Page 46 of Court of Winter
I frowned. “What do you mean the capital saw nothing?”
“I cast an illusion over us before we reached the capital’s edges. Nobody outside of these walls knows you’re here. They all saw me flying solo.”
“Your magic is that strong?” An ominous feeling coated my stomach as the prince looked me over again. His expression wavered between anger, then confusion, and then annoyance before he said, “I want to show you something.”
He gave me his back as he headed toward a door opposite where the servants had exited.
“Show me what, my prince?” I called as I shuffled over the icy cobblestones. My heart felt as if it were hammering a million beats a minute. I was slowly becoming used to the prince’s intimidating aura, but it had ratcheted up another notch in the past few minutes and was now nearly swallowing me in its strength.
“It’s something I think you will enjoy.”
“Does it involve a looking glass to my home in Mervalee?”
We reached the door, and the prince stiffened. “No.”
“Then perhaps a fairy with even faster traveling abilities than you who’s going to take me home?”
His eyebrows knitted together, and the scowl he often wore made an appearance. “No.”
“Then I doubt it’s something I’ll enjoy.”
His lips thinned, but he pushed through the door and beckoned me to follow.
Inside the castle, a tingle of magic rushed over my skin, and the temperature immediately warmed. I sighed in relief as I followed the prince down a stone hallway. Tapestries hung intermittently, mostly portraits of the royal family, as fairy lights suspended high above us, lighting the area thoroughly.
I was soon lost to the twists and turns as the prince led me from one hall to another, but what I found most surprising was how quiet it was. I’d expected to hear a hundred servants hurrying down the passageways or clinking and clanging from the inner workings of the castle, but it was unexpectedlystill.
“Where is everyone, my prince?” I asked when curiosity got the better of me.
“Somewhere else most likely. My private wing is off-limits to others within the court.”
Well, that explains the quietness.But that also meant we were entirely alone. My heart rate ticked up again.
The prince finally stopped at a solid-wood arched door just as it swung open from within, and Patrice, Balbus, and Haisley poured out.
“My prince,” they said simultaneously before bowing. “Lady Seary’s chamber is ready.”
“I’m not a—”
But before I could correct them for also mistaking me for a lady of the court, the prince replied, “See that a platter of food and drink is brought here.”
“Of course, my prince. It would be my pleasure.” Balbus beamed, making me think he enjoyed being a servant a bit too keenly, but I supposed living in a castle beat laboring in a field or working in the outer boiler rooms.
The three servants left in a flurry down the hall, all three taking flight since their wings were small enough to maneuver the walkways.
“You’ll be staying here.” The prince led me through the arched doorway into what I could only assume was the Exorbiant Chamber.
I did my best to hide my surprise at my newest prison cell, and any concerns I’d had over being mistreated shrank.
The chamber before me was fit for a princess. It was easily three times the size of the prince’s suite back at Liss Lodge. Crackling from a fire snapped in the room, and a sweeping view through a huge set of glass double doors revealed an attached snowy and private courtyard.
A four-poster bed draped in gauzy curtains sat against one wall. It was so roomy it could probably accommodate three fae with wings. Across from the bed lay a grand fireplace that one of the servants had already set alight, taking the chill out of the air. Decadent couches and chairs surrounded it, along with throws and cushions that would ensure snuggling up by the fire to be a cozy pastime. Each seating arrangement was made for adult fae with slits to accommodate their wings, but even for someone such as myself, it would no doubt be comfortable.
Through a door in the corner, I spotted a bathing chamber and latrine. Aprivatechamber. I’d never in my life been privy to anything like that. Beside that door waited a large wardrobe that made me wonder if it was filled with clothes or lay empty.
I turned slowly until my gaze fell upon the last area of decadence. A bar made of ice sat in the corner of the room with a flare of magic running through it. Icy crystals and snowflakes danced within its translucent walls with glimmers of stardust intermixed. It was truly beautiful, obviously designed by a master craftsman and entirely extravagant given its living magic.
“Do you like it?” the prince asked, breaking the quiet. He was watching me again, his expression tense, his eyes back to that icy blue that were impossible to decipher.