palace halls, trying to see if I can find my way to the dining room. Not for any particular desire to return there; it’s more to lock down my sense of direction in the palace. If I can at least navigate between two places inside the palace, I’ll feel like I’m in control ofsomethingagain, no matter how small.
The halls are eerily quiet and eerily as dark, the orbs of light hovering above their sconces now diminished to a subtle glow. No one crosses my path, which I’m grateful for, despite getting lost numerous times. I eventually find myself in front of a familiar staircase and climb. When I reach the top, the dark, empty dining room opens before me.
My chest swells with pride. But now what? Do I just go back to my bedroom, see if I can reach it faster than I reached this place?
The sound of crashing waves calls to me, its rhythm softer than it had been earlier. And there’s something else. Voices. Or music.
I tiptoe across the floor to the open expanse, placing my hands on the rail like I did before. The ocean is black beneath the moon, small waves gently rolling into the base of the cliff beneath the palace. Gone are the black chasms of the coral caves, as the tide has come in and hidden them beneath its watery depths. It chills me how much the shoreline can change in a matter of hours.
Music falls on my ears again, and I search the night for the source. There are large rocks near the cliff at the end of the shore, and I’m almost positive I see figures perched on top of them. Are they singing? There’s a feminine trill in the air, both beautiful and terrifying.
Nearer movement draws my attention away from the rocks and back to the shore. There I see the forms of what appear to be women, skin white and glistening beneath the moon. Their bodies are naked, sinuous with their slow movements as they circle each other on the beach, laughing as the waves roll around their ankles. The way they move has me entranced, filling me with calm.
They’re dancing.
“Selkies.”
I whirl to find King Aspen behind me, expression hidden in shadow. My first instinct is to pat my dagger, until I remember tucking it behind my pillow. I clutch my rowan berry necklace and press myself as close to the rail as I can.
Aspen steps forward into the moonlight, then stands next to me at the rail. He’s changed from his suit into a simple pair of dark trousers and a loose linen shirt. The shirt is open at the neck, revealing the golden skin of his upper chest. His expression is different than it was earlier, softer, eyes on the scene below us. “They come here to dance at night sometimes, leaving their sealskins on the rocks while they take the forms of human women.”
As much as I don’t want to speak to him, my curiosity again gets the better of me. “Are they the ones singing?”
“No, those would be the sirens upon the rocks.”
I squint into the night, trying to make out more than vague silhouettes of the creatures.
Silence stretches between me and the king, and with it comes a growing tension. He’s so close I can see the rise and fall of his chest from the corner of my eye. His hand rests on the rail, fingers glittering with red jewels, just inches from my own.
“How do you like it here?” His voice is irritatingly gentle.
That’s all it takes to bring forth my anger. I round on him. “You mean, how do I like this prison you’ve brought me to?”
His brows furrow for the merest moment, then his eyes go steely, lips twitching into a smirk. “I take it you aren’t impressed.”
“Why are you punishing me?”
“Is that what I’m doing?”
“Answer my question,” I say through my teeth.
“Ask a better one.”
I cross my arms over my chest. “You’re the fae from the wall, I know you are. What did I do to make you so angry that night? Why did you bring me here?”
He shrugs. “I’m sure you know what happened to the previous Chosen. Two girls needed to be brought in their place.”
I let out a bitter laugh. “You think I don’t know? Two other names had already been selected as backup by the council. You chose me by name.”
He nods, unashamed. “Yes.”
“Why? What did I do to deserve this? To be torn from my mother and my home? To drag my sister away from her fiancé?”
“You held an iron blade to me.” He says it less like an accusation and more like an observation.
