by R. A. Rock
She could see through his glamour on his face, but she allowed the glamour to fool her when it came to his clothes. When Finn was in regular clothes and sparring with her, she found him attractive. All dressed up like that, he was devastatingly handsome in a way that she had never imagined.
“Finn,” she said, breathless. “You look amazing.”
He seemed to be stunned into silence, which had to be a first for talkative Finn. He walked over to Tessa, never taking his eyes off of her.
“Tessa,” he whispered.
“Yes?” she said, not sure what he was going to say.
“You smell like roses,” he said, inhaling.
And the moment was broken. She laughed.
“That was intentional. As soon as we can, we’re finding somewhere to bathe. It’s been two days since we stayed at that inn and I need a proper wash.”
“Agreed. I would love a bath, too. It will be our highest order of priority tonight, just below not being captured.”
“Excellent,” Tessa said.
Finn extended his arm. “Shall we, your majesty?”
“Don’t call me that. I’m not actual royalty.”
“I beg to differ. Anyone in line for the crown, whether by blood or otherwise, is royalty in my books.”
“Maybe,” she said, checking the peephole to make sure no one was in the hallway. “But don’t call me that anyway. It sounds really strange. And anyway, I would never want that job.”
“Even if they came to you and said, ‘Here. Be the queen’?”
“No way. Are you kidding? I would never take it. That’s my idea of a nightmare.”
Finn laughed and pulled the lever that opened the door. It came out behind a tapestry and he checked to make sure the hallway was still empty before they emerged.
“Well, you look like a princess,” he said, kissing her on the cheek and offering her his arm again. This time, she took it and they made their way toward the reception halls.
Tessa and Finn paraded around arm in arm. The halls were roughly divided by class but Fae were allowed to enter any of the rooms, though mostly people stayed with their class and their friends and family. They searched but they couldn’t find Rufus and his wife anywhere. In fact, they didn’t see anyone they knew.
There were so many people, you had to know where to look for your friends.
They could have used a luminescence orb to find Rufus and his wife. But that would be a little odd. It wasn’t like they were good friends. Still, Tess wished they could have caught up with them anyhow. She thought it would be nice to just meet another couple they knew and visit with them. She had never done that. She had never done normal things. And she found herself wanting to. She wanted to do normal things. She wanted to be normal.
Tess glanced around, watching for anyone suspicious looking. They had to be careful of the guards that Ransetta had looking for them. Thank goodness the orbs couldn't be used with malicious intent, so Ransetta couldn't send orbs looking for all the Fae she wanted to imprison. That's why Tess had always had to work every Ball because the Dark Queen actually had to send people to find those she wanted to capture. But as far as she could tell, they were going unnoticed so far.
Finn stiffened beside her and Tessa immediately cut her eyes over to his. He wasn’t looking at her. He was staring at a blonde woman in a silver dress.
“What is it?” she said quietly. “Who’s the woman in silver?”
Finn turned his head to look at her. “Oh. No one.”
“Really?” Tessa said, lifting one eyebrow. “That was quite the reaction for no one. I’d say that you look as though you’ve seen a ghost, but you’ve already seen a ghost today and you didn’t look as afraid as you do now.”
Finn pivoted suddenly, bringing Tessa with him since they had locked arms.
“Fine, you’re right,” he said, his whole demeanor tense. “It’s one of my former…”
Tessa’s mouth dropped open. “One of your former lovers?”
He winced. “Unfortunately,” he said, sounding displeased.
“Why are we leaving?” she said, pretending to be dismayed. “Aren’t you going to introduce me?”
Tessa was highly amused. She had never seen Finn like this and she couldn’t wait to tease him mercilessly. He didn’t answer, only steered them toward the Table of Plenty in this room, which was piled high with food.
“Why unfortunately?” she said, pretending innocence. “Was she bad in bed?”
“What? No.” Then he narrowed his eyes at her. “She was like a Skransser.”
“How so? She’s very beautiful.” Tessa smiled. She had been getting bored—mingling wasn’t really her thing—but she was quite enjoying herself now. She picked up a plate and began putting some of the delicious food on it.
She grabbed several thin slices of boar meat, two spiced meatballs, and a skewer of grilled meat and vegetables. Beside that, she piled some raw vegetables and a crusty roll. When she looked over at Finn, she saw he was going for the sweets.
He had blue strawberries, a small skewer with purple bananas interspersed with raspberries, and she spotted a pile of querg, which was a delicacy in Esper. The rare orange berry was only found in certain particular spots and tasted like your most cherished memory from childhood.
Then Tess watched in fascination as he placed a butterfly cake carefully on his plate. The silly things were known to fly off if you didn’t treat them with proper respect. The small cake was inconsequential but on top was perched a lovely butterfly. Each cake had a different color. Their wings flapped peacefully. She had heard it was quite the delicate spell to create such a lovely food.
“She was like a Skransser?” Tess prompted, since he seemed to have forgotten what he was going to say. Or maybe he was trying to avoid talking about the woman.
“Well, you know that a Skransser tricks you by appearing to be something it’s not, right?” he said, walking down the long table and keeping his eyes on the food.
“Right.”
