Page 42 of Manor of Wind and Nightmares (Fae of Brytwilde #3)

Now

“ A urelia!” he roared.

Wind tore at my tunic, whipping it around my body, and stung my eyes, drawing tears.

It stifled the cry before it could rise from my lungs, stealing my breath completely.

For a moment, it was as if I were suspended in the air, flying among the bats and owls, soaring over the glistening pools and colorful gardens.

And then I was falling, the ground seeming to rise toward me. Trees, shrubbery, plants, the hedge maze...I saw it all drawing closer, each detail becoming sharper and sharper.

If I had judged wrong, I was dead.

Just as my eyes squeezed shut, bracing for the final impact, the whistling air around me changed.

It pushed against me, its force cradling me so that instead of plummeting to the earth, it felt more like I was floating.

Drifting on the breeze, my pulse slowed as I descended feet-first toward a patch of grass behind the manor.

Just ahead, a cluster of people stood in the shadows, gaping at me as I landed, feather-soft.

I caught my breath as if I’d been running, relief and uncertainty tangling through me in equal measures.

Part of Kaede had feared for me, but the other part—the part that was becoming stronger—had saved me because he wanted to kill me himself.

I resisted the urge to look up and search for him, to see if he was gazing down and assuring himself that I was alive.

Ji emerged from the crowd before me, which, now that I was nearer, I could tell consisted of the court members and the remaining contestants. Callista was among them, looking healthy and whole, just pale as she stared at me, mouth open.

“Well, I never thought I’d say that I’m grateful the prince can interfere now, but it’s good to see you cannot forfeit this next challenge by flinging yourself from the rooftop.” He sniffed. “Mortals, so dramatic.”

I watched him wordlessly.

“Anyway, you’re just in time to start the next stage of our competition.” As always, his smile was sharp. I didn’t return it. “Previously, we tested your ability to see through glamour and fight through fear. Now, we will assess other qualities, including your wisdom.”

“And what are we to accomplish?” Laura demanded, her expression defiant. I wondered what horrors she’d witnessed during her encounter with one of the uhgmil that had caused Kaede to intervene. She seemed fearless, but everyone possessed a weakness.

Ji waved an airy hand. “Oh, it’s simple enough.

The first one to solve a riddle will win.

” He gestured to a group of servants I hadn’t noticed before, ones who lingered in the gardens’ shadows.

They stepped forward and distributed sealed envelopes to each contestant.

“You may not open these until you’re within the great hall, or you forfeit this test.”

Laura barely glanced at her envelope, instead crossing her arms and watching Ji skeptically. “In the great hall? Then why did we meet outside?”

“Because the manor is preparing for the test.”

A chill raked down my spine at Ji’s words. I was sick of the manor’s tricks.

Once I received mine, I studied it, feeling the thick paper and flipping it over to inspect the image pressed into the wax. Instead of Willowbark’s royal symbol, it was a bat. I frowned, recalling the bat that had fluttered to Kaede’s side earlier tonight, before he’d threatened me.

“There will also be an assortment of citizens and guests within the manor, alongside our own number and the servants already occupying it, who will be available to help or hinder you. It is up to each of you to determine whom you can trust.”

I crossed the grounds to Callista, quietly taking her hand in mine. She leaned into me, laying her head on my shoulder.

Ji glanced at us. “And no pairing up with each other, or you will both be disqualified.”

A lump lodged in my throat. Callista wasn’t my competition, and I didn’t want to be parted from her again.

But defying the fae’s rules would pose dire consequences for us both, so I forced myself to pull away from my sister. She glanced up at me, her expression pale and eyes glassy. Her lip wobbled, but she didn’t try to protest. She knew better.

“And begin!” Ji cried, gesturing toward the manor.

I set my jaw and began trudging forward, daring a look up toward the tower from which I’d thrown myself.

There was no sign of Kaede. Was he waiting for his moment to attack me again once I was within the manor?

Had his nightmares conjured more vampires that were even now seeking new prey?

Sweat slithered down my back, and it took a conscious effort to steady my breathing.

“I’m no good at riddles,” Hattie fretted to her sister.

“Me neither,” Callista muttered, casting a forlorn glance at me.

