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Not ten seconds later, the gateway spat us out and a scream met my ears. My heart leapt as my eyes adjusted to the darkened room, lit by only the blazing fire in the corner, and found Anna and Clemencia, slack-jawed and wide-eyed.

“What in all the nine kingdoms?” Anna whispered. “You scared the crap out of me, Neve!”

“I wasn’t planning to do so.”

“Yes, well . . . why are you here?”

Clemencia shook her head. “I’m still mad at Lord Riis for making us ridefor daysthrough all that snow when there’s a gateway to here.”

I laughed. “A valid annoyance.”

In fact, I was annoyed that the Riises hadn’t told us thegateway came here so we could visit our loved ones. Lord Riis claimed that it was to everyone’s benefit that we didn’t know where they were. While I understood his reasoning, I didn’t like it.

Sir Caelo entered the room, a tray with three wine goblets in his hand. He blinked when he saw Vale and me. “I didn’t know you two would be joining our party. Good to have you here, Princess Neve. Brother.”

Only then did I remember how late it was. Vale had been out for hours, then sleeping, and then we’d been chased by vampires. And this lot had just been drinking all night!

Life was so unfair.

“Why are you two bloody?” Clemencia asked, coming closer, her face paling as she took in our hands. “Oh, Prince Vale—your wings!” She bolted to the door and stuck her head out to speak to someone in the hallway. Once done, Clemencia turned back to us. “A servant will get a healer. Now, tell us what happened.”

“It’s a long story, but we’re fine. Nothing vital was injured.” Vale shucked off his cloak, wincing as he did so, lending less sway to his words.

“He has an injury to his chest too,” I admitted. “I tried to suture it, but I didn’t do a good job and it was reopened.”

Anna stood too. “In this tower, we seem to have nothing but time. Not that I’m complaining.” She took the goblet Sir Caelo offered. “The service here is immaculate.”

“She has gotten far too used to thinking of me as aservant.” The knight’s tone was dour, but his smile said he actually didn’t mind. That same smile dropped when he took Vale in more closely. “Are those silver hawks on your sleeves, Vale?”

“They are,” Vale muttered. “Again, long story.”

“I can’t wait to hear it.” Anna sat once more and gestured to the empty chairs around the fire, eagerness in her dark, upturned eyes.

We took the offered seats as Sir Caelo slipped out of the room, only to reappear with two more goblets and three bottles of wine. He handed me a goblet. “I figured we needed a lot more than one bottle for the tale you’re to tell.”

“Thank you, Sir Caelo.”

“Just Caelo,” he said as he poured for me. “You’re married to this one here, and despite all his flaws, he’s a brother to me.” He threw Vale a mischievous glance before meeting my eyes again. “That means you’re family.”

I smiled. Though we’d spent little time together and didn’t know each other well, I’d already begun to think of Caelo less formally. After all, I’d allowed him to guide Anna and Clemencia here and had heard many tales about him and Vale. I felt like I knew the knight and hoped that we could deepen that feeling into something true.

Vale took the goblet and let his friend pour his glass. “We do have quite a tale. But let’s wait for the Riis brothers to arrive. They?—”

The gateway shimmered prettily again, and the Riismales entered the room. Arie swore as he stumbled and Luccan caught him.

Thantrel grinned at the sight of the wine. “You’d better fetch more goblets, Caelo.”

“I’m not your servant.” Caelo’s chin lifted. Apparently, acting as one for us and Anna was fine, but not for Thantrel. “Get your own.”

“Blazing stars, I’ll get them.” Arie shook his head. “And when I return, someone had better explain why I was ripped out of my bed in the middle of the night and brought to Riis Tower.”

So that was where we were! Riis Tower was the home of Lord Riis’s family before the king raised him to be a lord. If my memory served, it was in the midlands, near House Vagle’s castle.

We settled in with our drinks, and the others caught us up on what they’d been doing since arriving at Riis Tower—which seemed to be a lot of relaxing. When Arie returned, he did so pushing a small cart weighed down with bottles and tins and the like. At his side, walked a healer, her occupation obvious by the wheel and star pendant on her necklace, identical to the one Master Healer Nissa wore.

It was Vale’s and my turn to tell our story, but with the healer present, I was unsure. I studied the female faerie. She had long black hair, and the first signs of lines around her eyes, hinting that she was at least a century old. Her dark brown eyes looked kind and serene. Trustworthy?

“Should we . . .” I asked the Riis brothers, eyes slicing to the healer.