Page 51

The Keeper of the Eye of the Sun batted his lashes at me; his eyelids painted pink like ripe cactus blossoms. He was dressed in a bright yellow kaftan with a hood over his bald head. As suspected, he was flanked by guards and other elves I couldn’t quite make out.

“Can we see Rayal?” I asked, joining Rowen at the threshold, trying my best to make it look like I’d gotten a good night’s rest—that I hadn’t heard the horrendous news of elves being murdered in the streets for trying to survive.

“It seems an audience has already been requested,” he replied, eyeing us with a knowing look. “The princess was informed of your presence and would greatly like to meet you.”

“How lovely,” I said, trying my best to sound calm, keeping up with the pretenses for the guards.

Thaydril scanned me up and down, noticing I still wore my rumpled clothes from last night. “You cannot meet the princess looking like this. You must change.”

The Keeper of the arch clapped his hands, and a rush of desert elves swept into the room, their arms filled with garments, accessories, and platters of food .

“Really, this isn’t necessary?—”

“Of course it is,” Thaydril cut in. “You must look presentable.”

Suddenly, Rowen and I were yanked behind a screen. My hair was tugged at from all angles, and my clothes were stripped from my body.

Beside me, the same was happening to Rowen. Women ran their fingers through his hair and unbuttoned his shirt. We made eye contact as our transformations began, agreeing to remain compliant.

There was no way Thaydril was going to let us out of this.

I sighed and allowed myself to be fussed over. Time was slipping through our fingers faster than an hourglass, and the sooner we looked presentable, the sooner I could meet with the king.

Thaydril sauntered over to one of the guards and began twirling his curly hair within his finger. “Hello, beautiful. As you can see, things are about to get quite hectic in here, and you and your men will only get in the way. Would you be a love and guard us from the other side of the door?”

The soldier stiffened, uncomfortable by how close and personal Thaydril was getting with him. He cleared his throat, his eyes widening in alarm as he saw the amount of clothes and beauty products.

“We will be just outside the door,” he said, nodding to his troops to follow him out of the room.

“Finally, some privacy,” Thaydril groaned. “As beautiful as they are, they are quite the nuisance.”

Stripped down to our undergarments, we were ushered into two copper tubs placed side by side. Water was dumped on us as we were scrubbed clean, and I cringed as I was doused in the very thing the elves needed to survive.

“Do we really need to do this?” I asked again, wincing as two young ladies dried me and sat me on a stool to brush the knots from my hair.

“We do,” Thaydril replied, his tone leaving no room for negotiation. “The king can take one look at you and banish you from the city before you’ve even had a chance to speak. Let your looks get you through the door so your words can convince him to listen.”

“That’s ridiculous. He should listen regardless. The elves in his streets are dying.”

Thaydril winced. “Maybe don’t start with that. If that’s all you got, we’re in trouble. You’ll need to be a bit more convincing, I’m afraid.”

“What are you suggesting she do?” Rowen murmured, his eyes looking like green fire as an elve with heavy freckles applied lotions and perfumes to my body.

“Nothing too extreme,” the Keeper replied, fishing through what looked to be a makeup bag. “But trust me, you’ll thank me when the king actually lets you close enough to listen.”

Nerves twisted my gut, but I had no choice but to trust the man who’d already helped us so much. “Why are you helping us?”

“My cousin saw long before anyone else what was happening to the lands of Luneth,” Thaydril said, picking up a stick of kohl and applying it to my eyes.

“I believed her without question. I knew who you were instantly, but I could not let on. If the guards suspected, they would have alerted the king. Rayal spoke of you when she returned home. It is why I trust you. It is why I am going through all this trouble to make you look presentable. The king wouldn’t look twice at you in your bedraggled state. ”

“Watch it,” Rowen said. “That is my soul flame you’re talking to.”

“If she’s your soul flame, a little flirting with the king shouldn’t threaten you. Now, be quiet. This is the hardest part,” he said as he dragged the kohl to the outer corner of my eye.

I wasn’t convinced this was necessary, but with no other choice, I stilled and tried not to move a muscle as Thaydril painted my eyes.

Thaydril wrangled Maddock and Dyani into our room, staring at us like a proud mother hen. “I must say, this is some of my best work.”

