Page 30 of Fae Champion

Eventually, when I was wondering how large and sprawling this stupid palace could possibly be, he pushed open a final door and shut it behind us.

He stalked across a vast room, checked its several doors and windows, then rubbed his neck. “We’ll be safe here until the others arrive,” he said at a normal volume.

Relief raced through my body, leaving me wobbly. I sank onto the nearest chaise lounge, uncaring that it was a pristine brocade of fine red with gold accents and I probably stank.

“Where are we?”

Rush’s stare was on me again, noticing too much. “In the late crown prince’s chambers.”

My eyebrows shot upward. “We’re inSaturn’srooms?”

“Yes.”

I jumped to my feet. “There’s no way we’re safehere. We gotta get out of here.” I spun in place but had no idea which direction to go.

“The queen doesn’t have eyes or ears here.”

I studied our surroundings, especially the ceiling line and the corners. “True.” I sat down again but kept my feet on the floor. “So you can see them too.” I chortled while rubbing my wrist and taking in the enormous four-poster bed capable of sleeping giants. “What am I saying? Of course you can. I’m sure I’m the last to see them. They’re creepy, aren’t they?”

That was when I noticed Rush was gaping at me, a look I’d never seen on him before.

“What?” I asked.

“That’s an expression. Are you telling me you seeactualears and eyes? Like, for real ones?”

“Yeahhhhh,” I drew out. “Doesn’t everybody? Pru’s mentioned them before.”

“But goblins don’tseethem. No one does. It’s just a thing we know’s going on. The queen sees and listens to everything we do and say. But not with actual eyes or ears. That’s just a joke.”

“Some joke.”

Rush was studying me so intently that I ran my hand over my hair self-consciously, finding the many braids in my hair frizzy and unkempt. I dropped my hand.

“What do they look like?” he asked.

“I just told you. They’re ears and eyes.” I grimaced. “They’re bloody and they’ve got dangly, fleshy pieces hanging from them.” I shuddered. “Idon’t even want to think about where they probably come from.”

Too antsy despite my exhaustion, I rose and sauntered around the room. “I started seeing them after whatever happened at the arena, when I almost died. But when I was escaping the dungeon, there were both of them there too, and … uh, the person helping me?—”

“Finnian.”

“Okay, yeah, Finnian, he told me not to speak so we wouldn’t alert the queen of our presence. But wouldn’t she have seen us anyway? I mean, clearly she didn’t, ’cause I’m here—but why not?”

Eyes intent, he stared at me some more before finally blinking. “I’d guess she only looks when she hears something out of place, or that Braque or Ivar hear, because I’m sure whatever she’s up to, they’re up to it with her. But it’s not like I know firsthand, just informed guesses.”

After running a hand along the bed’s thick brocade covering—this one, gold with red accents instead of the other way around—I began searching for a bathing chamber behind one of the many closed doors. “Why’d Hiroshi have to give Braque his face and legs back?” I glanced at Rush with a devilish smile. “Gotta say, I liked him better when he had chicken parts.”

Rush chuckled but became somber again too quickly. “Hiroshi told him he did it to save him from you, so you wouldn’t have reason to slice his throat.”

Surprised, I hmmphed. “Did it work?”

“It did. For now. Braque’s smarter than he looks.So’s Ivar. You’ve gotta watch them. Think of them as extensions of the queen.”

I closed a door to a humongous closet and faced him. “I don’t trust anyone at court.”

“Even me?”

I gulped. “Even you.”

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