They passed some sort of grocers, and inside, through the glass, he could make out rows upon rows of little faeries, their expressions flat as they filled small baskets with smaller berries, pulled from thin air, in a never-ending cycle. A woman wearing a flowing red dress, arm full of bangles, pushed into the shop, and the faeries buzzed away, zipping up and out of sight.
Isahn sighed, unable to avoid the reason he’d been compelled to come help. Everyone deserved freedom.
“I’m letting the mirage go now. If anyone asks, he’s my aide.” George spoke flatly, though her chest rose and fell with the exertion of her prolonged magic use as they entered a finer district of the town.
On their ride to the docks in Nowosmont, Isahn and George had discussed how things would go in great detail. He’d be playing the role of a deeply indebted citizen from Lapisium, transported into Hepikoru to join the palace as a servant to the princess until his debt was repaid.
Isahn would play dumb if needed, pretending the veil worked its magic on him. He’d been told the enslaved who were brought through using the no-token method often became compliant as a result of their confusion. Being shackled was no longer a necessity.
Personally speaking, Isahn had no qualms about serving the princess, but the fact that hundreds wereforcedinto the role turned his stomach.
A purple-haired, purple-winged faerie, and another with short silvery-white hair and bronze wings, zipped past. They were nolarger than his forearm. A pale haze of gold seemed to float from the purple one, leaving a shimmering wake rolling through the air as she buzzed by. Isahn blinked.
“This is insane,” was all he could manage.
“This’llbeyourroom.”George looked back at Isahn as she pushed open a door off her sitting room.
He followed her into the guest bedroom, maneuvering his chest of belongings as he sidestepped over the threshold.
“Are you feeling all right?”
“After the boat?”
She peered up at him. “And everything else.”
He nodded, readjusting his belongings in his arms. “It was sad to see the enslaved people on the way up here, and I know you said everyone in the palace is essentially in bondage to Gasparo, even if they’re ostensibly free. But it’s beautiful here, too.”
He looked around, appreciating his guest room, reflecting on this change in his circumstances.
At his side, George nodded. “What do you think of your room?”
“I think it’s gorgeous, just like you.”
Her touch magic jabbed his shoulder, and he chuckled.
“Where should I put this?” Isahn hoisted his luggage a few inches.
“Closet.” She hurried ahead to swing open the door to a spacious walk-in that he wouldn’t even come close to filling with his meager wardrobe.
They stood back in the bedroom, and he took a moment to consider the decor so he could answer her question in earnest. It was a well-appointed space, with a large bed to his left and adesk to his right. A plush turquoise sofa nestled in a nook across the room.
Like her gorgeous, cacophonous sitting room full of poufs and wall hangings and endless sculptures and vases, this chamber was also expertly designed. The ceiling had even been adorned with delicate gold-painted constellations. Everything had texture and depth, from the thick, colorful duvet on the bed to the overlapping rugs on the tiled floor.
“I absolutely love it,” he said sincerely.
“You do?”
When he looked over at the princess, he found her peering back from the corner of her eye. Her gaze flicked around, and he realized the designs were her doing. “Did you decorate the apartment yourself? May I have a full tour?”
Her smile sparkled, and Isahn almost considered retracting his suggestion and requesting a tour of the bedsheets instead.
“Yes, and of course! Come on.” George grabbed Isahn’s hand and dragged him back through the sitting room—tablinium, whatever it was called in Domos—into a short corridor. They passed through a reading nook with a side door leading onto a balcony but proceeded past, into her small dining chamber. The long table surrounded by straight-backed chairs was almost Selwassan, reminding him of home. The ceiling in this room was also decorated with the skies. She had athingfor the great beyond, apparently.
“Don’t go onto the balcony or through that door, ever. Not without me.” George pointed to a narrow carved panel at the end of the room.
“Leads into the palace?” he assumed.
“Yes. Would you like to see my room?”
