Page 58 of The Lord of the Labyrinth

Eudora nodded in satisfaction. “Much better. Now, what do you think of attending a ball with me? You would be the first human in centuries to see an Unseelie ball in the Twilight Court.”

“I really just want to see my brother. And I don’t want Roan to find me here, since technically, I didn’t find the center of the labyrinth yet. I found a cave that led here instead.”

Eudora’s brows rose. “He would be displeased that you found a rather clever way to defy him, I’m sure. Then again, you are where he originally wished you to be, aren’t you? Here in the palace? Maybe he would not be as angry as you think.”

Kate blushed as she rememberedexactlywhere Roan wanted her to be. In his bed, naked and waiting for him. “We sort of made a bargain, or an agreement. I’m not sure what to call it. He said if I could solve the labyrinth, he would send Caden and me home.”

“You made a bargain with Roan? That is quite binding in our world.”

“I know that... now,” Kate sighed. “My plan was to see Caden and go home if I could find a way. If not, my second plan was to climb back down the way I came in and go to the cave and find my way into the labyrinth again. I don’t think that cave is meant to be part of the labyrinth, and just because I made it to the castle doesn’t mean I solved the labyrinth. I’d lose on a technicality.”

“Yes, Fae bargains are nothing if not riddled with such things. In your world there are humans who also revel in technicalities. I believe they’re called... lawyers?”

Kate chuckled. She had briefly considered going to law school after college but had decided she liked business way more than she liked arguing with people.

“Well, in any case, I don’t see how attending one little ball first would hurt. You could stay for a short time, then I could fly you down to the cave you mentioned.”

“Wouldn’t Roan see me at the ball?” Kate asked. “Doesn’t he have to attend those sorts of things?”

“Oh, every time I have thrown a ball, my brother manages to vanish for the entire evening, much to the dismay of all the young female courtiers. He knows he is a highly sought-after dance partner, but he is not the most social of creatures. I assure you, he will turn into an owl and fly far away just to avoid a single dance.”

This didn’t sound like a good idea. “I really don’t want to risk it. What if he does stay?”

“Well, in that very unlikely possibility, he won’t be able to see you if he can’t recognize you. It’s going to be a masquerade, and I shall disguise you.” Eudora clapped her hands together, delighted at the prospect.

“I don’t think putting a mask on my face will be enough.”

The Fae princess tutted. “We don’t just use masks. We also use glamour, Kate of the Winslows. The balls have a certain excitement and titillation that comes with the idea of deception and illusion. You dance with someone, but they may not be who you think they are. They may look exactly like someone you desire but end up being someone else entirely. I shall place a strong spell over you, and no one will recognize you except me.”

Kate wasn’t sure she should agree to this plan. Too many things could go wrong. It would be her luck if Roan decided to stay, and surely he would see through a spell, even Eudora’s, wouldn’t he?

“Lady Eudora...”

“Please, call me Eudora. I wish for us to be friends,” the princess said with such honesty that Kate felt an instant warmth and connection. She hoped it wasn’t because of some glamour Eudora was using. She genuinely wanted to like Roan’s sister.

“Eudora, I can’t risk upsetting your brother if he finds me at the ball. Please, just let me go see Caden.”

“Darling Kate, there is but one lesson you must learn as a woman in the land of the Fae:neverrefuse a chance to dance at a royal ball. Our balls are legendary, and one never knows what magical opportunities they might afford. Even the humans know of fairy balls, do they not?”

Kate remembered reading about fairy dances and balls, and she reluctantly nodded.

“Good, then it’s settled. You shall dance at least once at the ball—after you see your brother, of course. Then I promise to fly you to the cave you came from to get back to the labyrinth before my brother realizes you are missing.”

“Did you say you wouldflyme down to the cave?”

“Yes. All Shining Ones can fly.” She stood up from the bed and suddenly spun in a circle. A pair of iridescent wings appeared behind her. They were silvery with hints of pale seafoam green with slender tail parts like a luna moth that draped down in an elegant way.

“You have wings,” Kate gasped in awe. “Does Roan have wings?”

“Oh yes, but we rarely show them, except when in court. Think of them like court dress. So Roan hasn’t shown you his when he visits you in the labyrinth?”

“No, he simply shows up and we argue... or he is rescuing me and then we just end up in a bed he conjures out of thin air. I try to get him to talk to me, but...” She halted when she realized how pathetic that sounded. The last thing she ever wanted to be was a stupid damsel in distress who couldn’t save herself. She’d always hated those parts of fairy tales. What she wanted was for Roan to see her as a strong person, to value her, to open himself up to her like she was doing with him.

“Roan is guarded, even from Rath and me. Don’t lose hope, Kate. You are closer to him than you realize.” Eudora said this so gently, yet her words were filled with hope, a hope that Kate held on to as well.

Kate tried to shrug off the pain of knowing that she and Roan were still strangers to each other. It was foolish to want more when she wasn’t going to stay here after she solved the labyrinth. But that didn’t stop the little flame of hope burning within her that they would someday share everything between them...

“I should hate him, you know,” Kate admitted. “He took me away from my home, and he stole Caden too. Then he tossed me into the labyrinth just so I would agree to sleep with him, and now?—”

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