Music drifted along the river as they passed another cluster of buildings. Eislyn glanced toward them, smiling as several fae spilled out of the open doors of another tavern. They were singing and dancing along to the music, bare feet tapping the dirt ground.
“This city is nothing like I imagined,” she said, turning back to Thane. “And neither are you.”
A strange expression flickered across Thane’s face. “It is a wonderful city, isn’t it?”
“From what I have seen.” She nodded. “Although, surely there are sections that are not so...welcoming.”
“You’re right.” He shoved his hands into his trouser pockets and tipped back his head as they continued to stroll down the dock. “We have slums just as any city does. There are dangerous districts that are not safe to go at night. My father largely ignored them as king, which only made the criminal underbelly much worse. I have heard rumors of murders in Drunkard’s Pit, but I cannot be sure those rumors are true. There is no official record of them in any case.”
Eislyn shivered. “No official record?”
“Do not worry, Eislyn. You are safe with me.”
Eislyn glanced back at the city with new eyes. The docks here were lively and lit up in the thickness of the night, but there were pockets further inside where only shadows pulsed across the buildings. She had thought nothing of it. Sleeping fae, she had assumed. But perhaps there was far more to it than that.
The king had been a wicked male. It was good he had been removed from the throne. But Eislyn was not certain that the High Queen was much better.
“Is anyone looking into these murders?” she asked softly as they reached the end of the dock.
“If you are asking if my mother cares for the low fae, the answer is...at times, she does. But only when it suits her goals.”
Eislyn frowned. “What in the name of the Dagda does she care about then?”
“Power.”
It shouldn’t surprise her. The High Queen had clearly manuevered herself onto the throne somehow, bypassing the standard succession that would have put Thane there himself. But why? She shook her head at herself. None of this mattered. The politicking, the thrones. All that mattered was the Ruin, and how to stop it.
Eislyn sucked in a deep breath of the cool, misty air. Warmer than the air back home but cool enough to give clarity to her thoughts. “And what do you care about, Thane?”
He towered over her, even with her height. None of the Darragh princesses would have ever been called short. With a distant look, he gazed over her shoulder, staring at the canal that rippled past the edges of the docks. She didn’t know why, but she felt desperate to know his answer. The Thane she’d met back home, she would have been certain he was as terrible as his mother. But after the past weeks, particularly this night, Eislyn knew that power was the last thing Thane wanted. He’d answered this question for her before, but she had to ask him again now. What did Thane truly want? How did he want to make his mark on this war-torn world?
“I want to bring peace to this troubled kingdom,” he finally said, wood creaking beneath his feet. “Bothour kingdoms.”
She smiled up at him, her heart expanding within her chest. This male was...
With a slight gasp, she yanked her gaze away from him and turned toward the canal. Her heart raced; her mind spun. What was she doing? This was wrong. The prince was not her friend, nor did he mean anything to her. He couldn’t. Reyna, her sister, was his betrothed. They were to marry and unite the kingdoms.
“Is something wrong, Eislyn?” Thane asked, voice concerned.
But she could not look at him for fear she would blurt out the truth. “We should get back to the castle. It is getting late.”
Eislyn wanted nothing more than to remain out in the city with Thane until dawn, to return to the revel and dance the night away. She had not felt this alive in...months, years. Perhaps ever. Thane had brought her back to life in a way that Eislyn had not thought possible.
Which was exactly why she could not remain out with him any longer.
“Have I said something wrong? I thought you were enjoying yourself.”
“I was enjoying myself,” she said quickly. “I just...I need some rest.”
“Very well.” He held out an arm and she took it, tucking her hand into the crook of his elbow. She shouldn’t have done that either, but just once wouldn’t harm anything. Without any further questions, he led her away from the docks and back through the hidden tunnels of Dalais Castle. Neither of them spoke. Eislyn feared she had said more than enough.
They reached the door of her chambers without being spotted. After she let go of his arm, he lingered for a moment longer, frowning down at his leather boots. “You would tell me if I have offended you, I hope.”
“You have not offended me, Thane. In fact, you have done the very opposite.”
He looked relieved. “Good. I feel the same.”
Eislyn held her breath tight in her throat. Everything about Thane glowed. His eyes, his hair, the very soul of him. “Good night, Thane.”
