Page 273 of Kingdoms of Night

The lady had been forced into the marriage. But Geraint knew that he was the better of her options. He would only give her options from this day forward. Going off the path of chivalry might serve others, but it never sat well with him.

He would show Enid that he was worthy of her love. He would woo her like the knights of old would woo their ladies. It would work. It had to.

Geraint patted his chest. The Takrut beat inside his tunic. He should turn over the love charm. As the meeting began to wear on, he found himself saying nothing.

“We need to get down to business,” said Arthur. “There’s been a report in the human village about a winged creature flying about.”

“A dragon?” asked Lance.

“No, not possible. They can’t thrive on this side of the Veil.”

“Some other mythical creature then. We’ll need to check it out.”

“I’ll go,” Geraint volunteered.

“You’re still on your honeymoon,” said Arthur. “You should spend this time with your new wife.”

Geraint opened his mouth to protest. But the thudding in his heart closed his jaw. Spending time with Enid was exactly the thing he wanted to do.

“Unless there is anything else you have to report?” asked Arthur.

The thudding of his heart increased. Geraint knew it was the Takrut. If it had this effect on the knights, then he had to keep it with him just another night. He needed to know Enid’s true heart. Then he would turn it in.

“I think I’ll do just that,” he said. “I’ll go tend to my wife.”

“Haha!” laughed Percy. “Because she’s a plant.”

No one else laughed.

“So how exactly does that work? Is all the plumbing in the right-ow!”

Percy reached for the back of his head as Lance put his hand back down on the table. Geraint ignored them and headed up to his quarters to find his bride and learn if love was possible between them.

CHAPTERSEVENTEEN

Enid climbed the stairs to the room Gwin directed her to. The witch had walked side by side with Enid from the gardens through the halls of the castle even after she’d directed her where to go. Gwin had kept up a friendly chat, mostly one-sided, about the town, its people, and the castle.

Enid listened attentively, searching for the angle at which Gwin would strike. She knew treachery when it poked its weedy head up in the patch beside her. But Gwin gave Enid space, both physically and figuratively. Enid felt not a hint of encroachment on her territory. Even though this was technically Gwin’s territory.

The Lady of the Castle made every gesture and overture of making Enid feel welcome, at home even, in this new place. By the time they reached the floor bearing her husband’s rooms, Enid felt she might believe the witch meant her only hospitality and no hostility.

Her thorns hadn’t reared up again. Her belly was full of sustenance. Her toes, which wriggled in her shoes, had carried all the potent nutrients of the magical soil into her veins.

Enid felt relaxed. She felt safe. These were all new feelings for her… and she liked them.

Perhaps she could take everyone at their word here. Perhaps no one had notions of treachery. Perhaps she could make her first friend.

She felt dizzy at the prospect. Though she’d lived in a castle for most of her life, Enid wasn’t used to being this high up from the ground. She felt a bit lightheaded three stories up. The magic of this land swirled underfoot in every part of the castle, in every part of the land.

Even as she ascended the final step of the spiraling staircase, she felt that she was enveloped in a warmth. There were drafts in the air, but she wasn’t chilled. The sun had set, but she still felt its rays inside the castle’s stone walls.

Reaching the room Gwin had directed her to, Enid knocked on the closed door. There was no response. At her second knock, the door creaked open.

Inside the room looked like the inside of a great tent. There was fabric draped from the ceilings in deep purples. Varying shades of light periwinkle to dark violet made intricate patterns on the fabric of the walls. A similar pattern was on the ground. As the tent’s textile extended, it reached all the way and spread across the room.

Enid slipped her shoes off as she came to sit in one of the chairs. The fabric was as soft as turned earth, making her roots ache to unfurl from her toes and sink down. Specks of dirt fell from her ankles and down to the floor.

The door opened, and Enid started. Geraint stood in the doorway, his large frame blocking the light from the hall. He looked at her in surprise, then down at her bare feet, soiling his lush carpets.

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