Curling my fingers into my palms, I took off down the street in the direction of the authorities. My hair flew around me, and a few sailors whistled when I ran past them.
But it was all noise to me. Meaningless noise. The courts wanted me to return, and that meant one of two things. They wanted further information from me, or Jax had asked for me so I could venture back to the palace with him at my side.
I vaguely remembered where the court building was in this huge city, but I still had to ask for directions multiple times, and it took me an hour of frantic walking and jogging to get there.
The air had warmed slightly by the time I reached the wide stone steps. In front of me, the imposing building waited, as though beckoning me into its mouth so it could devour me for breakfast. Behind me, the fountain shot water into the sky, its mist streaming down around it.
A sheen of sweat coated my entire body, and on shaky legs, I climbed the stairs and went to the door the kingsfae had shown me yesterday. Thick, prickly magic coasted over me, growing stronger with every step I took.
Struggling to breathe, I stopped at the door’s threshold, and the same magic that had assessed me yesterday took root. Frozen to the spot, I was held. Its cold magic felt like an ice bath. It sucked all breath from my lungs, but at least it didn’t take nearly as long as yesterday. I was on the other side within seconds. It’d obviously remembered me.
Stumbling, I hurried to the processing desk and stopped before a petite siltenite wearing a red dress. “I was summoned by a dillemsill this morning. My name is Elowen Emerson.”
The female looked up from behind her desk, her lips pursed. “Ah, yes. You were summoned over an hour ago.”
“I came as quickly as I could.”
She glanced down and shuffled through a few pieces of parchment. “I see that Junior Justice Seewald requested your presence again.” With a flick of her fingers, she summoned one of the kingsfae near the wall. He lumbered forward, his armor clinking.
My throat rolled in a swallow when he ground to a halt at my side.
The female nodded toward the hall, the same one I’d been escorted down yesterday. “Junior Justice Seewald wants to see her. Room thirteen.”
“This way.” The kingsfae lumbered in front of me, and with each step that I took, nerves fired through my limbs, making me tremble like a leaf in the wind.
I followed him to the room and stepped inside. Junior Justice Seewald was already seated behind the table. She waved toward the chair across from her. “I’ve been waiting for quite some time.”
“I’m so sorry.” I fell onto the seat and quickly smoothed my skirt around me. The kingsfae went to the corner and stood stoically. “Unfortunately, I have no way of traveling, so I had to walk. I left the second the dillemsill told me I’d been summoned.”
She arched an eyebrow. “Walk? Do you not have any rulibs to hire a carpet or carriage?”
Shame fired through me, but I slowly shook my head.
Frowning, she assessed my clothing. A brief look of pity filled her face, and it wasn’t lost on me that she was probably making note of the fact that I wore the same clothes as yesterday. “Did you sleep on the street?”
“No, I stayed at an inn.”
“But you couldn’t hire a carpet or carriage this morning?”
I swallowed the dryness in my throat. “My coins ran out.”
Shehmmedand pulled out one of her pieces of parchment. “In that case, especially if you have no rulibs or means to take care of yourself, it’s probably for the best that you return to your guardian.”
“What?”
Footsteps came in the hall, and she nodded toward the door. A sickening feeling coasted through me, and as though a phantom hand turned my head, I glanced at the door. Every line in my body went rigid. Guardian Alleron stood there, a smug look on his face, with a kingsfae just behind him.
I shot to standing. “You want me to go withhim?”
The junior justice sighed. “You’re still under the care of a guardian. You’re not allowed to be free.”
“But Prince Adarian is my new guardian.”
Her look turned glacial. “No, he’s not. The prince will not be anyone’s guardian anytime soon.”
“But...why not? Where is he?” A ball of worry tied my stomach in knots.
She straightened her pieces of parchment, not meeting my eye. “Still detained, as he will be for the foreseeable future. Now, you’re to go with your guardian, and if anything further is needed from either of you, you’ll be summoned.”
