“And he did not punish you?”
“He has become quite accustomed to my disobedience, I think. Besides, it was you who pulled us away.”
“Did he not order you to bring me home this time?”
“Oh, he did. But he understands that you need space after what happened, and I think he does too. I promised him you would be back in time for breakfast tomorrow. He must’ve been satisfied with that, because he let me go without so much as a strike across the cheek.”
Internally, I winced at the thought of it, but kept my face neutral. “I’m sorry.”
“For what?”
“For pulling you away.”
“Well, one good turn deserves another,” he said, offering me his hand. “I know how concerned you are with propriety, and it would beawfullybad manners to miss your own party.”
I allowed myself to smile up at him. “Will there be wine?”
“Of course.”
“And food?”
“Only the best for our beloved princess.”
“And plenty of handsome, winged men for me to dance with?”
“Certainly not,” Devil said seriously, shaking his head. “These events are very exclusive, after all. Only the most charming, talented, wittiest—”
“So you are excluded?” I cut him off, my smile widening to a grin.
He ignored the jab and bowed his head. “Would youspiteme with a dance, Your Highness?”
Chapter thirty
Wine & Witless Insults
Aparty in theHollow was exactly what I needed after my confrontation with Titania and the Rot. The clearing around Aliena’s cottage rang with laughter and music, lit by colorful floating lights like the ones from the revelry, but with a far more boisterous crowd. Aliena now sat in the raised roots of an oak tree on the edge of the clearing, accompanied by half a dozen other fay creatures, each holding a different, strange-looking instrument. They were arguing animatedly amongst themselves about which song to play next. Arachne was there too, seated in a chair made from silken webs she had spun between two tree trunks. On the grass in the center of the clearing, Briony and Larch were attempting to teach a group of fay children a raucous call-and-response song.
“Knew you couldn’t resist!” called Jon, who was standing beside a massive cask of wine. Holding several cups in his enormous hands, he approached us and held one out to me, then passed another to Devil. I was determined to forget the events of the day, so I took a long drink and gave him a giddy smile.
“It was hardly a difficult choice,” I said, waving my hand around at the trees, which had been festooned with colorful scraps of cloth and strings of flowers or autumn leaves. A long trestle table had been set up beside the wine cask, laden with food, including a large bowl of my coveted honey almonds, and I wandered over with Devil behind me. One look at the food had my mouth watering— golden-brown puff pastries oozing soft, white herb cheese,roasted legs of wild turkey that smelled of coriander, oil-fried sweet potato cubes topped with rosemary, and one enormous blackberry almond pie.
I quickly finished off my first cup of mulled wine, which had me floating, then ate my fill while I watched the fay dancers twirl and leap in the center of the clearing. But no sooner had I finished a second helping of pie than Devil waved to Aliena and the song faded out. Jon handed me a full cup of wine and Devil took my hand, pulling me out into the soft spotlight provided by a glowing full moon.
“In your honor, my lady,” he said, bowing and raising his own cup to me. “At long last, we welcome you home.”
I lifted my own cup in thanks as Jon threw his head back and bellowed, “How doth the Arden greet her wayward children?”
“With open arms and a merry smile!” came the response. Everyone took another drink, and I grinned at Devil.
“I am willing to admit when you’ve done well, pet.”
He wrinkled his nose at the nickname, but maintained a steady smile. “All credit to Larch and Jon and Arachne. A party planner, I am not, but I do have something rather special I wanted to…give you.”
I let out a wine-induced laugh. “Should I be frightened?”
Devil just winked and pulled me over to sit beside Aliena. He set down his cup and raised his hands, causing every floating orb in the clearing to dim. Aliena plucked a slow tune on her lute as golden streams of light poured from Devil’s hands, forming themselves into the shape of a faceless man carrying a bow, who stood tall in the center of the clearing. Then, he began to speak in a different voice than I had heard him use before. It was low, melodic, and almost hypnotizing when accompanied by Aliena’s music. The story played out in front of us as he told it, like Oberon’s had the night of the revelry, and I listened with bated breath.
Once, there was a human hunter, tall and handsome, who came to the Arden seeking its dangers and treasures. While out with his bow, he happened to walk through a faerie glamour and caught a glimpse of the most beautiful woman he had ever seen, in a partial state of undress. She was preparing to bathe in a spring, delicate dragonfly wings trailing behind her.
