Page 102 of Mountain of Mirrors and Starlight
He wondered if he would see her again.
He wondered why, even though he knew it was too dangerous, he didn’t want to leave her side.
Aislinn frowned, tilting her head. “Are you all right?”
Take me with you to Faerie. Let me follow you forever. Do not let me leave your side.
“I’m fine,” he said.
Aislinn stepped closer, sliding a hand across his chest. The slightest groan eased past his lips at her touch, and he bent his head towards her, forehead skimming hers.
“You are not,” she said, “and if there was anything I could do to make this easier for you, I would do it. I think I would do almost anything for you, Caer—”
“Ah! Princess Aislinn, you’re here too!” said a cheery voice.
Caer leapt back. Prince Tiberius was standing at the door. He swallowed a groan.
“There’s still a little while before the demonstration,” Tiberius went on. “I rather thought you wouldn’t like to be sitting stewing in your chambers.”
“Quite right,” Caer said tartly, forcing himself not to look at Aislinn.I was rather hoping to be doing something other than ‘stewing’...
“I thought perhaps a tour?”
“That’s very kind of you,” Aislinn said.
Tiberius smiled wider. “You look lovely.”
Aislinn bowed her head, nodding her thanks.
“You look splendid too, Prince Caerwyn, but the princess looks particularly fetching.”
“I agree,” said Caer, unable to fully unclench his jaw.
Tiberius did not seem to notice. He stepped out into the corridor, holding out his arm.
Aislinn moved forward, but Caer’s hand reached out and caught her sleeve—an action of habit. He didn’t need to do that here. He could touch her here.
He let go, and grasped her fingers instead, clutching onto them tightly as they slipped into the corridor. “Just for a moment,” he said. “It helps.”
Aislinn squeezed them back.
“We keep all our guest rooms on this side of the palace,” Tiberius explained, as he guided them through the gilded halls. “Affords excellent views over the gardens, although the best is through the throne room…”
He led them down the corridors, nodding at the guards and servants they passed, pointing out portraits of heroes and monarchs, busts of historical figures. Once they reached the throne room, he headed towards the windows that lined the side of the wall, and opened the doors there. They led to a polished stone balcony stretching out over the blue-green lawns. Manicured flower beds and sculpted hedgerows glittered beneath the bright light of the crystals.
“Beautiful,” Caer agreed.
“My thanks. Although don’t lean over the side—the barrier doesn’t extend past this point.”
Aislinn frowned. “It doesn’t?”
Tiberius shook his head. “The barrier works by using an extremely rare crystal poured into the foundations of the palace, a natural magic dampener, that nullifies it completely with enough thickness in a perfect line. They wanted to stretch it to the outer walls, but they didn’t have enough, and there were concerns that the outside walls themselves were too exposed—someone could just dig down and destroy it.”
“Fascinating,” said Aislinn. “We ought to have taken Beau.”
“Oh, I took him last night,” Tiberius admitted. “He couldn’t wait, it appears.”
“That sounds like Beau…”
