Page 89 of The Shadow Heir

Cas had liked my idea.

One of the other servants ascending the stairs behind us said, “At least some of the fae stepped in and moved everything with their magic.” He scoffed. “They could do that all the time, but they prefer to watch us run around like rats.”

“Perhaps not the ones who helped you tonight,” I offered.

The man inclined his head but didn’t reply.

“Where are we going?” Ariana asked, her breaths coming slower by the sixth flight.

I hesitated before answering. “The old castle on top of the mountain.”

The chilly air in the hallways helped to cool my burning cheeks as we hurried through the palace. Fae in their shadow forms blasted past us, their wings occasionally smacking my arms and shoulders. We finally reached a stairwell that lifted from the heart of the mountain to the sky above. I could smell the outside air, see the bright lights spilling down the stone steps as if they led to a celestial castle rather than the ruins of a once great court.

“Aquí estamos,” the man behind us said in perfect Avencian. Then he turned to Ariana. “Here we are.” When I turned a close-lipped smile at him, he nodded once and slipped past us.

The final flight of steps rose from the walls cut directly through the mountain into a vaulted atrium so tall I couldn’t make out the faces painted onto the ceiling high above. I heard voices and what sounded like a loud party before I reached the top. The air instantly felt fresher, even warmer somehow, as we stepped aboveground.

An archway radiating with golden light spanned the atrium ahead, leading to the ballroom beyond. In the grand room, rows of round tables stretched across a long room buttressed with impressive stone columns on either side. My breath caught at the amount of dripping golden light cascading down from above like glittering rain that stopped before it ever touched our heads. Mounds of night-blooming flowers, moss, and tall white mushrooms were piled on every table, and for the first time, it struck me that these fae might actually have power overlivingnature, the way the stories portrayed them, and not just the dead stone all around us.

Ariana hurried me toward the archway, but as we were about to cross from the atrium into the twinkling ballroom, I glanced behind me, certain I’d seen a shadow flash in the flickering light. My eyes hunted the corners, hoping to see Cas, but there was no one. He said he would meet me here, that he had to destroy the doorway to ensure no one could go after Alba.

As soon as I passed under the golden archway, an awed breath quietly slipped from my mouth. The lights that hung from the ceiling looked like stars against the inky darkness. Candles bobbed in the air above every table, and instead of cages full of angry creatures, this room held a host of magnificent animals. In the nearest cage, an enormous silver cat sat, its paws the size of dinner plates and a tail as long as a dragon’s. I’d never seen such a beautiful creature in all my life. There was a white tiger, a pale giraffe with faint spots instead of the usual dark brown, and other animals I couldn’t name. All were light in color and exquisite. Several people stood near the cages, peering in. The cages appeared to be made of ice, their frosted bars not entirely reassuring.

In one cage at the far end of the room, a white dragon perched on his hind legs, chest lifted pridefully, wings tucked at his sides. My breath hitched.

In the center of the wide room fae couples already danced, dresses spinning as if made of falling snow or whirling ash. It appeared that the evening’s attire was meant to entertain as much as the décor or the animals. One dress appeared to be made of water itself, rippling like a current as the woman spun. I realized my jaw was hanging open when Ariana snorted, trying to cover up a giggle. I clamped my jaw shut.

“It’s stunning, isn’t it?” she said.

My attention traveled to the windows, which had no glass in them. They stretched almost to the heavens and were wide enough for a full-grown dragon to dart through—wings folded, of course—but no wintry breeze ruffled the sleeves of gowns or the perfectly groomed hair of any of the guests. The room itself was a comfortable temperature, not freezing like I’d come to expect in the halls of Nightsong. And the night outside was brilliant with stars.

Craning my neck to see over the crowd, I scanned the room for Cas. Between the elaborate headpieces some of the fae wore and the tall ice cages, it was impossible to see in every corner. He’d be here. I took a deep breath.

Every dark-haired man with his back to me drew my eye, but after a circuit of the entire room, it became clear that the heir wasn’t here.

What if his father had already arrived?

What if our time was over?

I tore my gaze away from the dancing couples, hearing the voice of my father in my head. After I’d first told him I believed love would break the bargain, he’d warned me not to let a man matter so much that I would risk losing everything to keep him. Yet he had risked everything to have me. All my life I’d thought his advice was rubbish, as I’d chased after someone who couldmatterenough to make my father’s money and his defense lessons and his snobbery shrink away in comparison. I’d wanted to find a love worth dying for.

Cas and I had been looking for the same thing. For each other.

My heart beat madly against my ribs as I wove through the tables of seated fae. No meals were being eaten here. Piles of small items or stacks of round coins littered the center of each table, and everyone held cards. As we edged around one table, I peeked at a woman’s hand, and noticed that the cards were exactly the same as the cards I’d grown up playing. In the center of the table were piles of cut stones. They were gambling.

As I resumed my scan of the crowd, a shining black suit caught my eye as it passed beneath the glittering golden archway leading from the ballroom. I sucked in a breath—it was Cas.

He paused inside the crowded room, his height an advantage as his gaze slowly raked over his courtiers. Tonight, he wore solid black, a striking change that made my heart flutter. Hishair was slicked back and his pointed ears twinkled with golden caps. He looked every bit a fae prince tonight.

From amid a small group of fae, Felipe’s deep voice announced, “The heir has arrived.”

38

Casimiro

The crowd jostled to get a look at me, and I hardened my expression, even though my skin burned with pain under my clothes. As I swept into the party, searching for Zara, I spotted her across the room and froze. Every face in the ballroom followed my gaze, and within seconds, the entire room was looking at her.

The crowd parted as I walked toward her, but I never took my eyes from her face. The mortals bowed, but the fae knew I’d likely not survive the night—they didn’t spare me any respectful gestures.

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