Page 69 of The Forbidden Fae King

I turn to Caitlin and she tips her head to the side, eyes dancing from me to Aldrin and back.

A team of servants burst into the hall, ushering us out with promises of hot, spiced wine and rooms prepared with comforts. There is even an offer of a hot bath, but I dismiss the indulgence of the idea at this time of night, requesting one for the morning instead. Drake, Silvan and Klara materialize out of the shadows and follow us.

As we are pushed up to the domestic quarters, I raise my eyebrows at Aldrin. “Cyprien marches an army with a team of servants?”

He cracks a smile. “It is common to have smiths and cooks travel with an army. Cyprien takes it to the extreme on this small excursion.”

My room is next to Caitlin’s, with a bed set up with pillows and blankets that are only a little musty. There is a chest for my belongings, a small dresser with a mirror and a table with two chairs. I can sense the wards on everything to keep out the elements and decay. Every inch of the walls are painted with elaborate designs of flowers and vines.

The basic but cozy room is surprising in a fortress, but if it is meant to be constantly guarded in peacetime, the generals would need rooms for their wives or highborn guests.

I linger at the small table that has a counter of moonstone and a crystal decanter on top, with a matching goblet and a wash bowl. Fresh rose petals grace the top of the water. I dip a single finger in, wondering if I should wash, then swiftly pull out at the shock of the icy water.

My sister knocks on the door, then enters.

“Why are we being treated with luxury?” I ask. “Why not put us in the barracks with the other men and women, or with the servants?”

Caitlin bites her lower lip. “I may have told Cyprien I am the heir to the Appleshield Protectorate.”

“Caitlin!” I protest.

“He didn’t know what to do with me when he dragged me back here, whether or not to lock me up in a cell. I almost escaped while he was still deciding, incapacitating the guards he had put on the door of a small, empty room. When he saw I could fight, and wield magic, he knew I wasn’t some simple peasant. He has treated me as an equal since I swore an oath that it was the truth. It means I got a seat at the table when they spoke about what to do about Aldrin and you.”

My mouth hangs open. Caitlin found herself captured by our enemy and instead of becoming another one of their victims, she negotiated a position of power.

“I cannot leave these grounds. Cyprien has put a spell on me that makes it physically impossible unless he personally escorts me, but I can roam freely. What about you? Are you Aldrin’s prisoner?”

I chew over that thought. “Honestly, I have no idea. He says I’m not, that I can go back to the portal and leave this realm any time, but also not without an escort. These fae are nothing like we were warned about. He won't have me wonder these lands freely. It makes it really hard to achieve what we came here for.”

Caitlin holds up a hand and whispers into my ear. “She can hear everything that is said here.” She pulls away and speaks loudly again. “You came here for an adventure. We both did. Is this not an adventure?”

I nod, too tired to even ask whosheis, but then another thought takes me. “I made a bargain with Aldrin.” The color drains from Caitlin’s face, but I press on. “He must set you free, and then I will tell him my story. It was the only leverage I had over him. He seems very, very interested in our realm and our people. But Aldrin never specified how much I must share, and I do not intend on betraying any secrets.”

She nods. “It is a dangerous game you play.”

“I know.”

“Keira…there is someone I want you to meet. Cyprien introduced us, and I have spent most of my time here speaking with her,” Caitlin utters with such vulnerability.

I don’t question her, as she leads me through the winding walkways of the fortress, down to the lowest level that hugs the base of the wall.

The moonstone window frames are like large glowing eyes, breaking up the thickness of the shadows.

Caitlin fashions multiple orbs of fire to light up the night, hovering in the air above us and following our progress. It helps to chase away the chill of the air but does nothing for the bite of the wind. I hug the fur coat tighter around me.

She takes me to a bridge that arcs over the frozen river. It looks like spider webs of spun silver glimmering in the half-light, the railing a delicate design of arches overlapping each other and the path a thickly woven netting.

I take a step onto it, expecting the entire structure to sway, but it is completely rigid. The railing is taller than any person, a protective cage over the bridge with regular slits, so defending soldiers can fire arrows but are protected from enemy missiles.

The bridge reaches an intersection that branches in two, but at its center there is a narrow, descending spiral staircase. A column of the same silver wire encircles and protects it.

Caitlin leads me swiftly down the stairs, turning around the support pillar of the bridge. Twin waterfalls roar on either side, splashing sparse droplets onto us. We step out onto an isolated platform of rough stone, covered in patches of blue lichen and sprays of ferns.

There is a circle of large moss-covered stones in its center, and Caitlin takes a seat on one, indicating for me to do the same, but I stand rooted to the spot.

I burn with curiosity, trying to examine every last detail of the space.

Caitlin sings a soft, winding melody I have never heard before. It takes a few heartbeats for me to realize the words are not in our language. It is in pure, formal fae. The language I wanted to learn.She creates multiple orbs of fire, so it feels like we sit before a roaring hearth, rather than on an exposed platform above a frozen river.

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