I pulled the heavy door open to find Jax, arm raised, ready to knock again. I stepped across the threshold, just to check that I wasn’t trapped in here as I’d been once before. When I was certain I wasn’t a prisoner, I said to Jax, “Do you want to come in?”
He shook his head, lilac hair bouncing around his shoulders. He wore the uniform I’d seen him in whenever he visited the Seelie Court—cloak on this time—and he handed me a blue rose. His voice was a low whisper. “Get dressed. Meet me in the rose gardens as soon as possible.” Without another word, he turned on his heel and strode back along the hallway.
I stared at the rose in my hand, my thoughts taking a moment to catch up in my sleep-fuddled brain. “Wait! Jax! I don’t even know where the rose gardens are.” I’d never spent enough time at the Unseelie Castle to explore.
He turned and walked backward, his face serious. “The rose will guide you.”
I rushed back into my room and shut the door. I had brought no other clothing with me since I hadn’t intended to stay longer than a few hours, but King Aengus had once filled the wardrobe in this room to overflowing with clothing that fit—dresses suitable only for walking the castle grounds, mostly. But in the very back corner, I’d once stuffed a set of riding pants, boots and a black scoop-necked shirt.
I got down on my hands and knees and riffled around, smiling when I laid my hands on my long-lost clothing. I brushed out my hair, leaving it to fall over my shoulders and stuffing my intensifier clip into my pocket to keep it in my possession. I had no intention of using it, but I would never again go anywhere without it. Washed and dressed, and with the blue rose clutched in one hand, I rushed out the door.
I turned left, the same way Jax had gone, before taking the first staircase down to ground level, where I walked along the corridor and outside. It was as if I knew exactly where to go, the blue rose doing exactly as Jax said it would, the magic moving my feet in the correct direction. I passed by the stables—the place Father had been imprisoned for years—following a narrow path beside the castle wall until it suddenly turned away and I was standing at the top of a huge grassy area surrounded by oaks and ash trees. Down in the bottom corner was a hedge maze, and dotted around the lush grass were bench seats, often beside smaller hedged gardens. It was a picture of serenity. I had not known such a place existed here at the Unseelie Castle.
The rose garden was down in the very back corner opposite the maze and encased in yet another hedge, this one rivaling the hedge maze for height, making it entirely private. The only indication it was a rose garden was the arched entrance dripping with white roses.
I walked down to the garden and beneath the arch, following the path between the roses until I found Jax sitting on a bench. His eyes rolled over my clothing, and he lifted his eyebrows as he got to his feet. “You brought your riding gear with you?”
I shook my head. “It was already here. From the last time I … stayed in that room.”
He licked his lips, perhaps uncomfortable at the reminder of the space he’d put me in. “You can’t wear those around the castle. Even with your face looking like Amber, you still appear too much like Bria in that clothing. Fergus would certainly recognize you, should he see you wearing them.”
I swallowed. I hadn’t considered that. I’d thought only of comfort. “And what do you suggest I wear?”
“One of the many dresses that inhabit that closet. You are trying to land a prince, after all. Or you’re supposed to be.” I didn’t miss the sarcasm in his voice. He stood and started walking, staying to one side of the path so I could stroll beside him. It felt an age before he spoke again. “You might be right. About Ferg’s magic.”
I turned to face him, my voice shaking. This wasn’t what I wanted to hear. “It’s weaker?” I guessed we were out here at this time of morning and in this garden because he deemed it the most private place to talk.
“I believe so. I mentioned it to Ferg. He agrees.” He took a deep breath, and it seemed as if he wasn’t finished speaking, yet he said nothing further.
“But?”
“But he isn’t worried. Says he has plenty to spare. That he’s still more powerful than almost everyone in Faery, even in a slightly weaker state.” We reached the end of the path, turning at right angles to continue following it, roses in every shade growing beside us.
“That’s not the point. He should know it’s not.” Just because it wasn’t affecting him much, didn’t mean it was sensible to ignore it.
