I’ve been determined to say as little to the prince as possible, but my curiosity gets the better of me. “Why is the palace so busy right now? There was hardly a soul out and about earlier.”
“Selene Palace is the liveliest at night,” he explains. “This is the Lunar Court, you know. Most of our residents, servants, and guests are nocturnal.”
“And you?”
“I prefer a nocturnal lifestyle as well. In fact, I was sleeping soundly until a rather rude owl came hooting about two foreigners covered in blood traipsing through the woods. That’s when Nyxia sent me out to find you.”
We reach a staircase and continue up several flights in what seems to be a wide spiral. When the summit is in sight, cool night air greets us. The staircase ends at a circular balcony that rings an enormous glass dome. The night sky opens overhead, speckled with countless stars in such unfathomable quantity I’ve never witnessed from any other viewpoint.
Franco points at the bubble of glass before us. “That’s the roof of the throne room. And this,” he pulls me forward until we reach a platform that juts out from the balcony, “is the observatory.”
My mouth falls open, hand slipping from Prince Franco’s elbow. Upon the platform stand several telescopes in varying sizes and designs. “Are these for viewing the moon?”
He approaches the largest telescope, a hulking device constructed of gold and crystal. “This one is for viewing the moon. And other planets, of course. You’ll find only one telescope to rival it in Faerwyvae, and it belongs to the Star Court. Come see what it has to offer.”
My intellectual hunger is too ravenous to do anything but obey. Prince Franco adjusts the dials on the telescope, then extends his hand for me to take a look. I place my eye to the viewing glass, which reveals the waxing moon in such detail that I’ve never seen. The sight makes my throat feel tight, awed over the beauty and terror of seeing such a fixture of the night sky as if I were floating before it. “It’s beautiful.”
“You’ll have to see it again in a few days when it’s full.”
It’s almost painful to force myself away from the sight. “What do the others show?”
“Whatever its previous user was looking for. Go ahead and see.”
I move from telescope to telescope, greeting different planets, stars, and nebulae. I haven’t felt this happy and alive since...since...well, probably since the night in the cave with Aspen.
The thought dampens my joy, and I pull away from the final telescope. With a sigh, I walk to the edge of the platform and look out at the landscape around the palace. I wasn’t in the best state to care about my surroundings when we first arrived, so I can hardly recall what it looked like during the day. But the moon illuminates plenty for me to see, revealing lush meadows, towering trees, glittering lakes and streams. To my right, I see a marsh upon which tiny blue lights glow.
Franco comes up beside me, shoulder brushing mine as he follows my line of vision. “Wisps,” he says. “They used to live more often in the Fire Court, but they’ve taken a liking to Lunar. However, don’t rely on them to guide you if ever you are lost at night. They like to cause more mischief than good, although they aren’t harmful.”
The heat of his body next to mine is an unexpected distraction, sending my pulse racing just the slightest bit faster, but I do my best to ignore it. Instead, I squint deeper at the blue lights. “Wisps? But I’ve seen this phenomenon back in Eisleigh. Are the lights not a result of combustible marsh gases?”
“Perhaps where you’re from. I assure you the wisps are more than a trick of light and gas.”
I leave Franco’s side to reach for one of the smaller telescopes and swivel it until I have the marsh in sight. I adjust the dials until the blue lights come into focus. To my surprise, the light has some semblance of form—swaying arms and legs, a hint of eyes and mouth. I know I shouldn’t be surprised, but I can’t help it. Now I wonder if the strange blue lights I saw in Eisleigh had been fae after all. “You say they used to live in the Fire Court?”
“Wisps are related to fire sprites, making the Fire Court a decent home. However, they are nocturnal. In Lunar, all night-dwelling fae are welcome, as well as lovers of the moon. We are also home to many fae who are shunned by other courts, especially the unsightly or ghoulish varieties. They feel safer here beneath the cover of night.”
I shudder. “You mean like banshees and harpies?”
“Banshees, harpies, lycanthropes,” he flashes me a toothy grin, “and vampires.”
“Aren’t they dangerous?”
“About as dangerous as I am. Or you.”
“I’m not...” I can’t bring myself to finish the sentence, knowing it would be a lie. I may not be as dangerous as the fae male before me or the monstrous creatures that lurk in the dark, but I killed a man and burnt his laboratory to a crisp.
“Look!” Franco points over my shoulder, a welcome diversion from my thoughts. “The kitsune are gathering at the Wishing Tree.”
I turn around and seek where he’s pointing. All I find is an enormous willow tree with flickering orange lights beneath it. Again, I reach for the telescope and bring the tree into focus. My heart leaps at the sight. Dozens of lithe, white foxes gather around the trunk of the tree, balls of flame hovering at their mouths or tails. They appear to be speaking with one another, but I can’t hear a word from here.
“Another type of fae that once held their allegiance to the Fire Court,” Franco says. “Most kitsune choose Lunar as their home these days. Actually, thousands of unseelie fae have migrated from Fire to other courts as King Ustrin grows less and less patient with them. Not when his radical seelie ways keep him in such good standing with the council.”
“King Ustrin is radical seelie?” I remember his orange, scaly skin, his slitted nostrils, and forked tongue. “I would have thought King Ustrin was unseelie based on his appearance. He seemed more lizard than anything.”
“The fire lizard has always been a powerful type of fae in the Fire Court. Retaining similar features when in seelie form is another way to show his power. It doesn’t impact his political affiliation, however.”
A shadow falls over us, and I find my attention drawn to the sky where a black silhouette passes over the glittering stars.
