Page 11 of A Game of Monsters (Realm of Fey #4)

My heart was in my throat by the time we were escorted in front of two large double doors. I recognised them from when I was last taken here, iron cuff around my throat, my body under the control of Aldrick.

Beyond the great doors, I heard faint sounds from within. Not the stomping and chaotic calls of hundreds of Hunters, excited to watch as Aldrick turned the mundane into powered beings using fey blood. No. This was the soft chatter of familiar voices – people I’d once traversed the world to see, whom I suddenly dreaded to stand before.

There was no time to prepare myself before Zarrel threw the doors wide and exposed us to the handful of people beyond.

Althea Cedarfall was sitting on the lap of her fiancée and most esteemed guard, Gyah Eldrae. Her poppy-red hair sat piled atop her head, held in place by the rich bronze crown that signified her as the queen and last remaining member of the Cedarfall line. I dared not close my eyes for fear I’d see her family, swinging like pendulums in the wind with nooses around their necks.

Gyah’s golden eyes narrowed on me, and she patted Althea’s lap, who quickly stood and allowed Gyah to do the same. Both were dressed in the fire-red and amber tones of the autumn court, with gold dusting painted over their eyes and the insignia of the burning tree emblazoned on their persons. Althea had it woven in with ruby beads across her corset, whilst the symbol was stitched above Gyah’s heart into the structured jacket she wore.

“I hope I haven’t kept you all waiting,” I said, forcing out the humour to stifle the awkward interaction. Every eye settled on me, flaying my flesh to the bone.

My only option was to drop all worries and anxieties at the door and play pretend, so I did just that.

I was walking into a room of friends and allies, yes. But with every step, my soul told me I was a sheep entering a den of wolves, moments from being torn apart for answers to my actions these past months.

Zarrel, likely delighting in the obvious tautness, shut the doors behind us, sealing me in to face them all. Thank Altar for Erix, who kept close enough that I sensed his heat behind me.

Slowly, Althea drew her gaze from me to Erix, and back again. If anything, his proximity to me got closer.

“Robin Icethorn, it has been far too long since I last laid eyes on you.” Sitting poised in a chair opposite them was Elinor Oakstorm, smile lifting to the heavens as her eyes settled on me. “The anticipation of your arrival has been practically killing us.”

A nervous laugh slipped out of me as Althea and Gyah scrutinised me from the other side of the room. It was like looking at the closest people in my life turned strangers. Because that was the fact. I’d pushed them away to protect them, and here I was, about to face the repercussions of those actions.

The truth was not always the freeing concept people believed. It could also be damning. My secrets not only kept these people from danger, but also from getting close enough for Duwar to start manipulating them into his offer. After all, they were all fey and that was exactly what Duwar wanted in the first place.

Erix finally stepped back and let me walk headfirst into the viper’s nest. It took Althea a moment, but she gathered her skirts and copied me, until we stood in the heart of the great room, smothered by the grandeur of it.

“Hello,” I said, awkwardly.

She took me in, eyes sweeping me from head to toe. “You look thin.”

“Better than shit,” I replied. “I’ve been getting that a lot.”

Gyah watched on, always her most diligent protector. I caught her bowing her head to Erix; clearly the issue didn’t extend to him.

A soft, jewelled hand lay upon my upper arm. Through the cloth of my shirt, I felt Althea’s firm touch like a comforting embrace. “It is good to see you, Robin. I am… glad you came.”

“Me too,” I lied.

Althea narrowed her eyes on me, sensing it. “I was beginning to think that the most important – second most important – person in my life was going to miss my big day.”

It struck like a knife as she referred to me being on such a high pedestal.

“I wouldn’t miss it for the world.” It took every measure of self-control not to expose my inner demons. Althea always had a way of seeing through my shields, which she no doubt was doing. Distracting her, I took her hand in mine and held it up. “Fuck me, Gyah. What mountain did you carve out to make this ring?”

Althea’s genuine smile knocked me sideways. Her happiness, her joy… it was everything my lies were trying to protect.

