There were four of them in total. Two women and two men, though I had a sneaking suspicion that none of them were mortal. The tallest of them all was a slender, muscular male with blazing red hair and black as night eyes. He wore glistening golden armor across his impressive physique, stamped with an emblem in the shape of a dragon. Beside him stood a women decked out in matching armor. Her long golden hair was pulled away from her face and twisted into a thick braid.
“My lord, you’ve safely returned,” the tall man said, bowing slightly.
“Only just.” Yuto turned my way. Every pair of eyes followed. “This is Aradia, our new guest. Aradia, this is Eryx, my oldest friend. And this is Aleka.”
He nodded toward the woman who stood beside Eryx. He then turned to the two remaining. Neither wore armor, but they somehow managed to be just as intimidating as the others. They both had gleaming black hair shot through with silver, and they wore robes of red and gold silk. Siblings, no doubt. Their square jaws and long noses were almost identical.
“This is Orion and Callista,” Yuto said, gesturing their way.
Each of them gave me curious yet strained smiles. Question-marks danced in their eyes. They probably wondered who the hell I was and what I was doing here. But at least there were only four of them. Clearly, Yuto didn’t go around gathering up random trespassers on a daily basis.
“I found her by the portal,” he said by way of explanation. “She’s a mortal who accidentally stepped through the other side. I had no choice but to bring her back with me.”
They all nodded, murmuring, as if that was the most logical explanation in the world. Maybe for them it was.
“No way through the portal this time then, my lord?” Callista shot a meaningful glance my way, a question-mark in her violet eyes.
“Unfortunately, not just yet,” Yuto said with a tone of voice he’d never used with me. He almost sounded…gentle. Kind.Ha!Nice try. I knew he was anything but. “But I believe Aradia here is the key to our return to Pira. If she came through accidentally, she should be able to return easily enough.”
The “others” murmured. A flicker of excitement stormed through the group. I wanted to tell them that their hope was greatly misplaced. Little did they know that I planned to flee this dreadful castle at the first opportunity. I’d stab Yuto in his sleep if I must. If these people ever got back to their lands, it wouldn’t be through me.
“And any word from Pira this year, my lord?” Eryx asked in a deep, melodic voice that sounded as if it belonged in another world. “Any letters from the court?”
Yuto sucked in a deep breath, his eyelids falling shut. “None.”
Curiosity banged against my forehead. Letters from Pira? How did that work? There was so much about the world that I clearly didn’t understand, and I wanted to hear all of it. Now. I hadn’t read about portal letters in my library books.
“Perhaps next time, my lord,” Aleka murmured.
“Perhaps,” Yuto responded, though nothing in his tone suggested he meant it. He turned to me. “It has been a very long day for you. I should show you to your chambers. Callista, are there any rooms in good shape for guests?”
“Yes, my lord,” she said. “All the chambers in the East Wing are clean and fully furnished. She can choose any one she likes.”
A little hope fluttered in my chest. “Does this mean you won’t be throwing me into a dungeon cell?”
Yuto chuckled, but Callista’s full lips twisted into a deep frown. “My lord, why in the name of the flames would our guest worry you might throw her into the dungeons?”
“Her presence here isn’t entirely voluntary, Callista,” he said, still smiling. “But don’t you worry. I haven’t harmed a hair on her pretty head.”
“Hmm.” She tsked, and then turned to me, her violet eyes searching my face. “Are you all right, love? He’s treated you with kindness?”
This was...unexpected.
Heart thumping, I twisted toward Yuto, but he’d trailed off with Eryx and Orion where they now stood clustered together out of earshot. I didn’t know what to say. Should I be honest? Or would a sharp tongue get me into even more trouble? I mean, I was already knee-deep in the muck.
“I didn’t want to come here,” I said, opting for brutal honesty.
“No, I don’t imagine you did.” She shot a dark look at Yuto’s back. “But you’ll be back through that portal of yours in no time.”
“I don’t want to go through the portal either,” I said. “There’s nothing back there for me but trouble.”
“I see.” She pursed her lips and nodded. “So, you hoped to explore Inishfall on your own. You fancied the freedom, eh?”
Huh, maybe she did understand. “Wouldn’t you?”
“Not really,” she said, inclining her head toward the others. “I like serving my lord, but I can see how you would feel differently, being mortal and all. The truth is, Aradia, my lord may have brought you here against your will—which Icertainlydon’t like—but you aren’t safe out there in the forest. Whatever his faults may be, he is a good male. You will be protected.”
I frowned. Obviously she’d feel that way about Yuto. He was her lord master. But I’d never heard anyone speak of Prince Cyril like this back home. With respect and reverence. With trust. And with the kind of loyalty that did not come about from fear.
