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Bitty had no such arrangement. Bitty could suffer any and all kinds of terrible fates.

“Not even a little bit,” Bitty whispered back, her wings vibrating with tension. “The Din'Glai is—we’re in the heart of Unseelie power. And you just…you just spoke to the king like he was just anybody!”

Ava blinked. “Well, what was I supposed to do? Curtsy and say 'oh your big scary highness, I so very much appreciate your not eating me yet?’ Would that have been better?”

Lysander, walking a few paces in front of them, let out a surprised laugh. “She has you there, little beetle. Our king does appreciate directness, rare as it is in this court.”

Bitty glared at him, though the effect was somewhat diminished by her obvious fear. "The Unseelie appreciate anything that amuses them. Until the precise moment it doesn't."

“True enough,” Lysander agreed cheerfully, slowing down to fall into step beside them.

“And how does that differ from the Seelie? We at least wear our intentions on our sleeves. It is neither here nor there.” He waved a hand dismissively.

“Because our guest is hardly ordinary amusement, is she?

" His amber eyes fixed on Ava's arm, and on her tattoo.

“She carries power that even our king must respect.”

Ashta shot him a warning look over her shoulder. “Perhaps less talk of power and politics for now, Lysander. Our guests have had a trying journey. They have spent far too much time wallowing in filth and must be given time to rest and recover.”

Why did Ava bristle at the Web being called filth? Probably because part of her was the Web.

They had entered a new section of the palace, where the crystal gave way to what appeared to be living wood and stone. The corridors twisted and turned in ways that made Ava suspect she would be hopelessly lost if she tried to find her way back alone.

Finally, they stopped before a door made from an enormous single piece of dark wood, inlaid with silver in patterns that reminded Ava uncomfortably of her spreading tattoo.

“Your chambers.” Ashta pushed the door open to reveal a room that took Ava's breath away.

It was spacious and elegant, with a ceiling that seemed impossibly high.

One wall was entirely open to the night air, offering a view of the strange, moonlit woods beyond.

It was like a room that wasn’t a room, but a garden, with walls defined by thickly packed trees.

A bed that could have comfortably held four people dominated one corner, draped in fabrics that shimmered like captured starlight.

“The adjacent room for your companion will be prepared shortly,” Ashta continued, gesturing to a smaller door in the side wall.

“ You will find clothing that is perhaps…” Her gaze trailed over Ava.

“More suitable… in the wardrobe. Should you require anything else, simply speak your need aloud. The palace will hear.”

“The palace will…hear.” Ava repeated. That wasn’t creepy.

Lysander grinned from where he was leaning against a dresser, already clearly making himself right at home. More and more, he was reminding her of the Cheshire Cat. “The Din'Glai has ears everywhere. Quite literally, in some cases.”

Ava glanced at the walls, suddenly paranoid. And very much not wanting to see the ear room. “Cool. More nightmare fuel. Great. Awesome.”

Lysander laughed.

With a shake of her head, Ashta gestured for Lysander to leave. Lysander reluctantly pushed away from the dresser and headed toward the door. The lady fae turned back to Ava. “Rest now.” Ashta headed toward the door. “Tomorrow will be taxing on you.”

“The first day of court is always exhausting,” Lysander added, though his tone was sympathetic rather than mocking. “But fear not, Ava-just-Ava. I shall be your guide through the rapids of Unseelie society.”

“Oh, lucky me.” She tried to make that not sound as sarcastic as she felt.

Lysander didn’t seem to take it personally, however, seeing as he looked back at her and winked.

Ashta departed with a formal nod, but Lysander lingered in the doorway, his amber eyes studying her with undisguised curiosity.

“A word of advice?” His voice was lower and more serious than before. “The court will test you tomorrow. They will seek your measure, searching for weaknesses. Anything they can exploit or leverage against you in the future.”

“So it’s high school all over again, is what you’re saying.”

A smile flickered across his face. Though he obviously had no idea what she meant, he seemed to get the gist. “Show them the same attitude you showed our king, and I believe you will do fine.” He glanced at Bitty, who was hovering near the back of the room, and shook his head.