“It’s rather modest actually,” Gyah said, stepping in close. She wrapped one arm around Althea’s shoulder, and the other around mine. With a tug of iron, she pulled us in close until our foreheads were practically touching. “It is good to see you, Robin. Saves me having to drag you here by the short-and-curlies.”

I blinked back sudden tears.

“Does your favourite crone get a hug too?” Elinor Oakstorm practically floated over, her azure and buttercup dress clinging to her frame like silken liquid.

Althea and Gyah practically pushed me into Elinor’s arms. In truth, I would’ve rather ignored the offer. Feeling her arms around me was shattering to the little control I had. Elinor was like a mother to me – even in the short time we’d known each other, she had made a mother-shaped impression on my soul. Her story – all her trauma and pain – was so intrinsically linked with my life, I felt somewhat connected to her.

“I have missed you,” she whispered into my ear. “Coming here was the best choice you could have made.”

“Right back to you,” I replied, trying for sarcasm to shield the raw emotions I felt.

“Erix,” Elinor called, greeting him next with the same open arms. “I’m glad to see you too. I must ask, since I’ve got you, have you been having any thoughts about my recent summons?”

Erix stiffened as I laid my eyes on him. “No, Your Grace. I haven’t.”

Whatever her summons entailed clearly made Erix feel a sense of discomfort. One look at him and he practically winced with the emotion. He’d not mentioned receiving word from Elinor Oakstorm, but then again, I wasn’t privy to his personal movements.

“Elinor will do.” She drank him in, searching every corner of my guard for secrets hidden. “And since you are here, perhaps you can stop hiding from me and we can actually have that talk.”

“Are you trying to poach my Lord of Berrow?” I asked Elinor.

She shook her head, eyes closed as she smiled from ear to ear. “Even if I wanted to, Robin, I do not think Erix could possibly be taken from you. Not even dragged by a queen.”

“Watch out, Robin,” Gyah said. “Once Elinor gets an idea in her head, she is rather persistent.”

I waited for Erix to tell me Gyah was wrong. He didn’t.

Elinor hooked her arm in mine, giving me a big squeeze. Her power oozed from her in waves, brushing over my skin, searching for illnesses and ailments to heal. She couldn’t help herself, and I admitted the feeling was comforting.

“Court politics,” Elinor said. “Boring matters which I was hoping Erix could help with. But alas, let us not bore each other with minor details when we have a fabulous few days ahead of us.”

I was glad of the distraction, although I filed away the unspoken topic for a later time.

“How are you getting on, back in Oakstorm that is?” I asked, aware the last time I’d seen her, Elinor was struggling with control over her late husband’s council. His poison had sunk so deep into the summer court’s soil, it would take a burning ray to cleanse the ground.

Luckily, there was no one more perfect for the job than Elinor Oakstorm.

“I have leashed the men who refused to bow,” Elinor said, so plainly anyone else would’ve taken her words for a joke. I knew she was being serious. “And those with a lick of sense, and who’ve come to heel upon their own decisions, are currently enjoying the fruits of what I can offer…”

“ But ,” I added, eyebrow lifting.

“But there is one who continues to petition against me. Doran’s brother, spineless little worm that he is. He’s gone from petitioning against my rule, to planting seeds that without a direct heir to the Oakstorm line left, he wishes to be named as such so his line takes over when I am… indisposed. Which I am sure he is just desperate to happen.”

I glanced back to Erix who was doing everything in his power not to look away from his clasped hands. “And you think Erix can help with that?” I asked.

“I’m hoping so. He is Doran’s child, after all. But that all depends if he is willing.”

“I never thought about it like that,” I mumbled, although it made so much sense now it had been said aloud.

Althea leaned in to me, finally saying what was clearly bothering her. “Perhaps you would’ve known the news, but for that you’d actually have had to accept our invites at the last conclave.”

Gyah nudged Althea, whose green-amber eyes were fixed to me. “Or any of our invites.”

“I’ve been… occupied,” I said, trying to sound as confident as I could.

