Page 137 of The Fae Warrior's Queen

“Don’t you have a room in the palace? You’re one of Kirian’s special men.”

“I am, but Keryth was still king when I joined the Night Realm, and I had to work to prove my worth. Once King Keryth abdicated the throne, King Kirian formed his own entourage. I was glad to be chosen, but I was already comfortable with my living quarters. I’ve stayed at the royal guest suites on occasion, but the barracks feel like home, so that’s where I sleep most of the time.”

Twisting her lips, Ro is perplexed. “You don’t expect me to stay there, too, right?”

A laugh bursts from me at the thought of her on the plain cot with me, her pretty dress standing out against the drab stone walls and her beauty pulling the attention of every warrior in sight. “No. You and I are going to make our own home.”

She beams at me. “Where?”

“Your choice. Think on it. We’ll live wherever you want.”

Our pleasant conversation doesn’t get the opportunity to continue because of the bustling activity in the courtyard right outside the palace walls.

The crowds are thicker than usual, and there’s happy chatter and laughing. Children are running up and down the streets with party horns.

Several girls are at the Maypole. They’re singing, skipping around in circles with the long ribbons in their hands.

“The royal birthday song,” I say, making sense of the commotion.

“I wonder whose big day it is,” Ro muses.

Concentrating hard, I try to think of who might have such a celebration. By now, King Kirian’s children are grown, so it’s probably not for them.

Typically, adult faeries don’t do much for their birthdays because we live so long that it would be redundant to honor the day of our birth every year up to thirty thousand times.

Giving a nod of acknowledgement to the group of guards outside the wall, I don’t bother landing on the bridge to walk through the gate. I use my warrior privileges and fly right over them to soar down to the walkway leading to the palace entrance.

Linking Ro’s fingers with mine, I smile proudly and kiss the back of her hand. I can’t wait to tell everyone she’s mine. Side by side, we walk toward the double doors.

“Alosi,” I greet the main guard with a jovial tone.

He looks so much better than the last time I saw him because he’s not wasting away. He’s filled out and muscular with a healthy hue to his tan skin.

Unfortunately, he’s not very alert. He’s just staring off into space as if he didn’t hear me.

“Alosi?” I say again, swiping my arm through the air with wide motions. “Hello?”

He doesn’t react.

Concerned, I stand in front of my friends who give me zero acknowledgement. All five of them are stoic and still with spears in hand.

One of them finally moves, but it’s just to turn his head to the side to whisper something about the gate opening for incoming guests.

A family of four arrives. Two parents with two teenage daughters. The girls are excitedly talking about the party and how lucky they are to have gotten an invite.

Pivoting to fully face them, I keep Ro close while the guests head our way. I expect them to walk around us… but they don’t.

“Hey—” I start to warn, because they’re going to bump into us.

Instead of making physical contact, they pass through our bodies as if we’re just cloud mist.

Ro gasps. I clench my teeth.

I don’t feel it when their bodies merge with mine, but that’s the unnerving part.

Feeling nothing is somehow worse.

It’s then that I notice my injuries from the previous challenges don’t hurt.

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