Page 26

Chapter

Twenty-Six

The late morning light shines in through the window. Despite sleeping in what has to be the world’s most comfortable bed, I hardly got any rest. I was plagued with dreams of finding my father and of him killing me on the spot.

It’s either him or me. We can’t both exist, if the lore is right. If Vivvi is telling me the truth. I’m not giving her my full story, so I can’t assume she’s telling me everything either. As much as I want to believe I’m starting to wonder if she has my best interest in mind, I know too much about the world to trust her so easily. And that’s saying something since I know so very little about this world.

When I finally give up on what should be the best night’s sleep of my life, I find Harek eating alone in the same chair he sat for dinner last night. He glances up at me. “Can you believe the beds here?”

“Super luxurious.” I yawn and plunk down across from him.

He studies me. “Did you get any sleep?”

I shake my head, not wanting to get into it.

“Why not?”

“I just didn’t.”

One of the servants arrives with a plate full of food and sets it in front of me.

My stomach roars immediately, so I dig in. I even drink the coffee without any sweeteners, not that it helps given how exhausted I am.

“Why didn’t you sleep well?” Harek asks.

“I had bad dreams.”

“What about?”

“Oh, I don’t know. Maybe the fact that both my stepfather and father want me dead.”

He arches an eyebrow. “You haven’t even met your father.”

“There can only be one hunter, Harek. Do the math.”

“Doesn’t mean he wants you dead.”

“If I’m alive, he can’t be. That’s why my mother fled to Skoro—this is even worse than I thought. He didn’t just abandon us, but he wants me dead.”

“He might not. Think about it, Eira. He had to kill his father, so he knows the position you’re in. It sounds like he’s been hunting for well over a century. I’ll bet he’s ready to pass on the job to his offspring.”

“Yeah, that’s exactly why my pregnant mother ran away from him.”

“You should get a nap after breakfast. You won’t be so grouchy after.”

I glare at him.

“All you’re doing is proving my point.”

“Whatever.” I turn my attention back to my food and clear the plate without another word. The nutrition helps me feel a little better, though I’m still dragging.

“Do you want to head out now?” Harek asks after I set my fork down.

“We should say goodbye to Vivvi.”

“I talked to her before she left, and she said we were welcome to stay as long as we need. If we go out, all we have to do is mention her to the fae at the entrance. Our names are on an approved list to come up.”

“Doesn’t that seem odd?”

“That she’s letting us stay longer?”

“Right.”

“Now who’s the suspicious one?”

I sigh. “It doesn’t make any sense. She’s obviously rich, so why is she so eager to take care of us?”

“Maybe she misses having people around after her husband died. Their kids grew up over a century ago. We probably remind her of them.”

“I guess.”

“Get dressed so we can explore the city. From what Della was telling me, we’ve barely scratched the surface. This place goes on and on.”

“Della?”

“The one who brought your breakfast.”

Of course he’s already on a first name basis with the staff. I stifle a yawn. “Where are we going to explore?”

“She told me there’s a five-story library in a nearby district.”

“Five stories?” I could spend a month in there and still have plenty more to explore.

Harek grins. “I knew that’d get your attention. Perhaps we can find something about the hunter line there.”

“It sounds like we can find anything we want on any topic.”

“Let’s get ready to head out then.”

“I’m all set.”

I grab my plate and cup, but before I can even turn toward the kitchen Della returns and takes them from me. “Do you need anything else, my lady?”

I’m not sure I’ll ever get used to this treatment. “Um, no. Thanks.”

She nods, then seems to disappear into thin air.

Back in my room, I find the bed is made and several outfits are set out. I hold each up, not sure what to pick. They’re all much nicer than anything I’m used to wearing, but I’ll easily fit in when walking around in any of them. I pick the one with the least bright colors and put it on. It’s a perfect fit, like it was tailor made for me. I stare in disbelief at my reflection in the wall mirror for a few moments.

I wish my mother could see me like this. She always said I was beautiful, and this is the first time I think she could be right. It’s weird seeing myself as anything other than a manure shoveler, but here I am in clothes like the richest of Skoro.

