“Oh, don’t sound so disappointed, my dear prince,” I said. His lip curled. “I grew up on a farm.” I shrugged, glancing at Clement. “The snakes were useful, they ate the rats. But they’re still wild animals, and if they got too close to the chickens, I’d have to move them. It took only one bite and agonizing gangrene in my arm that had to be cured by magic, to learn how to handle them properly.” I looked at Clement again. His face was still pale, but a sloppy smile spread as he listened. My chest heated.
Lilyanna gave a small sob, and I gathered her to me. “It’s okay.” I stroked her hair. “Let’s go back.” She nodded, keeping her face pressed against my neck. She took a deep breath and straightened.
The prince circled the altar, quickly inserting himself between us and took her arm. She gave me a wistful glance but molded herself to his body.
I walked on their heels, ready to swipe her back to me if she needed it.
“Lilyanna, my dear,” the prince angled her further from me, “you shouldn’t put so much stock in those old-fashioned rituals.”
She sniffed; her words breathy as she tried to regain composure. “They always come true. It’s a direct message from the Goddess. She was telling us not to proceed with this union.”
“Don’t be absurd.” The muscles in his neck corded. “It’s like Tam said, they’re wild animals?—”
“I believe it,” I piped in.
Clement swooped in front of me, nudging my shoulder.
“They’re wild animals,” he continued, moving to block my view. She sniffed again, her breath catching. “Look,” he snapped, “I wouldn’t have taken you if I’d thought it would upset you this much.” He took a deep breath, and I burned daggers into the back of his head wishing my magic could leech into the air and penetrate his thick skull.
“No, no.” Lilyanna straightened, subtly increasing the gap between their bodies. “You are quite right. You must forgive me, I’m just a little shaken.”
We stopped outside the main entrance to the castle, both guards on duty ducking their heads as they swung the heavy door open. The prince kissed Lilyanna’s hand and stepped back. The moment he let go, I bounded up the stairs and took her arm. Clement's hand narrowly missed my sleeve as he tried to stop me.
“I still have some errands to run, my dear,” the prince said. “Why don’t you go inside and settle. I’m sure Tam is dying to get some alone time with you.”
I narrowed my eyes at Clement, flinging my irritation toward him instead. He widened his eyes innocently, but his lips twitched.
“And later perhaps, we will all go and do something to erase the memories of this morning.” He retreated to the bottom step, both guards moving to his flanks. “For the fayre is in town, my dear. Tonight, we shall all go.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
FAVORS AT THE FAYRE
Everything was the same.
It was as if the fayre had been picked up whole and transported across the queendom. I drank in the fresh air as I absorbed the tender music, appreciating each and every hue of colored light. I hadn’t spent long with the company, popping in and out to read tarot whenever it suited me to covertly study a mark, but every time I returned, it felt like coming home. The whiff of magic called to me, singing through my bloodstream and igniting a power I should never have unearthed.
It was ironic that the prince allowed this magic into his city. If he’d borrowed those stupid divining rods from the priestess, they would be zinging all over the place. I pushed the thought far from my mind and allowed the atmosphere to warm me to my marrow.
Clement walked a few paces behind Lilyanna and the prince. He kept me by his side, his hand on the small of my back. He’d relaxed significantly since the spat in the castle, and I leaned into him, eagerly absorbing every discarded comment.
“When I was a child,” he said, “the fayre would come every few years. It would always be exactly here,” he waved his hand in the air, “and there was never any warning. We lived outside the city walls, about a half day’s walk, but me and my sister would sprint the whole distance.” He chuckled, his eyes lighting up. “We would be exhausted when we got there, but the smells, the sounds, the excitement would fuel us. We’d do every game, visit every single stall, camp outside until our mother dragged us home again or the fayre packed up.”
“What was your favorite?”
“Oh, we didn’t have a favorite. Magic, fire, contortion, axe throwing...Although, the one thing we’d always get was cotton candy. A huge rainbow cloud of the stuff. It never ran out either. That’s what it felt like anyway. I only ever reached the white stick when I was on the verge of puking.”
I ran my hand down his arm and tentatively laced my fingers with his. Why was I shaking?
I cleared my throat. “When was the last time you came?”
He grinned at me, squeezing my hand. “Probably before I took over my sister’s position as head guard. She was promoted down South to be part of the queens’ protective service.” He shrugged. “I never would have been gifted this position otherwise. We come from a rural hamlet in the mountains. No gossip, no drama, just a solid work ethic.” He sighed. “I had pretty fucking difficult boots to fill. She was...is highly decorated.”
We stopped as Lilyanna tugged the prince over to a stall, coming to stand just behind them. She seated herself on the low bench, the creaking sign above the stall advertising ‘the future’. I smiled. This seer was far more practiced than me. Her deck was worn, the black and silver pattern marred with white lines. She probably didn’t need to resort to cracking scents with her knees or cheap magic tricks.
She turned over the Lovers card immediately. The prince slid in beside Lilyanna and hooked his hand around her trim waist. Good. If she were doing a true reading, listening to the spirit world and not psychoanalyzing the body language of those in front of her, maybe she’d produce a real warning. Then Lilyanna would be ready to listen to me later when I proposed my plan to get her out of here. The banns disaster weighed heavily on her shoulders and even she couldn’t ignore all the signs stacking in the opposite direction.
“Let’s get some candy,” I said to Clement. “They’ll be fine here and it’s just over there.” I hooked my thumb behind us knowing how many strides it would take, the exact arrangement of sweets on the stall and the precise position of Candyman’s hands looped into his suspender belt.
