It takes almost an entire bell, I estimate, to get to the palace. From Cadoc’s camp in the plains, we head west into a forest of impossibly large pines. I’ve heard of trees like this in the northern parts of Landore, but I’ve never seen them. I doubt they’re anywhere near as majestic, with some as wide as I am tall.
They must be ancient.
Aerona talks us through our expected behavior as we travel. If she and Reid walk side-by-side, I’m to follow three paces behind, my footsteps matching hers. If Reid leaves for any reason, I’m to stay two paces behind her right shoulder. At all times, I’m to keep my head down and avoid eye contact.
At least my instructions are straightforward. Evidently, the fae are quite particular about etiquette, and she quickly runs Reid through when to offer his arm, how to carry himself, and how he basically needs to wait for her to act before he does anything himself. Color creeps up his neck as he grows more flustered with every mistake, until Aerona ultimately tells him to hold her arm a specific way the entire time.
The first fae we encounter are obviously visitors here for the wedding. We pass their tents of hide and fur and join them along the path to the city proper, our pace slowing as the crowd thickens the closer we come to the capital.
Aerona’s jaw tenses. “Most of these people won’t even attend the wedding itself.”
“Then why are they here?” I ask.
“The parties,” Reid replies.
My eyebrows tilt up.Is that what he and Emlyn were up to yesterday?
“You can’t speak to one another unless we’re alone,” Aerona hisses.
Right. I’m the lowly servant.I shut my mouth and follow silently behind them.
By Fortune’s favor, we don’t have to travel through all of Aedallan. A gasp escapes me when we spot the palace—it resembles a massive tree, several stories tall, woven from dozens of towering pines. Moss-covered stone walls surround it, though the grounds must be quite expansive based on their distance from the structure.
While many fae linger nearby, most of the crowd continues on. Aerona whispers to Reid, then nods at a gate in the stone walls.
He stiffens as he leads us toward it. The guards interrupt our approach, with one of them asking Aerona her name. The other meets my eyes, and I quickly lower my gaze to the ground. Hopefully he assumes I’m so awestruck that I forgot my place.
Aerona introduces herself, with Reid as her companion—carefully worded using some random name she thought up—and a moment later she’s walking again. I follow, keeping my eyes on her feet.
“We’re later than we should’ve been,” Aerona whispers to Reid. “Try to wander casually toward the main entrance.”
“Where’s that?” he asks.
“That way.”
Of course, I don’t know which way she directed him. I’m only watching their feet.
This is it—the day I’m finally supposed to be useful.
My eyes sting as frustration threatens to boil over into bitter tears. Taran will be here soon, risking his life to prevent a war while I stare at well-worn boots. How is this something Reid and Aerona can’t handle themselves?
Aerona comes to a stop, so I halt three paces behind her. She says some words, then moves again. After a few steps, the light dims, and the ground transitions from trodden grass to polished wood floors.
It seems we have successfully infiltrated the palace ‘for a tour.’
Aerona continues speaking to Reid, describing the entryway like a proper guide. I follow her boots up a staircase of wood planks that curves along the wall of the room.
We’ve reached the third floor when a thunderous rumble draws my attention upward—a group of at least six guards descending from the level above. Aerona gracefully steps out of their way, pulling Reid with her, and I stumble to follow. Most march past without a glance, but the last one stops to address Aerona.
“What are you doing here?” he demands, his voice sharp.
“I’m giving my companion a tour. I have permission.”
“That permission has been rescinded. Return to the reception.”
Aerona glances down the stairs toward the others. They’ve already disappeared from our sight.
I startle as she smashes the remaining guard in the face with an upward thrust from her palm. He collapses onto the floor.