As soon as I open the door, one of the other servants rushes in, guides me to the bathroom, and starts fussing over my hair and face. I’m not used to anyone being so close to me—except when Harek kissed me—so I have to resist the urge to put up my hands for space.

Some of the powders, lotions, and sprays make me sneeze. That seems to amuse her.

“What’s your name?” I ask.

She looks at me confused as she sprays something sticky in my hair. “Guests don’t usually inquire about that.”

I sneeze. “I’d like to know what to call you.”

“Summer.”

“That’s pretty.”

Pink fills her cheeks and she looks away. “Let me touch up your eyes, and then you and the mister will be ready to leave.”

She moves around, brushing and rubbing things onto my skin. I hold back another sneeze and my eyes keep closing on their own as she does her thing. Finally, she stops and steps back. “What do you think?”

I blink a few times before turning to look in the mirror. The woman staring back at me is a stranger. I reach up to touch my hair, and the only indication the regal person in the mirror is my reflection is that she moves exactly as I do.

“Do you need me to fix anything?”

“I… no. It’s perfect.” I stare, trying to find any remnant of me in there underneath the fancy clothes, the stiff hairstyle, and the makeup.

“Are you sure? I can touch up your lips.”

I just shake my head, still unable to believe the sight before me.

“Very well.” She exits, and I take another moment to commit the sight to memory. How is it possible that I look like a completely different person? I’m still me. Just… fancier.

A knock sounds at the bedroom door. “Eira?”

My heart leaps into my throat. Harek. What will he think of how I look?

“H-hold on. I’m almost ready.” I close the bathroom door and gasp for air as I take in my reflection again. He might think I look ridiculous, because I do. I should be in rags scooping scat. How is it possible I have people serving me ?

I’m such an imposter. Everyone will take one look at me and know it. I shouldn’t be here, shouldn’t be in these clothes. Nobody gave me a second glance yesterday because I wore dirty, dingy clothes and was caked in dirt with pine needles sticking out from my hair.

That’s me. Not this person. But there isn’t anything I can do about it now. It would probably hurt Summer’s feelings if I undid all of this, and besides, I need to get to the library and see what I can find out about my father—and if he’s really weakening because of me.

As nice as Vivvi has been, feeding us and giving us such a nice place to stay, I can’t assume anything she says is true. We just met her and don’t know her motives.

She could be completely wrong about my father, and he might be willing to give Harek and me a place to stay. Something a little more normal. Not that I don’t enjoy this high-class life, but I’d feel more comfortable in something a little less extravagant. And we need to get out of this building to find any of that.

I take a deep breath while taking one last glance at the stranger in the reflection, then I swing open the door.

Harek is at the bedroom window, looking out. His clothes are just as ridiculous as mine at least. We’ll both look about the same while wandering around the fae city.

He turns around, and I don’t recognize him any more than I recognize myself. This just isn’t us, but I can’t deny how good he looks. I could get used to this.

No. This isn’t us. We’re not afraid to get messy—something we clearly can’t do in these clothes. We just spent a week in the woods, warding off evil fae. But also struggling to fill our bellies. Now we’re eating food better than I ever could have imagined two days ago.

His eyes widen, and he makes his way over to me. “You look…”

“Ridiculous?” I offer.

“Gorgeous.”

“Oh.” Heat floods my cheeks. “Thanks. So do you.”

He adjusts his shirt. “The clothes are so stiff.”

“They’re definitely tighter than I’m used to.”

“So, you want to find that library?”

“Yes. I need to find out everything I can about the hunter line. If what Vivvi said is true…” I let my voice trail off because I don’t know what I’ll do if only one hunter can live at a time. I just lost my mother. There’s no way I can kill my father.

Aside from that, what would happen if I absorb his magic? He’s probably far more powerful than the fae I killed. There’s no telling what his magic would do to me.

Harek holds out his hand. “Let’s do this.”

I hesitate before taking his hand. Hopefully I’m ready for whatever we find.