“You say it like you’re being held hostage. Robin, we have all been occupied.” Althea never minced her words, and I loved her for it. “The four courts have never been closer. And with everything lost, all the prices paid” – regardless of her head held high, there was a cloud of grief behind Althea’s eyes – “we deserve to enjoy what we have all worked to achieve.”

“Which is exactly why I’m here,” I said, needing a distraction. As if the universe knew it, a member of the castle’s serving staff entered the room carrying a tray of sparkling wine. “May I propose a toast,” I suggested. “To the happy couple.”

“A fantastic idea,” Elinor said, arms sweeping outwards as if she could embrace the entire world. “Nothing goes with buttery scrambled eggs like sparkling wine.”

Althea and Gyah made a move to take a glass. Erix took the moment to step in close, lay a hand on my lower back and whisper into my ear. “Are you all right?”

I swallowed hard, a headache brewing behind my eyes. “Coping. Are you though? I didn’t realise Elinor was in correspondence with you.”

“You have had enough going on, I didn’t want to burden you with more problems.”

“So, there is a problem?” I pushed on.

Erix patted my shoulder, dismissing my question. “How about we talk about that later? For now, if you need an excuse to leave, you just ask–”

“Erix, do you make a habit of drinking whilst on duty?” Althea called over, a spare glass of wine in her hand, offered up to him. “Or will Duncan be joining us this morning?”

Duncan. Just hearing his name made my knees weak.

I’d planned for this very question, so the excuse came out of me with ease. After all, I had so much practice lying. “Duncan was unable to make it. Erix has joined me instead. Duncan felt it was better one of us stayed behind, to keep order in the court over the next few days. Jesibel is still taking time to get over what happened, and Duncan suggested a familiar face was better suited to staying and keeping an eye on her.”

As I knew it would, the conversation shifted quickly from missing Duncan to Jesibel.

“That is a shame,” Althea said, voice monotone, proving she wasn’t buying my excuse. “How is Jesibel?”

I shrugged, discomfort itching at my skin. “She still hasn’t uttered a word since we saved her, and if I am honest, I don’t think she will again.”

“Time is the only thing that can heal her,” Elinor added, because she’d previously tended to Jesibel and had little luck. She could fix scars and marks on a person’s physical state, but those that wounded a person’s psyche were far out of reach, even for a blessed healer like Elinor.

“Good news is we have hope that both Duncan and Jesibel will be attending the ceremony alongside the Icethorn people, making sure they behave themselves no doubt,” Erix added, saving me from my reasoning.

It seemed he too was well-practiced with a lie.

“Duncan certainly is taking his new status seriously,” Althea added, side-eyeing Gyah. “We are surprised you both haven’t seized the day and planned your own wedding yet. Although, you cannot rush perfection, can you? It is not every day you have an angel arrange the festivities.”

The concept of a marriage wasn’t as pleasing as I think they expected it to be for me.

Gyah planted a kiss on Althea’s cheek, leaving the skin crimson beneath. “And I told you, I would have been happy with a smaller affair.”

“As long as you are waiting down the end of the aisle, I don’t care if it’s big or small,” Althea said, screwing her nose up before turning her attention back to Erix. “At least you made it, Robin, I’m glad for that. And you, Erix. It’s been a while since I’ve been graced with either of your presences, and I’ve missed it.”

“I would not forgive myself if I missed it,” Erix replied with a wink.

“You could at least try and convince me better than that,” Althea said, handing him the glass. “Well, it’s no bother. It seems almost half of both realms will be witness to the wedding. Cassial wanted the humans to see how close our relations can be. And with the betrothing of the Elmdew heir and human princess in another eighteen years, it will be like our peoples were never separated.”

“I still think that bit is odd,” Elinor mentioned, chewing on a thought like a sour grape. “Both children are not even a year old. To think their lives are put out for them before they can walk is a strange concept. I am sure we can secure peace without signing away the lives of two children.”

“Let us worry about that when the time comes to it,” Althea added, raising her glass. “What matters is we are embarking on an era of peace.”

