Chapter 30
“Welcome to my court,planeweaver,”the queen said, leaning forward.
I barely noticed. I was still reeling from the sight of Falin. Of him standing beside her. Of him touching her. My mouth went dry, and even Malik’s soulful voice faded to a buzz in my ears. Something in my chest had frozen. Maybe it was my lungs, because I couldn’t seem to breathe.
He’s with her. And of course he was. Look at her. She was . . . And look at me in my tank top and hip-huggers with a giant pink chalk handprint on one thigh, my hair in a snarl of tangles after being whipped around by the wind tearing out of the land of the dead. I clenched my fists at my sides. I’d known Falin was the queen’s lover. I’d known.
Falin wasn’t looking at me, but staring straight ahead, over the dancers. Heat burned in my cheeks. Embarrassment, maybe. Anger, definitely. At him. At me.
I tore my gaze away. I had work to do: a reaper’s accomplice to unearth and a friend to rescue. Well, actually, more than one friend—I wasn’t leaving Caleb a slave in the winter court.
When I turned I found the queen’s sharp gaze on me, watching, assessing.
“You’re staring at my knight,” she said, reaching up to stroke his hand where it rested on her shoulder. “Are you wondering about the chain? He has been . . . unpredictable, of late. Let it not worry your mind.”
I blinked, and only then did I realize that a finger-thick chain, the links formed of glimmering ice, bound Falin to his queen. What the hell is going on?
He didn’t act like a prisoner, but then again, he also didn’t act like he wanted to be there. Aside from the hand touching her shoulder, he didn’t acknowledge her any more than he acknowledged me. Of course, the chain binding him was thin, and it was only ice. If he wanted to break it, I was sure he could. Stop thinking about it, Alex.
“I have thrown this ball in your honor,” the queen said, drawing my attention back to her. “Do you like it?”
I opened my mouth and then snapped it closed again. Play this smart, Alex. It didn’t matter if I wanted to pull out all of the queen’s perfect hair right this minute. I was talking to a regent in a place where I didn’t know the rules. I had to be very, very careful. But I also couldn’t lie. That complicates things.
I looked around. “It’s enchanting.”
“It is, isn’t it?” She smiled. “While I firmly believe one never needs a reason for a ball, I also think one should celebrate a newly awakened Sleagh Maith joining a court.”
Uh, except I hadn’t. From what Rianna and my father had said, I was pretty sure that choosing a court was, well, a choice. I pasted on a smile and rubbed PC’s ears. “Congratulations. And who aligned with the winter court today?”
She frowned. “My dear, you awakened in my territory. Of course you will join my court.”
But she said “will join,” which meant my assumption was correct: the choice came down to me. “I intend to see a bit more of Faerie before I commit to anything,” I said, and then added, “I’ve heard the high court has golden halls.”
“Make merry with us, planeweaver,” she said, and I wasn’t sure if she was ignoring my statement or just continuing with her apparent plan of awing me with the grandeur of her court. “Let me find you a partner.”
She pointed and a man who appeared to be around my own age stepped forward. Judging by the bright yellow of his soul, I guessed he was a human changeling.
“Jarrid is a splendid dancer,” she said as he approached the dais.
I smiled at him, but said, “I am not interested in a dance.” After all, from my experience, dances in Faerie were dangerous things. Okay, so the ball had none of the frantic, addictive energy of the Endless Dance, but still, better safe than sorry.
The queen frowned and dismissed Jarrid with a flick of her hand. Then she pointed into the crowd again. “This is Alrick, one of the last remaining of his kin.”
The fae she motioned forward was shaped like a man, but instead of skin, fine scales that glittered like cut sapphires covered him. When he reached the dais, he bowed to me, holding out a hand tipped in golden nails.
“I’m not dressed to dance.”
It was an excuse, and a flimsy one, which the queen dismissed with the wave of her hand. Or at least, I thought she was dismissing the excuse. Then a draft ran across my shoulders.
I looked down. My tank top and hip-huggers had vanished, replaced by a pale off-the-shoulder gown shot through with silver embroidery and accented with delicate ice flowers. My red purse was also gone, PC now hanging in an iciclestudded silver sling. I could see through glamour, so I saw reality waver, both my street clothes and the gown solid. Then reality settled on the gown, and my own clothes simply ceased to exist. Oh, that is so not fair. And for the queen’s glamour to not only fool reality, but actually change it, meant she was extremely powerful.
