Page 34 of Tempting the Fae Lord
“Yes, sir.” I hate to do it, but I let him go.
He clenches the iron bar in the same spot as last time. I tilt my head and strain to hear each murmured word.
Bloath de monkuhn
Opniz thik winsomeka
I committhe phrase to memory, though I don’t have a clue what it means. He casts me what is probably supposed to be a reassuring glance—but really it only makes me sad—and pushes the gate open wide enough to slip through.
Again, multiple sconces cast an eerie glow on the wall, and then nothing as he leaves and the gate closes by itself.
An empty feeling washes over me as I adjust to being alone. I say a silent plea to whatever force that might be listening.
Please let him be okay. Let him return to me unharmed.
The urge to remain here and wallow in melancholy rises like the tide.
But I have a mission, and now that he’s gone, I must set to it.
From within my cloak, I pull a glass phial and a scrap of cloth. I use the cloth to wipe all the blood from the iron, then tuck it safely inside the phial.
Next, I drop to my hands and knees and scrape all the red snow into it as well. I pop a cork into the top and store it safely back into the inner pocket of my cloak.
My idea probably won’t work.
But… What if it does?
Chapter Ten
Gale
A full weekgoes by with no sign of Ezra. I’m out of my mind with worry. And I’m not the only one. None of us thought he’d be gone this long. He’sneverbeen gone this long.
I’ve got to do something, but first I’ll take my own advice. The advice Ezra couldn’t be bothered to take.
We need to secure backup.
Once the others have gone to sleep for the night, I creep down the hall on silent feet.
I sit in his chair at his desk in his study. I use his quill and his parchment. When I’m done, I’ll use his seal imprinted in hot wax.
But the letter I write is my own.
How does one address a queen? I’ve never written a letter to royalty before. When her brothers visited briefly several years ago, they stood on formality, but I’ve since heard the new queen does not.
I dip the nub in ink and begin.
Your Most Excellent Majesty,Queen Suvi of Lemossin,
No.Looks wrong. I ball it up and try again.
Your Highness,Queen Suvi of Luminia,
I ball that up too.Why is this so hard? I blow out a breath and force my shoulders to relax. If it’s going to be from me, it should sound like me. One more try, this time without overthinking every word.
Dear Queen Suvi,
I’m writingto you for help because the lord of the house here says he likes you, and he barely likes anybody, so I figure you must be a good person.
