What does that mean?
He pulls his hand free of mine, and I flush at the realization I was still holding it. He goes straight to his horse, pulling his bow from the saddle and sliding an arrow into it.
Moments later, two horses appear in the distance, the sound of their hoofbeats arriving soon after. My shoulders relax as I recognize the riders.
Reid. With Taran’s friend, Emlyn.
Chapter 24
Caeo
Istare out my bedroom window at the forest canopy above. Deep greens, with a vibrant blue peeking through the gaps. Compared to Haven, this place is paradise—even though it’s colder, the air smells better. Sweet, like honey and flowers. Its beauty is the only thing keeping me from bolting, other than the armed guards.
And the fact that I have no idea where I am or how to get home. And that my glowing eyes and pointy ears would get me lynched within minutes of crossing the border. The only person who might look past that is Reid, but I’d be dead long before I found him.
So yeah… There’s a lot of reasons to make the best of this, despite everything.
I don’t even remember how I got here. I had returned home from the Academy, and Mother was there. I told her I’d been kicked out. She made me some tea—
Did my own mother drug me?
That shouldn’t surprise me. Not after finding out she’d deceived me my entire life. What she’d done to my father. Just taking what she wanted from him.
Drugging me is nothing in comparison.
I swallow the nausea forming in my throat.Just breathe. Breathe and think about something else.
I’ve never wanted some speckled long leaf more in my life.
A light knock interrupts my brooding. A young-looking fae woman stands at the door, her face tight with nerves as she wrings her hands. “Pardon me, Your Highness. Her Majesty has requested your presence.”
Wonderful.And if I don’t go, I’ll just be causing problems for this poor girl. My mother probably knew that when she picked who to send.
The servant leads me through what I’m just calling ‘the castle.’ While the upper levels appear to use tree branches for structural support, with wooden walls that clearly originated elsewhere, the lower floors are mostly constructed from the trees themselves. Their trunks twist and curve unnaturally, as if someone shaped them into walls and columns. Smooth stones fill in the gaps, cut to make a perfect seal.
It’s an impressive display of fae craftsmanship. Then I enter the throne room.
Hundreds of tiny windows speckle the walls of the expansive space. Rays of sunlight pour through, reflecting off curved streaks of polished gold that weave between the slats of white wood making up the floor, with more gold amid the stones and tree trunks of the walls.
A large wooden throne—the only chair I’ve seen so far—stands on a dais on the far side of the room. Likely sculpted from a tree trunk, it’s adorned with golden antlers. The queen, someone I barely recognize as my mother now that she wears her full regalia, sits upon it.
My annoyance swells as I take in the golden crown, made of those same antlers, resting upon her dark hair. She wears a lighter green dress than yesterday—more like the color of a meadow on a sunny day, matching her eyes. Pristine white fur lines her shoulders and neckline, and while her hands rest on the arms of the throne, the flood of green and white cloth surrounding them makes it clear that if she stood, her sleeves would hang to the ground.
“His Royal Highness, Prince Caeo,” a guard at the door announces. Like the others, he wears dark green and brown under a cream-colored coat lined with fur.
With a cringe, I follow the serving girl to the throne. She gives a low curtsy, which my mother nods to, before scurrying out of the room.
I don’t even tilt my head. “You wanted to see me?”
Mother taps her fingers against the arm of the throne. “I appreciate you need time to adjust, but we must begin preparations for your coronation.”
I hate standing here while she speaks down to me, and my hand twitches as I struggle to keep my exasperation from showing. “What if I don’t want that?”
She narrows her eyes, then slowly rises. Stepping off the dais, her dress trails behind her.
“Walk with me.” Her voice echoes through the chamber, and I find myself begrudgingly falling into step beside her.
She leads me through a passage at the side of the room into the chilly air of an outdoor garden. “You cannot change who you are, Caeo. You are a prince of Aedys, whether you wish it or not. With that comes responsibilities that cannot be ignored.”