Her glamour had also vanished the gloves Rianna had given me, and a hushed gasp traveled through the ballroom as my bloody palms were exposed for all to see. The queen’s thin eyebrows lifted, just a notch, and she waved her hand again. Pale gloves of the softest material I’d ever touched appeared on my hands. They matched the dress, with threads of silver woven through them all the way to where they ended at the middle of my biceps. Holly’s ruby amulet dangling from my silver charm bracelet stood out like a wound against all that snowy fabric.
“It is a beautiful”—unwanted—“dress. But I must pass on the dance.”
The queen pursed her lips. Then she scanned the crowd, as if uncertain. Finally she pointed at the Sleagh Maith who had toasted me when I first arrived. “This is Ryese, the son of my beloved sister.”
I looked at the crystal-haired fae. The queen had now offered me three partners, each of higher rank than the last. There was often significance in actions made three times, and I had the feeling that if I declined again, I would not only be dismissing the offers of her court but insulting her bloodline. What do I do?
I glanced around the assembled fae, my gaze stumbling over more than a dozen with the icy cords binding them. “A magnificent partner, but I must pass.”
Ryese looked stunned, but the queen just looked irritated. “Is there no one in my court who interests you?”
“There is.”
“You are the guest of honor. You must join one dance before the night is through. So pick your partner, planeweaver. My court is yours to choose from.”
I didn’t look at Falin. It took every ounce of self-control in my body, but I didn’t even glance at him. He was chained to the queen—I doubted she’d give him to me, even if I asked. Which I won’t. But the way the queen said “must” made me believe I actually did have to join the dance. I turned, searching the crowd of fae.
“Him.” I pointed at Caleb.
“An unusual choice.” She waved him forward. “Do unburden yourself first.”
I looked down at PC. I didn’t want to get separated from him—he was an awfully small dog—but the look the queen gave me said this wasn’t a negotiable point. I unslung the bag and set it on the edge of the dais.
“Stay,” I whispered.
He whined, and then immediately jumped out of the bag and pranced across the dais. He stopped in front of Falin and pawed the man’s leg. Falin didn’t move, but the edge of his mouth on the side facing away from the queen twitched upward, just a hair, and I swear I saw his gaze flicker toward me.
“Bad dog,” I mumbled, and then Caleb was leading me to the dance floor.
I don’t dance. It’s sort of a personal rule. I’ve never been good enough at it to reach the point at which dancing became fun. And this wasn’t mere dancing. This dance had choreographed steps.
The dance started with a bow, and I didn’t realize I was supposed to be curtsying, not bowing, until the woman beside me cleared her throat. Then the women made a line and danced in a small circle. I was pretty sure there was some move I was supposed to be doing with my feet, but my feet weren’t visible under the gown anyway, so I just tried to keep pace. Then the men danced because, of course, this couldn’t be a dance where the men and women did the same thing at the same time. I was gritting my teeth again by the time the lines of men and women joined.
“Are you okay?” I asked as Caleb and I circled each other, our right palms pressed together.
“I’m not in the dungeon anymore, so that’s a plus.” He flashed me a bright smile, which was completely fake. “Good behavior wins rewards, if not trust.” Then he turned and held up his left hand. The couples around us switched directions, but it took me an awkward moment to figure that out and by the time I spun around the dance had moved on to the next step.
I remained perpetually one step off throughout the dance. I didn’t care. I was watching Caleb and the cord binding him. He appeared to be able to move anywhere he wanted to in the ballroom, but I had the feeling he couldn’t leave. Which meant it had to go. It was definitely magic, but I had no idea how it worked. I’d only just started being able to feel fae magic. But I do have my dagger. The dagger was enchanted to cut through anything, and from its pressure against my leg in its sheath, I could almost feel it agreeing that it could get the job done. First I have to get to it.
The queen hadn’t changed my shoes, probably because the gown dragged the ground, so it wasn’t like anyone was going to see my feet. The problem? Getting to a boot holster underneath a ball gown was a real bitch. I waited until the end of the song, when I was once again curtsying, and even then, drawing the dagger was anything but smooth. It was more of a hike-the-skirt-and-dig-through-layers-ofmaterial-until-I-found-my-leg kind of move. I had no doubt that I’d been noticed. But with what I was about to do, I couldn’t avoid being noticed. Dropping from the curtsy into a kneel beside Caleb, I slid the blade through the halfreal cord. It dissolved.
“Al, what did you do?” Caleb hissed, his gaze darting around the room as if to see who noticed. Most of the fae had moved into the next dance already, but the queen pushed herself to her feet. I could feel her staring at us. I wasn’t the only one, Caleb clearly sensed her gaze as well. “We have to get out of here.” He wrapped an arm around my waist and dragged me forward.