“Some fresh air now. A loo before. But really it’s an earful, I imagine.” He cut a sharp glance my way. “I’ve been patient with your prickly personality, but I don’t appreciate being spiedon.”
A shiver went down my spine, but I forced myself to remain still. “I said I wanted fresh air, and I did. It’s not my fault you were lurking in the shadows having secretmeetings.”
“I’m the King of this Court. I can have secret meetings wherever I damn well please,” he growled. “The fact that you don’t seem to understand or respect that makes me question your reasons for beinghere.”
Narrowing my eyes, I wrenched my hand out from under his. “Maybe you’d understand my reasons better if you didn’t lock me in my room allday!”
His lips curled into a wicked smile. “Oh, you didn’t like that? Good. You can stay in there twice as longtomorrow.”
6
Lugh hadn’t been lying.The next day, he woke me up at six again by pounding on the door. It didn’t matter that the entire Court had been up until four partying.Ihad to be up and at ‘em, according to him. If I tried to go back to sleep, he threatened to keep hammering on thewall.
Despite waking at the crack of dawn, I was locked in my room until noon, at which point I was chaperoned over to the kitchen to clean up after lunch by a bushy-haired fae named Selma. Once I’d swept up every last crumb, I was hastily returned to my room. That continued for the rest of the day. And then the next. I’d get bustled out of my room to clean, have zero chance to speak to anyone, and then I had to go straightback.
The only fae who seemed to have any interest in getting to know me was Saoirse. She popped in to see me a few times a day and to smuggle in contraband like chocolate andpizza.
“You doing okay?” She quietly shut the door behindher.
“No,” I said glumly. “I am really tired of watching Tipping Point reruns. I now know every answer to every pub quiz question that everwas.”
She wrinkled her nose. “I’ll admit this sucks. I’m loyal to King Lugh, but...if I’m honest, I think he’s taking your trial period a tad toofar.”
I gave her a look. “My trial period should have been surviving a load ofSluagh.”
“I’m sure he’ll come around soon,” she insisted. “He’s just had a lot on his mindlately.”
I sat up a little straighter. “Likewhat?”
Sighing, Saoirse popped a pizza box on the desk. The tempting aroma of pepperoni and cheese swirled into my nose, and my stomach grumbled. “You know I can’t tell you that. Anyway, I’ll try to talk to him. I might be able to convince him to give you more freedom in thecastle.”
Any freedom would be more freedom thanthis.
“Thanks,Saoirse.”
“Don’t thank me too much.” She pointed at the pizza. “You better hurry up and eat that now. I’m here to collect you for your favourite thing in the entireworld.”
“Cleaning duty,” I muttered. And then I dug into the pizza like it would vanish without atrace.
* * *
Saoirse droppedme off in what I’d started referring to as the “servant” quarters. It was a tiny room at the far end of the residential building where the crew gathered before the daily cleaning duties. Inside, it held all of our supplies as well as a whiteboard where everyone’s names and tasks were listed. So far, I’d only seen it in passing. I’d merely been told what to do and movedon.
The bushy-haired fae who had been dispensing the tasks now stood before the whiteboard with her hair tied up in a frizzy bun. She tapped the whiteboard with a red marker. “We’ve got a busy day ahead. There’s only twenty of us and three hundred ofthem.”
I glanced around the room, wondering how these fae had ended up here. They couldn’t all benewbies.
“First order of business. The King’s out on his weekly visit to town,” Selma continued as she scribbled on the board. “Time for his room clean. Anyvolunteers?”
A few murmurs spread through the room, but there weren’t anytakers.
I edged forward. “I’ll doit.”
I couldn’t believe my luck. This was the perfect opportunity to get back on track with my spying mission. There must be something inside Lugh’s room that could clue me in on what he had planned. Papers lying around. Rubbish he’d tossed in the bin. Big flashing neon signs he’d hung on thewalls...
Selma snorted and slid the cap back on the whiteboard pen. “Absolutelynot.”
I crossed my arms. “Why is that? Because I’m new? I think I’m capable of making a bed, thank you very much, regardless of whose arse sleeps init.”
