Page 164 of Treasured
The servant grinned, bowing before hurrying on his way.
Four more times, servants stopped us in the halls. Each professed their thanks—not to me, but to Luna. Already, word of what she’d done was spreading.
Masculine pride swelled deep in my chest as I kept my arm around her, holding her close. Luna had always been a beacon of sunlight to my darkness, ever since that first night when we met, but now her light was spreading. Everyone was coming to see what I had known early on.
She was a treasure.
By the time we had walked through the castle and arrived at the Hall of Favorites, I realized things were only going to get stranger.
The double doors marking the entrance to this forbidden wing were open. That was never the case. This hall had been heavily guarded for my entire existence; the doors were always locked. Only the guards and the queen had the key.
Her pets were never allowed out without her permission.
Nelo peeled off the wall, bowing.
“What’s going on?” I asked.
His brows knit together. “Your Majesties, the Favorites… They’ve…” He shook his head. “Come see for yourself.”
He entered the hall, pausing to make sure we were following. He led us past several closed doors, our footsteps echoing on the stone. We stopped at the door at the end of the hall. I laced my fingers through Luna’s, drawing her against my chest.
Nelo cleared his throat. “When the servants brought the Favorites their breakfast, they found this. I thought you should see it, Bastian.”
He sounded more confused than anything, and my shadows didn’t warn me of any danger. Even so, I would go first.
Nelo turned the knob. The door opened on silent, well-oiled hinges, revealing an ornate room. The guard stepped inside first, and I quickly followed.
What I found stopped me in my tracks.
Eleven humans were scattered around the room, some standing and others sitting. It wasn’t the lack of clothing that caught my attention, however.
It was the life in their eyes. There had only been one Favorite in recent years who had willingly chosen to become one of the queen’s pets. I didn’t know his name, but he was over by the table, reading a book. He put it down when we entered, looking at us with all the other humans.
Each one had the same spark of humanity in their gaze.
“Sebastian… oh.” Luna’s voice died off as she came to stand beside me.
“What happened?” I asked Nelo.
This was unprecedented. Once Queen Marguerite chose a Favorite, the only way out was death. I’d never seen one of her pets break her trance.
One of the former Favorites stepped forward.
“My name is Blair.” He bowed, holding a black blanket around his waist. “When the queen… when she died, magic rippled over us.”
Murmurs of agreement rose through the room.
A young blonde stepped forward. I recognized her as Abigail, the human we saved from the hunt. “It was like a cool breeze washed over me. One moment, I was trapped in my own body, and the next, something unlocked inside me.”
Nelo said, “Some of the Favorites have been alert since the night the queen died, but a few didn’t wake completely until tonight.”
Each of the humans shared their stories one by one, echoing what Blair and Abigail had said. Miraculous. That was the only way to describe it.
When they were done, and we’d confirmed they were all as healthy as expected, Luna and I left the humans in Nelo’s care. He assured us the humans would be fed food of the highest quality and clothed appropriately.
Once our feet landed on the stone floor of our room, Luna spun on her heel. Her eyes sparked, and a grin spread across her face. “The queen’s magic broke. First, the voices in the Void disappeared, and now this. I wonder if there’s anything else affected by the queen’s passing.”
I stared at her. “Did you just say the voices in the Void are gone?”