Page 12 of Raven Rebel (Sablewood #1)

Meara

M eara brushed the pads of her fingers over the gauzy lace, lingering on a flying bird with a sharp beak. The dress clung to her skin, and she felt bared. A slit ran up the leg, allowing for greater movement.

Brenna swished her skirts around her legs as she walked, clearly enjoying the full silk skirt against her skin. Both dresses dipped low, revealing an expanse of skin below their throats and over their collarbones, and the sisters had forgone their new chemises.

Kirrily led them down the hallway and past the mural.

The colors were softer without sunset’s saturation painting them in jewel tones.

They walked down a different hallway and both girls studied the complex woodwork and forest tapestries lining the walls.

Kirrily paused at a door and held out her hand to welcome them inside.

The antechamber was relatively small, though still bigger than the main room of their cottage.

The entire back wall seemed to be missing, and only a low bench piled with pillows separated the guests from the open hillside and a descent into the valley.

Meara’s eyes widened as she took in the view.

This part of the house was further out over the edge of the hillside, and it seemed a sheer drop down to the lake below.

Two women rose from faded ruby velvet cushions. Xurey had replaced her riding clothes with a simple gray dress cut like a vest across her chest. “Good morning. How was your first night in the Autumn Court?”

“Very nice. Thank you for lending us dresses,” Brenna replied.

Xurey’s gaze flickered up and down Brenna’s body. “I’m afraid it looks better on you than it does on me. You should keep it.”

Brenna beamed. “I couldn’t, but thank you for the offer.”

“Meara, Brenna, this is Seda, the Master of the Autumn Guard and a good friend.”

Seda stood taller than Xurey and Brenna, with a warm, dark complexion and hair shorn close to her head, making her wide nose and full lips all the more dramatic. Meara envied the way her lithe frame was graceful instead of spindly.

“Thank you for letting me borrow this,” Meara said, her arms curling around her middle. She felt entirely out of place draped in fine fabrics and standing with such beautiful women.

Seda’s dark eyes studied her, and she leaned closer. “You’re welcome to borrow any of my dresses. It is not my preferred attire. I will spend the rest of the day in fighting leathers.” Meara felt her mouth tug into a genuine unbidden smile for the first time since leaving their home.

“So what do you think of the Court of Autumn Harvest?” Seda asked, looking from Meara to Brenna.

“We haven’t seen much of it yet, but it seems pleasant.” She folded her arms over the glittering bodice of her dress. “Have you always lived here?”

Seda nodded, and even that movement was regal. “My mother was the Master of the Autumn Guard under Lord Cerne’s mother.”

“Is it typical to take up your mother’s position in court?” Meara asked.

“For some.”

“I was born in the Court of Learning,” Xurey supplied, “but I have not lived there since I was a child. I only visit the Observatory once every few years. I prefer to stay with friends in the Autumn Court when I am not traveling.”

“Few faeries reside in the Court of Learning. It is attended by scholars and musicians from all courts. Those that are born there tend to wander,” Seda explained, correctly interpreting Brenna’s slight frown of confusion.

“I have never heard of the Court of Learning,” Brenna said.

“I imagine it’s not discussed among humans,” Xurey mused.

“Perhaps you can tell me about it?”

The puca nodded, smiling. “I am sure we will find some time.”

An unmistakably masculine presence filled the doorway.

Meara’s lungs seized as her breath halted.

Cerne’s cloak was replaced with an emerald day coat.

An ivory shirt hung loose over his shoulders and tucked into tailored trousers.

Damp hair curled over his tapered ears, skimming his shoulders.

He looked every bit the Autumn Lord, as untamed as he was refined.

He greeted Seda with a grasped hand and a curt nod. As he turned to Brenna, his smile widened. “I hope you are enjoying your time with us.”

“Ryles and Kirrily have taken good care of us,” Brenna responded politely.

Meara stubbornly kept her eyes above his neck and away from the vee of exposed chest as Cerne closed the distance between them. She should be grateful he was finally wearing a shirt, but the billow of semi translucent fabric only served to highlight the line of his body.

He took her hand and brushed the lightest kiss over her knuckles, his eyes rising to meet hers through thick lashes. They were not the earthen brown she originally thought, but a weave of moss and chestnut rimmed in gold. Eyes that could never belong to a human.

Her inhale was shaky, and the scent of woodsmoke and wild chamomile soaked into her lungs. The day apart had done nothing to lessen the effect he had on her.

“Lady Meara.” His voice brushed over her, warm and gentle.

“Good morning,” she said, her voice sticking in her throat.

A smirk that felt illicit ghosted across his lips. “Everyone ready to break their fast?” He led them through the wide door on the side of the antechamber and into a long dining room.

Cathedral ceilings soared over an expansive table of gleaming cherry covered in a rainbow of platters and bowls. Sparkling crystalline carafes held teas ranging from deep violet to pale honey. Tiny quail eggs sat stacked between baked apples and cranberry scones.

Beyond the head of the table stood a massive obsidian hearth. The flames lit up Brenna’s golden curls as she settled to Cerne’s left. Meara slid into the seat beside her, her fingers gliding over the high gloss finish of the chair’s ornate arms.

Seda sat to Cerne’s right and began updating him on new recruits for the guard.

The Autumn Lord reached for a little cake studded with blackberries as he listened.

Meara looked between him and the food, unsure of proper decorum.

Across the table, Xurey added food to her plate and nodded encouragingly when she noticed the sisters’ hesitation.

There were so many options, it was overwhelming.

Brenna placed a mushroom and wild onion tartlet on her own plate and then added one to Meara’s.

