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He drew out the word and let it linger between us for a long time.

“. . . I take it we aren’t staying?” He hazarded finally to complete his thought.

“You and the others are welcome to stay, if you’d like. But before that Fae came, I was already a bit suspicious. Now I don’t trust them at all. I want to leave tonight.” I never took my eyes off the door.

Green Man creaked as he nodded. “If the others wish to stay, I’ll stay with them. If not, I’ll accompany you, if you will allow for it.”

“I didn’t take you this far just to leave you here alone. You’re all welcome to come with me, but I suspect we’ll have to keep our eyes peeled for that Fae.”

“Ah . . . yeah. I think so too.” He paused as Violet and Emerald burst through the door, and seeing the tense air between us, slowly closed it.

“The others are atwitter with news that you pissed off their pet Fae?” Violet asked, looking between the two of us. “I doubt I have to ask which one of you did it, but I Don’t Know, why is it that I can’t leave you alone for more than five minutes before you’re burning something down?”

“To be entirely fair, No One, you knew I was a pyro before you jumped through that door.” I gave her a lopsided grin.

“I did.”

Emerald came to sit next to me, a kitchen knife she had liberated from our meal last night pointed in the same direction as my makeshift dagger.

Green Man snorted his amusement at the fearsome warrior beside me. “So, you going to tell us where you got that thing?”

“Wish I could. No clue. All I know is that my entire time staying in the warrens, I’d wake up and there would be a brass bead hidden in my alcove. Those were all stars though. The bead he traded for, the wooden armored fist, they were supposedly from the Bandrui. But she did say she’d only given me a few. The others were from someone else. The stars were from The Raven. I don’t know who the imposter fists were from. And now, knowing that they are so powerful, I don’t know what to do with them.”

He nodded softly, the creak of his branches rubbing accentuating the motion. “I think that’s a problem we’ll have to solve sooner rather than later, but for now the pressing one is getting ready to leave.”

Violet nodded and began moving through the room, finding bits and bobs she thought would help us. Emerald looked at me and flashed the image of feet running. The gang had all decided. We were leaving and all that was left was ensuring we survived until nightfall.

Chapter 13

Ard Tiarna Emrys of Breacadh an Lae, The Raven of the Dawn

Idrew deep, centering breaths before the doors of the great salon, exhaling unseen plumes of purple, not enough to cloud my mind fully, but just enough. Always just enough.

This area of the castle was rarely used beyond formal events and balls, but my guards had informed me that the Ard Rí had moved the visitors from the throne room and was only entertaining in the great salon today. I knew why. The place must still stink of blood and shame.

One last breath, and I pushed open the double doors to the cacophony of laughing, conversation and frivolity. All around me courtiers danced, drank, and made merry. The one thing he had always excelled at was throwing parties, and while the night was still young on this one, this was looking all too familiar.

I took a glass from a human who drifted amongst the glittering Host and nodded to her as I wove my way through the throng.

An arm slid into the crook of mine and held me fast. “Ah, there you are, dear one. I had worried that our little ritual had taxed you overmuch.”

The scent of roses wound around my head and strangled me as I looked to the woman adorned in deep navy velvet whom I was to be married to. “I appreciate your concern, my lady. I assure you it was a task I did not undertake ignorant of its potential perils.”

“My Ard Tiarna is the very epitome of intrepidness.” She grinned as she tipped her glass of sparkling wine up to me.

My Ard Tiarna.

Had I really been granted my titles back? Had Daróg for once kept his word?

“If you wish to say so, my lady.” I sipped my wine and watched her carefully. She was a viper just as the others were, and I knew it more and more every day. “His Majesty has called me to attend him this evening. Do you know where he is?”

She tucked herself closer to me as she made a show of scanning the room. “The last I saw of him he was with the flesh sculptors, selecting a new crop of chamber pets. You might catch him before he begins sampling the wares though.”

“Flesh sculptors?” I tilted my head in question. Far Darrig had not been to the palace in so long, I could not even remember a time they had been welcomed. Daróg, of course, was at no shortage of humans, but even he had maintained his predecessor’s abstinence from inviting them into the palace to ply their trade. “In the palace?”

“Oh yes, my love. Come, twirl me around the floor once or twice as payment, and I will take you to them. Perhaps we can find something that will catch your eye. I’ve already chosen two that I think will please you, but one or two more won’t clutter our bed this evening.”

I gave her a frosty glare. “I’ll thank you to take me to where His Majesty wishes me and nothing more, my lady.”