The biggest problem was that I simply did not know where to begin. Devil occupied himself by turning his back to me and monitoring the growing crowd, so I surveyed the spread alone: Enormous leaves served as platters for absurdly tiny, steaming pies shaped like oak leaves, bite-sized balls of soft cheese coated in chopped nuts, and miniscule legs of roasted meat smothered in what smelled like a rosemary and honey glaze. Wooden tureens of olives, berries, grapes, pomegranate seeds, and cubes of jerky sat betweenthe leaf-platters. I searched for a plate, ready to eat my own body weight in the Arden’s fare, but there did not appear to be any, and my stomach was about to collapse in on itself. With a quick glance around, I snatched a miniature pie and shoved the entire thing into my mouth, then let out a long groan.
It was butter-crusted and cinnamon-topped, stuffed with sweet yams and candied nuts. Another platter of pies, shaped like tiny feathers and topped in crystalized brown sugar, were filled with succulent blackberries and rum-poached pears. I could hardly help the noises that escaped me as I ate my way along the table, keenly aware of Devil standing nearby. I had imagined that his back was still turned, and so I nearly jumped out of my skin when I heard his voice directly behind me.
“Do not let my hard work go to waste by neglecting that particular dish.” I looked where he was pointing now, toward the end of the table, and my heart skipped a beat at the sight of honey-roasted almonds. The smell hit me a second later and I felt like I was floating rather than walking toward them.
Before taking a handful, I turned to frown at him. “How did you know?”
Devil just chuckled, “Do not play the wide-eyed, innocent girl, May, it doesn’t suit you. I thought we established that my little sentries had been watching you for quite some time.” He released a swarm of magyk fireflies from his fingertips and they zoomed up to circle my head. From the gentle tickling as they landed in my hair, I could only imagine they’d formed some sort of glowing circlet.
“Well…” I said, releasing a soft sigh, “thank you. Theyaremy favorite.” I took some almonds from the bowl and dropped them into my mouth. They tasted exactly like the ones Will brought me from the market in Nottingham, and I thought I might be melting into the forest floor. When I looked back to tell Devil he’d done well, he was already standing several paces away again, speaking to a pair of fauns—a man and a woman, dressed in matching orange doublets with black lace overlays made to resemble beetles. I stood beside the table for several minutes, munching almonds and trying to identify which creatures the other guests were dressed as. I spotted foxes, bears, badgers, stags and hinds, rabbits and squirrels and stoats, plus every fathomable variety of insect and bird. Some had chosen slightly more exotic animals, like peacocks, or golden Pallasian lions, snow leopards, sure-footed white goats, and fishing eagles who inhabited the high, cold regions between the Arden and Messina. Others had dressed as fantastical creatures I had no names for, but I imagined to be from the vast expanse of ocean surrounding Athenium on three sides.
Just as I was about to interrupt Devil’s conversation with another burning query, a strange sound reached my ears. It came from one of the alcoves, and I inched slowly toward it, unsure if I was allowed to enter. A lavender chiffon curtain made its occupants just barely visible in the dim light, but I did not even need to see them to know what they were doing. The noises were unmistakable—moans and sharp gasps and the slap of skin-on-skin. I knew I ought to move away, that the curtain had been placed to afford some kind of privacy, but at the same time…
If they didn’t want to be watched, they wouldn’t be doing this here, I told myself, shoving down my terribly human sense of modesty and guilt as I squinted through the sheer fabric. Inside the alcove were no less than a dozen of the Fair Folk, all in various states of undress, draped across the pieces of furniture growing from the tree roots, which had all been softened by cushions and blankets. Closestto the entrance sat a long chaise lounge, across which was draped a naked, blonde fay woman, her legs hooked over the shoulders of a tall, burly man with gray, feathered wings. He gripped her thighs tight as his hips worked, thrusting steadily and pulling a string of decadent moans from her. Moans I could barely hear, since another woman, this one with blue skin and vine-like hair, was positioned over her face, with the blonde fay’s tongue buried inside her. Paralyzed by torrid heat, my eyes shifted away and caught on a handsome man sitting on a throne-like chair and boasting a full set of antlers on his head, which had been hung with flower garlands. Straddling his lap and clinging to his neck was another man with delicate silver and pale purple butterfly wings. My gaze slid down their sweat-slick, muscular forms, but I finally looked away when I saw how they were locked together between their legs. Was this too much, I wondered, or was I simply too human to understand?
