I nodded in understanding. If the Fae had come again, something in the land was changing. But unlike Camille, I wasn’t sure this was a good thing. Drogo’s reign had not ended well for him—I couldn’t imagine that the king’s would, either. The Fae’s return was an omen, but not necessarily a good one.
“Well,” I said, “I’m delighted to hear it.”
Camille smiled politely at me. She seemed almost disappointed that I hadn’t offered her more of a reaction.
As Micah took Fina’s measurements, Adora looked more and more distraught.
“I just can’t decide!” she said. “I love the neckline on this gown, but the hem length on this one.
And I’d prefer silk, but then it must be lined for the cold weather—and what about this fine jacket!” “We can combine elements, milady,” Camille said. “You have a good eye for this kind of work.
What are you envisioning?”
“Pardon me,” I said as I stood up. “Adora, do you mind if I pop over to the bookstore?”
“Oh!” Adora smiled warmly at me. “No, not at all—we’ll meet you there just as soon as we’re finished.”
“Wonderful,” I said. “Excuse me, Camille.”
“Of course. I’ll send your outfit over just as soon as it’s completed.”
I hurried out of the tailor shop with my cloak wrapped tight around my shoulders. The driver escorted me through the busy streets of Efra around the corner to the bookstore. Luckily, it was close, and I avoided eye contact with the wilder residents of the city as best I could. Perhaps it was rude to leave the other two in the tailor shop, but that was the kind of rudeness that would play in my favor— good manners, bad decisions. I had a feeling it’d be quite the process for Adora to build her dream gown.
Besides, Camille’s words had ignited a burning curiosity in me, and I wanted all the time I could get to sate it.
A small bell jingled when I pushed the door to the bookstore open. It was darker than the tailor, dim and cozy, and the smell of paper and ink washed over me like a wave. Immediately, the tension in my shoulders loosened. The store was different than the manor’s library—it was low-ceilinged and packed tightly. It wasn’t designed to impress; it was designed to store as many books as possible in the small space. It felt homey.
“Welcome, welcome,” the bookseller said. He was a short man with a lined face and big ears— perhaps some imp ancestry—and his eyes were immense behind the magnifying glasses. “Can I help you find anything in particular today? The organization system is a bit strange here, I must admit—”
“History,” I said. “Or geography. Particularly of Frasia.”
“Ah,” he said with a smile. “A lady of taste. Come this way, I have just the thing.”
The bookseller led me through the narrow aisles to a section in the back. The shelves were full to bursting, with immense tomes bound in leather and faded titles like Lord Keva Kavaney’s Travels by Land and Sea and A Brief Review Of Livestock Domestication in Starcrest.
“Is there a certain subject that interests you?” the bookseller asked.
“Would you mind if I took a few minutes to peruse?”
“Not at all,” the seller said. “I’ll be behind the desk if you need anything. Do take your time.”
I carefully examined the shelves of books, passing over books that enticed me (maps, memoirs, historical accounts) until I found what I was looking for.
“History of Fae in Frasia,” I murmured as I pulled the slim volume from the shelf. “Hae
Blaylock.”
Despite its narrow size, the book upon thumbing through it was filled with detailed maps, both large-scale maps of Frasia and smaller ones of the city and its neighborhoods. I flipped to the first page. “As our numbers dwindle in Frasia, I wished, as a citizen of Efra with trace Fae heritage, to preserve the history of our people in the city and beyond…”
Perfect. I didn’t want to be caught with just this book in my possession, though—better not to rouse too much suspicion if I could avoid it—and it wasn’t like I needed a reason to buy more books. I found more tomes that interested me: an atlas, a jaguar shifter sailor’s memoir, and a collection of Frasian myth. I was juggling my finds in one arm while kneeling in the back corner of the shop, peering at a poetry collection, when the bell jingled again.
“Oh, I’m just here to find someone,” I heard Fina say to the bookseller. “I believe I’ve misplaced a Lady of the Court in the stacks here?”
The bookseller laughed. I straightened up and hurried out of the corner, and nearly walked directly into Fina. She grinned knowingly at my finds. “Pretty neat shop, isn’t it?” “Quite,” I said.
