Page 6 of Manor of Wind and Nightmares (Fae of Brytwilde #3)

Now

“ D o you think we’ll attend a feast or a ball?” Callista asked, clasping her hands as the carriage jerked forward. “Or will the prince want to meet and spend time with each of us individually?”

Both of the young women across from us, each with pale blonde hair, bright blue eyes, and nearly identical features, exchanged a glance. The one with her ivory bonnet settled askew on her head giggled. “I assume it might be a little more dangerous,” she said, her eyes sparkling with excitement.

Hands in my lap, I fiddled with my fingers, wishing King Wystan’s spell didn’t prevent me, even now, from sharing just how dangerous time with the fae could become.

I’d seen plenty of horrors occur during his celebrations, ones they freely committed against one another.

If there had been more humans there, I could only imagine how much worse they’d have been treated.

And then there were other creatures, even more monstrous than the fae, that lived in their world.

Callista gave each girl an appraising look before turning away again.

“I don’t believe we’ve met—we are newer to Riverside,” I explained. “My name is Aurelia Sinclair and this is my sister Callista.”

“I’m Laura Everett,” the lady who had spoken first said, “and this is my twin sister Hattie.” She nudged the girl beside her playfully, and it was then I realized how young the pair were.

Neither of them could have been older than twenty.

No wonder this seemed like a grand adventure to them.

They were at an age when one still felt invincible.

“You can tell us apart by the scar above her eyebrow,” Hattie explained with a giggle, gesturing toward Laura’s face, where, sure enough, there was a delicate pink line gracing her brow.

Laura grinned mischievously. “I couldn’t resist galloping on Father’s prized mare, but I took a tumble. That was years ago, but Mother still likes to fret about my desire for adventure.”

“Sometimes it makes you reckless,” Hattie muttered, shaking her head, but her smile belied her scolding words.

Beside me, Callista sighed and leaned against the window, mumbling about a headache. “I forgot to ask Anne to pack my fan and I’m feeling a bit faint.”

Using my hand to waft some air toward my sister, I studied the twins.

“What do you think the prince will be like?” Hattie asked me, leaning forward eagerly.

Laura raised her eyebrows. “We’ve heard he commands the wind itself and is quite powerful.”

“I heard he was brought back from the dead,” her sister added, awe in her voice.

“I overheard some guards speaking of it, how he’d been assassinated and magic from their allies in Ashwood brought him back.

They said he’s changed, whatever that means.

” She shrugged, uncertainty clouding her features.

“I wonder if one can still see the mark from whatever weapon killed him?”

Laura’s eyes rounded. “You didn’t tell me you overheard that! Fascinating.” Then she smirked. “I heard that he’s unspeakably handsome. Whatever happened to him must not have scarred his features too much.”

Hattie fluttered her lashes. “One of the female guards spoke of deep, dark eyes.”

“They were swooning about chiseled features.”

“A dimpled grin.”

“A muscled figure—”

“Laura! How scandalous!”

Their words erupted into more giggles and squeals.

“Oh, but we aren’t going to be in the human world anymore, are we? And if I get to marry him, I can ogle him all I want!”

“And what if he is to be my husband? You will have to be proper then!”

I tried to laugh their comments off and pretend they didn’t pain me with memories.

“You would think the two of you had seen him yourself,” I said, forcing lightness into my tone and trying not to dwell on their talk of Kaede being brought back to life.

Of being changed . Had the experience altered his character?

I shuddered to consider it. “Perhaps the rumors exaggerate his good looks.”

But I already knew they did not. My thoughts wandered to places I hadn’t let myself remember for a while. The scent of cherry blossoms. Strong arms encompassing me. His earnest smile.

The pain and betrayal on his face when I’d stabbed him.

I squeezed my eyes shut and tried to block it all out.

“Aurelia,” Callista whined, and my eyes flew open as I realized I’d stopped fanning her.

I sat up as the carriage slowed on a winding gravel path. At some point on our journey, even the twins had grown quiet and I had fallen asleep.

Now I peered out at the moonlit-dappled grass on either side of us, my gaze snagging on familiar rows of cherry trees and weeping willows leading toward the sparkling river and the immaculate Willowbark palace grounds.

Squeezing the windowsill, I tried to steady my breathing.

