Elyssa climbed down the familiar path of vines under Amira’s window. The princess had left moments ago to meet the king—without her. Unfortunately for Amira, Elyssa didn’t take orders, especially when they didn’t suit her.
Elyssa hadn’t come here to play it safe. “Risky” and “goddamn crazy” were the only words in her vocabulary. Ever since her parents had died, the only too-goddamn-crazy thing in Elyssa’s mind was crossing the border. Everything else was fair game. She hadn’t made it this far, survived this much, to not make a difference in her world. Why else was she still here when so many others had died?
Elyssa could hear Eyden’s voice in her head, telling her to be careful, to think ahead. She had thought ahead. Amira was going, so her “maid”would be joining her.
Elyssa’s feet hit the ground skillfully, the sound so soft that she couldn’t pick up on it. Straightening her cloak, Elyssa strode forward, rounding the corner.
King Tarnan spotted her first. Elyssa couldn’t make out their voices yet, but she saw Amira follow Tarnan’s line of sight and narrow her eyes at her.
“King Tarnan, it’s such a pleasure to see you again,” Elyssa said in her most cheerful tone, keeping her head down as she bowed, playing her role. She had only seen the king up close on her first day at the palace. She’d seen him from afar on a few of her little spying trips too, but so far, she hadn’t found anything incriminating.
Tarnan’s eyes swept over her in a calculating way. Amira tensed, her hand fidgeting with her rich purple cloak.
“Elyssa, I thought you were staying behind today,” the princess said, forcing a smile.
“Couldn’t let you go without your dutiful maid at your side.” Elyssa smiled at her sweetly, her voice dripping with sarcasm. Amira opened her mouth, but she seemed at a loss for words. Her eyes promised an argument, and Elyssa was itching to get under Amira’s skin.Come on, princess. Show me who you really are.
Elyssa felt like the princess was torn in two. There was the scared, sometimes bitchy version who was hooked on fortae. And then there was the stubborn, snarky, and often sad version who tried so goddamn hard to hold on. The second one intrigued Elyssa more than it probably should.
Tarnan cleared his throat loudly. “Well, the more the merrier. Of course your maid is welcome to stay by your side. Shall we get going?”
Amira sighed and turned to him, letting go of the dress she’d bunched up in her hand. “Yes, I’m looking forward to it.” Looking over her shoulder, the princess said, “Having my maid at my side will surely enrich the experience.” The subtle tilt of Amira’s lips let Elyssa know she hadn’t meant it one bit, much to Elyssa’s delight.
* * *
“And to your left is the temple built in honour of Hamadrae, our God of Wisdom,” Tarnan explained, pointing to a stone structure made of three domes. The vines covering the brick façade rustled in the wind. Bustling shops and diners ran along the white stone path that led them to the heart of Pyria.
A guard followed them a few steps behind and another led the way.
“Good day,” a commoner said, smiling at Tarnan as she swept the floor at the front door of her store.
“To you as well,” Tarnan replied with the voice of a true king, warm yet powerful. On their walk, the king greeted commoners with surprising respect. She had to hand it to Tarnan, Pyria was a much more peaceful city than Chrysa. Everyone courteously greeted the king in return as they wandered around the town square. Karwyn would never receive such a welcome.
Carnylen had an old presence about it. Made from stone as old as Liraen and covered in lush green vines, the cityscape was a mix of vibrant green and cool grey. The one thing Elyssa missed was the warmer weather in Turosian. Here, the sky was a constant dull grey. A cold wind settled in her bones and whipped strands of auburn hair across Elyssa’s face. Usually, she disliked having her vision impaired, but today she was wearing her hair half up, leaving some of her curls free to hopefully distract from her contact lenses that masked her as a low level fae.
“What’s in there?” Amira asked. Steep steps led up to bronze double doors of the impressive building next to the temple. A few rays of sun filtered through the clouds, bathing the warm hues of stone in a golden light.
Taking in Amira’s side profile, Elyssa tried to read the princess’ expression. She’d been taking in the city with wonder in her eyes, complementing each beautiful thing she saw. Elyssa supposed it was a very Allamyst thing to do. But while Amira was noting everything around them, Elyssa couldn’t help but focus on her.
Tarnan’s bright amber eyes flickered to the princess. “It’s the public library.”
Amira’s lips parted, her head turning to a fae leaving the building, a few books clutched to his chest. “Anyone can go there?”
“Of course. Every fae has the right to further their education. Curiosity is one of the most important traits one can have.” Tarnan gave her a knowing smile. “But naturally, you can’t find the same collection there as you can at the palace. My secret collection is one of a kind and needs to be protected.”
Amira nodded, her amethyst eyes glowing with a thirst for knowledge. Where was this secret collection? It seemed Amira had purposely not mentioned it to her. She had no reason to, yet it still stung. The princess must not have access to these special books, otherwise, why would she spend all her time in the regular library? Elyssa wondered what kind of secret books Amira wasoh-so-interestedin. She’d have to see it for herself. If Tarnan collected spell books, they had to be in that secret section of his library.
A guard sprinted towards them from an alley, causing everyone to tense. Tarnan’s brow wrinkled as he halted their walk. The other two guards snapped to attention, making sure they were secure, no threats in sight. Elyssa automatically did the same.
“My king, I’m sorry to interrupt, we’ve received a message from Quarnian,” the guard said, out of breath.
Quarnian.Elyssa remembered Amira mentioning a royal dinner there. Tarnan had decided not to attend, and Elyssa had been contemplating if that made him more sympathetic or suspicious.
“What could possibly have happened that can’t wait a few hours?” Tarnan asked gently.
“There was an attack last night, Your Majesty.”
Amira’s posture turned stiff. She couldn’t be scared for Karwyn or her brother. The only bad thing about Karwyn being gone would be that Elyssa wouldn’t have been the one to drive a dagger in his heart and kick him off the throne. But she could live with that. She was reasonable like that.
