She reminded me a great deal of Morgan, in fact, especially with that defiant spark in her eye that dared anyone to oppose her. Even in the throes of her vow, Morgan had never lost that spark.
I frowned at the thought of the light fae Oberon had forced into his service. She hadn’t been thrilled when we’d left her in a dungeon cell. Her reaction had been so intense, I wouldn’t be surprised if she tried to claw her way out of the stone. I supposed after so long spent in invisible chains, she struggled with another cage. More bonds, more barriers to freedom. But I couldn’t trust her, not yet. Until I was certain she wasn’t still somehow working against us, she would have to remain in that dungeon, just like anyone else.
I would reach out to Gaven when I returned to my room, just to ensure that everything was ticking along without issue in Endir.
But right now, I needed to focus on the task at hand. Tatiana clearly didn’t want us roaming through her castle halls unaccompanied, which only confirmed that she was hiding something. A vault, perhaps? One we would find empty since she’d extracted her own gemstone necklace so that she could use the power of a god? The only question was,whichgod?
Callisto of Pestilence? No, that seemed far too messy for her. Orion of Famine? After seeing the breakfast spread, I had to admit she was too fond of food and drink to embrace that.
That only left Perseus of Fear and Sirius of Beasts. Lord Byrne had mentioned strange creatures in his harbor, but after our own encounter with that scorpion-like beast in Itchen, I couldn’t be certain Lord Byrne’s monster had any connection to Tatiana and her gemstone necklace. The beasts were everywhere in Aesir now, not just in the Kingdom of Storms and their waters.
But Perseus—it could be him. Fear was stealthy. It crept up behind you, attacking when you least expected it. This city didn’tfeeldrenched in fear, but that didn’t mean it wasn’t. Perseus could be lurking in wait, biding his time until Andromeda returned. And there was that strange sense of wrongness that seemed to pepper the air, so thick I could taste it.
Just ahead of us, the guard reached up and rubbed her earrings before her hand drifted down to the pommel of her sword.
We rounded a corner and stumbled upon Toryn and Nellie, who were deep in conversation. My old friend sagged against the wall with his eyes closed. Nellie held his hand in hers, and the softness in her expression almost shattered my heart. Not many people in Toryn’s life had ever been gentle with him, and right now, he could sorely use it. I would have to thank Tessa’s sister when none of the other storm fae were around.
Toryn lifted his gaze, and his eyes cleared as he spotted the guard. “Enid. Still serving my mother, I see.”
“I’m the Queen’s Shadow. I will serve her until the day I die.”
He shook his head and let out a bitter laugh. “Even though you loved my sister dearly and my mother made Owen murder her while the realm cheered him on?”
Enid tensed and turned to stare down the length of the corridor. When she spoke, her words were clipped. “I’m taking yourkingon a tour of the castle. If you’d like to join us, I’d prefer you avoid spewing treasonous statements. Otherwise, I will not hesitate to drag you back before your mother so she can chain you up until Owen returns from his journey. That way, you can finish what you should have ended four hundred years ago.”
Anger flashed across Toryn’s face, echoing the roaring emotion in my chest. Nellie gripped his arm and leaned into him. Almost instantly, the tension in his body relaxed. “I’m more than capable of taking my companions on a tour without your help. I did grow up in these halls, same as you.”
“By my queen’s orders,” was all Enid said. Then she stood there waiting for Toryn to make his choice. It felt like a silent challenge, like she wanted to rile him up so he would say something she could use against him. I understood what was happening far too well. She could not challenge him directly. That would make her queen angry, and she couldn’t have that. But she would gladly relish anything he said or did that would put him in hot water—any excuse to force him to fight his brother.
All to spill some royal blood.
Toryn had explained their brutal ritual. It was about more than determining the strongest leader, more than the excitement of the roaring crowds. The storm fae believed royal blood must be spilled in the arena, as a sacrifice to nature itself. It was their way of thanking the earth for protecting them from the harrowing storms.
It had already been so long since the last sacrifice. The queen was eager to pass the crown on to her heir, partly so he could breed the next line of royals and the sacrifices to nature could continue. Toryn and I often wondered, though…if she was so eager for more royals, why hadn’t she just named Owen her heir? If she had, he would already have a family by now.
After a long moment of silence, Toryn pushed away from the wall and walked over to us with Nellie’s hand tucked into the crook of his elbow. He smiled blandly at Enid, and it stretched the burn scar on his cheek. “Very well. Where shall we go first? The library?”
Beside me, Tessa brightened. I couldn’t hold back my fond smile. Her love of books knew no end. She’d even tucked one away in her travel pack, forsaking an extra change of clothing just so it could fit. Back in Endir, I’d noticed she’d begun dusting the stacks and moving tables around to create a cozy reading nook. In a different world, she would have been happy in a place like that.
Heaviness settled over me, weighing down those thoughts. We did not live in a different world. This one was full of danger, darkness, and death. But I would do my damnedest to get us through this, if only so I could see her smile again in that library. Fuck, I would build a new one from scratch, if that was what it took.
“To the library.” Something in my heart stirred at that bright, bright smile. “Right, my love?”
“Absolutely.”
* * *
Enid led us through the library. It was less impressive than I’d hoped, but Tessa gazed at it with delight. Smaller than the one in Endir, it still boasted the world’s largest collection on fauna and flora with a specialty in the many species of plants that could be found inside the Kingdom of Storms. There were no windows here. The darkness was broken by soft lanterns that stood at intervals upon the carpet of moss. We were able to cross from one side to the other in less than a minute.
Still, Tessa seemed to enjoy it. After she’d perused the shelves, we moved on to the inner courtyard. When we stepped outside, I noticed the sky overhead had turned an alarming orange. Everyone lifted their eyes to gaze at the eerie sight rather than look at the lush gardens just ahead.
“Ah, yes,” Enid said with a frown. “That is our five-minute warning. Best get back inside and return to your quarters at once.”
Toryn let out a low whistle. “That’s a level three storm. It could be worse, but…Enid is right. We’ll need to cut the tour short.”
I frowned. We’d hardly seen any of the castle, let alone something that might give us an indication of what was going on here.
“And with a color like that, this storm could last for days,” Enid added.
