Page 79 of A Court So Dark
Kalyll grunted. “You may leave now. Please ensure our servants know where to find us.”
When they had disappeared, Kalyll took my hand and guided me to his room. Once inside, he locked the door behind us, pressed a finger to his lips, and walked around the chamber, examining everything closely, looking behind every door and curtain.
When he was satisfied no one was in the room, he said, “I hate to admit you were right, daughter.”
“You should listen to me more often.”
“Don’t get a big head now.”
“What shall I wear to dinner to impress the king?”
And that was how our conversation went on until our “servants” arrived with our luggage.
Acting swiftly, Jeondar pulled a wand from one of the suitcases and proceeded to sweep the room, waving it about like an incense stick. It only took him a couple of minutes to discover a magical listening device, which turned out to be the only one in the room. Quickly, he laid a bespelled piece of cloth over it, which would turn all sounds, no matter how damning, into innocuous ones, like casual words, coughs, furniture taps, and the like.
Naesala was a true savior with all her handy spells, potions, and magical devices. We certainly couldn’t have gotten this far without her help.
“It’s safe to talk now,” Jeondar said.
“How did it go?” Arabis asked.
Kalyll explained quickly, told them we were to have dinner with Mythorne, and instructed them to get acquainted with the castle as only servants could. They were to figure out an escape route we could use if the need arose.
After all of that was settled, I went into my assigned room. It wouldn’t do for a daughter to spend her entire time in her father’s chamber. It would look suspicious, for sure.
On pins and needles, I waited for dinner to arrive—my chambermaid, Arabis, helping me get ready to appear as enticing and “touchable” as possible. The objective was to tempt Mythorne to come close and lay his hands on me. It would be far easier if he came to me, but if he didn’t take the bait, the bait would go to him.
CHAPTER 30
DANIELLA
Thedinnertablewasabout twenty feet in length, and Kalyll and I had been instructed to sit at the opposite end of Mythorne, as far away from arm’s reach as possible.
It was a stupidly impractical sitting arrangement, which made me worry he suspected something. But if he did, why not capture us as soon as we entered his domain?
I stabbed the meat in my plate, a stringy, brown chunk with some sort of gravy splashed around it, and wondered if I should worry about its source. Under the table, Kalyll nudged me with his foot, staring pointedly at the mystery culprit. Holding my breath, I stuffed the small piece in my mouth and swallowed straightaway, then pretended to chew. My gag reflex almost activated at the gamey taste, but I managed to keep it under control.
“My troops have arrived at the Winter court,” Mythorne said, sounding pleased. “The Winter King will receive them and join his armies with mine. Without hoping to gain anything.”
“We cannot help it if Naeduin lacks creativity and political acumen,” Kalyll said unapologetically.
I resisted the urge to glare at him and instead decided to learn the way things worked among these Fae Royals. From this example, it seemed that straight-up words were the leading choice when dealing with barbed comments that would be useless to deny.
“Indeed.” Mythorne chuckled, then took a sip of his wine.
He was again accompanied by Cardian, who sat quietly and meekly as if not allowed to issue a sound lest the king stabbed them with his steak knife.
“Lady Mylendra,” the Unseelie King shifted his attention to me, “tell me about your interests and pursuits. I would love to learn what things we have in common.”
Well, for starters, Iloveto torture helpless people. Would it get me brownie points if I told him that?
Instead, I went over the boring spiel I’d rehearsed with Kryn.
“One of my favorite pastimes is literature,” I said. “I also enjoy horseback riding.”
Mylendra had other interests, but we chose to keep it short in case someone decided to discuss things I knew nothing about, like for instance, battle strategies. Apparently, the earl had insisted on both Kryn and his sister learning all about the intricacies of war.
To my left, Kalyll sat seemingly at ease. He appeared as unbothered as if he were at his own table, and watching his calm demeanor helped me keep my own cool.