Her reservations tamed, Meara began selecting a little of everything to her plate - slices of salted boar, roasted and sugared acorns, and dark molasses bread with glazed persimmons.

The door opened, the breeze drawing the delicate ringlets framing Brenna’s face across her cheeks. Tayen strode in, his ivory coat contrasting with the vibrant tone of his curls and the warmth of his freckled skin.

Beside him, a willowy faerie walked with her arm linked through his. The upturn of her nose and the curve of her cupid’s bow echoed his features, but her beauty was chilled by the curl of her lip as she surveyed the table. Meara’s shoulders straightened and her chin rose in defense.

“I apologize for our tardiness. It was a late night.” Tayen sank into the seat beside Xurey and reached for a sliver of egg custard tart topped with sprigs of fresh dill. “Brenna, Meara, this is my sister, Ayala. ”

Ayala’s fingers brushed the back of Seda’s chair as she sauntered past. She perched herself on the arm of Cerne’s chair and draped her arm along the back of it. “Good morning.” Her voice was clear and musical.

Cerne ignored her and leaned forward, focused on Tayen. “How did everything go?”

“Eldric was delighted to have an apothecary nearby, and he gave her apartments and promised to provide the resources for her to set up a new shop.”

Brenna’s hand went to her mouth and her eyes crinkled. “Thank you so much.”

Tayen nodded, smiling.

“By Eldric,” Meara asked, canting her head, “do you mean?”

“King Eldric of Dornadan,” Ayala drawled, a laugh in her words. The gauzy dress dripping off of her lean frame was the color of peaches. She leaned forward and plucked an apple pastry off of Cerne’s plate, displaying her breasts with the movement.

Looking away, Meara took a long drink of the pear blossom tea in her glass. Across from her, Xurey’s lips thinned and she shifted in her seat, looking as uncomfortable as Meara felt.

“So, Tayen, were you so late because of time with the human King, or were you visiting Eladin.” Seda smirked and raised an eyebrow at him.

From beside her, Brenna frowned, and Meara pressed her lips into a line. Prince Eladin, Xurey mouthed.

“He is doing well, if you must know. And I bring an official invitation,” Tayen said with a lazy confidence. He produced a thick, ivory envelope and passed it to Cerne with a flourish.

The wax seal broke with a pop and Cerne scanned the letter with his lips slightly parted. “We are invited to a betrothal celebration.”

“Who is marrying?” Seda asked.

“King Eldric is finally remarrying.” He paused, an unhappy tilt to his mouth. “The princess of Liosliath.”

Xurey set her glass down, her brows pinching. “I was not aware Liosliath had a princess.”

“She is a recent addition,” Brenna said, clearing her throat. “A year or so ago, Queen Malacia married King Barrach and Liosliath gained control of Tuar.”

Tayen nodded. “Small kingdom, coastal and mostly trade-based.”

Frowning, Seda sat back in her seat and crossed her arms. “Like that witch needed more power.”

Brenna drew in a slow breath, looking between the sober faces at the table. “Well, Princess Elysia is his daughter from his first wife. Queen Malacia was keeping her quiet, but the girls in the washhouse were gossiping. Supposedly, she’s quite lovely.”

“She’s barely eighteen,” Meara added.

A sour silence stretched between them. Finally, Cerne sighed and took a long drink of his cider. The flagon thudded on the table. “We will have to go and support our friend.”

“Perhaps this will work in our favor and we can gain access to Liosliath’s famed metalwork.” Tayen’s hopeful words and half smile brought warmth to the table. “It’s in Dornadan. Brenna, Meara, you’ll have to join us. You can see your mother.”

“I’d appreciate that,” Brenna said softly.

“There will be time to worry about trade later. For now, we have guests with magic to unlock.” Cerne’s sincere smile was ruined by the way his hand skimmed across Ayala’s thigh. “Tayen, can you join us this afternoon to attempt stripping away the remaining enchantment?”

“It will be the highlight of my week.” His charming smile relaxed Meara. “We will need to find suitable mentors once we know their magic craft.”

“Don’t we already know mine?” Brenna asked innocently, holding up her hands though no sparks appeared.

“You could have fire craft or light craft, or something else. They can look similar. Once you discover the range of your abilities, it will be easier to train you.” Tayen’s answer was patient.

“What kind of magic do you all have?” Meara asked, stiffening when she realized her question might be considered rude.

Unbothered, Tayen answered, “I am a shield, so I can block other’s magic.

This allows me to undo a lot of magic as well.

I can also divert physical objects, but that is especially draining.

” As if to prove his point, Tayen tossed a roasted acorn into the air and changed its path in the air with a simple flick of his wrist. It sailed across the table and bounced into Xurey’s goblet.

She scowled at him and he grinned boyishly and shrugged.

Ayala let out a scoff and adjusted herself. Her arm had moved from the back of the chair to Cerne’s shoulders. “So what is her craft?” Her gaze rested on Meara for the first time.

No one spoke. Meara’s cheeks flushed. “I don’t know. Nothing, I suppose.”

“She looks human to me. How do we know she is fae?” Ayala flipped her vibrant hair over her shoulder.

Cerne pulled away from her hold and narrowed his eyes as he said, “ Your brother.”

Tayen’s light laugh softened the tension. “We will find out soon enough, I am sure.” Ayala rolled her eyes at him, looking more like a petulant teen than fae nobility.

“I’d like you to see my court today, if you’re agreeable,” Cerne said.

“Yes, please,” Brenna answered, seemingly unphased by the skepticism coming from Ayala.

Face flushing, Meara picked up her spoon and nudged a scrap of food left on her plate. A fierce desire welled up in her chest to manifest magic that eclipsed anything the red-headed fae female possessed.