Every second I expected to see Kaede watching the approach of the carriages.

Had he learned who I was? Or had he narrowed down my age and the city I was living in?

What if this was all a scheme to find his assassin? What would happen to Callista then?

I tried to dispel my fears, but logically, it made sense. They didn’t know me by name or appearance, but that didn’t mean they hadn’t been given other hints.

If he did discover my identity, would he immediately sentence me to death? Would he kill me himself? Or would he be as full of sorrow and regret as I was?

“Oh,” Hattie gasped, and I was drawn from my musings to focus on the stunning palace grounds once more.

Even in the moonlight, everything was spectacular: the manicured grass, the sparkling ponds, the endless flowers and shrubbery, the distant rolling hills and orchards.

But most imposing and breathtaking of all were the palace buildings.

They were wonders in architecture, the likes of which we didn’t see in our modest mortal towns.

From intricate wrought iron balconies to carved bannisters to endless paintings of nature winding over the spotless white stonework, every building was a sight to behold.

There were countless towers and arched windows, multiple courtyards fragrant with flowers, window boxes overflowing with greenery, and small trees growing from pots dotting the rooftops and balconies.

Within walking distance of the main palace buildings was Willow Manor, a sprawling estate that boasted its own full-time staff and housed frequent guests, from favored families and nobility within Willowbark to the rare visitors from other Brytwilde kingdoms or even from off the continent.

It was toward the manor that our line of carriages turned, and this time, Hattie, Laura, and Callista all gasped with glee.

“How beautiful! Are we really staying so near to the palace?” Laura cooed.

“We will be waited upon like royalty,” Callista sighed.

I remained quiet as my companions gushed about a fine supper and cozy beds for the night.

When I stared at the manor’s windows, glowing with the inviting warmth of candlelight, I couldn’t banish the sense that I was being watched, and a chill consumed me.

A bat fluttered through the twilight, darting across the sky.

Callista nudged me impatiently, and I realized we’d drawn to a stop in the gravel drive.

A line of servants was already waiting, helping women out of the carriages before us, and more were approaching our own.

When a man swung open the door and stepped back, offering his arm, Laura stood and hopped out fearlessly, a smile upon her pink lips. Her twin followed, and then Callista.

Trepidation swelled in my chest as I stepped into the manor’s shadow and studied it once more.

My first visit to the palace had never brought me here, so this was the first time I’d been able to look at it closely.

Unlike the pristine beauty of the palace, Willow Manor had a more imposing appearance.

Gargoyles adorned the corners of its rooftop, scowling at us with gruesome faces.

The servants themselves were not dressed in Willowbark green and gold, but in solemn shades of black and grey.

When the man closest to us—with curving ram’s horns protruding from his shaggy brown hair and piercing grey eyes—gestured toward the manor, Callista visibly shuddered.

I’d nearly forgotten how unnerving it was to first encounter fae with such unusual features.

It was a stark reminder that they weren’t human.

“This way,” he said gruffly, and I could tell by his tone that he must have been instructed to treat the mortal guests well and he begrudged the fact. I wondered vaguely if the servants were allowed to glamour us.

I strolled forward with feigned nonchalance.

Unlike my last time here, I was weaponless, with nothing but experience and caution to guide me.

My old habit of keeping a dagger on my person at all times had been discarded when I’d abandoned my Emberglade weapon, too disgusted by what I’d done with it to ever look at it again.

We passed rows of waiting servants who assessed us with sharp, hungry eyes, and then up the steps and through the open double doors.

Joining women already gathered in the foyer, who were still oohing and ahhing over its grandeur, we were greeted by a new servant who offered to take our traveling cloaks and coats.

Enveloped in a warm glow emanating from shimmering chandeliers, I found the welcoming atmosphere disconcerting.

A plush rug sank beneath my steps and stunning tapestries graced the otherwise stark stone walls.

Boughs of cherry blossoms freshly gathered from the grounds were strung overhead in eye-catching arrangements.

A maid stepped forward and gestured down the hall. “Follow me to your room, and we will prepare you for dinner.”

“My sister Callista will be staying with me,” I said, reaching back to seize her hand. She gave me a disgruntled look but didn’t protest.

The maid nodded, signaling to another to join us. “Very well.”