Page 83 of The Last Heir of Elsewhere

“Oh, there are,” he replied, “But I won’t let anyone touch you.”

A slight shiver traveled up my spine, and it had nothing to do with my nerves.

33

LONNIE

UNDERNEATH

My legs wobbled as we made our way down the gangway to the dock, the crew trailing behind us. I swayed slightly, and Ambrose threw out a hand to steady me. “You’ll get used to dry land again within a few hours. Until then, perhaps hold on to my arm.”

I sighed, but took his arm anyway. As we stood, watching the crew unload all manner of crates and barrels, a tall, thin man approached us down the long dock. He wore a robe of deep crimson, the same shade as the distant mountains, and an expression that was neither pleased, nor particularly hostile.

“Say nothing,” Ambrose muttered under his breath.

“Why?”

He shook his head, indicating that I would have to wait for explanations, and turned to face the oncoming man. “Good evening.”

The man stopped in front of us, and I pressed my lips together to keep from gasping out loud. From afar, I’d assumed he was human, but up close I could see that his eyes were a green far too bright to be normal, and slitted, almost like a snake. I silently wondered what else might be hiding beneath his long billowing robes. Scales perhaps? Did he have a tail?

“Lord Dullahan,” the snake man said stiffly, reminding me a bit of Mordant—the Everlast’s unpleasant household advisor. “Welcome to the dark court. The king was expecting you several days ago.”

Ambrose stiffened at my side. “Odd then, that you’re waiting here to collect us.”

“Not at all,” the servant said without inflection. “We see all that goes on beyond the Hedge.”

Ambrose barked a bitter laugh. “As if I could forget.”

The servant glanced at me. I caught a glimmer of recognition in his eyes—swiftly masked—but not before sending a shiver down my spine. He looked back to Ambrose. “Will it be you alone joining us in the palace, or…?”

“Me, and my companion,” Ambrose said shortly. “The crew will find their usual accommodations.”

“Very good, my Lord. If you’ll follow me, the King is eager for you to join the court for supper.”

The docks of Underneath,and the market place beyond, were far more lively than I would have expected. There were hundreds, if not thousands of shoppers, chatting, laughing, and stopping to admire the various stalls. It might have looked like any other market square in Elsewhere, except that I’d never seen so many Unseelie as long as I’d lived.

Unseelie were rare within the city of Inbetwixt, and nearly non-existent within the capital, but here it was we who stood out among all the horns and teeth and bright, scaly skin. Ambrose had been right—his mask did blend in far better than his too-perfect Fae features.

“Might I speak now?” I hissed.

Ambrose gave a tight shake of his head, causing his mask to wobble. “Later.”

Furrowing my brow with annoyance, I entertained myself watching the crowd as we passed by vendors selling foods and glittering gems I’d never seen before. There was even a group of small, green skinned unseelie children crouched on the ground, playing some game that looked like a mixture of checkers and tic-tac-toe.

We trailed behind the servant as we exited the marketplace and emerged onto a bustling main street. Here, the houses that lined the street were constructed from stone and clay instead of brick or wood, and the road itself was paved with large, orange-red stones that resembled thousands of raw-cut rubies. In the center of the empty road stood a massive black carriage, pulled by two enormous black Fae horses, with eyes that glowed as if they were fueled by an inner fire.

The snake-like servant held the carriage door open for us. Ambrose strode in first, his long black cloak brushing against the servant’s red one. I hopped in after him, and the servant followed me.

As if anticipating the questions I was burning to ask, Ambrose shot me a warning glare. I slumped down into my seat, tapping my foot impatiently as the coach took off.

After what felt like hours, the coach finally came to a stop and I eagerly leaned out the window. I gasped.

There was a huge, ornate castle, seemingly built into the side of a mountain. Its black towers looked like shards of glass, and the last rays of the setting sun bounced off the polished glass-like surface, creating a dazzling spectacle of red and gold. Running alongside the castle, almost like a moat, a huge volcanic chasm, stretched as far as the eye could see.

Finally, I could not keep my mouth shut a moment longer. “How are we meant to cross that?”

“Bridges,” Ambrose said roughly, his brow wrinkling with annoyance. “Nearly everything is accessible by bridge the further you go into the mainland. That chasm stretches almost the length of the entire wall, so without being able to cross, they would lose access to half their land.”

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