Page 77 of Promise of Darkness
“Maybe even some honey….”
One of the sylphs’ forms grows more solid, until she’s blinking those amber eyes at me. Tugging at my robe, she leads me to the left before vanishing in a swirl of wind.
I can feel them herding me, scampering through the fretwork as if it’s a forest. Others join them, curious now. All I need is a pipe, and I might as well be the famed Piper of Haggelund, luring the sprites from a town they’ve infested.
My smile fades when I realize I’m no longer alone.
Voices echo down the hallway, and light glimmers like a beacon.
This way,says the push of those invisible hands.
I forgot to request a secret way to the kitchen, where I wouldn’t be seen.
It’s too late now.
I can hear someone arguing, and the silence of the night is empty enough for those voices to carry.
“—and when do you plan on telling her?” a female voice asks.
“When it’s safe to do so.” The frost in that voice belongs to Thiago. “She’s barely begun to trust me. I can’t risk it. Not yet. We’re barely through the first ring of curse work.”
“You have five weeks.” Definitely Eris. She wastes no time with words. “Five weeks to finish this, or the game ends forever.”
“Thank you, E,” he growls. “I wasn’t aware of the looming deadline.”
“The princess is stubborn.” The first voice sounds like Thalia’s. “She knows you intend to use her to get your wife back.”
“And what did you say to that?”
“I told her it must have been a lie formed in her mother’s court. I’m not a fool, Thiago. She believed me.”
Breath going shallow, I can’t stop my feet from creeping closer to the door ahead and that faint crack of light.
I trusted Thalia.
She won me over with a handful of smiles and a platter of bread and grapes. I should have known better. I’ve never let anyone get so close to me so quickly, but there was something about her that seemed instantly trustworthy.
Erlking’s balls, I’m an idiot.
It’s her voice. She told me the blasted tale herself. The saltkissed have the ability to lure anyone into a trap with their voices, even when you can see it coming. Perhaps there’s some magic left in her, something that makes her believable.
“Today was dangerous,” Thiago continues, sounding closer than I expected.
I freeze. He must be on the other side of the door.
“The Alliance queens couldn’t stop themselves from gloating about it. I know she’s starting to suspect something.” He sighs. “If I could just get her to trust me….”
“It will come,” Thalia tells him. “It always does. You’ll win her heart.”
“But will I do it in time?” he murmurs. “Today was a misstep. I can’t allow her near anyone else just yet. I could almost see her starting to put together the pieces, and the meeting cost me what little trust I’d managed to gain.”
“You can’t keep her locked away forever.”
“Not forever, no. Just until it’s… safe.”
“And yet, you can’t ignore Angharad,” Eris points out.
“This is the worst fucking time for that bitch to be making her move,” he snarls.
