I shrugged. “I tried. I couldn’t find a position. Some fae are a little weird about humans. I’m hoping to find something here.”
The soldiers looked at each other, and the first one shrugged. They both sheathed their swords and crossed their arms.
The second soldier stepped closer to me. “Let me see your bag.”
I rolled it off my shoulders and passed it to him. He opened it, and his eyes widened.”Why do you have so much food?”
I shrugged and grinned. “I get hungry a lot. My family couldn’t help with anything else, but they didn’t want me to go hungry while I looked for work.”
He leaned his nose into the bag. “Where did you get peaches from?”
“We traded them with a summer fae who was traveling through Kalshana selling his food.” Hopefully that wasn’t too far-fetched.
He pulled his nose out. “I think we should take them. In exchange for letting you into Kerebos.”
My jaw fell. “But… I… don’t know when I’ll be able to buy food next. What if I don’t get paid until I work for a few days? What if—”
The other soldier ripped the bag out of his partner’s hands and gave it to me. “Taxing visitors is the queen’s privilege. She might take your peaches, but she might not.” He glared at the thieving soldier. “We will not.”
I clutched the bag. “Thank you.”
“She will be informed of your presence. You should head to the palace and present yourself before you try to find work elsewhere.”
I nodded, slipping back into a maid’s habits. “Yes, sir, thank you.”
He tipped his head at the road.
I closed the bag, threw it over my shoulders, and fled down the path. I ran for two miles before I slowed down to a comfortable walking pace and pulled out a pastry to finish relaxing.
Cancel that. I couldn’t properly relax now. Not until I had Bylur and we were safely back home in Kalshana.
I ate the pastry anyway.
The rest of the day was uneventful. I passed a few other travelers and soldiers, but I kept my head down and didn’t make eye contact. Nobody said anything.
An hour before sunset, the palace rose on the wintry horizon. I’d kept a hold on Bylur’s magic all day, enough that I hadn’t been chilled at all, despite the snow on the ground. Once I could make out soldiers patrolling the palace grounds, I left the road.
The castle was huge—I wouldn’t lose it—and I needed to find a way onto the property without alerting everyone to my presence. But twenty-foot tall walls surrounded the castle, and the only obvious way past them was through a well-guarded gate. I tried skirting around the walls, but they kept going, easily surrounding the entire castle complex.
How would I get in? I absently rubbed my thumb, but on finding the ring missing, I moved my hand to the key hanging from my neck.
The key.
If I could use it to walk through the shadows like Bylur, I wouldn’t have to sneak anywhere. I could just… walk.
But how did he tell his magic what shadows to move him to? Or when to move him?
I eyed the stony wall nearest me. If I could justbeon the other side of it, in any shadow there, that would be enough. Sneaking around would be easy if I were already inside the wall. A warm swell of magic brushed against my arms, and I looked down to see…
Shadows.
Yes!!
This would work.Stay with me, Shadows.I gripped the key, stood in a shadow behind a huge, bare-branched tree, and focused on the shadows that might be on the other side of the wall fifty feet away from me. I closed my eyes and took a step. Then another. And a third.
I held my breath, and opened my eyes.
I almost squealed with joy when I realized the wall was inches from my back. I covered my mouth with a hand and leaned on the solid stone. Bylur would not have wanted me to use his gift to sneak into his enemy’s castle, but I was doing it. And he’d just have to deal.
