Page 60 of A Court Bright and Broken

Oh no.

My heart was beating so hard now it was nearly painful, and I was overcome by a sense of claustrophobia.

I turned to Ronia. “Do you know where the nearest washroom is?”

“Oh, yes. It’s just outside that door and down the hallway a bit in a corridor on the right.”

She pointed to one of the doorways in the wall behind us. Thankfully it was close by.

“Would you like me to go with you and show you?”

She was so nice, not at all like the tales I’d heard about the “evil” Fae. Some of them, as it turned out, were just people and not wicked and selfish otherworldly creatures.

I pushed back from the table and put my napkin on my chair. “No. Thank you. I’ll find it. Be back soon.”

But would I?

Rushing from the dining room, I wondered if I shouldn’t just flee the palace now. Maybe I could pay my debt to the Earthwife in some other way.

As I wandered down the hallway, searching for the right corridor, I realized this washroom trip had been a very good idea.

I needed to splash some water on my face. The Nymphian version had definitely dulled my senses, and I felt a bit unsteady on my feet.

So unsteady I almost ran into an elderly human servant leaving the washroom.

“Oh, I’m so sorry,” I said. Then added, “My esteem shines upon you,” for good measure.

The woman stopped and stared right into my eyes.

“Hello Raewyn. You’re a quick learner. And you’ve done a rather impressive job of getting close to the royal family tonight. Far better than I would have expected.”

Confusion reigned for a few moments as I tried to understand what was going on. How did she know my name? And apparently she’d been watching me tonight?

And then a spark lit in my brain. Though I was sure I’d never seen this woman’s face before, there was something familiar about her eyes.

“Sorcha?” I asked tentatively. “Is that you?”

“Yes child, it’s me.”

“But…” My protest died of confusion.

“Are you really so surprised to see me in disguise?” she asked. “You’ve seen yourself.”

That was true. Her magic had made my own appearance as unrecognizable as hers. It was disorienting to see eyes I knew in a face I didn’t.

Also, I was a little woozy from the intoxicating water.

What was that she’d said about the royal family? She’dwantedme to get close to them tonight?

“It’s time,” the Earthwife announced.

Delving a hand into the pocket of her skirt, she pulled it out again and opened her palm. In the center of it were four tiny glass vials containing a fine, almost transparent powder.

“And this is what you’ll need.”

Moving automatically, I held out my own hand. Sorcha carefully placed the vials into it.

“What is it?”

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