“Good night. Rest well, if the exile allows it.” With that, he bowed—less formally than he had to Valroy, but with a flourish that suggested genuine respect—and left, pulling the door closed behind him.

Silence fell in the luxurious room. Ava set Book carefully on a nearby table and sank onto the edge of the bed, suddenly exhausted. The day had been a rollercoaster. And in the absence of it all, she felt…deflated, like a spent helium balloon.

“So.” She flopped onto her back on the bed, staring up at the ceiling. The twisting, elaborate series of branches created a beautiful pattern. “That just happened."

Bitty’s wings buzzed. “We're in the Din'Glai. The actual Din'Glai.” Her voice was hollow with disbelief. “And tomorrow you're going to be presented to them.”

“Yeah. No pressure or anything. Now I really wish I’d read a few Regency romance novels; they might have come in handy.”

“You don't understand.” Bitty’s voice rose slightly. “The court will be watching your every move, be picking over your every word. They'll be looking for any sign of weakness, any opportunity to gain favor with the king by exploiting you or?—”

“Bitty.” Ava cut her off gently, lifting her head to look at the high-strung little thing. “I get it. I'm screwed. But right now, I'm also exhausted, and apparently transforming into some kind of cosmic horror entity, so can we maybe panic about court politics in the morning?”

The tiny fae's mouth snapped shut. After a moment, she nodded, her wings settling.

“You're right. I'm sorry. I just—I never thought I'd be here again. Especially not like this.”

Ava propped herself up on her elbows. "You've been here before? At court?"

“Once. A long time ago.” Bitty's eyes took on a distant look. “Before they decided I was…” She gestured to herself. “Defective. Us eless. But I was at the Din’Lae, the Sunlit Court. The Seelie Court.”

“Hey.” Ava sat back up fully with a grunt. “You're not useless. You've helped me more than anyone except maybe Book.”

Bitty's lips quirked in a sad smile. “The Book and the defect. What a pair of advisors you have. One who helps you selectively and the other who has no power.”

“I’ll take people I can trust over power any day.” Ava glanced at the door. “Speaking of which, what's your read on those three? Ashta, Thornwick, and what's-his-name... Lysander?”

“Dangerous, more dangerous, and most dangerous.” Bitty wrinkled her nose.

“Really? I thought Lysander seemed almost... friendly.”

“That's why he's the most dangerous," Bitty said, her wings fluttering anxiously. “Asha makes no secret of the fact she’s trying to figure out how to use you. Thornwick barely acknowledges those he considers beneath him. But Lysander? He'll smile while he slides a knife between your ribs.”

“Awesomesauce.” Ava sighed, running a hand through her hair. “And these are the nice ones Valroy sent to greet me?”

“They are Unseelie.” Bitty chewed her lip. “He did not have many choices to pick from. But they are also the three who may not wish to exploit you—or at least those that Valroy can predict how they might wish to use you.”

“Oh, great, more people trying to figure out how to wield me like a hammer.” Ava studied the tattoo on her arm for a moment. It shifted slightly as she did, the lines extending just a fraction further toward her elbow.

Bitty followed her gaze, her expression softening. “We should rest. Tomorrow will be…”

“A complete and utter shitshow?” Ava smiled sarcastically.

To her surprise, Bitty laughed—a small, nervous sound, but genuine. “I was going to say 'challenging,' but yes. A complete and utter shitshow. ”

After finding some nightclothes to change into, she bathed quickly. Bitty was shown into the adjacent room—they both agreed that leaving the connecting door open for the night was the best idea.

Once they’d said goodnight, Ava climbed into bed under the covers and stared up at the ceiling again.

Tomorrow she would face an entire court of inhuman beings who would be assessing her for weaknesses, plotting to use her power, and possibly contemplating how she might taste with the right sauce.

And somewhere, beyond the boundaries of this realm, Serrik was surely raging at her disappearance, plotting his own retrieval of his prized vessel.

Welcome to Tir n'Aill. Where the people are pretty and the parties are deadly. Cost of admission—one human soul. She shut her eyes. They’re going to expect an easy meal.

But as she drifted toward exhausted sleep, a small, defiant part of her mind retorted?—

Tough shit.