I look over at her sharply, but she isn’t looking at me. My brow furrows. Maybe she was just thinking the same thing I was.
“No one has ever been waiting when we arrived before.” Kai says aloud for Aurelia to hear. “Maybe Runa already spoke to them.”
“How do you usually make your reports?” I ask.
“To someone like that.”Kai nods to the hooded man.“I just mean, we’re usually here first. They’ve never been waiting for us before.”
“Well, that’s promising.” Aurelia dances between her feet, looking at me, then at the hooded servant. “They’re already expecting us. We probably shouldn’t leave them waiting.”
I grind my teeth. I fucking hate this. I’ve hated it from the beginning, and now that we’re here, I wish I’d thrown Aurelia over my shoulder and dragged her back to Vernallis weeks ago. I remember her pointing out that carrying her was probably the only way I could have stopped her. I should have done it.
“What are you thinking?” Aurelia asks, scanning my face.
“Why do I feel like I’m always trying to stop you from wandering into dangerous places?”
She flashes a smile that doesn’t quite reach her eyes, her answer carrying back to me on the wind as she turns on her heel and strides toward the palace, her red cloak billowing around her. “I don’t know. Maybe ask yourself why you keep following me.”
I don’t need to ask myself anything; we both already know why.
I shake my head, sighing, and trudge after her. “Fucking witches.”
For as long as I can remember, the only thing I ever wanted was to go on an adventure. Preferably, a really dangerous one.
The idea of danger always sounded exciting to me—romantic, even. Like the only things worth doing were the ones that made your heart race.
My heart doesn’t race now, as I walk toward the castle. In fact, I’m not aware of my heartbeat at all. All I can focus on is the sound of Fox’s footsteps, trudging evenly behind me.
I reach the end of the road and come to a halt in front of the hooded figure. As I near, he pulls the scarf away from his face, revealing a pale fae man with sharp features and pale blonde hair. His shrewd eyes scan over me, as if looking through me. I shiver.
“You’re here to see the queen,” the man says by way of greeting. It doesn’t sound like a question.
“Yes,” I reply firmly.
His eyes travel past me to the wolves, lingering on Kai for a moment, and longer on Fox. “And to make your reports,” he says. Again, it doesn’t sound like a question, just a statement of fact.
I nod. “Our friends might be here by now. Did you see?—”
"Your companions have arrived," he cuts me off. "The wolf, the winged one, and the human are waiting inside. Follow me."
The hooded servant turns and strides purposely toward the castle, disappearing into the mist in a blink of an eye. I hesitate for a moment, but it’s like I just said to Fox: I didn’t come here to turn back now. I follow, glad to feel Fox’s warmth against my back as we step into the mist.
For a moment, I’m blinded by the chilly fog, but then my eyes adjust. We’re standing on a frozen path, which, by all accounts, is really just an extension of the road behind us. Yet, somehow, it feels separate. The snow seems lighter beyond the wall of mist, and the early morning sky appears brighter.
The hooded servant is just ahead, not stopping to wait, but walking slower than I suspect he needs to. A short distance in front of him, a sweeping white staircase leads to the doors of the gleaming castle.
I glance back, finding Fox and Kai staring straight ahead, their eyes slightly out of focus, as if they’re talking. Abruptly, Fox blinks, his attention snapping back to me. I swear I know him so well at this point, it’s as if I can hear him:“Are you alright? Are you sure you don’t want to leave?”
“Not yet,”I think, shaking my head.
He frowns, and nods in grim resignation.
We follow the hooded servant up the stone steps and through the double doors into the gleaming white castle. There are noguards out front, or anyone in sight aside from the servant. That strikes me as odd, but then we step inside the castle and I forget about everything else. My mouth falls open in an involuntary gasp.
The castle entrance hall is beautiful, brightly lit with what seems to be moonlight, despite the fact that the sun is rising outside. Everything is made of white stone that reminds me of ice—polished marble floors that gleam like frozen lakes, and vaulted ceilings adorned with stalactite-like chandeliers that hang suspended in the cold air, their diamond pendants reflecting the moonlight into tiny rainbows.
The hair on my arms stands up, as if the entire room is humming with static electricity. There’s a strange ancient power here, and it feels familiar, resonating with something deep inside me.
My stomach churns and I swallow a lump rising in my throat. Oh Gods, we’re actually here.
