Page 34 of The Shadow Heir

“I don’t know anything else,” she snapped.

Excited at the prospect of finding someone here whodidknow more about Talia, I fussed with my dress sleeves and muttered to myself, “I need a mirror.”

Ariana rolled her eyesand shuffled toward the door at the same moment an ornate, full-length mirror blinked into existence on the front of the ornate armoire.

“Well, that was easy,” I muttered, examining my reflection. Other than the abrasive shade of pink, the dress had its merits. It wasn’t nearly as tight as the outfit I’d worn through these halls last night. It didn’t follow any of the fashion trends I’d ever seen,but it fit perfectly—a fact I tried not to dwell on—and allowed my legs ample room to run, should the need arise.

I was halfway pleased that this dress had picked itself for my training today, but Ariana’s scowl told me she shared none of my happy sentiments.

“Why are you in the Shadow Court?” I asked, my eyes flicking to her wrist cuff despite my efforts not to look at it.

“Follow me,” Ariana barked as she disappeared back into the hall.

I wasn’t ready to admit it to her, but I desperately needed a friend, someone I could trust not todieon me during the next few months. A small weight settled in my already heavy heart, reminding me of the true nature of my predicament.

I hurried after her, wishing I’d had time to deal with my unruly curls. Bright sunlight shone on the mountains beyond the floor-to-ceiling windows outside my door. I stopped, staring at the black and white peaks. The land rose toward the heavens with such grandeur and ferocity. I’d never seen mountains like these. They stretched on endlessly in both directions, though I knew Avencia had no mountain range this large. Besides, our tallest peaks were not rocky or snow-capped. I placed my hands on the window and peered down at a waterfall gushing out of the rock beneath my feet. For a moment, the thunderous sound of the water drowned out the nervous beat of my heart.

The cool air of the stone-vaulted halls pricked against the skin on my neck and arms. Sunlight beat against the opposite mountainside, but it didn’t touch the Shadow Court’s castle.

“Do you know how to use weapons?” Ariana asked, her voice a mix of nerves and annoyance.

“A blade and a bow.”

“Oh, they’ll enjoy that.”

“And will you?” The words spilled out before I realized that it was a foolish thing to ask.

Her face fell, and she stiffened. “Last night, I had hoped you were here due to some brave bargain you made yourself, like your friend you mentioned. But cursed children are unnatural, born of magic. While I don’t enjoy watching anyone die, you were never meant to live.” Leaving me with my mouth hanging open, she spun on her heel and marched down the hall.

I stood by the windows for a solid minute, until my breathing slowed. This woman believed I wasn’t supposed to bealive. I would show her how very alive I intended to stay.

Malik had warned me that the humans here were pitted against each other by the fae. How fitting, considering how much they hated our kind. But I wouldn’t let the fae win, not in this battle either. I wouldn’t give up on Ariana. Her fate was worse than mine, and she knew it. Enslavement to the fae was worse than death.

A shudder rocked my shoulders, and I rolled my neck, remembering the tune recited to us as children, warning us to stay close to home at night, to never wander into the woods or talk to strangers.If you think them kind or a good place to hide, you’ll die alone in the dark.

Malditaor not, I wouldn’t die alone in this dark prison. Ariana’s words about finding a solution bit at my composure as I walked through the underground palace. But the possibilities of where to start, what to look for, and how to go about it were so vast that I nearly lost myself to a wave of panic. Chiding myself, I settled on where to start: Talia. I would search out information on my friend first because it felt less daunting than finding ways to survive deadly, unknown tasks crafted by a hateful, conniving fae prince in a court of wicked immortals.

I didn’t see anyone in the halls until I reached the cavern where we’d had dinner last night. As I hurried toward the huge doors, I considered all the things I was passionate about. I wondered if Casimiro knew of them, and if he did, how he wouldtry to rip these passions from my chest and smother them. He’d tried with dance. He’d failed.

I adored parties, but I wasn’t sure if that counted as something that could kill me. I missed my friends, especially Talia, who’d also been whisked away by the fae. Now that I, too, was in the fae realm, I would determine where she was and how she was faring in her hasty marriage to that horse breeder.

The massive doors to the cavern swung open as I neared. Several stone tables inside were loaded with stacks of baked treats that smelled of cinnamon and sugar. My hunger flared and immediately died as I recalled eating pastries like these with Talia at theFestival de los Cuentosonly weeks ago.

There had to be a way to gather more news about her. After the training session, I’d find someone who knew about the fae she married.

The cavern was much brighter as white-clad servants bustled around cleaning up from the night before. A few fae lay stretched out across the stone tables, apparently asleep. Others lined the floor in embraces that I didn’t want to see. The cages above the tables had vanished entirely.

I saw a servant sweeping up the cavern. “Where’s the training session?” The man lifted a finger toward one of the corridors leading from the giant cavern. I raced toward it. I didn’t want to know what the fae did to mortals who arrived late to their little torture festivals.

Remnants of last night’s food still covered the tables, but almost as much was scattered across the floor. One of the chocolate fountains had been knocked over, and there were puddles of dark liquid shining on the stone floor.Heathens.

I scurried down a wide hallway with an uneven rocky ceiling and quickly arrived at a heavy door. It had a small half-circle window filled with bright sunlight reflecting off the opposite peak. This side of the mountain was still in shadow, and themountain air bit at my skin as I raced down wide stone steps bracketed with ornate balustrades carved to look like flowing water. Below sprawled an open sandy space half-surrounded by curving benches stretching up the mountainside.

Naturally, I was the last to arrive. The same five people I’d met at dinner last night watched me thunder ungracefully down the steps and hustle, skirts in hand, across the sandy space. The other mortals had clearly been given attire to match theirpassionsas well. Samuel was dressed as a horse—an actual horse, with a long mask and a strange collar that had a mane attached at the back. Ivy wore a bright red dress as shiny as a strawberry after a late spring rain. The dress had little black dots on it as well, and I wondered if she had a beloved garden somewhere back in the mortal lands. She smiled at me, and I whirled to face the two fae who stood in front of our little class. I coughed, recognizing the long-haired, brown-skinned immortal I’d encountered outside my room the night before. The other fae was unfamiliar.

The man I recognized winked at me and cleared his throat. “For the benefit of our newest arrivals,” he flourished his hand first at Tomas, then at me, “I will say that we have mortal games the morning after a full moon, which means our next game arrives in six days.”

My throat closed up, and I could hardly breathe.

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