Page 36 of The Shadow Path
Harold was easy to spot as they walked down the center aisle to be presented. He was a tall, plain-faced man whose most prominent feature seemed to be the flowing brown locks that fell to his shoulders and the gold-rimmed spectacles on his nose. His beard was thick, braided in two forks and decorated with bright gold beads. His nose was prominent, and his eyes were dark in the flickering blue-and-white fae-light.
To his right, King Dafydd sat on a slightly lower seat, wearing a simple gold circlet on his forehead. A humble king with a dragon standing at attention behind him. He was speaking to Harold in a low voice and gave Carys a nod. Anwyn, Carys’s cousin, was seated on Dafydd’s right.
Just past Anwyn, Lachlan watched Carys with a smile in his eyes. He was wearing a gold circlet similar to Dafydd’s but decorated with a single green stone. Beside him, a woman with flowing blond hair and a single gold sigil on her forehead drank from a crystal goblet. A unicorn in Anglia? Interesting.
“The Lady Carys, Nêrys Ddraig of Cymru,” another usher announced. “And Lord Dragon Cadell of the Horde of Eryri.”
“Lady Carys,” Harold said to them. “And Lord Dragon Cadell. The thrones of Briton greet you, and the royal house of Anglia welcomes you to London.”
Carys offered him a low nod as Cadell had instructed her earlier. “I am grateful, King Harold. Congratulations on your coronation, and we appreciate your hospitality.”
That was all she said and all she was expected to say. She didn’t bow because she wasn’t Harold’s subject and to do so would have been a slap at Dafydd, who was—technically speaking—her king.
The usher showed them to a table on the left side of the garden, where they were shortly joined by Laura and Duncan.
“Okay, this is so fascinating,” Laura whispered. “But who the hell is that boss queen to Harold’s left?”
Carys glanced up and looked at the left side of the table where another line of dignitaries was sitting.
“Thatboss queen” —Cadell kept his voice low— “is Orla, high queen of Éire. And next to her is Prince Cian, her consort and the closest thing to a fae ruler in Briton.”
“That’sQueen Orla?” Carys didn’t know why she was expecting someone older except that she’d met Orla’s granddaughter, who’d been the same age as Carys. “Holy wow.”
Orla was the single most beautiful woman Carys had ever seen in her entire life. She wore her raven hair in intricately woven braids, and bright jewels decorated the elaborate, lacelike silver crown on her head.
Regan’s mother.Carys could see echoes of the sorceress in the queen’s face, and just for a moment, Orla turned brilliant blue eyes toward Carys, as if she could hear her thoughts.
Their eyes met for only a second before Orla’s shuttered and looked away.
Perhaps she was seeing Seren’s face. The face of the woman her daughter and granddaughter had killed.
Did she feel guilt for stealing Dafydd’s child?
Did she feel anything at all?
A second later, the queen’s eyes moved back to the head table, and she inclined her head toward King Harold as he spoke to her.
She was the picture of grace and royalty. Her gown looked like it was woven from moonlight and silk, and while her hair showed silver threads at the temples, her skin was unlined and glowed like a pearl.
“She’s human?” Laura asked. “Entirely human? I’d assumed she was fae.”
“She’s not mundane,” Cadell said. “She’s a trained magic user, but she is human.”
“Then I need her skin routine,” Laura muttered.
“Her beauty regimen would be being wedded to a fae prince.” Duncan nodded toward the regal, golden-haired fae man at Orla’s side. “Magical unions have been known to keep humans young for a long time.”
Prince Cian was tall, broad-shouldered, and as stunning as Orla in an overtly masculine way. His jaw was shaved smooth, and his golden hair fell like a waterfall over his shoulders. His crown was wrought of finely woven gold, and though he didn’t bear the title of king, his demeanor was as royal as any figure at the head table.
His eyes surveyed the welcome banquet, and he looked down his nose at the gathered company, clearly a bit bored by the ceremony.
Laura looked at Cadell. “So doesanymagical union keep a human young?”
“Yes,” the dragon said quickly. “At least, that is what I have heard.”
Duncan shot Carys a look, and Carys couldn’t stop her smile.
Transparent. Cadell was so transparent.
