Page 20 of Consort

The rough terrain she’s leading us through doesn’t make it any easier. But she fearlessly pushes through prickly walls of bushes and climbs up intimidating hills, dragging me along behind her. I stopped asking for a break. She told me no the first three times, so I decide not to waste the little breath I have left. I get that we need to stay hidden, but this is starting to feel a bit excessive.

She finally comes to a stop beside a particularly dense cluster of trees and bushes. I plop down on the ground to catch my breath, letting the load I’ve been carrying sprawl out on the dirt around me. My mother doesn’t join me. She walks along the thicket from edge to edge, prodding at the small trunks and inspecting the vines tangled up within them.

“Come rest,” I croak, my voice hoarse from too much activity and too little water.

She holds up a finger for me to hush and continues poking at the plants. As she carries on her pointless task, I smile and lean back on my hands, grateful for the rest. That is until she vanishes right into the thicket.

I scramble to my feet and race over to where she had been standing. Panic sets in as I think of all the lesser fae creatures that could have snatched her. None of the possibilities are comforting.

“Mother!” I hiss, afraid to draw attention to ourselves.

I slam my hands against the thick trunks and twisted stems, looking for the weak spot. When I finally find it, I crash through as quickly as she had, landing hard on my side.

I groan and rub my hip as I pick myself up off the ground. The pain vanishes when I see that my mother is perfectly safe. The only thing I feel now is a sense of awe at what she’s stumbled into.

We’re standing in a small sanctuary, tucked away between walls of towering trees and tightly woven vines. There’s a small, but sturdy, hut sitting peacefully in the middle of the space. It’s painted to match the nature around it, blending in almost perfectly. I wonder if a fae has illusioned it to look this way or if someone took the time to hand-paint every realistic vein of each leaf onto the wood.

Being so perfectly camouflaged seems a bit unnecessary. I can’t imagine anyone spying the structure through the thick walls of the enclosure as they pass by. But I remember the sharpness of an Alpha’s sight and decide that I appreciate the extra precaution.

“Did you know this was here?” I ask as I consider her almost direct path through the miserable terrain and her odd behavior once we arrived.

“No,” she says, popping back through the thicket with the supplies I’d dropped outside. I spin around to look at her, not realizing she’d gone back through. “I just figured a good place to hide is a place no one would want to go.”

“It seems someone else had that same idea,” I say, edging closer to the hut. “It looks abandoned. There’s dusty silkspinner netting all over the place. But do you think it’s been spelled?”

“No clue,” she says as she breezes past me and pushes open the rickety door.

I tense up, expecting her to be thrown back by some unseen magic protecting the place. But nothing happens. I curse my designation for its skittishness and march through the door after her.

She’s already fussing with the bedding to make separate sleeping areas for us on either side of a little table. It’s a simple setup, much like our tent was, but it will be perfect. It’s safe, it’s cozy, and best of all, there are no damn Alphas.

Chapter 8

Durin

Bathed?Consort?

The empath’s hand goes slack on my shoulder as if he’s as shocked as I am. I’m not the pampered type. I don’t obsess over my looks or waste time glamouring myself. The queen’s companion would be expected to meet a pretty lofty standard of beauty. Why would she want me?

The sensual nature of a consort’s duties is unsettling enough. But what’s worse is that each time the queen takes a new consort, the old one disappears. Gone. They never return to their old villages or show up at festivals or in the markets. If she decides I’m not good enough, I could meet the same end.

I bow to her, feigning my gratitude so she won’t see how sickened I am at her announcement.

Satisfied, she waves at Folas to escort me out of the room. He mutters to himself as he leads me through another dim hallway and ushers me into a royal dining hall with one massive wooden table in the center and dozens of chairs sitting around it.

“Sit somewhere,” he grumbles.

He walks off and mutters something at the guards by the door before leaving the room. I lower myself into a chair at the center of the empty table. The place is deserted, the atmosphere as lifeless as everything else in this dreary palace.It’s late afternoon, but I’d expect to at least see a few nobles here. Perhaps there are specific meal times that I’ve not been informed of yet.

A dim chandelier hangs over me, casting a soft glow on the pale table beneath. Still, the edges of the room remain in shadows. I look around, unsurprised by the lack of color and life in the room. The high ceiling is carved in a pattern of inset squares and swirls. Sheer curtains made of delicate, expensive fabrics line the walls. But it’s all white, adding to the chill.

The entire castle is sharp and cold. I’m used to the blue glow of the calantars in the evenings and the chatter and laughing that constantly floated through my village. Even though I drifted away from them, the atmosphere was much more comforting. It’s awful here.

It’s not long before two silver-haired fae glide into the room behind Folas with trays full of food. In seconds, a lavish spread of fresh breads, savory meats, an array of cheeses, and roasted vegetables sits before me. The enticing aromas drift into my nose and wake up an appetite I thought I’d lost in the woods so many years ago.

Folas and the servants retreat from the room, and I’m left to myself again. I eye the food in front of me, feeling wary of it at first. The queen wouldn’t poison me, would she? If she plans to use me for my magic and my body, what good would poisoning me do? I’ll need the energy, so I have no choice, really.

I dig into the meal and smile to myself as bites that I haven’t taken disappear. Farris is enjoying the spoils, too. His presence is reassuring, but he’ll need to leave soon. He’s in danger of being discovered. I’d do anything to protect him, but I don’t want to test how far my sway goes around here. So far, I just feel like a glorified prisoner.

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