My heartbeat tripled, and I felt sweat break out along the edges of my brow. So, the moment had finally come. Despite my best efforts to heed my mother’s warnings, I was going to come face-to-face with the king. The fae who had apparently been searching for me my entire life, and who was responsible for the shadow sickness sweeping through our lands.
I clenched my fists at my sides, hating that I felt so powerless in this moment. But there was nothing I could do to resist—my magic was useless, and I had no weapons on me, while this soldier was clad head to toe with armor and likely had multiple blades on his person aside from the nasty-looking sword strapped to his hip. He would cut me down if I even looked like I wasthinkingabout escaping.
Taking a deep breath to calm myself, I turned to Avani, who was watching us with open curiosity. “Am I dressed appropriately to meet the king?” I asked, trying to stall.
She gave me a quick once-over, her mouth twisting slightly. “A more elaborate gown would have been better, but it’s best not to keep the king waiting,” she said. “Your outfit is serviceable enough.”
I sighed, then turned back to the soldier. “All right. Lead the way.”
The shadow guard nodded, then motioned for me to follow him. He led me back through the sitting room, then opened the door leading out of the tower and stepped aside to let me pass. A shiver crawled down my spine as I walked past him—the inky darkness clinging to his body warped the air around him, giving him a sinister aura that made me want to shrink away. I took several steps away from him, wanting distance, and gave a little sigh as the feeling lessened.
The shadow guard locked the heavy reinforced door behind him, then led the way through a twisting maze of hallways. I could tell the castle had once been a grand and welcoming place—sumptuous décor graced every open room I glanced into, and symbolism representing the four elements was subtly etched, carved, and painted into every mantle, rug, table, and wall. But the shadow taint seemed to cling to everything, making it all seem older, warped, faded. I could even sense it in the surrounding air, and it made my skin crawl. No wonder everyone who lived here had to take everbright potion.
Eventually, we came to a pair of double doors with rose vines carved into whorl patterns all across the surface. The shadow guard knocked at the door, then poked his head in when it opened and muttered something to whoever was inside.
After a moment, the guard pulled his head back and turned to face me. My breath caught as I met his eyes—dark green with gold-rimmed pupils. Hadn’t I seen those eyes before? I opened my mouth as he took me by the arm, but before he could say anything, the door swung wide, and he ushered me inside.
“Miss Adara of Fenwood,” the guard announced me. He released me, and I felt him slip something into my skirt pocket before he stepped away. It settled heavily into the fabric, and I slid a hand in to feel the object—long, metallic, with a loop on one end and teeth on the other.
Akey.
Resisting the urge to whip it out of my pocket and get a better look at it, I looked around, trying to take in the space's enormity. My gaze was inexorably drawn to the fae sitting at the head of the long table, and I swallowed hard as our gazes collided. I’d seen drawings of King Aolis, of course, and knew that he cut a fine figure, but those images paled in comparison to the majestic figure sitting regally in the ornate dining chair. He was lean yet broad-shouldered, clad in magnificent, multi-layered robes of gold and sea foam green. A golden crown that had been forged to look like an unending line of waves sat elegantly atop his long, silver-blue hair, which hung in loose waves down to his elbows. His tanned skin was smooth, his nose strong and straight, and I thought I could even see the barest hint of laugh lines around the corners of his eyes and mouth.
How is there no trace of shadow taint on him?
“You are the spitting image of your mother,” King Aolis said. His voice was soft and warm, like golden honey dripping off the edge of a teaspoon. He stared at me, and there was something in his gaze, past the cerulean of his irises, that made me feel like I was being devoured. It was his pupils, I thought dimly as I stared back. There was a yawning abyss within, and I felt as though I was being pulled toward it. Just a few steps forward and I would be at the edge, ready to tumble into the waiting darkness.
Blinking, I gave myself a mental shake, trying to clear my head. “I look nothing like my mother,” I said, taking a step back. I looked around the room again, trying to see if she was here somewhere, but the only faces aside from the king and his staff were from the portraits of former monarchs that hung on the walls. “Where is my mother?” I demanded.
“She’ll be joining us shortly,” the king said with a broad smile. “In the meantime, have a seat. I have been waiting for decades to meet you.”
King Aolis didn’t seem perturbed by my lack of deference. In fact, he seemed genuinely delighted to see me. Bewildered by this unexpectedly warm reception, I found myself acquiescing to his request, my feet moving of my own accord. A servant appeared behind my chair to pull it out, and I sat down. A small part of me wondered if perhaps I’d misinterpreted the king’s intentions.
“Why are we having dinner together?” I blurted out, anxiety propelling the words from my mouth without giving me a chance to think them through. A sumptuous dinner was spread out before us—tureens of soup, roasted fowl and venison, and a number of breads, sauces, and other dishes. “Why am I even alive? Isn’t my power a threat to you?”
The king threw back his head and laughed. So loud and long, in fact, that my cheeks began to sting with embarrassment. “You, a threat to me?” he chuckled, his eyes sparkling with mirth. “You might be the girl from the prophecy, but you’re still a child, Adara. You are no threat to my rule.”
I lifted my chin in defiance, my spine ramrod straight as I sat up tall. “If I defeat the shadows, as the prophecy says I must, then you won’t be able to rule Ediria anymore. Your shadow magic is the only reason you have the throne in the first place, isn’t it?”
King Aolis sighed, shaking his head. “You’ve clearly misunderstood my reason for bringing you here,” he said, reaching for a soup tureen. “But before I explain, let us eat. You must be starving.”
Before he could close his fingers around the handle, a servant was at his side, pouring the soup into a delicate bowl for him. A second servant came and did the same for me, and despite my nerves, my stomach growled at the delicious aroma wafting from the bowl. I could definitely stand to have a meal, but…
“How do I know this hasn’t been doctored?” I asked suspiciously. “That you haven’t laced this with some kind of potion that will compel me to do your bidding?”
The king smiled. “I don’t need to do that,” he said. “I have Gelsyne still, remember?”
I fisted my hands in my lap as a wave of fury raced through me like wildfire. “Yes, you do,” I said through clenched teeth. “Your soldiers took her, and destroyed our home.”
“A regrettable incident,” the king said, “but it really was imperative to get you here by any means possible. Besides, now that you’re here, you won’t be going back to that hovel, anyway. You and Gelsyne will have every creature comfort you deserve, as befitting of a Greater Fae.”
He brought a spoonful of soup to his mouth, and I reluctantly did the same. As I expected, it was delicious. Everything on the table was, and I quickly devoured a small army’s worth of food. The lull in conversation gave me time to gather my thoughts and get a sense of my surroundings, and I let my gaze travel the room, studying the portraits on the walls. The one closest to our side of the room caught my attention—a fae dressed in turquoise robes with gilt-edged water lilies embroidered along the sleeves and hem. His lavender-blue hair was the exact same shade of mine, and he had the same slight up tilt to his nose that I did.
“King Cyrian,” Aolis said with a solemn nod. “He was a wise and just ruler. I often wish he was still here, if only to offer me counsel. It was never easy, trying to fill his footsteps.”
“I would trust you a lot more if you would drop the tragic king act and just tell me what you want,” I said sharply.
The king arched a brow at me. “You think this is an act? That my words are not genuine?”
