Page 109 of Ecliptic

I nodded and slowed my breathing.

Rowen pushed open the double doors, and standing in our doorway was an entourage of desert elves.

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The Keeper of the Eye of the Sun batted his lashes at me; his eyelids painted pink like ripe cactus blossoms. He was dressed in a bright yellow kaftan with a hood over his bald head. As suspected, he was flanked by guards and other elves I couldn’t quite make out.

“Can we see Rayal?” I asked, joining Rowen at the threshold, trying my best to make it look like I’d gotten a good night’s rest—that I hadn’t heard the horrendous news of elves being murdered in the streets for trying to survive.

“It seems an audience has already been requested,” he replied, eyeing us with a knowing look. “The princess was informed of your presence and would greatly like to meet you.”

“How lovely,” I said, trying my best to sound calm, keeping up with the pretenses for the guards.

Thaydril scanned me up and down, noticing I still wore my rumpled clothes from last night. “You cannot meet the princess looking like this. You must change.”

The Keeper of the arch clapped his hands, and a rush of desert elves swept into the room, their arms filled with garments, accessories, and platters of food.

“Really, this isn’t necessary?—”

“Of course it is,” Thaydril cut in. “You must look presentable.”

Suddenly, Rowen and I were yanked behind a screen. My hair was tugged at from all angles, and my clothes were stripped from my body.

Beside me, the same was happening to Rowen. Women ran their fingers through his hair and unbuttoned his shirt. We made eye contact as our transformations began, agreeing to remain compliant.

There was no way Thaydril was going to let us out of this.

I sighed and allowed myself to be fussed over. Time was slipping through our fingers faster than an hourglass, and the sooner we looked presentable, the sooner I could meet with the king.

Thaydril sauntered over to one of the guards and began twirling his curly hair within his finger. “Hello, beautiful. As you can see, things are about to get quite hectic in here, and you and your men will only get in the way. Would you be a love and guard us from the other side of the door?”

The soldier stiffened, uncomfortable by how close and personal Thaydril was getting with him. He cleared his throat, his eyes widening in alarm as he saw the amount of clothes and beauty products.

“We will be just outside the door,” he said, nodding to his troops to follow him out of the room.

“Finally, some privacy,” Thaydril groaned. “As beautiful as they are, they are quite the nuisance.”

Stripped down to our undergarments, we were ushered into two copper tubs placed side by side. Water was dumped on us as we were scrubbed clean, and I cringed as I was doused in the very thing the elves needed to survive.

“Do we really need to do this?” I asked again, wincing as twoyoung ladies dried me and sat me on a stool to brush the knots from my hair.

“We do,” Thaydril replied, his tone leaving no room for negotiation. “The king can take one look at you and banish you from the city before you’ve even had a chance to speak. Let your looks get you through the door so your words can convince him to listen.”

“That’s ridiculous. He should listen regardless. The elves in his streets are dying.”

Thaydril winced. “Maybe don’t start with that. If that’s all you got, we’re in trouble. You’ll need to be a bit more convincing, I’m afraid.”

“What are you suggesting she do?” Rowen murmured, his eyes looking like green fire as an elve with heavy freckles applied lotions and perfumes to my body.

“Nothing too extreme,” the Keeper replied, fishing through what looked to be a makeup bag. “But trust me, you’ll thank me when the king actually lets you close enough to listen.”

Nerves twisted my gut, but I had no choice but to trust the man who’d already helped us so much. “Why are you helping us?”

“My cousin saw long before anyone else what was happening to the lands of Luneth,” Thaydril said, picking up a stick of kohl and applying it to my eyes. “I believed her without question. I knew who you were instantly, but I could not let on. If the guards suspected, they would have alerted the king. Rayal spoke of you when she returned home. It is why I trust you. It is why I am going through all this trouble to make you look presentable. The king wouldn’t look twice at you in your bedraggled state.”

“Watch it,” Rowen said. “That is my soul flame you’re talking to.”

“If she’s your soul flame, a little flirting with the kingshouldn’t threaten you. Now, be quiet. This is the hardest part,” he said as he dragged the kohl to the outer corner of my eye.

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