“Come on,” Fina said. “Adora’s in the coach outside.”
“Did she finally decide on a dress?”
“It’s going to be very extravagant,” Fina said with a giggle. “We need to get going, though, or else we’ll be late for dinner.”
“Right.” My mood soured a little. The dinner. This wasn’t going to be the fun, competitors-only dinner we’d had—this would have the king, the council members, and some other members of the court as well. It wasn’t technically a trial, but it might as well be one. This little trip was just a brief respite from the manor. Once I returned, it’d be back to my room, getting cleaned up, tied into a fancy gown, and then back to playing my role as a sufficiently forgettable lady. “I’ll be right out.”
7
stood in front of the carved wooden doors to the main dining room. This wasn’t the smaller room off the guest hall, or the solarium, or the library I’d become familiar with. The dining room was in the main hall of the manor, where it was a little more well-lit, the ceilings soared, and the halls bustled with wolves and humans alike. I was dressed in the finest gown I’d brought: floor-length pale blue with navy detailing, heavy silk, and a fine fur stole draped over my shoulders. Amity had insisted I wear my hair down again, and it was already irritating me, falling into my eyes.
“All right,” Rue whispered. “Try to have a little fun.”I swallowed. Amity and Rue had an idea of how nervous I am, but I couldn’t really put words to the anxiety itching in my chest as I steeled myself. This wasn’t just the other competitors—this was the entire Court of Nightfall.Amity pushed the door open.The formal dining room was enormous, with immense stained-glass windows half-covered with plush velvet curtains. It was lit with torches lining the walls, and four crystal chandeliers glimmered overhead. The long table in the center of the room was set with fine porcelain place settings, but the guests were lingering around the room with glasses of wine, while finely dressed servants drifted among them with platters of hors d’oeuvres.I would’ve considered this to be a fine dinner, if it weren’t for the guards posted at the doors and near the dais at the end of the hall and pacing around the perimeter. These guards weren’t the leatherclad men I’d seen in the solarium and at the g
The man speaking tilted his head curiously. “I was asking you about the well-being of your Lord in Daybreak,” he said. “Since I am the ambassador to Daybreak and know him well myself.”“Oh!” The whiplash made my head spin. “Of course. You’re Lord…”“Skorupski,” he said. “Niles Skorupski.”“Of course!” I said again. “Lord Skorupski. It’s wonderful to see you again.”The Lord looked put-out. It was clear I hadn’t recognized him at all—even though we’d almost certainly done business in the Daybreak court.“Ice Princess,” Rona hissed under her breath.A scowl flickered over my features before I was able to steel my face back into neutrality. I felt so frazzled and rough around the edges, so unlike the carefully self-managed lady I was used to being in Daybreak. Something about being in Efra was making me too sensitive, too reactive. I had to get myself under control.The rest of dinner passed in a pleasant haze. The food was good, the wine delicious, and the conversation boring but still
“I expected,” the king continued, “that you might behave more like those two. Meeting people.Learning how things work in my pack.”Over his shoulder, Rona and Wynona were sneering at each other. Rona had a court member on her arm, headed to the dance floor, and Wynona, despite standing next to a councilmember, looked like she was a breath away from shifting and lunging at Rona.“Ah, Your Highness,” Fina said, “we were only—”“Your Highness,” I cut in as my irritation grew, “would you rather we posture for dominance on the dance floor like those two?”“Perhaps I would,” the king said.“To think that Ladies of the Court would behave so childishly would be to insult our lineage,” I said curtly.At my side, Adora inhaled sharply through her nose. My wolf whined internally, as my instincts fought my mind yet again.The king made a low sound in his chest, somewhere between a growl and a laugh. The hair on my arms stood on end. He leaned closer and his eyes flashed gold—for a moment I thoug