Jax sighed again. “He does, I think. But he’s got so much going on with this competition and all the guests…” Jax shook his head. “I just don’t think he sees this as urgent.”
I walked on in silence, listening to the birds singing around us. “Well then, we need to make sure whatever is going on isn’t a genuine threat.”
Jax nodded. “I have bolstered his personal guard, much to his disgust, but there’s little more I can do. The Declaration rules call for him to spend time with the women one-on-one over the next few days. I can’t have guards right beside him every minute of the day. They can be close, but…” He shrugged. “We must trust that Fergus can look after himself.” He glanced my way. “Because he can.”
I drew in a breath at the gentle reminder. My assistance wasn’t required. Jax had everything well in hand. And if there really was a threat, he would deal with it. Not me. “Point taken,” I mumbled.
Our footsteps crunched along the path. “Did you make any friends last night?” he asked, as if he needed to fill the silence.
Or as if he wanted secret intel. I arched an eyebrow. “Are you asking me if any of those women are suitable for the prince?”
Jax smiled. “No. Because I don’t imagine your answer will be objective, even without the bond in place.”
I bristled. “I can be objective.” I recalled the women I’d seen last night. Of Piper Ashfox, who might be beautiful, but was not the right match for Fergus. “I met Jasmine.” She’d seemed nice. Nicer than Piper, at least.
“Jasmine … which one is she?” He led me out of the rose gardens at a different place than the one I’d entered, beneath an arch of pink roses.
The expanse of the lawn stretched before me, leading up to the castle, and people—the girls from the competition—were now out wandering the paths. I turned to Jax with a frown creasing my brow.
I didn’t need to ask for him to answer. “The prince sometimes walks out here before breakfast. It seems the women in the competition are out here hoping to run into him.”
I nodded, unsurprised that Fergus might want to spend time outdoors before eating, or that there were women everywhere I looked, hoping to find him. We headed toward the castle, and I returned our conversation to Jax’s earlier question. “Jasmine … she has blonde hair. No, it was dark brown.” I blinked, suddenly unsure how I had forgotten such a detail. “And last night she was wearing the most beautiful dress…”
“Weren’t you all?” asked Jax dryly.
“Hers was brilliant pink. Or red. No, no. It was orange. Overlaid with—”
Jax shook his head. “What you’re saying is that she was so unremarkable, you can’t recall a thing about her?”
That wasn’t what I meant, but it seemed to be what I’d said.
The swooshing of skirts made us both turn. Running up the path behind us, heading for the castle, was Dora. In one hand she clutched the folds of her pale blue dress, holding it up so she didn’t trip. The moment she noticed us watching, her steps slowed, and she hid her other hand within the folds of her dress.
I glanced at Jax, though he hadn’t seemed to notice and was smiling at her.
She bobbed her head as she passed us. “Lovely morning,” she mumbled.
“The loveliest,” answered Jax.
I stared at her hand, the one hidden in her skirts. There seemed to be something in it. And if Jax would not ask, I would. I nodded in her direction. “What have you got there?”
Dora smiled sweetly. “Nothing. I’m just out enjoying the beautiful morning. Same as you.” She looked around the lawn. “Same as everyone else out here.”
“But do you have something in your hand?” I frowned, wondering if I was seeing things.
She shook her head. “No. Nothing.”
Jax stepped forward, a frown between his eyes. “Yes, you do. What is that? And why are you lying about it?”
She took a step back, and I thought she might flee. Jax must have, too, because he went rigid, ready to take off after her. I hoped neither of them ran. It wouldn’t look good for Fergus’ second in command to dive tackle one of the prince’s female guests. Nor would it look good for Dora if she ran.
Dora looked down at the hand wound in her skirts. Her eyes widened, and she slowly withdrew her hand and held it up. “I … I’m sorry. I do have something in my hand.” Clutched in her fist was a tiny jar sealed with red wax and filled with clear liquid. She shook her head. “I … I don’t even know where it came from.” She gave a humorless laugh and looked at Jax. “As if you’re going to believe that.”
