Page 52 of Crown of Briars
I also didn’t like the way he had drawn out the wordanywhere. It led me to believe he was privy to certain areas of the castle that no soldier should know about.
“Yes,” I said tersely. “What’s your name, soldier?”
“Warwick, Your Highness,” he supplied.
I burned the name into my memory, making a mental note to investigate this soldier further. I trusted Murvo, who had served me for over a decade. But I didn’t know this fae at all.
I took a step closer to him, my shadows swelling around me. Warwick’s eyes roved over the shadows with interest, but he did not back away or show any sign of fear. He stood a few inches shorter than me, which was an impressive feat, since I normally towered over even the tallest of soldiers.
“Get back to your training before I arrest you for insubordination,” I hissed, jerking my head toward the foyer.
Warwick stared at me for a long moment, unmoving. My shadows darkened, spreading around us like thick black ink. Murvo looked terrified enough to shit himself. He tugged on Warwick’s arm.
“Move, soldier,” Murvo snapped when Warwick continued to hold my gaze. At long last, he turned and followed Murvo down the hallway. I watched them pass through the foyer and then the open entrance doors. Afternoon sunlight beat down on them as they descended the steps to the courtyard and veered to the right, toward the training yard and out of sight.
That new soldier seemed far too interested in Sybelle and the goings-on of my castle. I would need to ask Clermont to look into him for me.
Shaking off my unease, I took the hall in the opposite direction in search of my wayward wife.
I finished bathingand dressed myself in a pale gold gown with a lower neckline than I would have liked. When I was dressed, I glanced at the door leading to Varius’s chambers, wondering if I should have told him about my encounter with the soldier in the training yard.
No,I thought. He would only accuse me of harboring prejudices against the unseelie. And I wasn’t entirely sure he would believe me, either.
Besides, the fae hadn’t actually harmed me. Perhaps he had only uttered empty threats to intimidate me.
As I leaned my head against the wall, I had to admit, the intimidation had worked. And it reminded me that I wasn’t entirely welcome here. Varius might claim my presence was needed, but I wasn’t sure all the Shadow Fae felt that way.
Shaking my head to rid myself of the lingering anxiety, I withdrew the vial of birch root I’d stowed in the drawer of my armoire, then made my way to the balcony doors. My hand went to my amber necklace, and I asked, “Are you close by?”
“That soldier is an arrogant prick,”was Azure’s reply.
I smiled, relieved and a bit amused to find she’d been eavesdropping. “I’m glad you didn’t interfere. The last thing I need is for these fae to realize I’m hiding a dragon.”
“I was very close to incinerating him on the spot. He’s lucky.”
I chuckled and opened the balcony doors. “Can you come here, please? I have no idea when Varius will intrude.” Enzira had told me he had a council meeting to attend to today, but I wasn’t sure how long it would last.
“Ah, so now it’s Varius? And not the Wraith King?”
I was spared from having to answer by the massive shape of my dragon appearing in the sky. Her scales shimmered in the sunlight, the brilliant blue blending in with the sky. With grace and ease, she landed on the balcony before me, then growled, lifting one foot.
I drew closer, inspecting the split talon. It had gotten worse; the barb that had punctured her claw had wedged itself deeper.
“Damn,” I muttered. “I may need some tools to get that out.”
“Birch root first,”Azure commanded.
“So bossy,” I muttered, but I uncorked the vial and poured a few droplets on the affected talon. A deep rumbling sound emanated from her chest, a cross between a sigh and a purr. Slowly, she laid her head down on the stone floor, her eyes closing.
“Better?” I asked with a smirk.
“Just get it over with before the effects wear off.”
I sighed, but I couldn’t blame her for her grouchy demeanor. She had been enduring the pain of a sliced talon for almost twenty-four hours. I couldn’t imagine the agony.
I ducked back into my chambers, heart in my throat as I expected to find Varius at our shared door once more.
But he wasn’t there.
