Page 81 of Somber Prince

“Oh, but it has,” she argued. “Look at you, smiling and thriving in your underground prison. And now that he’s convinced you there is no way out of here, you wouldn’t even think about running away.”

I tried hard to ignore her tone and the sting from the words she’d so masterfully darted at me. But one thing Melanie got right. I could never be completely happy with the role of a royal “pleasure toy” for the rest of my life.

At the same time, I also wasn’t as miserable in Teneris as I probably should be and not desperate enough to try getting out of here at all costs.

“How can you be so sure there is a way to run?” I asked.

Melanie leaned back into the cushions. Tossing another nut into her mouth, she crunched the hard sugar coating between her teeth.

“I have my sources,” she said vaguely, sounding like a spy or a mafia boss.

Suspicion thickened inside me. “And how much do you trust those sources? Who are they?”

“I’m not going to tell you who they are. Not until I’m certain you’re not going to run to your prince to tattle on us.”

That stung like the hit of a whip.

“Melanie, I wouldn’t?—”

She stopped me by raising a hand.

“Sorry, Dawn. But this might be our one and only chance, and I’m not going to risk it. It’s enough to say that there are shadow fae who want the same things we do. They want all humans out of their world.”

“But that doesn’t make sense. We’re their source of joy.”

Melanie tilted her head. “Whose source of joy are you, Dawn? Only a handful of them have access to the sarai—Prince Rha and some of his courtiers. That’s it. The rest will never even see us.”

“They have their ancient source of joy already—” Elaine explained.

“Elaine,” Melanie stopped her with a heavy warning in her voice.

My friend waved her off. “You may not trust Dawn, but I do. She won’t betray us.” She spoke to me again. “Their ancient joy is kept in a temple with access for everyone. Some of the fae see us as a threat to their traditions and values. We risk ‘polluting’ their ancient joy with our low-grade ‘magic-less’ one.”

Melanie darted a cautious glance around the room. But there was no one close enough to hear us. The servants had taken the dishes away, and Sigid, with a couple of other Keepers, rested on the cushions by the stairs, keeping an eye on us from a respectful distance.

My sister leaned toward me, speaking hurriedly. “Swear you won’t say a word to that precious prince of yours.”

“I swear,” I said firmly.

She hesitated for a moment, but then continued, “Some of the Guardians aren’t happy with us being here. They’ve collected their Source of Joy for several millennia. And apparently, it all came exclusively from the fae they kidnapped from Above. Now, they fear that our plain, human emotions may end up mixing with their precious blob of magical joy.”

“They collected joy in a blob?” It was hard not to laugh, even as Melanie’s expression remained serious.

“As a blob, or in a jar, or pressed into bars, who cares?” She shrugged.

“They say it’s in a temple, but we don’t know in what form,” Elaine clarified. “Shadow fae can come to the temple and connect to that Source of Joy for something like a blissful meditation. The Joy Guardians guard and protect it, hence their name. They gave an oath to guard it with their lives, and they seem to take that oath very seriously.”

“How do you know all of this?”

Elaine glanced at Melanie before explaining to me. “There is a small but very determined group that wants us gone from Alveari Kingdom. They got in touch with Melanie the day we went to the city market.”

Now I remembered. “That note the guy shoved in your hand, it was from them, wasn’t it?”

Melanie nodded. “We have a chance to leave here, Dawn. The question is, will you take this chance?”

“I would, but…”

“Don’t tell me it’s because of him,” Melanie huffed.

---