“Would you like to try?” said someone behind me. I spun, fully prepared to offer Devil a sharp reprimand, but it was not his mismatched eyes I found watching me. These eyes were depthless, black, and intelligent, set in a far-too-handsome brown face. I cleared my throat and stepped away, trying to politely size the man up. “I meant the wine, of course,” he said with an embarrassed smile, offering me one of the two goblets he carried.
Reflexively, I took it, but did not drink. “T-thank you…sir.”
“Antenor,” he said, extending his now-empty hand, “Captain of the Pallasian Court Guard. Naturally.” He gave a small nod over his shoulder to his own pair of wings. These were not like any possessed by the children of the Arden—at least, not that I had seen. They were massive, reddish-black, and bat-like, with a wickedly sharp talon atop each joint. He flared them out, and I attempted another smile as I took in the pair of black rams horns curling around each side of his head, which glinted red in the light when he moved.
“Marina.” I put my hand in his and he leaned in to kiss it, the long braid containing his thick, dark hair brushing over my forearm as he did so.
“Forgive me, but I have visited the Arden every year for over a century, and I believe I would have remembered seeing such radiance before. Are you a newcomer here?”
“Yes,” was all I could say, struck dumb by the sudden, unwarranted attention.
He raised an eyebrow. “And without an escort?”
“Well, I-I do have—”
“I might’ve known you’d be skulking around in my wake, bat boy.” The loud, harsh words came from Devil, who shoved one of Antenor’s great wings aside to reach me.
“Puck,” Antenor spat. “Do not tell me this beautiful creature is being accompanied by the likes of you.”
“This creature has a name,” Devil retorted, “and yes, she is.”
“Such a pity,Marina,” said Antenor in a smoother tone, “that your escort lacks the decorum and foresight not to leave you alone for even a moment.”
“You told me the children of the Arden knew nothing of decorum,” I said to Devil with a smirk, trying not to enjoy his obvious discomfort.
He glanced down at me and scoffed, “Antenor isnota child of the Arden.”
“It’s Captain, now, actually,” said Antenor stiffly. “My promotion was made official just before I arrived, but I know you do not stay abreast of such things.”
“Or perhaps you ought to have commissioned a bigger sword,” Devil sneered. “I hardly noticed that one.”
Antenor gritted his teeth and turned his attention back to me. “My lady, I am also an outsider at the Arden Court and would be most comforted by the company of another visitor.”
He offered his arm, but Devil gave me a look that plainly said ‘don’t you dare’. Unfortunately for him, I was very much in a daring mood.
“I think…” I said slowly, pausing to take a gulp of wine, “that you and I will have much in common, Captain.” Sweeping the silk cape out behind me, I draped my hand over Antenor’s leather-clad forearm. He did appear every inch the soldier in a black leather cuirass, stamped with an intricate knotted symbol, matching bracers over a deep burgundy shirt, and tall, black boots. At his waist hung a beautiful longsword with an egg-sized red stone set in the hilt, and tied beside it on his belt was a mask in the likeness of a snub-nosed bat. We began walking slowly down the length of the hall with Devil trailing after us, looking murderous.
“So, tell me what brings you to the Arden,” Antenor said pleasantly, “and where you are visiting from.” I scrambled for a moment, feeling a bit silly now that he actually wanted to make conversation, and bought time by taking another long drink. When I allowed myself to really taste the faerie wine, however, I knew I might be in trouble. It was smooth and rich and sweet. Warmth spread over my skin, like a net of poor choices I’d soon be tangled up in if I wasn’t careful.
“Can a lady keep no secrets to herself?” I asked with a small giggle.
Antenor smiled—a much-too-handsome smile to match his much-too-handsome face. “You certainly may. Although, if I might hazard a guess, you are clearly here at the invitation of my dear cousin, Lord Oberon. He would send no one else but his faithful lapdog to escort an honored guest, but I certainly wish he had entrusted you to me instead.”
