The ground grew smaller, and the rush of wind slowed as he hovered over a large spiral tower on the western end of the castle, an area I hadn't been to yet. Glass encased the massive dome-shaped tower and reminded me of the atrium in the castle.
“What is this?”
He slowly descended, landing on the battlement connecting the tower to the castle. “This is where my mother kept her raptors.”
“And I'm here because?”
“Easy, little thorn,” he said, setting me on the cool stone.
My boots scraped against the uneven floor as I wobbled, dizzy from the sudden stillness after soaring through the clouds. His hands landed on my waist, steadying me then he quickly stepped back.
“My mother's workshop has many salves, and we need something for that cut on your head.”
“Oh.”
Pieces of tomato still stuck to my dress and there were tears along the hem where one of the villagers had ripped it. The once beautiful fabric was now a tattered mess, just like the rest of me, and thanks to the glass panes surrounding the dome structure, I got a perfect view.
Dirt caked the left side of my face. The right side above my birthmark had a gash. Blood had trickled down anddried over my birthmark, making my entire face look ghastly.
I pulled a piece of bread from my hair. “I'm a mess.”
Kane stood behind me, peering at me in the reflection. “You don't look that different.”
“Are you saying I look this disheveled all the time?”
His mouth curved into a grin. An unexpected expression for his normally grumpy character, but it suited him much better.
“Keep your hands away from the cages.” He took out his key ring and inserted the key with a bird's head into the old iron lock, completely ignoring my question.
The glass dome housed a massive aviary. The structure was bigger than it appeared from the outside. These weren't little cages that you'd house a parakeet or some other bird you wanted as a pet. Massive bars ran along the stone walkway on each side. The narrow path was just big enough for two people to walk side by side.
Pink and white flowering dogwood trees filled the place with a delicate scent. Giant silk moths fluttered around smaller butterfly bushes, their brown and red coloring a beautiful sight amid all the pink and white. The domed glass made the air in here balmy, filled with the scents of spring.
Nestled on the edge of a large, wooden, branch-like structure sat a massive raptor with gorgeous white feathers and a blue tuft on its back and its chest. Its reddish-orange eyes were so similar to the predator standing next to me. It tilted its head in my direction, watching me with a keen interest.
“Moon raptors,” Kane said.
“Why are they in the cages?”
“They stay here during the day.” Kane pointed to a glass door at the end of the room. “We open those at night. They go out to hunt and then return here to sleep.”
“They're nocturnal.”
“Yes, and they can be devilish little creatures.” Kane walkedover to a barrel, opened the lid, stuck his hand inside, and pulled out a fish. He made a clicking noise with his mouth, and the raptor turned its attention to him. He tossed the fish through the bars and the raptor hopped up to catch it.
Another raptor glided over from one of the trees and ripped the other half of the fish from the raptor’s mouth. Strangely, the two didn’t fight over the food and I wondered if they were mates.
“This way,” Kane said, and we continued walking down the mosaic path that ended at another door.
Grass grew between the stones, which I found odd in a tower, but I was learning magic and life on these fae mountains acted differently. For all I knew, this whole spire was a large dirt mound with stone built around it.
The glass walls made it easy to see inside. It was definitely a workshop packed with jars, pots, and too many dead flowers. Ivy crawled along the inside walls and a big orb weaver spider had made its home too close to the entrance. Tiny brown handprints covered some panes near the bottom as if some tiny creature spent its days peering out of the workshop.
“Who works in here?” I asked.
Kane opened the door for me, motioning for me to go inside. “Me and the pixies. The raptors aren't fond of anyone else. We tried having one of the servants feed them and let them out, but that did not end well for the servant. Sit.” Kane pointed to a stool near the wooden worktable.
I sat, observing the fae in front of me, who frowned as he rifled through a rack of jars. He glanced over at me, gazing at the cut on my head, a low rumble coming from his throat.
