Page 30 of The Fae Girl 1

A knock at the door brought me back into the room and away from the spinning thoughts of my head.

I turned as it creaked open and the guard stuck his head round. His gaze on Mira more than me, like he was afraid to look at me.

“They’re ready.” He said.

Mira smiled at him in response.

And then slowly, reluctantly on my part, we walked out, down through the winding corridors. Mira chatted away, pointing things of note out and though none of it was really distracting me, I was grateful for it anyway.

I needed to focus. I needed to remember the way because if the opportunity arose I needed to take it. I needed to escape.

But my mind refused to pay attention. All it kept doing was going back to the image in the mirror and how I looked. Something had changed. Deep down I knew it and now I was dreading this meeting.

Dreading whatever was coming next.

We stopped in front of a carved oak door at the end of a long corridor with a guard either side. The guard to the left tapped lightly on the door before opening it and standing aside but as Mira went to walk in he blocked her way.

“Not you. Just the Fae girl.” He said.

“Oh.” Mira said embarrassed, hopping to one side as she flushed red.

I gave her the most reassuring look I could before walking in.Here we go,I thought as the door shut behind me.

The room felt half like a library, half like an grand office. Bookcases lined the curved walls and in the middle a great table was covered in what looked to be maps, and pages and pages of scrawled notes. A huge stone hearth was along the one straight wall and in front of it stood three men, all watching me like hawks.

“Please sit.” Marke said politely motioning to a chair they’d clearly positioned especially for me.

“I’d rather stand thanks all the same.” I replied folding my arms in front of me, determined not to make this easy for them.

“As you wish.” He replied. “This is Jelric, the High King’s Chief Magi and you’ve met High Prince Fain already.”

I kept my eyes firmly on Jelric who was unashamedly examining me from under his slightly wonky glasses. I was determined not to even glance in the prince’s direction, though I could feel his eyes boring into me, watching my every move like I was about to do something he’d need to react to. Need to stop.

“You are welcome here Fae.” Jelric said with a tilt of his head. “You have had a long journey and one not without danger.”

I gritted my teeth. Like they weren’t the ones to have put me in that danger in the first place. “What do you want from me?”

“You belong to the High King.” Marke said.

I rolled my eyes at the same old answer that gave me nothing.

“And you are in danger.” Jelric said stepping nearer to me as he cut across Marke’s words.

“How?” I asked.

“Many people are aware of your presence here. And not everyone is a friend of the Fae.”

“I’m not Fae.” I snapped.

“What did I say.” The Prince said to Jelric who merely raised his hand in acknowledgement.

“The Agnai would especially love to get hold of you.” Jelric continued.

“Great thing you brought me all the way here then isn’t it?” I said. My voice so devastatingly cold. “When you could have just left me back at Hollingshurst where I was safe.”

“What is ‘Hollingshurst’?” Jelric asked confused, stumbling upon the name.

“It’s her world. Where Ghosh’s men found her.” Marke answered quietly.

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