Page 22 of Acedia

I smiled in the direction of the first woman, grateful for her thoughtful description as we set off on the path. So far, everyone was being very kind and welcoming. I wished I could go back and tell Lucas that there was nothing to worry about—that maybe he could even come too—though I recalled Astrid’s affirmation that she wasn’t fond of him, and wondered if this was for the best. Maybe in time I could convince her that he was really quite kind.

“What made you decide to come to the shadow realm?” someone asked.

“Well, my parents kept me hidden away because they were ashamed of me. And my nana who raised me, recently passed away, so the options of what they were going to do with me were looking quite bleak. Bleak enough that one of the Hunters decided that this would be a better option for me.”

“One of the Hunters decided that?”

“I suspect what my parents had planned for me was very grim indeed for him to make that decision. But it was very kind of him to help me. I owe him a great debt.”

Perhaps if I planted the seeds now about Lucas’s good nature, it would be easier to convince them later on to let him come here.Despite his confidence, I was terrified that Moriah would realize what he’d done and punish him for it.

I’d have to find a way to speak to Verity first—she was the one who’d been harmed by Lucas’s decision to call the Council. She didn’t seem to be one of the ex-Hunters who’d greeted me here today, but hopefully I’d have a chance to meet her soon.

One of the women offered me their arm as we went up some stairs, and the room we stepped into was echoey in a way I’d never experienced before. The ground beneath my feet was hard and smooth, but also uneven, and I barely resisted the urge to bend down and run my fingers over it to find out what it was. Everything felt different to the attic and the little house in Utah I’d been staying in.

There was a lot of noise and I listened with interest at the hushed whispers of everyone trying to decide where I would be most comfortable. I was used to hushed whispers about me, but never because anyone was worried about my comfort.

The woman behind me seemed to be heatedly telling the prince that he needed to help make some decisions, which I was struggling to reconcile with what I knew of royalty and how they were usually spoken to.

Maybe things were different in real life than they were in movies? And, of course, human royalty and Shade royalty wouldn’t be exactly the same. I decided to treat him like he was any other person or Shade I was meeting for the first time, to be safe.

“Damen, you handled things really well out there. It isn’t realistic for King Allerick to personally address every logistical issue that the ex-Hunters face in moving here. You could really help us in this area,” she whispered, a clear thread of impatience in her voice.

“You’re right. Okay. Yes. There’s a ground-floor guest apartment with a small garden area out front, near where Captain Soren and Astrid stay. Please ready that room.”

Oh, that soundedlovely. I wondered if the garden would be safe for Tilly to explore—that would be so nice.

“Have you eaten, Iris?” the woman asked me.

“No, but I’ll be fine.”

“I’ll send for food,” the prince said decisively.

So far, this was all proving to be a very pleasant experience. Everyone had been very kind and welcoming. They were possibly a little intimidated by me—or at the very least, didn’t quite know what to do with me—but they’d definitely been friendly.

“And some water for Tilly. Perhaps we could eat in the dining hall?” Tallulah-or-Meera said—I really needed to figure out who was who—before lightly touching my arm. “We’ll give you a tour of the place now while it’s empty.”

“I would appreciate that. Thank you.”

“Great, let’s go. We’re going to make you feel so welcome here, Iris. Anything you need, just let us know.”

Chapter 7

“Ijust show up, and the food is already prepared?” Iris asked dubiously after Tallulah finished telling her about the dining hall and explaining the meal schedule. “What do I need to help with?”

“Nothing,” Tallulah assured her. “It’s all part of how the palace runs.”

“Oh, howlovely,” Iris murmured, amazed. “Though, I really would like to help with something. Somewhere. Whatever I can do.”

“Just find your feet first,” Tallulah recommended. “Get used to the shadow realm, to the palace, meet everyone. There’s no rush.”

“I’m so grateful I came here,” Iris said wistfully, a soft smile on her face.

Fuck Ruvyn, I definitely wasn’t going to be introducing Iris to him.

Not that I’d had much of a chance to speak to her or anything, but something about her had me feeling… out of sorts.

I always knew what to say. Perhaps not what todo, but at least how to charm anyone enough that it didn’t really matter if I didn’t have the answers they were looking for. But Iris was waiting so expectantly, sotrustingly, for us to come up with a solution—and Tallulah was basically demanding that I step up and find one—and now I was too stressed to make anyone smile.

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