Page 19

It wasn’tmybed. This wasn’t my home.

The fae had stolen me from my village, from my family, from my friends. They’d brought me here. And then they’d poisoned me.

But…I was still alive.

Throwing back the covers, I took stock of myself. They’d changed my clothes, removing the dress and replacing it with a soft pair of linens. Heart thumping, I swung over the side of the bed and felt beneath the mattress. Relief charged through me when my fingers brushed against the wooden hilt of my dagger.

I’d been smart to hide it. Thank the light.

A knock sounded on the door, and I jumped back up to my feet. No one gave me a chance to answer, Morgan and Maidservant bustling inside. I really ought to give the girl a name, even if she refused to use it.

“Good. You’re awake.” Morgan nodded as Maidservant deposited a tray of bread and eggs onto the table. “We don’t have much time. Eat quickly, and then I’ll escort you to the bathing chambers.”

I eyed the eggs warily. “The poison didn’t work well enough the first time?”

Morgan gave me a tense smile. “It was merely an herbal remedy to ensure you got enough rest. The fae’s special valerian concoction. It causes a deep, dreamless sleep.”

Dreamless.That wasn’t good. I needed to reach out to the captain and tell him what had happened. As long as I was stuck inside this castle, I couldn’t steal gemstones. He’d need to find someone else who could smuggle him the goods. It was the only way he could destroy the mists and free the humans from this place.

“It was the middle of the day when I got here, and I’m guessing it’s the next morning now.” I folded my arms. “I’ve had plenty of rest. I don’t need any more.”

“Your food does not contain the valerian concoction this morning.”

I blew out a frustrated breath. “How can I be sure of that?”

Morgan lifted her shoulders in a shrug. “I have no reason to hide it from you. You’ll be eating that food either way, whether or not it contains valerian. Might as well be frank with you about it. Although, as you’re well aware, it is not your place to question it.”

She cut her gaze toward Maidservant. I fought the urge to roll my eyes. This place was ridiculous.

Still, I had no desire to have someone come and stuff food in my mouth, so I sat at the table and quickly finished breaking my fast. When I was done, Maidservant swept the tray aside and vanished into the hallway. Morgan motioned for me to join them.

I glanced down at my night clothes and frowned. “Shouldn’t I get changed first?”

“No need,” Morgan said. “Today, we began your pre-Oidheritual. The first step is a bath. You humans know what that is, yes? It’s where we—”

“I know what a bath is.”

She sniffed. “Could have fooled me.”

“I could say the same right back at you,” I countered. “When was the last time you washed that mound of hair?”

Her flowing silver strands were bound in a bun, but stray strands rioted against the string holding it together.

“Careful. You’re mistaking my kindness for something more than it is. You are a means to an end and nothing more.”

I frowned. What the hell was that supposed to mean?

“And don’t forget, when we step out of these doors, you’re to remain silent unless given permission. If you speak—and the king hears of it—there will be darkness to pay.”

I snapped my mouth shut, hatred burning through me. But then I couldn’t help but ask, “He refuses to harm me. Like you said, I’m to bear another generation of children for him. What’s the worst he could do?”

Morgan pursed her lips, her eyes flashing. “You do not want to find out, Tessa.”

Shuddering, I followed her out into the hallway where a line of soldiers was waiting to escort me, in my thin linen frock, to wherever this strange ritual process would begin. Their boots clomped on the floor, matching the dreadful beat of my heart. I kept my gaze forward.

We wound down several flights of stairs before entering a lower level of the castle where roses snaked in from flung-open windows and trailed across the inner floors and walls. I sidestepped a particularly nasty stretch of thorns while the soldiers marched on, their steel-encased boots protecting their feet.

Inside the bathing chamber, two more human servants waited for me beside a tub full to the brim with steaming water. They lowered their eyes when I entered, half-turning to a regal human woman whose twisting crown matched the crimson walls of the city.