I nodded, because saying, “Nope, not in the slightest,” would only delay the inevitable.
Through the tall glass double doors, we entered a vast hall with impossibly high ceilings—meant for wings? The fae here varied in size, shape, and coloring, just like the Hollow Court, but even at a glance, a much higher percentage had wings.
As the doors boomed closed, a fractional pause rippled through the crowd. They stared openly. Wings twitched. No one gasped, but no one stepped forward either.
“Is that the prince?” a short fae in solemn blue muttered.
A herald stepped forward across the polished black stone floor. “Prince Soren of the Shadow Court,” he trumpeted in a clear, resonant voice, and something amplified it across the room.
Wide curving staircases along both walls led to a second-floor balcony where the royals mingled, but none of them deigned to look down besides Soren’s sister.
The herald turned to me and hesitated, asking in a more normal volume, “Prince Soren, how may I announce your... companion?”
Soren looked to me. “Do you wish to share your name?”
I tilted my head, unsure. Though names didn’t seem to hold as much power over me, maybe I’d hold back until I got a sense of the fae here. “Just Brynn.”
The herald immediately called out, “And his guest, Just Brynn.”
I pulled my lips into my mouth so I wouldn’t laugh into the echoing silence. Tucking my hair behind my ear self-consciously, I regretted it instantly when a nearby fae gasped.
“It’s another human—with the prince!”
A faint collective intake of breath crossed the room, followed by whispers.
Someone nearby muttered, “It looks so fragile.”
I flushed.
Ignoring them, Soren offered me his arm, and the crowd parted for us as we swept through the room, heads held high. A few fae smiled at their prince, but most wide eyes remained glued to me.
I let loose a heavy breath once we finally stepped through a set of double doors and out of sight. Glowing sconces lit the smooth stone walls of the hallway, similar to the Hollow Court. If my skin weren’t still icy from the flight, I’d have thought we’d never left.
But soon, the differences became obvious.
Every dozen or so feet, huge glass windows displayed thousands of stars in the night sky. At closer glance, the windows had doorknobs. I supposed, with so many wings here, any opening could become an exit.
“Wait until you see the Shadow Court in the daylight,” Soren told me as we made our way down a hall that went deeper into the mountain. “The views are stunning.”
“I can imagine,” I murmured, trying to picture the steep drop when I’d never even been to the top of a skyscraper in my life, much less the peak of a mountain. “Is the whole court on the mountainside?”
“Most do build into the rock, yes. Those with means, like my family, have carved into the mountain quite a bit as well, which is why we have all this.” He gestured to the brightly lit hall.
“All of this belongs to your family?” I gestured behind and ahead. I shouldn’t have been so surprised. Royals usually had castles. Of course his family took up the whole top of a mountain.
“We maintain a large staff, and my father is always hosting guests, but yes, we do occupy a large portion of this particular mountain, as well as a second home at the base of another nearby.”
“Oh, so only two mountains?” I teased. “Poor little prince.”
He frowned at first, then snorted.
I smiled. He was adjusting to my sarcasm. And I felt brave enough around him to show it.
“Would you like to go somewhere more quiet?” Soren asked softly, almost shy. “Or perhaps I should show you to your room? You’re probably exhausted.”
The mere thought of a bed should’ve made me want to crash after everything that’d happened. But adrenaline still spiked my blood, keeping me wide awake.
“I can stay with you.” Eyes widening at my assumption, I added, “I mean, if you want. It’s up to you. I can go to my room if you’re tired.”