Florian appeared at my side, tucking his hands into his pockets. “This is the sort of contest you will excel in.”

I gave him a wry smile. “Once upon a time, I took pride in my sense of judgment, but I have since come to realize I am too easily persuaded into believing the worst in others. Or perhaps too easily persuaded to trust no one at all.” My heart twisted as the memory of Kaede’s emotionless eyes flashed through my mind.

I’d once chosen not to trust him, and now, because of that choice, his growing darkness made him untrustworthy.

Florian shrugged. “Then trust me. I’ll make it my mission to help.”

I mulled over his words, remembering the way he’d complimented me when he’d visited me in the infirmary just earlier that evening.

He’d seemed sincere, but now he could be one of the participants in this test meant to deceive.

There were too many ways his words could be twisted.

He could have meant he was making it his mission to help one of the other women, or to help his fellow courtiers in their plans to make this contest more challenging, or to help me lose .

After King Wystan and his bargain, I knew better than to be tricked by a slip of the tongue or a word that went unsaid.

As we stepped within the manor, the entry hall shifted, the ceiling stretching higher and the flickering candlelight dimming.

Florian smirked. “Ah, Willow Manor, always setting the mood for all of our events.”

I wasn’t sure what to make of his lighthearted behavior. After all, this challenge was likely to once again devolve into something deadly. I knew better than to expect a simple test to solve riddles. This was no human game.

Ahead, Callista walked arm-in-arm with Bentley in the direction of the great hall. A spark of relief flared in my heart. If there was any other fae I’d consider trusting, it was him, and I was glad he was accompanying Callista.

I started after them when a rumbling sound shattered the quiet and the manor shifted, the hallway suddenly blocked by a wall. Disoriented, I blinked, finding as I turned that Florian and I were in an unfamiliar hallway now, and no one else was nearby.

He chuckled. “This manor loves to play tricks.”

Setting a hand to my temple, I breathed through my nose, trying to dispel a dizzy spell along with my mounting frustration. “I thought this test was meant to assess our ability to solve a riddle, not our navigational skills in a manor that’s never the same.”

Florian’s eyes glittered with mirth. “The manor has a mind of its own. Have you heard the rumors that a hag hides somewhere within, long gone mad and entertaining herself by playing tricks?” He shook his head with a smile, as if the idea of a malicious hag toying with us was amusing, not terrifying.

“But I’m among those who believe the manor is loyal to the royal family, and that anything it does is not a matter of whimsy or madness, but an effort to protect and serve them.

” He plucked a hand from his pocket to reach for a painting on the wall, brushing imaginary dust from its frame.

I studied the painting curiously, realizing it was a likeness of Prince Kaede, standing beside the ocean. Under a cloudy spring sky, his eyes were dark and stormy, reminding me of the pain and anger lurking within him now. Had this been painted after he’d died?

“How long have you served the Willowbarks in their court?” I asked softly.

Florian cast me a sidelong glance. “In a way, all my life. I was born at the palace and raised to serve. My father was an advisor before me.”

“So you knew the prince...” I swallowed. “Before he died.”

“Ah, so you heard the stories.”

My chest loosened at Florian’s words, relieved to hear that he didn’t suspect I was Kaede’s killer.

“It’s part of the reason the court has been so careful with choosing his bride this time around.

They don’t want to risk the possibility that we could lose him for good—as much as some members of the court believe he should be more vicious, like his father, they also don’t want another conflict with Emberglade.

We lost many good men and women, especially our naval battles.

And though we managed to force Emberglade to surrender, all because they failed to kill the powerful prince they fear most out of everyone in our kingdom, we also know they haven’t given up.

King Wystan is greedy.” Florian sighed. “But you’re not asking that, are you?

” There was a shrewdness to his expression.

“Perhaps you’ve heard us speak of Prince Kaede’s mercy, but you’ve noticed a darkness in him. Is that it?”

I nodded slowly.

“It’s true. He’s different since coming back from the dead. But I can’t say I blame him. Wandering about as a spirit after being murdered by your betrothed doesn’t sound like a walk in the park.” He smiled wryly. “Anyway. Laura seems brave enough to handle him. Maybe that’s why he’s chosen her.”