“Come, we have much to do.” The princess sniffed and a little curl formed on her nose. “First, you need a bath. Then, to the revel.”
Dyna moved to follow her when something shifted inside of her muddy boot and pricked her calf. She peeled it off and a small item landed at her feet. The iridescent cerulean surface shone like a tiny pool of water under the light.
A grindylow scale.
Chapter 25
Cassiel
The Wild Wood was eerily quiet. The sun had long since set, leaving shadows to grow among the barren trees. He kept his knife out at the ready as Rawn did his bow and Lucenna her magic. Zev stalked beside him, his yellow eyes glowing in the night. They were on high alert, not knowing what they would encounter, even if Rawn said he had visited the Court of the Wild Fae many years ago. The fae changed their moods as often as the weather.
“There,” Rawn announced, pulling Fair’s reins to a stop. He motioned at a path of stone steps coated in moss, emerging from the carpet of fallen leaves. It led up a steep hill into the dark forest beyond. “The road into Faerie.”
Cassiel gripped his knife, feeling a sense of dread that warned him to turn back, but he wouldn’t leave without Dyna. They followed Rawn along the stone steps toward the shadowy trees. When they crossed the last step at the top, the land changed. They had left Autumn behind and stepped into Spring. Cool air wafted through the forest. Flowers and toadstools speckled the soft, mossy ground, the green canopy overhead lush and full, with tiny lights flickering among the branches like fireflies. Cassiel’s dread faded like an old memory.
The forest appeared to creak and move within the shadows—and he realized it was. The trees walked on legs made of their roots, each step slow and creaking with the groan of wood. They stopped and gawked at their gnarled frames and knotted faces layered with moss and lichen.
“Tree folk,” Rawn said.
The mystical trees paid them no mind. They swayed with an unheard song until Cassiel heard it, the soft lilting of a flute, soon accompanied by a fiddle and drums. They followed the sound, their steps sinking into the plush soft ground as pink and purple flowers dangled from the branches overhead. The air smelled of a sweet garden and impossible dreams. Flower petals drifted in the air like snow. More fae appeared from the trees: ogres, pixies, fawns, selkies, and nymphs, among many others. All heading toward a soft light in the distance. It grew brighter as they neared. Lucenna waved a hand over her face, her image turning into that of the old crone.
Rawn shook his head. “King Dagden can see through such things, my lady. It is best to be truthful here. The fae cannot lie, and they certainly resent it in those who can. Be wary herein, but I suspect they know exactly who we are.”
Lucenna let her glamor spell drop. The stone path brought them to a cluster of stands and tents where merchants sold a variety of wares. Cassiel glimpsed clothing made of vibrant fabrics, mirrors with moving pictures, decorated masks, glass flowers, and jewelry fashioned to look like dragons, spiders, or snakes. Rows upon rows of merchants selling hundreds of other items. He ignored their calls, having no interest in whatever they offered. The fae enchanted nearly everything they touched.
Further along the path, familiar fairies in brass armor greeted them. “Come,” a female said. “She is waiting.”
At the notion of finally seeing Dyna again, Cassiel and the others picked up the pace. The guardsmen brought them to a set of tents away from the others, where Princess Keena fluttered. She was dressed in a gown of iridescent blue flower petals with gold cuffs glinting her upper arms and neck. White paint adorned her face in dots and swirls.
Zev’s fur gave away to flesh, and he stood, snarling at the tiny fairy. “Where is she?”
In a unified front, the guardsmen immediately shielded their princess and pointed their glaives at him. They were no bigger than his finger, but Cassiel had already seen how strong they were.
Keena looked Zev up and down as she giggled behind a hand. “Oh my.”
Cassiel handed Zev a pair of worn trousers, which he quickly yanked on.
“Don’t be troubled,” she told them. “Dynalya awaits you at court.”
“What’s happening?” Lucenna asked the princess as a parade of fae danced by.
“Why, this is a revel, of course. Well, this is merely the beginning of the festivities. The real revel is within the borough. There is to be a wedding.”
“Yours?”
“Oh no, not mine.” The fairy laughed like it was the most hilarious thing in the world. “This isn’t my court. I came to pay my respects to the bride and groom on behalf of my father. Princess Calixta, well, queen after tonight, is to marry King Dagden. Their union will combine the Court of the Moors and the Court of the Saxe Sea into one and bring peace to the east.”
Her golden wings glimmered under the fairy lights. “King Dagden has extended you an invitation. But first, you must change and make yourselves presentable as my guests. You are not allowed in beforehand.”
Cassiel exchanged a look with Zev. It was odd that a king they never met would invite them to a private event.
“Go on.” Keena nodded at them encouragingly and held out a hand at the two tents behind her. “Women on the left and men on the right. I’ll wait to accompany you.”
She flew away with her guardsmen and lingered nearby.
“This is good,” Lucenna said. “They have invited us to court. This means we can meet the Druid.”
“All you care about is the damn Druid,” Cassiel said.
