Page 17 of A Bargain with the Fae King

“Are we in trouble?” I squeak, facing forward as they fade from view.

“No.”

“Am I?” Claustrophobia pushes down on my shoulders.

“No.”

Right, we’re just headed into this dark, earthen place. If there’s a dungeon, we’re near it. Panic wraps its hand around my chest, squeezing tight.

We pass by a few offshoots, never slowing. He knows exactly where he’s going. Unfortunately, the way ahead is blocked by a curtain of leafy vines.

“Um…” I start.

“Galen.”

“What?”

He’s not slowing. Oh God. I brace my arms in front of my face and give a little screech, but the plants part as we reach them. The scent of new leaves and blooming flowers hits me in the face like a blast of spring. A moment later, the horse leaps into an open courtyard where more guards wait.

“That’s my name,” Golden Tree says.

Oh.Oh.I really should have asked. I roll my shoulders, a little of the tightness slipping away, but this place is far from normal.

“My apologies if I scared you.” He drops from the horse and offers me help down. “I took the more private route. Didn’t want anyone slowing us down.”

“Um…” Breath catches behind my pressed lips.Polite. Be Polite.“Thank you.”

The urge to run is heightened as ever as he helps me slide to the ground. My teeth dig into my lip, nearly drawing blood. If only the pain could wake me from this nightmare.

The elongated courtyard sports a number of guards dressed like Galen’s companions. Green trees, one and all—except for near the dramatic door at the far end. Two golden trees stand on either side of the arched, two-story monstrosity. The plant life is just as dramatic. Trees that look like giant weeping willows drape their branches toward the plush carpet of grass. Stones pockmark it, forming a loose pathway. Water trickles somewhere nearby, though I can’t make it out.

If May weren’t missing, I might find it beautiful, but all I can see is wrongness, a threat, shadows waiting to eat me up.

Whispers pick up around us. The word ‘human’ tickles my ears and raises the fine hairs along my neck. The men and women here could be human if not for the pointed ears and the hint of otherness—magic?—that radiates from them. Varied human-like skin and hair tones show a world as diverse as my own. But I’m far from comfortable in their presence.

“This way, please.” Galen ignores the other guards and leads me through the weaving path of stones to the giant doors.

“Riven’s in there?” It comes out an accidental whisper. My stomach tosses and turns like a flag in a storm, and it’s all I can do to put one foot in front of the other.

You’ve got this, Lia. You’re May’s only hope.

A near-hysterical giggle wells up in me. I barely choke it down.

“He should be.” Galen glances over at me, where I rub the material of my shirt between my fingers. “They’re—” He cuts himself off. “I have orders to follow.” He dips a small bow as we come to a stop in front of the double doors carved with varied designs of animals and plants.

None of it makes me comfortable. Something is wrong.

“I—”Don’t leave. Stay with me. You’re not as scary as the rest.

Before I can settle on what to say, the guards are pulling open the massive doors by the thick ropes where door handles might go.

My heart leaps into my throat as a wave of conversation and laughter washes over me. And then it plummets, falling fast and hard to settle like a boulder in my stomach, as a mass of colorful fae turn toward the open doors.

Chapter 5

Mybackstiffensastheir gazes crawl over me like spiders. Roving. Intrusive. Prying.

Pointed ears twitch. Heads cock to the side. Some begin to shove at one another and whisper.

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