Page 24 of Song of Scent and Magic

Zared growled, but that made Tavian grin even wider.

"He's very possessive for a human, isn't he?" Tavian gripped my hand again and pulled me to the threshold of the portal. He stepped inside and kept pulling until half my arm was through the doorway.

"It is warm in there." I marvelled at exactly how warm it was. It wasn't like the sticky heat of the forest. It was more like the warmth of a blanket and a pile of pillows. Like an embrace. "How?"

"Magic," Tavian said easily. "It's blood warm in here." Obviously for Zared's benefit he added, "Just as warm as I bet your ass—"

Zared growled again.

Tavian winked at me and tugged me in deeper.

Inside the portal, the walls weren't so blindingly white. Rather, it was like stepping into an ice cave. I ran a hand down the side. It was hard, and surprisingly cool.

"It really is ice," Tavian said. "It's pulled from the river and frozen to let us through."

"And it's going to get really fucking cold in a moment," Ryze said. He herded Zared ahead of him with a gesture and stepped into the portal himself. It closed behind him, blocking off the view of the forest.

Zared's throat bobbed up and down as he swallowed, but he followed Tavian and I deeper into the portal. All the way to another doorway.

On the other side was what looked like nothing more than an ordinary sitting room.

Shoving down my nerves, I stepped out of the portal and onto plush carpet woven in deep shades of red, blue and green.

The walls of the sitting room were covered with ornately carved wooden panels. Above our heads, a light hung from a ceiling rose which was decorated with flowers and vines, and painted the same shade of green as the one in the carpet. A sofa and several leather chairs were scattered around the room.

I took all of this in before I noticed the window. It was taller than any of the Fae, almost as high as the ceiling. Four panes were separated by sashes varnished the same dark as the walls.

"Oh my gods." I dropped Tavian's hand and stepped towards the window.

We must have been several stories high at least. Below us, a city stretched out all the way to the ocean. More buildings than I could ever have imagined in one place covered a slope kilometres long. Wide streets crisscrossed between them. Square roofs, domes, and even the occasional triangular roof glistened silvery white in the morning sun. Once in a while, a building had a dark roof, but most of them were light.

The walls of the buildings themselves were a variety of colours, but mostly earthy shades of brown, green and red.

"What is this place?" I asked breathlessly.

"Lysoria." Ryze came to stand beside me and admire the view. "The Silver City herself."

"Fuck," Zared said softly.

I dragged my eyes away from the incredible sight long enough to glance at one man, then the other.

"The Silver City?" It rang a vague bell in the back of my mind, but I couldn't pin it down until Zared spoke again.

"The capital city of the Winter Court." His eyes were drinking it in too.

"The one and only," Ryze said. "Isn't she beautiful?" He sighed wistfully.

"She's incredible," I agreed. I frowned up at him. "Who are you?"

I hadn't realised Vayne was still in the room until he chuckled.

"She's onto you, Ryze."

Ryze shrugged. "It was only a matter of time."

I cocked my head at him.

It was Vayne who answered.

---