Someone knocked on the door again, causing another scowl from Cahir. Luelle entered with a stout woman wearing a blue dress and an apron. “Your Highness, we’ve found suitable accommodations for Seda and her Lionne. May we please lead them to their rooms?” Luelle asked sweetly.
Cahir stood and turned to Seda, looking at her with a gentle expression. “May we continue this conversation tomorrow over breakfast? I need to return to the ball to ensure everything is settled with the crowd… and Seda.” He paused. “I truly am sorry. It willneverhappen again.”
She wanted to believe him, but she didn’t trust the words coming from his mouth and desperately needed some time alone to reflect.
She didn’t respond as she followed Luelle and the woman out of the room, meeting Elco again. A small Fae girl sat beside him,braiding a small section of his mane. “Everyone loves to play with that luscious hair of yours,” she said with a smile.
Elco muttered and stood on all fours. The girl hugged him and then left, casually skipping down the hallway.
They followed the women through the castle to their rooms. The music from the party grew quieter the farther they went, and Seda wondered if Cahir was sitting back on the throne with Neoma again.
Chapter 4
Seda
They walked quietly through long hallways where the gentle candlelight illuminated the vine-covered ceilings that appeared to reach the sky. Seda ran her fingers over Elco’s scales, noticing his little hairs standing with her touch and feeling his rumbling purrs through her palm.
She bit the inside of her cheek as her mind wandered to her brother and the friends she had left behind at the Wisps. Did they know where she and Elco went?
They passed through a pair of wooden double doors that stretched from floor to ceiling, with a sign reading “East Wing” in ornate, scroll-like lettering. At the end of the hall stood another pair of large double doors, with smaller entrances leading toward them along the corridor.
Seda felt a tingling sensation on her back and reached up to scratch, but she couldn’t reach the spot where her skin was irritated.
Luelle stopped at the fourth door and looked at them. “Thisroom is designated for Elco. We had to move some furniture around to fit him comfortably, but the bed is large enough.”
Elco looked curiously at Seda as Luelle opened the door. Inside, a massive bed, big enough for ten people, lay in the center of the room, with a patio door on the opposite side.
They walked in, and Elco strolled to the door. “Can you please ask them to leave this open so I may fly freely?”
Seda looked at the women. “Will Elco be allowed to roam? He wishes for the exterior door to remain open.”
Luelle and the woman exchanged a hesitant glance.
Luelle cleared her throat before she asked, “Does he intend to eat the citizens of Umbrea?”
Elco growled, staring at Luelle with slanted feline eyes.
“He’ll not harm any citizens. I assume you have plenty of deer and other animals around?” Seda asked, ready to argue if they turned down Elco’s request.
“Yes. But please let him know he’s not allowed to eat the livestock either. That’ll cause problems.” Luelle looked between them, eyebrows raised.
Seda looked at him and chuckled. “You got that, Elco?”
“No citizens and no livestock. They never said anything about pets,” he grumbled.
Seda sighed and shook her head. “He agrees.”
Luelle nodded and unlocked the doors, and the fresh night air entered the room. Small floating green orbs blew in, like fuzzy bubbles flitting through the air.
Seda gasped. “What are those?”
“That’s our Umbrean magic, miss,” the other woman answered. “It’s nothing to fear. Just floats around the air as it pleases. We’re a magical and plentiful realm.”
The orbs surrounded Seda, gathering on her skin and tangling through her hair. A sense of peace and love gradually filled her, warming her from within and making her feel whole again.
“I’ve never seen them react… to anything,” the woman gasped by her side.
Luelle stared at Seda with wide eyes. Seda held out her hand, and the little orbs twirled around her fingertips like fireflies dancing through moonlight.
