Page 17 of The Iron Fae
“Lincoln doesn’t need me to fight his battles.” Kai cuts into the chunk of meat on his plate. “But you… you may need some help.”
His words settle heavy on my shoulders. He’s right, after all. I’m weaker than the Fae here. I’m a foreigner to their culture and traditions.
Every bite turns to stone as it hits my stomach. Something has to be done. I can’t just keep letting them fight my battles for me. I think about my necklace, hidden in Kai’s guest room.
I need my powers. Whatever part of me has been suppressed or taken away or whatever it is, I can’t survive without them anymore.
Mortal, no more.
Shadow Fae blood belongs to me.
Five
I’m Not High, You Are
Dinner continues with little conversation.Rowan ponders how such a delicate flower like myself could possibly enjoy hunting. Kai remains gentlemanly and refrains from giving him the full details of my unbridled fear in the given situation. Though we both laugh as I try to explain that cats in the human world do not get that big.
Rowan watches us with focused attention as I catch myself touching Kai’s shoulder. Throwing my head back with a hearty chuckle. It’s funnier looking back on it now than it was in the actual moment.
Afterwards, I’m escorted back to my room where I find myself with a full closet and a crashing wave of exhaustion. Sleep beckons me and I succumb to it until dawn creeps through my windows and a servant enters my room with a full tray of food.
Breakfast sits in my lap while I blink away my dreams. An arrangement of sweets, mostly comparable to donuts or pastries are stacked into a small mountain of food. I skip the sweets in favor of the dark roast coffee steaming in a mug. Nothing like a hit of caffeine to prepare me for whatever the Iron Court has in store for me. I watch the door waiting for any one of the royals to burst in without knocking, but I get to finish the breakfast in peace.
There is even time for me to stand and look out the window. Unlike Lincoln’s room in the Shadow Court, there is no view of the city. My guest suite looks out at the valley, slick with morning dew, that Kai and I had ridden through yesterday. Winds blow the tree limbs of the forest at the valley’s edge. How many other beasts live within it as wild as the white panther? How deadly would a walk through the woods be for someone like me?
The thoughts only grow my need to release my power. I step down into the living area, a fire burns in the hearth, though I haven’t a clue when it was started or by whom. On the mantle is an arrangement of décor, fresh flowers, a small canvas painting, and an assortment of porcelain vases. My fingers grip the cool, smooth, lid of a cream-colored pot that reminds me of what someone would keep sugar in for tea. Quickly, not trusting that I’m not watched, I chance a glance inside. The large ruby pendant rests at its bottom, the dark chain curled in a pile on top of it. It shimmers the longer I watch. Power. This is my power. Careful not to hurt what must be very expensive pieces, I set the lid back down.
Warmth from the fire heats my legs. I hold my palms forward long enough to gather the warmth on my hands before turning for the closet. The once empty metal bars are now filled with an assortment of gowns. More than I remember either Rowan or Violet picking. After some consideration, I opt for a soft yellow gown that dips half way down my stomach with panels of material that come to my ankles. Slits run the length of the skirt over and over again, so much so that the skirt itself is just a long fringe. This, though, feels safer than what they had me in yesterday. Even if every step reveals the entirety of my legs at least my vagina isn’t hanging out. That has to count for something, it does in my book.
The pointed pink heels that provide a stark contrast to my dress, click as I move toward the door. It’s a confident feeling, like I’m playing dress up, but I love that it consumes me. It’s an improvement from yesterday’s self-conscious state.
I step out into the hallway, jumping with a start as I realize Rowan is leaned up against the wall. He stands ignoring my choking gasp.
“Ready for this tour?”
I’d forgotten about that, but I guess I’m technically ready. What else am I going to do with my day?
“The answer to that will be determined once you tell me how long you’ve been lurking outside my door for?”
“Long enough, but not too long.” Rowan pushes his long braids over the back of his shoulder, strolling forward down the hall.
I step lightly to follow. “That’s vague.”
“It’s meant to be.”
He hovers near me, his arm brushing mine as we walk. We stroll in silence as he takes me to the main entrance of the castle. As we reach the large doors, he claps his hands.
“So, clearly. This is our entryway.”
“Yes, I recognized the long, long hallway that leads…. To nothing.” I sigh. “Can you explain to me why every hall looks too similar to the last? Could your interior designer not be bothered to come up with anything else?”
“Eh, it’s meant to be that way. It’s confusing for guests but it’s also confusing for intruders. Come on.” He laces his fingers with mine.
I’m tempted to refuse or at the very least make mention of the intimate touching, but he’s already pulling me ahead with excitement. His boots slap loudly against the floor.
“Think of it like this,” he says, “The outermost halls,” he points down the halls branching first from the entryway,“are offices, storage, some of Violet’s extensions of her own closet, and other pretty boring things. So the first two halls in the front and the first two halls in the back are boring nothings, pretty well. The longer we go,” he keeps dragging me forward. “The more interesting it gets.”
“How many halls are there in total through the castle?”