Rowen and Maddock wore loose pants and scarf-like shirts that folded around their shoulders in layers of light material. Dyani was dressed similarly, but over her pants, she wore a wrap-around skirt. Her arms were bare except for the silver armbands she wore in memory of Demil.

“I think I missed a few things,” Maddock said, standing in desert elve attire, looking fresh, clean, and rested. “I woke up to women undressing and bathing me.”

“Not a bad way to wake up. Though it would be better if we could keep our blades,” Dyani said, her hands fidgeting without being able to rest upon her weapons.

“I’m sorry you aren’t able to take your blades with you today, but they will be returned to you after you meet with the princess and king,” the Keeper replied, smoothing a strand of my hair and adjusting my makeup. It was as if my appearance was cause for greater concern than the drought.

I already felt naked without Mithrion, but what Thaydril had chosen for me to wear wasn’t helping. I was clad in sheer tulle.

The dress was light and airy with a structured silhouette and internal corset.

The fabric draped down my body in varying lengths; some pieces were long enough to trail behind me as I walked, while others barely reached my upper thigh.

There was at least one slit that ran all the way up to my hipbone.

“Why do I look like a human sacrifice?” I asked Thaydril, gazing at everyone else who was fully dressed.

“It can’t hurt to look . . . appetizing,” he replied, gazing at me from head to toe as if pleased with his work.

Rowen’s gaze traced along my body like the gentle trail of his blade.

My skin erupted with goosebumps as his jaw and temples flexed.

The look was equal parts desire and fury.

A desire to banish everyone from the room and take me against the stone wall, and a fury that I was wrapped like a present for another man.

Rayal said I would need to bleed for the king, and it didn’t escape me that red was starkest against white.

The Keeper of the Eye of the Sun led us to a towering stone wall lined with guards. Even though a cloth covered their mouths and noses, their eyes and blades were piercing.

“They are here to see the princess,” Thaydril said, his confident demeanor unchanging. “She is expecting us."

The guards separated, allowing us to pass through the stone wall that parted with ease.

We entered a drawing room that emanated wealth.

Gold and maroon tiles spiraled upward along the lined columns in mesmerizing patterns while teal tiles covered the floor, giving the illusion we walked upon an oasis.

Wide doorways were framed with gauzy curtains that draped down and swayed in time with the desert breeze, and the ceiling was decorated with gilded suns, resembling the emblem on Rayal’s choker.

Though the city was hot and dry, the drawing room remained cool, and I realized it was due to a constant stream of misters placed throughout the area.

My nails dug into my skin, creating half-moons on my palms.

Why would the king be blasting misters when elves on the streets were begging for water? He must be hoarding all the resources for himself.

Thaydril led us to a seated area where couches, settees, and cushions laid around the room. Plants filled the space, lending a vibrant green that was missed from the city that claimed to be an oasis. I could only guess how much water it took to keep these plants alive and thriving.

The palace was in pristine condition, nothing like the city we had walked through.

Suddenly, Rayal appeared out of a swaying curtain, followed by even more guards.

Her hair was a blend of braided and curly textures that surrounded her face and fell to her hips.

Gold makeup, bangles, and hair jewelry shone vibrantly against her rich brown skin.

She wore a light-weight marigold dress that twisted down her chest and flowed elegantly to the floor.

She was decorated from head to toe in regal opulence.

She was truly a princess—no. A queen.

A queen robbed of her throne.

My eyes darted to Dyani, but her gaze was locked on the princess, and she folded at the waist to bow.

“Welcome, friends,” Rayal said, her gaze welcoming yet snapping to Dyani before finding me again. The memory of her bright eyes had comforted me, but as I gazed upon her face, her spark had faded. As if she too were exhausted by the lies and appearances her step-uncle maintained.

When I was locked away in the Crypts, Rayal snuck into my cell and gave me not only food, but hope. Hope in a place I thought would be my grave. She had saved me in more ways than one.

And now it was my turn to return the favor.

The palace was gold and glimmering, and if I weren’t standing within it, talking with the princess, I would have thought it a beautiful mirage.

“Thank you,” I said, offering her as much strength through my eyes as possible.

I remembered to keep up the ruse in front of the guards and added, “You have no idea how good it is to see you.”

