Page 75 of The Courting of Bristol Keats
In a moment of courage, Bristol had leveled with them about not being fae when they tried to convince her she would get better at magic. She didn’t swear them to silence, but she knew they wouldn’t tell.
Maybe that was why Rose’s worry turned back to trows now. She scooted closer to Bristol and whispered, “Is that why you were late to class? Was ittrows?”
“No,” Bristol assured her. “I was—” She was still not ready to rehash her morning with Tyghan. “No,” she repeated. “I haven’t found any trows yet.”
“Is it wrong of me to hope that you don’t?”
Bristol had no reply. It was something Harper might have said. Instead of an answer, she shifted her attention to the maze below that was still transforming with its twists, turns, and hidden surprises, a churning forest eager to eat them up like little snacks. “So, will one of us finally make it through that monster today?”
Rose nodded and grabbed Bristol’s hand. “Yes,” she replied confidently. “I think today is the day we will beat that beast.”
CHAPTER 51
Tyghan walked the course with Kasta, getting it ready for the next round of training sessions. They added new obstacles, like sinkholes and alluring creatures to send them to their doom—anything the recruits might encounter in the deep Wilds that surrounded Fomoria. The recruits groaned when they spotted the maze, but better for them that they fail there than in the Wilds.
Tyghan glanced up at the observation deck for a second time. Bristol was there, ignoring him. As she should, he reminded himself.
What’s stopping you?
He almost hadn’t stopped. He had ached with the need to close those few inches between them. He wanted to finally taste her lips on his own, to explore the softness of her mouth with his tongue, to feel her body against his without the dull veil of invisibility between them. He wanted to touch her in a real way and was already leaning in . . . but voices rose in his head, as unwelcome as the demons that haunted him in the night.Walk away. You’re already juggling the impossible. It’s not fair to Elphame. Can you really trust that she is that different from Kierus?And then a clearStop. Because if he was forced to make an impossible choice, he would choose Elphame. Because his oath was fae law.
Stopbecause if he made a careless slip and Bristol found out who her family had really been running from her whole life, she would never help them.Stopbecause eventually the nation she was working to save was the same one that would kill her father and mother and that would end whatever he was hoping to start.
A simple task, Eris had claimed. Find a door and shut it. But Bristol made it complicated. And being involved with her only made it more so. It was anything but simple.
But it was done now. There was no going back. She was hurt and furious, and he was glad. It was done,done, a recurring beat in his head. He had nailed that door shut, so it was impossible to open it again. He glanced up at the deck, for the last time, he told himself.
Bristol and the other recruits were immersed in conversation except for Julia. Her eyes were trained on him like a cat transfixed, and she didn’t look away when he spotted her. She wanted him to know she was watching. That she had been all along.
Last night he was standing on the lawn near Sun Court when she surprised him by stepping into his line of sight, then pointedly turned her head to where he’d been looking—at Bristol, who was laughing and dancing with Hollis and Rose, her aqua dress swirling into the air like a wave of frothy water.
“A very pleasant view, Your Majesty,” Julia said, like she had caught him in the act of something lurid. “I’ve grown fond of her too.”
“Is there something I can do for you, Julia?” he asked, hoping to hurry her along.
“You know my name?” she replied, and laughed. “I’m surprised. We’ve barely spoken. Most of my interactions have been with your officers or Eris. He’s probably told you a few things, but I’m sure there’s a lot you don’t know about me. Let me introduce myself more fully. Julia Maëlle DuJardin. My family settled in Avignon centuries ago. A war in Elphame made them flee into the mortal world, and they never returned. They became farmers—among other things. And though I may be new to Elphame, I can trace my lines all the way back to the goddess Brigid. My parents were careful about such things, as were their parents.”
“Impressive,” Tyghan replied, doubting her claim but wishing she would hurry and get to her point, because he knew there was one coming.
“So as you might guess, I’m quite invested in this world—every bit as much as you are. Of course, these past decades I’ve poured my energies into my work at the university, and I admit my extensive repertoire of magic was largely unpracticed, given that I lived in the mortal world, which is why I am here. Thankfully, I’m quickly making up for lost time.”
“Julia, if you don’t mind, I have other—”
“You should know, I’m not bloodmarked. I confess, I’ve known from the beginning. I won’t be opening or closing any doors for you—but you needn’t be dismayed. I’m still quite powerful.”
Her focus purposely turned back to Bristol, who was spinning, carefree, raising her hands with Rose, unaware she was being watched. “I know who the Butcher of Celwyth is,” she said bluntly. “And the Darkland monster.”
Julia had his full attention then.
She laughed. “Don’t be so surprised, Your Majesty. I’m a scholar, and research is second nature to me.” Her smile faded to a grim line. “I can also see how events might play out. How Bristol’s role in all this might change into something else. No doubt, you have too. It’s a dangerous game you’re playing. I urge you stop.” Her cat pupils narrowed to sharp points. “More than urge.”
Her eyes were unflinching, waiting for him to respond.
“That sounds more like a threat than a suggestion.”
Her smile returned. “Take it as you will.”
“Why don’t you leave kingdom business to me, Julia, and spend more time actually showing your power on the training grounds instead of spouting boastful claims to me.”
