Page 26 of Mountain Man's Muse
Assuming she wasn’t simply snuffed out like a bad idea.
She made her way blindly down the corridor, stumbling in the dark without the light of the wisps. Once, she had kept them close as an affectation, because everyone looked beautiful by wisp-light. But now she thought maybe the pretty light had kept her from having to acknowledge the shadows at the heart of the court.
She couldn’t pretend anymore.
As she reached the more commonly used corridors, the lingering glow of passing fae lighted the walls. She wrapped one of her veils loosely around her face. Not much of a disguise, but boring enough not to intrigue any fae who might seek to unravel a more elaborate illusion. She needed to find EveStar and see if her hunch about the handmaid was right: Someone was pointing discontented fae to the Hunters’ valley. But now they needed her secret key.
She passed two elaborately ornamented fae, dripping with jewels and nodding feathers. The queen must be in one of her expansive phases. That could be good, if everyone was distracted by her generous mood. Or they could be trying to placate her because she was surly.
Despite her divorce from the court, Adelyn felt her heart stutter in remembered anxiety at the mere thought of Ankha’s moods, good or bad. She felt like an interloper in her old veils, decorated only by the leather belt with its carved copper buckle.
“Sweet muse!” The bellow—or so it seemed to her—brought her whirling around. “You have returned. Did you find the hunter?”
“William, hush.” She hurried toward him. “Do you want to get me killed again?”
He had the grace to flush, as only a human could, but the gesture did not soften her as was the knack of certain other human males.
She stared hard at William, wondering at his allegiance. Ankha had stolen him away from the world, but he had never seemed to miss it. Josh would never let himself be imprisoned, not when he had his valley. No illusion would ever satisfy him.
She took some peace knowing no matter what happened to her, Josh would be there, with his cows and Wolly and the stars under whose light they’d made love.
She shook off her mournfulness. First things first, as her Josh would say. “Have you seen EveStar?”
“Everyone has been summoned to the throne room. Ankha is in a mood.”
Adelyn almost smiled. William had been in the faedrealii long enough to not even name the moods anymore. “I guess that is where I need to go. You’ll have to be my disguise.”
William wrinkled his nose. “You have your glamour.”
“But none so good as the queen’s own lover. You owe me this.” Most courtiers avoided William and other humans within the faedrealii. For good reason, as she could attest. Certainly no one would expect to seeherwith him.
They joined the throngs heading for the throne room.
Except for the unchanging steel seat at its center, the throne room became whatever the faedrealii conjured. At the moment, it was a ballroom of matte white marble, thinly lined with black traceries. Hundreds of fluted columns towered upward, their peaks disappearing into a slowly roiling haze. Above the throne itself, a giant hollowed globe of marble hung as a chandelier. The undefined glow illuminated the room from the center, sucking the color from everything below it until even the glorious hues of the fae were cast with the pall of dread.
“Oh, this is a mood all right,” Adelyn murmured. “You are taller than I am. Do you see EveStar?” Normally the handmaids flitted both ahead of and behind the queen, always in motion, preparing the way and picking up the pieces afterward.
“I don’t— Wait.” William rocked up onto his toes. “She just came in. Ankha won’t be far behind.”
Which gave Adelyn only a few moments to contact the handmaid. But she hesitated. “William, is this really where you want to be?”
His gaze slid away from her. “Do you know how long I have been here?”
She shook her head. “You know time does not always pass here as you might imagine.”
“I can’t go back now.” He let out a shuddering breath. “It will never be the same for me.” His eyes were dark but swamp lights moved within them. Haunted eyes.
Adelyn touched his arm before she slipped away. He had made his choice.
And so had she.
Amid all the wide skirts, high collars, and towering headdresses, she felt small and insignificant. Not a sensation a musetta knew well. She embraced it since no one looked her way. She wove between the courtiers and edged up behind the fluttering handmaid.
“EveStar,” she said quietly, nudging back the veil around her face.
The handmaid recoiled. “What are you doing here? Didn’t you find—” She bit her lip. “Come.” She whisked Adelyn behind the hulking steel throne.
“I don’t have time to lie and tease—” Adelyn started.