“Unless either party breaks it,” Gyah reminded. “Then we forfeit our lands, as per the covenant in the agreement.”

“It’s semantics,” Elinor said. “The wording simply ensures that neither of us move on one another. The humans and the fey must have clear boundaries. And I have already told you, I have worked closely with Cassial on the wording of the clause. I can assure you, it’s fail-safe.”

“Enough talk of politics, please,” Althea said with a twisted look of disgust. “It will put me off my eggs. Robin, since you suggested the toast, you do the honours.”

I reached for the tray, offering the server a smile as thanks. Laying eyes on their face caught me by surprise, so much that it took effort to steel my reaction from the crowd.

Seraphine was here.

No one else had noticed. Like I had when I first saw her, no one expected the face of the dead to ever show up again, so they weren’t looking for her. Especially not in a place like this.

Once an Asp, always an Asp.

I reached for the glass, but Seraphine picked it up and handed it to me, slipping something else into my hand with it.

“Thank you,” I muttered.

“You’re welcome,” Seraphine replied in a forced accent. She really enjoyed playing this part.

I felt the rough brush of parchment paper. A quick glance and I figured what it could be.

A note. A message. An answer .

“About that toast,” Althea encouraged as she pressed so close to Gyah they were practically stitched together. “The floor is yours, Robin.”

I lifted my glass, hyper aware of everyone watching me, listening. “To the new world. May it forever flourish.”

“To the new world,” Althea echoed.

Everyone but Erix echoed the sentiment.

Gyah cocked her drink back and downed it. Althea followed suit. Elinor drank slower, small delicate sips. I was glad for mine, because it gave me a chance to manoeuvre my hand and unravel the note.

Rafaela is being held in the Below .

Rafaela. The Below. Finally, I got my answers to both my queries. Where Rafaela was, and what Cassial was using the prison beneath this very room for. Neither revelation made me feel relief – in fact, my body reacted as though lightning carved through me.

By the time I looked up, Seraphine was gone. Her job complete, just as she promised. How she found out Rafaela’s location was beyond me, another mystery of how the Asps worked. But what I cared about now was why would Rafaela be inside the dungeons where the fey had once been kept as prisoners.

“If you’re not going to finish that,” Gyah said, pointing to my full glass. “I wouldn’t mind it. Pre-wedding nerves and all.”

I handed it over, screwing the note up before she noticed. “You, Gyah Eldrae, nervous?”

“I’m a changed woman,” Gyah said, taking the glass and downing that as quickly as the first one. “Put a sword in my hand and an army at my back, and I thrive. But a wedding, that’s an entirely different battle.”

I tried to offer her a genuine smile, but my mind was whirling – a vortex of unease.

“Have any of you spoken with Rafaela during communications with Lockinge?” I found myself asking, unable to take my mind off the message and what it could mean.

From the silence and shifting eyes, I knew the answer.

“Should we have?” Althea asked.

I wanted to scream the truth of my concerns but held my tongue. Keeping calm, I added more kindling to the fire, hoping to inspire a spark in each of them. “It’s just I have tried to contact her, multiple times, and haven’t had any luck.” I looked Althea dead in her eyes, hoping she could understand my simmering worry. “I’ve been concerned about her. We all knew she was to be punished for her involvement in the destruction of the keys. But we never knew what that would entail.”

“I know that look,” Althea said, clicking onto the thread I was weaving. “What are you suggesting, Robin?”

I felt sick just admitting it, but the note in my hand was practically burning against my palm. I could lie about Duncan, but not about Rafaela. There wasn’t the need to tell them what I needed Rafaela for, only that she was a friend, and I was worried. “I think–”

The doors opened without warning, revealing a familiar imposing man with ivory-white wings thrice the width of him. The rays of daylight bounced across his blue-black hair, down the impressive set of armour shaped to his body.

“Do not concern yourselves with the whereabouts of sister Rafaela,” Cassial said, voice full of unbridled command. “She is well cared for in the hands of the Creator, and there is no better place for her to be.”