He nodded to her hand. “What is it?”
She gave another shake of her head. “I’m … not sure. I don’t even know where it came from. Or…” She turned on the spot. “…how I got out here.” Her gaze flitted around the garden, leaping from one thing to the next, her eyes confused and a frown wrinkling her forehead.
Jax lifted his brows. It was easy to see he didn’t believe her. Though I wanted to—Dora had seemed so lovely the other times I’d met her—I was having trouble believing her, too. “And where were you headed, in such a hurry?”
She smiled, her shoulders relaxing an increment. “That I know. I am meeting the prince for breakfast. He asked me last night.” She rocked back on her heels, proud to be the first to spend time alone with the prince.
Jax stiffened. I probably did, too, but it was he who spoke. “And you were taking that jar to him?”
Her nod was reluctant, as if she knew we were onto her. A tear slipped down her cheek. “I would not hurt him. I … I would have realized I was holding this and … thrown it out before I met him.” She nodded again, but whether she was trying to convince herself or us, I wasn’t sure.
Jax stepped forward, hand out. “May I have the jar?”
She shook her head, moving away. “N-no. I can’t give you that.”
Jax puffed out his chest, seeming to grow in size. It caused Dora to take another step back. “You can. And you will.” Jax looked at me. “We’ll finish our conversation later.” He took Dora by the elbow and led her up the path toward the castle. She glanced over her shoulder. When I did nothing to help her, she straightened her shoulders and lifted her head, her strides matching Jax’s.
Three days had never taken so long to pass, except, perhaps, in the dungeons of Rhiannon’s castle—my castle. There were few restrictions placed upon us. We were only allowed in our wing of the castle, but nothing outdoors was off limits. We were all to spend a small amount of time with Prince Fergus, but we would be advised just prior to our time with him when and where we would meet. Otherwise, there was croquet on the lawn beside the hedge maze, or a myriad of indoor games in the common room. Which was also where we ate.
I hated that place. Every time I went in there, the girls were talking about Dora. Everyone had seen Jax lead her into the castle, but since then, she’d not been spotted once. Some girls had gone to check her room, but the door was tightly closed, and she hadn’t answered their incessant knocking.
I imagined she was gone from the castle, but I would not suggest it. I was the last person seen with both Jax and Dora. Whatever I said about it must be true … or so everyone said.
Rather than sit down to eat and join the Dora conversations, I usually took a couple of buns from the table and ate as I wandered the grounds. It gave me time to think. And often, it was a good place to check out the other girls with no one noticing—most of them usually headed outside after their afternoon meal, anyway. I was still trying to find that elusive woman I’d seen with Fergus through the black glass, because based on what I’d seen, Dora’s dark, short hair was the wrong color to make her that person. Problem was, so was everyone else’s. There were plenty that came close, but weren’t quite right. In my mind, I had a clear picture of what that person looked like from behind, but I couldn’t find her among the women of the Declaration.
The girl’s dates with Fergus ranged from picnics, to walks in the garden, to private croquet lessons, with each of them proclaiming the prince had told them he had the best time so far with them. I couldn’t believe them, except maybe Jasmine. She seemed sweet, and I could imagine Fergus wanting to spend more time with her.
I was both excited and dreading my time with Fergus. Had I seen Jax again, I might have asked him to stop mine from happening, but Jax was oddly absent after dragging Dora indoors. So here I was, standing outside the stables, waiting for Fergus to arrive.
An icy wind whipped my hair around my face, leaving my nose numb. I rubbed my hands together for warmth as Fergus rushed past me and through the door into the stables. I followed him in, glad to be out of the cold for a moment or two.
“Horse riding, right?” He walked away from me as he spoke, heading, I guessed, for Obsidian’s stall on hurried feet. “We don’t have much time, but there should be two horses ready to go.” He walked the length of the stables, then cursed when he didn’t find the readied horses. “Where is everyone?” He turned my way and ran a hand through his already messy hair, giving me the first chance to take him in properly.