“And then it sucks your soul.”
Tessa couldn’t help laughing at his comparison between the woman and a Skransser.
They sat down at one of the tables and began to eat. Tess was starving and had to force herself to chew slowly and swallow appropriately, so she didn’t look like a pig at the trough. She picked up a meatball and took a bite, setting the rest back on her plate.
Then she suddenly stopped, feeling serious. “She didn’t actually have some spell or something that sucked your Starlight, did she?”
That would be horrible.
“No.” Finn finally smiled for the first time since he had seen the other woman. He popped a blue strawberry in his mouth and chewed thoughtfully. “After we—you know—she just latched on to me and didn’t want to leave me. Ever. She told me she wanted to be with me always. And then she wouldn’t leave me alone. It was terrible.”
“Huh,” Tessa said, feeling laughter bubbling up. She pressed her lips together to keep her face serious. Snagging a carrot, she took a crisp bite. It was cold and sweet.
Finn squinted at her, thinking. Then he grinned.
He picked up the butterfly cake and brought it to his face. As he opened his mouth, the butterfly flew off the cake and joined all the other magical butterflies flying around above the tables. When he took the bite, his face grew suddenly happy and nostalgic. He sighed audibly. Tess wished she had taken a butterfly cake, too.
“Are you implying that I’m like her?” he said. “Because I said that I’d follow you wherever you go?”
“No, no,” she said, still managing to keep a straight face. “I would never imply such a thing.”
“I also said it was to keep you out of trouble,” Finn added and she could see that his face was now red.
“Of course,” she agreed. “Definitely.”
“I’m not a Skransser,” he said defensively, his smile disappearing. “I’ll leave you anytime you want me to.”
And suddenly, he wasn�
�t joking anymore.
He was upset. Shadows and Chasm, she had offended him.
“Finn,” she said, leaning over and putting her hand on his. “I was just teasing. I know you’re not like that. And for the record, it was you that said it, not me.”
He gave a nod, but he seemed upset still.
“Hey,” she said, putting her hand on his cheek and turning his face to look at her. “I want you here with me. You know that, right?”
Finn avoided her eyes, turning his head away. “Yeah?”
“Yes. I want you with me, Finn. I’m not quite sure what I’d do without you at this point.”
“Really?” Finn said, cautiously meeting her eyes.
“Of course. Forget about what’s-her-name, the Skransser.”
“Sanndrah.”
“Yes, forget about her. You’re here with me tonight.”
“I am, aren’t I?”
“Yes, and a former Captain of the Guard/almost-princess that wants you by her side is far more interesting than she is.”
“True.”
“But since we don’t have anywhere to sleep, I’m afraid I won’t be able to prove to you that I’m much better in bed than she was,” Tessa said, shaking her head ruefully. “No trysts for you this Hundred Years Ball.”
Finn’s face was the picture of dismay.
“Let’s finish eating and get out of here,” he said. They ate up the rest of their food and then Finn impatiently hurried her out of the room they were in and into one of the large corridors where a couple was talking quietly in a nearby alcove.
Tessa laughed. “What’s the rush?”
“You make a very good point, my sweet Tessa. We need to find someplace to sleep. And do… other things.”
Other things sounded very interesting to Tessa.
If only they could find a bed that they wouldn’t wake up dead in.
Chapter 4
They had exited the reception halls after finishing their supper and had made their way back into the secret passage where they had met Rufus. The plan was to explore some more and figure out a place to sleep for the night. Tess was not looking forward to yet another night without a bed, though it was looking more and more likely with every passing minute.
“Wait,” Tessa said, hearing her own voice from far away as she focused on the music. It was lovely and hauntingly beautiful, so that she wanted to laugh and cry at the same time. “Do you hear that? Come on. We have to find it.”
“What? The music again? No.” Finn grabbed at her wrist but she twisted away. “Tessa, please stop. What if it’s something bad?”
Finn didn’t understand. The music was pulling her onward and she had to follow. She wasn’t crazy. But she couldn’t—or didn’t want to—resist it.
“It couldn’t be,” she said, never taking her attention from the enchanting sound. “There’s the Truce spell.”
“Tess, wait.”
But she wouldn’t wait anymore. There was something she had to do to get to the music. She looked down at the floor, taking the luminescence orb that was floating near Finn’s head and holding it close to the tiles. One of the stones was a slightly different color of grey. It was as though she knew this place well.
“What are you doing?” Finn said but she didn’t answer.
She stepped on the tile and then reached overhead. There was an indent and she pushed into it hard with the palm of her hand. The wall began to swing out and she realized that it was flipping around. Finn stepped quickly beside her onto the piece of rock as he realized what was happening. The section of wall rotated with a grating sound of rock on rock. Then it locked back into place but, this time, with them on the inside.
Tessa looked around. They were in a small cave.
What now? She could still hear the music calling to her. She needed to get to it.
She closed her eyes and touched her Starlight. Then she knew what to do. She lifted the amulet that lay on her chest and pressed it into the slot directly in front of her that had been made for it.
