“It’s just funny hearing you be you, but in averydifferent body,” I say.
He quirks a thin eyebrow. “Are you saying you miss my body?”
Warmth floods my cheeks. “You’re putting words in my mouth.”
“We could still have fun in these bodies,” he says suggestively.
My jaw drops. “Get out,” I say as I fire a pillow at him.
He catches it with a smile before it falls, his affect turning serious once more. “Promise me, Mae.”
Again, I’m reminded of his goodness, of the way he has tried to protect me at every turn, even if it was from himself. Of how he sacrificed his future for me, of how he speaks of sacrificing himself again for me if things go wrong today. My skin feels too tight. “Fine. I promise. Now leave.”
We all grill each other once more on our backstories before forming a portal to the castle, barely full coin purses jostling in our pockets. Asmo and I step from the portal and run straight into Luca and Ivan.
“Sorry,” I mumble into Ivan’s back.
They shuffle out of the way, but there isn’t much space for them to move. The portal location is packed with civilians, everyone waiting to enter the official castle grounds.
“Busy,” I murmur to no one in particular.
Ivan glances back at me and says, “They’re searching everyone before they enter the grounds. At least, that’s what I’ve heard. Probably making sure nobody enters with any weapons.”
Asmo tenses beside me and I think of the blood mark on my thigh.
The line moves slowly, but we eventually reach the entry point. I don’t recognize the guards conducting the searches, but I don’t miss the black uniforms and serpentine broaches pinned to their chests. House Serpent guards.
My chest tightens as I’m reminded of William. He didn’t deserve to die. Nobody that’s been involved in this has. Etta, Adelaide, my father. The list cannot grow any longer.
The searches are cursory, just brief pat-downs. The guard’s hands roam a second too long over my backside, but we make it through thecheckpoint quickly. We follow the crowd as it heads toward the castle, Ivan and Luca leading our little group of imposters.
The first time I stepped onto the castle grounds, my magic sang in my blood. The forest itself felt like magic. I remember walking down this exact path next to the stag on my coronation day and hearing the excitement in the crowd. Now, it feels dark and foreboding. The sky is gray and full of clouds, not a drop of sunshine to be seen. The trees are bare, dead leaves littering the ground, as if they, too, have abandoned this place. A chill permeates the air, and I pull my scarf tighter to stave off the sharp wind rustling through the trees.
Guards order everyone into a single-file line at the foot of the path that winds around the mountain. Asmo shifts to stand behind me.
“Do you think we have enough today? You know it’s been a rough month,” a female voice whispers behind me. I squeeze the small bag of gold coins in my pocket, my own offering meek but substantial enough to pass.
After what feels like hours of standing and shuffling upward, we reach the top of the mountain. The castle doors come into view, people slowly moving through them one at a time. Memories of stepping through those grand doors with Elle and Holly flit through my mind. Another pang of loss hits me like a shot in the dark.
Guards pace back and forth, keeping watchful eyes on everyone. I try my best not to look like I’m hiding from their gaze, but also not willfully meeting them, as if trying to prove I have nothing to hide.
My stomach is in knots by the time we finally enter the front doors. The castle looks the same, but, like the forest, the atmosphere is noticeably different. These halls used to be filled with court members casually chatting as they went to and from their destinations. Now, they’re empty, save for the heavy presence of guards. There’s no casual conversation, no laughter. Just omnipotent silence.
“One person at a time. When you’re called into the throne room, you will kneel before the High King and the High Queen and make your offering,” the guard in front of us says monotonously, like he’s said this hundreds of times today.
“Sir, excuse me,” a hybrid male in front of us calls out. “My family. Are we allowed to go in together?”
“One person at a time,” the guard says sharply.
“But my daughter…She’s four. We only brought one offering for us as a family.”
“One person at a time,” the guard repeats, his tone final. He walks away, leaving the male wringing his hands together.
I glance back at Asmo. His jaw works, but he shakes his head once.Leave it alone.I turn back toward the family, the mother kneeling before her daughter as she whispers hurried instructions. The father pulls his coin purse out and splits the coins in half, offering a handful of coins to his wife and a handful to his daughter, leaving him with nothing.
I check to make sure the guards aren’t looking before I cut Ivan and Luca in line to get to the family. Luca tries to pull me back, but I shrug him off. I pull my bag of coins out and offer a small handful to the male, holding the coins out silently. He looks at me, bewildered.
“Take it,” I whisper. “Hurry.”