She smiled and walked to Rowen and Dyani. “I remember you both from the Crypts,” she said with an appreciative nod. “Thank you both for helping save me and all the souls trapped within.”

“It was my honor,” Rowen said with a slight half bow.

Her eyes perused my soul flame with a calculating stare, almost as if she were sizing him up for something. “I do recall your valiant efforts in the Crypts. The Alcreon Light is lucky to have you,” she said before her gaze turned to Maddock. “But you. I don’t recall.”

He bowed. “I’m afraid I was trapped in another prison, Your Highness. Keira saved me from a dark hell as well.”

Her eyes shot to mine questioningly. “He is attached to you?”

“He is,” I said, and for the first time, bitterness didn’t coat the words. Maybe I was finally coming to accept Maddock.

Dyani cleared her throat. “Sun casts upon sun? That’s quite the riddle.”

Rayal’s eyes wandered to the warrior, a moment of lingering perusal before finding my eyes. A faint breeze blew through the courtroom and swayed my dress against my bare skin.

“It is a doorway that reflects the outside world. But my cousin is the expert on all matters concerning the Eye of the Sun,” she said casually, walking to the Keeper of the Arch. The cousins embraced .

“It is good to see you. You are looking well,” Thaydril said, kissing both of Rayal’s dewy cheeks.

Rayal’s smile appeared, bright and genuine, and for the first time, I noticed she had matching dimples on either side of her grin. “As do you, cousin."

“A doorway, you say?” Dyani asked, repeating Rayal’s words.

“Of course,” Thaydril replied, stepping away from the princess. “The Eye of the Sun can be a door that leads anywhere.”

“Anywhere?” Rowen asked with a calculating look in his eye.

“Anywhere,” Thaydril confirmed with a mischievous smirk. “At the king’s behest, of course.”

“Yes, of course,” Rowen agreed, looking so comfortable and assured in his surroundings. It was a gift he had, to appear as if every space were made for him as if he owned every room he entered. His commanding presence was hard to ignore and exuded off him in a predatory elegance.

“The king awaits you at the Sun Dial,” the Keeper said, turning to face me.

“One last thing,” Rayal announced, pulling something out of the pocket of her dress. She ran up to me and placed a hooded veil over my head, pulling the sheer fabric down to cover my eyes and nose. Only my lips and chin remained uncovered.

“I can barely see!” I exclaimed, tilting my head back.

“It’s covering up all my makeup,” Thaydril complained.

“You look beautiful,” Rayal said, straightening the veil. “And mysterious.”

I took a deep breath through my nose and straightened my spine. I was a wolf in sheep’s clothing—a seemingly innocent mare ready to bare her teeth to the unsuspecting king.

Thaydril and Rayal walked us through the palace in a procession that felt equal parts like a parade and a death march.

I was to meet with the king and prove the worth of my blood. I had to convince a ruler of a city to come out of hiding and aid us in battle. It was no small request, but with the number of guards I’d seen, they had plenty of soldiers who could help us defeat Erovos.

The elves of Hara’dune might feel safe behind their arch, but the darkness seeping into the world would eventually find them. I just had to make them see that . . . if they didn’t already. How could they not? Children were begging for water in the streets.

I was terrified to meet King Aedris. How could I convince him to join our battle after he had hidden himself away and ignored all the signs of a dying earth?

It was as Rayal said—I would have to bleed for him.

I shivered as I thought about cutting myself again. The mark from Rayal’s cut was already healing, but the memory of the blunt blade ripping me open made my skin crawl.

My gaze shot back up as we were led through a long, stone tunnel that opened up into an expansive courtyard.

There was a circular dais, engraved with lines and symbols I couldn’t decipher.

Directly in the center of the platform was a massive upright pointer in the shape of a triangle.

The inclined edge of the pointer cast a shadow onto the dais, and I realized I was standing on a giant sundial.

One side of the dial had colosseum-style seating, filled to the brim with elves, and on the other, stood a massive spherical sculpture made of concentric rings.

“Step to the gnomon, Alcreon Light Bearer,” said a commanding voice that could only belong to King Aedris.

My eyes snapped to the pointer of the dial—the gnomon—which also happened to be the throne.

He gestured to the center of the sundial, where he sat on a chair of solid gold.

“I cannot cut you open from way back there.”