Finn watched in silence. She knew he was angry. And worried. But she also knew that there was no danger here. The rocks in front of her pushed back into the wall and made an opening going back and twisting up. When she peered into the opening, she saw that it was a set of stairs leading upward. Light shone down, illuminating the dark passageway.
“What the Chasm?” Finn said, craning his neck to see up the stairs.
“Come on,” Tessa said, taking him by the hand and scampering up.
When they reached the top, she grinned. The music in her head was gone. It had only been there to guide her. Now that she was here, it had disappeared.
“Told you it wasn’t dangerous,” she said, gazing around in awe at the luxury of their surroundings. The floor, instead of being more stone tiles like the rest of the castle, was a honey-colored hardwood that had been varnished, and when Tess kicked off her boots, it felt toasty on her cold toes. She giggled to herself, giddy as a weight lifted off her shoulders. They could sleep here without worrying that someone was going to find them.
“Tessa, what in the name of Severance is this? How do you know it isn’t dangerous?”
There was what appeared to be a window, with sunshine pouring in and bathing the entire room with comforting light.
“And where is this sunlight coming from? Isn’t this an interior wall?”
“It’s the Keeper’s secret quarters, Finn.”
She went to a particular stone in the wall and pushed and the stairs disappeared again. She ran her hand over the smooth white plaster covering the walls. No Fae hand could have made it so smooth. The room had obviously been created magically.
“No one can find us,” she said. “It’s the most warded place in the entire castle, besides the dungeons. Plus, it’s hidden and the only way to get to it is through the secret passages. We’re safe.”
“Where do you think this is?” Finn walked over and stared at a mural on the wall depicting a strange land with many tall, shiny towers and black roads crisscrossing the landscape. Tess had never seen such a place and she wondered if it was a real land or had simply been painted from the artist’s imagination.
“I have no idea,” she said.
Finn bent down and read the caption underneath. “It’s titled, Depiction of The Earthly Realm.”
“Really?” Tess came and stared at it, too. “It’s so strange looking. Why would anyone go there? I would never want to live anywhere but Ahlenerra.”
“Me neither,” Finn said with a shudder. “I’ve heard terrible stories about the Starless Ones.”
“Yes, that they’re like the Mages but worse.”
“Hard to imagine,” Finn said, still gazing at the painting. Then he turned toward her, a look of confusion on his face. “Wait a minute, Tess. I didn’t see you activate the ring at any point to access the Keeper’s memories.”
Tess felt suddenly bewildered as well. “You’re right. I didn’t use the ring. How can that be? I just knew how to get in here.”
“Maybe you’re integrating the Keeper’s memories into your own?” Finn said, speculating. “Maybe you’ll be able to access them without the ring?”
“Maybe,” Tess said dubiously.
“This is amazing,” Finn said, looking around. “And of course the Keeper would have something like this. He would have had to hide when he came here for the Ball and he would have built himself some place where he could honor the spell but not have to mingle and have people discover him. It’s perfect.”
“Now, we can attend everything properly. See?” Tess was excited and relieved. “We don’t have to sleep in the passages.”
She wrinkled her nose at the thought as she opened the wardrobe. It was filled with soft nightgowns and comfy clothing for lounging around in—exactly what she wished she was wearing right now.
“Look, a magic wardrobe that will provide us with exactly the appropriate clothing in our exact size. And look, there’s a Table of Plenty here, too.
Just like in his house.”
The square wooden table was filled with plates of sandwiches, salads, cheeses, and fruit. Lemonade stood in a glass pitcher with cubes of ice bobbing in the pale-yellow liquid. There was a ceramic tea pot with steam coming out the spout. A tall, silver coffee pot tempted Tess because she was so tired and could use a little kick of energy.
“And thank the Stars there’s beds,” Tess added, glancing over at the corner.
“You mean, bed,” Finn corrected her, his jaw clenching.
The bed was a good-sized four-poster with royal-blue curtains that were tied back. A lovely quilt in every shade of blue under the sun was spread neatly. It seemed perfect for what Tessa wanted to do with Finn.
Of course, there was still the question of so many people wanting to kill them and avoiding capture. But what better way to avoid capture than to stay in bed for a week?
She shook her mind free from those sorts of thoughts and continued her explorations. She opened a door and found that it led to a large bathing room with a tub in the floor.
“Thank the Stars,” Finn said as he peeked in the room over her shoulder. “An enchanted bathtub.”
“With water that never gets cold or dirty,” Tessa said, suddenly feeling the travel dust all over her. “Although I’d call it a pool, not a bathtub.” She dropped her glamour and padded into the room. “Finn, I need to bathe immediately.”
“Sure, you go first,” he said, stepping back out of the room.
Tessa shut the door on him, stripping off the rest of her filthy clothing and throwing it all in a magic laundry basket. When she was done bathing, the clothes would be clean. Not that she was going to put on any of those horrid clothes again. The wardrobe would give her whatever she wanted and what she wanted was a silk nightdress.
“Fill.”
The bathtub, which was like a rocky pool, had steps leading down into it. And plants grew around it and up the wall. When she spoke, a waterfall began splashing out from the wall. In a few seconds, the rocky pool was full but the waterfall continued to trickle in. Tess found it soothing, so she decided to leave it.