Page 68 of I Summon the Sea

Further down the hallway, we walk past an alcove with windows narrow like arrow slits, the walls decorated with tapestries showing forests, white horned animals and dancing nymphs. A group of ladies is gathered by a long table heaped with dishes and trays of drinks. The small cakes and patties filling the plates have to be fae delicacies.

The ladies are fae, I realize when they peek at me over the rim of fans made from exotic feathers, full of colors. Their pointed ears are adorned with pale gems to contrast with their colorful gowns.

Of course they are fae, I chide myself. Any human nobles should be residing on the Temple Island. Their gowns are like the draks circling in the sky, dyed in all the colors of the rainbow,the hue of every single one more startling than the previous, emerald green, ruby red, honey yellow, sea blue. Their hair is done up in elaborate hairdos towering on their heads, stuffed with carved pins and decorated with glinting gemstones.

They look like trees laden with fruit, trees decorated for the winter festivities. And this isn’t even the ball. This is simply how they dress to wander around in the palace.

Their giggling rings out from behind their fans.

“They dress up in case the king walks by,” Arkin says. “In case he notices them.”

Ipfftand continue on my way. What do I care about it?

“You don’t mind them laughing at you?” he asks.

Is he still here? I shoo at him again.Take a hint, Arkin.

He only chuckles. “We’re almost at the southern terrace. If you go down the three steps up ahead and turn right, you’ll find a long portrait hall that will take you there.”

I don’t care. Somewhere has to be a staircase going up, toward the king’s apartments. That’s where I’m going. Water finds its way through earth, and hopefully so will I.

The halls echo with voices and laughter. A group of fae males appear around the corner, standing in a parlor with large windows facing the sea. They cast us curious looks as we walk by.

The windows are again made of glass, the iron creating a lattice outside, as it had in my room, in case an eldritch sea creature should jump high up and try to eat the face off of one of the guests.

I’m gaping at the opulence, and I can’t stop myself. We pass one parlor, then another. I ignore the stares and whispers, the outright whistling and laughing. Is it so weird for them to see a contestant walking past?

Craning my neck to check out a painting of a black wyrm with a rider seated behind the curved horns of its head, I stumble, and Arkin is there in a flash, catching my arm.

“Are you well?” he asks.

Gods, will he stop? I yank my arm free and continue on my way, refusing to look at him. Where is his girl, this Neere who likes to sneer?Go to her. Make babies. Whatever you want to do.

Where are the other contestants anyway? Those who were with me in the dragon’s mouth? I’ve only seen fae aristocracy so far, eating, talking and acting entertained. If I was out all night, the other humans had plenty of time to bathe and get dressed, right?

Unless they don’t want to wander the palace like me.

Unless they are afraid.

I glance over my shoulder at Arkin and catch his smirk. Is he keeping me safe? I won’t ever know, because with him a step behind me, I’ll probably never be attacked.

Possibly.

Skipping down the three steps, I continue along a dim hallway.

It doesn’t matter. Once I find the entrance to the royal apartments, I’ll have to get past the guards and enchantments. My dagger can hopefully help with both. Or I could pretend to be lost. Or be a maid. I just need to get close enough to the king to use my enchanted blade.

I wish I had Jai’s shadows, to walk through them and into the royal chambers.

How did Jai come by his hold on shadows? You are born with the ability, the affinity, or so it’s surmised, and it manifests itself sooner or later, by which point you will have to master it, or else it masters you. But how did the king hear of him, find him? What did Jai do to draw the king’s attention?

Shelves stuffed with books appear in various nooks, soft-looking sofas before them. I long to peruse the books, sit on one of the sofas and read.

I squash the urge. This isn’t the time to stop and rest, to indulge my curiosity and love of stories.

Yet I keep going. It’s warm throughout the palace, I realize as we move down the hall, though I don’t see many fireplaces. Is it magic?

A possibility.

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