His cheeks were red with exertion, probably from rushing from whichever date he’d been on previously, but the shadowed rings beneath his eyes had grown more prominent over the past few days.
“Hello?” he called, his voice brimming with annoyance. “Why are the horses not ready? I don’t have time for a bathroom break, let alone my next date not being ready!”
“We don’t have to—”
“Hello?” He rattled an empty stall door, making the horses stomp and shuffle.
I raced over and took hold of his arm to stop him from doing it again. This wasn’t how he acted, especially around his horses. He must be feeling the pressure. “Don’t worry about it.”
“I can’t not worry. I have a million things to do, and this date is next on my list.”
“Fergus. Stop. Listen to me. We don’t need to go on this date.”
His eyebrows lifted, and he stilled. “What did you just call me?”
I swallowed. For a moment, I’d forgotten myself. Forgotten who I was supposed to be. “Prince Fergus,” I corrected, dropping my gaze. “I’m sorry.”
He stared at me, his eyes sweeping across my face, before letting out a sigh. “It wouldn’t be fair for you to miss your date. Not when the other girls have had their time with me.”
Now I was here talking to him, looking at him, I wasn’t so eager to walk away, either. I turned on the spot, looking around. “We could … just sit in here and hide from everyone for a while?” I fumbled in my pockets and pulled out the bun I’d swiped at lunchtime. “We could share this and pretend we went on a picnic?”
His eyebrows lifted and his gaze caught on the bun in my hand. “I’m not sure if I should ask why you have food in your pocket, or why you want to spend time in the smelly stables.”
I inhaled deeply. “Come, now. You don’t think this place is smelly, surely. I think you love your horses, so I’d bet you find everything about the stables relaxing.” I nodded to a bale of hay, ready and waiting to go into the stalls. “It even comes with a ready-made seat.” He stared at me without speaking, and I added, “And I have food in my pocket in case I come across a prince so in need of food he can’t see that the horses not being ready might be a blessing. You look tired, your Highness. Let’s sit for a while. We don’t even need to talk if you don’t want to.”
He let out a laugh and wandered over to the
hay bale to sit. “These past few days have been…”
“Draining?”
He nodded. “I spend the days getting to know you ladies, and then evenings catching up on work. There’s little time for anything else and I’m so tired, I’m not even sure I’m making proper decisions.” He glanced at the bun. “Maybe I do need to eat.”
I passed him the food.
He took it, indicating I should sit beside him, which I did. He ripped the bun apart and gave half to me. “It’s Amber, right?”
I nodded, hating that I could no longer speak to him as myself.
“How are you enjoying Faery?”
“It’s…” I wasn’t sure what the right answer was to that question. I settled for something that wasn’t a lie. “It’s different from home.” I stared at him, biting on my lip and wondering if I could say what I was thinking, and what his reaction might be.
He seemed to realize there was something else I wanted to say. “What is it?”
I drew in my breath. It didn’t matter what his reaction was because he needed to send me home, anyway. “We don’t have to make small talk. We don’t even have to talk. In fact, I can leave if you would prefer to sit here alone.”
His eyes caught mine, and my heart raced. How could he still do the things to me that he’d done when the bond existed? It made no sense. I pulled my gaze away, looking at the straw covered ground.
“But if we do as you suggest, you will miss your chance to show me why you’re the best match for me and I might send you home.” There was a small frown between his eyes, like he couldn’t understand why I might suggest such a thing.
I shrugged. “But at least when you send me home, you’ll know you made the right decision because you would have had time to yourself to make that decision.” I bit my tongue. I was supposed to be making him want to send me home, not trying to befriend him. Yet try as I might, I couldn’t come up with a single thing to say that might make him dislike me. And the grin that was forming on his face only made me want to linger with him a little longer.
Kingdom of Future's Hope (Royals of Faery Book 4) Page 7