Page 16 of Secrets and Starlight

Ayla

Someone knocked on the door, and I jumped to my feet, debating which of my hidden daggers was closest. Zayne vanished into the shadows.

Rhett chuckled, shaking his head as he glanced between myself and the place where Zayne had been. Muttering something involving the word “paranoid,” he straightened his shirt and approached the door.

Iona stood at the door, even more beautiful than before. Her hair was teased into an elegant updo, and the sparkles in her pale pink dress blinded me as she stepped into the lit entryway.

Behind her, there was chatter in the courtyard as Mer’s guests began their journey to the throne room. The Starlit Court was streaming out of the suite in the corner of the structure—a vast apartment, judging from the lack of doors anywhere around it. Everyone was chatting with the atmosphere of revelers.

“Shall we?” Rhett asked her, offering her his arm, and she accepted with a smile. He turned to me and the two dogs. “Following?”

Taking a deep breath, I found a courtly smile and addressed Iona. “Thank you for the dress. It’s beautiful.”

“I’m glad you’re here, even if it’s all a bit of a surprise.”

“Yes?” I asked, genuinely curious. Her excitement at seeing Rhett was easy to justify. But why me?

She nodded. “Maybe you can offer some perspective on what Valterra truly needs from the Isles. There aren’t many here who can voice this concern—my mother didn’t seem fit to invite them—but perhaps you can fill that role.”

I tensed. What she asked would mean addressing the royalty and merchants. It was attention I didn’t want, and yet… “That’s important to me,” I admitted. “Maybe it’s lucky we’re here.”

“But I’m the luckiest of all.” Rhett beamed, patting Iona’s hand wrapped snugly around his arm. “So what did you tell your mother about this? Prepare me for the worst, my dear.”

“The truth.” Iona rolled her eyes. “I told her you had more right to be here than half the merchants she invited, so she should consider it a blessing you happened to be passing by.”

“And as for us…” Rhett probed.

“Oh, she warned me yet again you were a terrible fit for a lady such as me.Blah blah blah,you’ve heard it before.” Iona squeezed his arm. “But we’re not teens anymore, Rhett. I need to know if we…”

She drifted off, glancing at me as if remembering they weren’t alone.

I awkwardly cleared my throat and motioned toward the others leaving the guest wing. “I’ll follow you with the dogs. You two should catch up.”

I turned back to the suite, signaled that Rimu and Ninti should follow, and tried not to stare too long at the shadow that kept Zayne hidden from sight.

We trailed behind the others in the dark evening, weaving through the palace grounds. Fae lights illuminated our waytoward the marble dome, pillars supporting the vast structure as music drifted from within. Even from here, I could see the immense cerulean pool that filled its center.

It seemed that dozens of fae had been invited to the festivities, and they appeared to be from all over the Isles, each distinct from the others. One fae had gossamer wings, another had feathered ones, and most had none. Skin tones ranged from rich bronze to fair ivory. Yet all of their ears were pointed, their clothing far more splendid than even Mariana’s coronation gown.

The pinnacle of Valterran splendor held a dim candle to the brilliance of a minor fae gathering.

Still, my foot caught as I recalled the night of Mariana’s coronation. The night my sister had sent someone to assassinate me. It still haunted my dreams.

I didn’t even know if anyone was searching for me.

But no one here would recognize me, right?Aidamight be a newcomer to this palace, but she was also Rhett’s distant cousin who had been raised in Valterra. Her backstory was uncommon, but not unheard of.

I raised my chin higher, showing off the height of my antlers, antlers that were distinctly longer thanAyla’shad been. Surely none of these fae were so concerned with Valterran affairs they’d be looking out for the missing bastard princess.

I shook it off, glancing to where Zayne hid at my side and taking a deep breath. I wasn’t alone, not really.

With a hand minding my skirt, I carefully climbed the tall steps into the pavilion, Ninti and Rimu at my feet.

We entered the throne room, and it overwhelmed me, the space far more splendid than anywhere I had been. Countless statues filled the space, each of them carved from the same marble stone as the floors, the white a stark contrast to the coral that filled the ceiling with vibrant pinks, blues, and yellows.

And there, in the heart of the space, a dais rose above a central cyan pool, with a large coral throne at its center.

The Mer Kings sat upon the unusually wide throne, surrounded by their inner court and their attendants. Their rise to power was a story that had trickled down even into Valterra—how the young prince had insisted he would only take the throne’s rite if his lover joined him. And thus, the two had become kings together.

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