“This is fine,” I said, holding up the roll, bits crumbling to the floor just like my courage.
“All right, I'll escort you back to your room.” She flew forward and I followed, keeping my gaze ahead, my heart beating wildly in my chest.
Did pixies have exceptional hearing? Could they hear the fear thrumming through me?
“You know,” she said, “the king is not your enemy.”
When she turned to face me, I froze, fear locking me and my thoughts in place.
Was he my enemy? It was getting harder to tell, but lately he had been a protector. Ever since the wedding, he was kind. “I know.”
Was she going to say anything? Did she know the truth?
The not knowing tortured me, the fear of being found out and having to explain why I was with Gideon. His pixies were fiercely loyal. They owed me nothing. Queen or not, if it came between Kane and me, there was no doubt in my mind who the pixies would stand with.
We left the great hall and walked up the grand staircase and toward the royal wing. There were two royal wings. I didn't know why Kane didn't stay in his original bedroom, which was on the left side of the castle along with the bedrooms of his deceased family. The wing Kane and I stayed in had many bedrooms, most of which were empty except for a few guest rooms, one which the dwarf Nustul stayed in.
While he called our area a royal wing, it seemed to be more of a guest wing. I had seen no guest rooms downstairs, but the castle was large, and I hadn’t explored all of it yet.
We passed the royal hallway, the willow-o’-the-wisps still fluttering in the darkness. More had moved out into the other corridors.
“I've never seen so many,” I said, watching the glowing balls of light float around the ceiling and dart around corners.
“There was an attack on a human settlement.”
I stopped walking. “When?”
“Earlier today. The castle is on high alert and the will-o’-the-wisps can see through any illusions, just like pixies.”
I froze, the meaning in her words abundantly clear.
“But,” she continued, “I stay out of Kane's affairs unless he's in danger of something.”
She floated beside me as we turned, walking toward my room.
“Is he in danger?” I asked, feigning ignorance.
She glanced at me, the skepticism clear in her wide eyes. “I hope not, because that would be a very terrible thing.”
Should I say something? She obviously knows.
Why wasn't she being forward? Why was she keeping the secret? I stopped as we reached my door and turned to face Ella. Her iridescent wings fluttered. The light from the lanterns hanging on the wall shined through them.
“Good night, Your Majesty,” she said. “Sleep well.”
Again, she gave me no sign of what she was thinking. She fluttered away and I stood there, wondering what I had just gotten myself into.
“Oh,” she said just as I grabbed the doorknob to my room. “There is one thing. This palace is filled with many different fae,and the ones you think you can trust are the ones you should stay far away from.”
“What do you mean?”
The niceness left her gaze. “Be wary of Gideon.”
I froze, not knowing how to respond.
“I will keep your secret for now.” She flew away and I ran into my bedroom and shut the door.
Once I had it locked, I rested my head against the door, breathing deeply, crushing the remaining roll in my hand.