The man went limp. The king tossed him aside like cleaned chicken bones. The body hit the stone floor with a sick thump, and the king didn’t even grant him a second look. He nodded at two nearby servants, who quickly shifted into small brown wolves. They trotted forward and dragged the corpse out of the ballroom. Every hair on my body was standing on end, and my heart raced.When I finally tore my eyes away, the king was staring at me.This wasn’t the curious look I’d felt at dinner, or the amused gaze when I’d spoken with some rudeness. I’d seen his eyes flash gold before, but never so completely. This wasn’t the man looking at me—this was the wolf.I felt the shift before it happened.The air in the room crackled with energy. My wolf whined in my chest, and my nape ached. I felt frozen in place, pinned by his gaze.Then, like a rippling wave, he shifted. He didn’t wear the moonstone rings like the servants did— as his wolf rushed forward, his fine clothes ripped at the seams, fallin
“It’s how he rules,” Barion said. “Cazzell drunkenly revealed that he’d been embezzling some ofNightfall’s moonstone and cutting under-the-table deals with the traders from Shianga.”“And that’s cause for execution?” I demanded. “It’s a trade dispute!”“It’s like he said.” Barion sipped his coffee. “He wanted to make an example of it, to prevent anyone else from trying anything similar.”“I bet he’s just pissed he has to hold this Choice at all,” I huffed. “He’d probably be happier running around in the woods slaughtering deer.” “Oh, I’m sure he makes time for that,” Barion said. I gaped at him.“I’m kidding,” Barion said, laughing. “He’s busy with his kingly duties. Is it just the execution that’s got you so wound up? I thought you’d be expecting behavior like that, what with how worried you were about your imagined punishment.”I sighed and stepped behind the dressing screen. The tailor had sent four outfits, including the one I’d requested at the shop. Two were gowns and two had t
Fina raised her eyebrows at my outfit, but Adora just grinned from where she was seated. They were both wearing simpler gowns, too, Adora in tan cotton and Fina in elegant greens. Rona was seated at the table with them too, but she just scoffed at my outfit like it was the dumbest thing she’d ever seen. Her own dress was made for function as well, a brown skirt hitting just under her knees, and a black bodice with long fitted sleeves.“Good morning,” I said as I joined them and made myself a plate of breakfast from the spread at the table. Wynona was still absent, though not late yet.“How’d you sleep?” Rona asked with a half-smirk. “Any nightmares about the big bad wolf?” I poured myself a coffee. “I slept fine.”“I’ve never seen someone look so frightened around a wolf before,” Rona continued. “If I didn’t know better, I wouldn’t think you were a shifter at all. You looked like a scared little girl in front of the king.”“Rona!” Adora said.“I’m just stating the obvious,” Rona said.
We followed her through a small door at the side of the arena into a staging area built beneath the stands. The crowd noise was shockingly loud, even with no one on the playing field. Our escorts awaited us in the staging area, and I rushed toward Barion. He grinned at me and squeezed my shoulder reassuringly.“This is your moment, Reyna,” he said, quietly enough that it was only for me. “With the Dawnguard girl gone, there is no one here who can beat you.”I nodded and tried to swallow. I hated to disappoint Barion—but I’d have to if I wanted to be eliminated from this contest. I’d make it up to him when we were back in Daybreak. He’d understand. The dinner last night had only proven that I could not be a part of the Nightfall pack. Not now. Not ever.“Ladies!” A short, severe-looking woman dressed in the leather armor of the Nightfall guards strode in and clapped once to get our attention. “We will be beginning shortly! I will be assigning pairs. You will step into the arena at my w
I chose a Shiangan single-edged sword, with a tapered blade that narrowed at the hilt and widened slightly toward the top. It wasn’t made quite as finely as the ones I was used to training with in Daybreak, purchased directly from the traders at the port, but it was familiar in my hand and the right size and weight for parrying. I swung it in a few careful arcs, testing the weight and balance as I walked back toward the center of the arena.When I glanced up, the king was watching my testing moves with a curious tilt to his head. Shit. I’d already fallen into my muscle memory.There was a large white circle drawn on the dirt. I took my place at one end and fell naturally into my fighting stance, with my left foot forward and the sword in my right hand. Ten yards away, Rona stood in a similar stance, with the sword gripped so tightly her knuckles were white. Anger and anticipation radiated off her, and she didn’t hesitate to bare her teeth in a snarl intended to intimidate.I took a sl