Page 25 of Straw and Gold
I rubbed my eyes, silently handing her a bobbin. “You didn’t ask my dear husband where he sequestered me to?”
“King Killian has locked himself away in his study, not to be disturbed.”
“Well,” I began, standing and stretching, handing her the rest of the thread. “Before that we made a bargain which included these. Please take them down to the workers in clothing production so they can do something useful with them.”
She studied the spools, pulling on the thread. “Your Majesty… is this…”
“Golden thread, yes,” I finished.
“Real gold, my queen?”
“Yes, spun from straw.”
She gasped, clutching the spools to her chest. “Then youarea Changelingfae!” She laughed, the sound tinkling and echoing down the stairwell. “I’d heard the rumors because of your golden wings, but I wasn’t so sure myself and then Captain Fedir insisted he saw you as a golden raven when you arrived at the?—”
“Wait, go back.” I held up my hands, catching her eyes. “You’re telling me I’m a Changelingfae?”
She cocked her head with a sly smile. “You didn’t know? The gold tips of your wings is one thing, but your power to transform an object into another confirms it.”
I glanced at her golden curls. “So, you’re a Changelingfae as well? Do…do we all have gold on our bodies?”
“Yes!” she exclaimed happily. “Yes, every Changelingfae is marked by gold, just as every Ravenfae is marked by feathered wings, correct?”
I nodded, understanding Killian’s questioning about my father.
Changelingfae.
I had no idea. My whole life, I hadn’t met another one. Did my mother know my father was? Did Korven knowwhatI was?
“Excuse me, Alista, I must get back to my room.”
She curtsied as I passed her down the stairs. “Of course, Your Majesty! Please call for me if you need assistance undressing tonight!”
“I won’t, but thank you!” I called back, rushing down the lit halls in a half-run to get to my husband who had some questions to answer.
I burst through our ornately carved bedroom door, making a mental note to study the scenes depicted in the artistry later. “Killian!” I called, searching the room to find it empty. I quickly knocked on his study door, hardly pausing before he bid me to enter.
I rushed through, finding myself in a small chamber complete with a large desk and two chairs sharing a small table next to a fireplace. The rest of the room was lined with immaculately shelved books along every wall, floor to ceiling. It must have been over a thousand volumes.
“Is this the castle library?” I asked, distracted and pulling a thick volume from the shelf labeled,Grasses and Their Phosphorus Levels. Opening the book, I found it filled with regions of Revelry and charts for soil minerals.
“Lebher,” he replied, rising from his desk to join me.
“Sorry?” I looked up from the detailed notes scribbled on the margins of the book.
He tapped the old tome and repeated, “Lebher.” Then he pointed to the door behind me, adding, “Doru.”
“Oh…” Apparently, my lessons in Céaduah had begun. I closed the book and repeated, “Leb-hair.”
He held in a smile, shaking his head and spoke slowly, “Leb-her.”
“Lebher,” I repeated, adding the guttural sound with the back of my throat.
“Good, Morella.”
I blushed furiously, ticking another compliment onto my hand, albeit a small one.
Noticing my reddened cheeks, he held up four fingers with a raised brow.
